What is the Difference between Network Equipment, Router and Switch?

[kmlutz]

On the Network equipment class there is a field called "type" that shows a dropdown for router and switch, but there are classes for router
and switch.   Which one does discovery use?   Can it use all three and if so will it set that dropdown?

Will the network equipment class be superseded by the other two?

We want to start using SNMP in the future and I would like to understand this variation before we begin our tests.

Thanks.

[Stijn Verhulst3]

Hi Kurt,

do you mean the Network Gear class instead of Network Equipment? In the OOB version of ServiceNow I can't find a 'Type' field on the Router, Switch, Network Gear or Network Equipment class.

Are you sure this isn't a customized field? If it starts with a 'u' it's a field which has been added to the form by someone else and thus, you don't have to worry about it as it will not affect the behavior of the discovery nor the class of the CI.

Normally Discovery only looks at the class of a discovered CI. Network Gear is the parent class for Router & Switch and therefore you can see both in the Network Gear list. However, they are effectively stored as a Router or Switch class.

Does this answer you question?

Kind regards,

Stijn

[kmlutz]

Hello Stijn,

Yes, we changed the name to Network Equipment as I don't think gear was "liked" at the time.   The field is not a custom one.   It is device_type.   I went to the SN Demo site to be sure it was not something we had created.   Please see screenshot.   That is my confusion as you can see on the demo site, a network gear with the type of router but it is not showing in the network class.

I know this is sample data but I was thinking the same thing - if listed as a router why is it not appear under the router class.   So trying to figure our when it goes into cmdb_ci_netgear with a "type" of router and when it goes into the cmdb_ci_ip_router class.

[Stijn Verhulst3 · Accepted solution]

Ow, ok Kurt, looked over the field the first time, my apologies!

It's because the record has been added manually directly in the Network Gear table. Because the class is in that case Network Gear, you can make difference between the types of CI by setting the Device type field manually.

Discovery always will put a discovered router in the cmdb_ci_ip_router class. I've already did some discovery on these on a project at one of our customers, trust me

[kmlutz]

Thanks Stijn...I'll believe you then!

🙂