Oracle setup help

[avivs]

Hi 

The documentation for Oracle Publisher is confusing.

Can someone who implemented SAM for Oracle applications like PeopleSoft, E1, JD Edwards, etc.. guide me on what the required setup is to perform?

The Publisher pack for Oracle is installed, ServiceNow Discovery was implemented a while ago, but I don't think the Oracle SW installations are discovered. 

Any guidance? If someone implemented SAM for those specific apps, I'd like to discuss.

Thx

[abby_singh786]

Steps to Resolve Oracle Discovery

1. Confirm Discovery for Oracle Database Servers

• Navigate to: Discovery > Schedules and check if a discovery schedule exists for Oracle DB servers.
• Verify that a valid MID Server is associated with the discovery schedule.
• Review discovery logs: Go to Discovery > Status, filter by the target Oracle hosts, and confirm successful pattern execution.

Key Points:

• Ensure that TCP port 1521 (Oracle Listener) is open between the MID Server and the database server.
• Configure valid Oracle DB credentials under Credentials > Oracle Database Account and verify that the MID Server can use them to connect and gather data.

2. Enable Oracle Discovery Patterns

• Go to: Discovery Patterns > Active Patterns.
• Check for and enable these patterns (if not already active):
• Oracle Database (Linux)
• Oracle Database (Windows)
• Oracle E-Business Suite
• Oracle WebLogic
• PeopleSoft Application Server
• JD Edwards EnterpriseOne

Perform individual discovery runs to test these patterns.

3. Verify Oracle Application Installations Are Being Discovered

• Navigate to Software Installations (cmdb_sam_sw_install) or run a report filtering for software installations where Publisher = Oracle.
• Confirm that applications such as PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, or Oracle EBS appear in the results.
• If missing, create or extend discovery patterns to target installation directories (e.g., /u01/app/oracle/product/).
• Use file system probes, registry keys, service name lookups, or port listeners for confirmation.

4. Define Software Models for Oracle Applications

• Navigate to Software Asset > Software Models and create models if they are missing:
• Name: Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne; Publisher: Oracle
• Name: Oracle PeopleSoft; Publisher: Oracle
• Name: Oracle E-Business Suite; Publisher: Oracle

Ensure each model is mapped to discovered installations using Discovery Map or manual mapping.

Set the correct license metrics, such as Processor or Named User Plus.

5. Load Oracle License Entitlements

• Go to: Software Asset > Entitlements > License Entitlements.
• Enter license details based on Oracle certificates or contracts, including license type, quantity, contract reference, and related software model.
• If using Oracle templates, download, populate, and upload the CSV templates from Software Asset > Integration > Oracle License Import Templates.

6. Associate Software Installations with Software Models

• Navigate to Software Installations and filter for Oracle installs without a software model.
• Use Right-click > Propose Model to map them to the correct software model (e.g., PeopleSoft, JD Edwards).
• Alternatively, set up Pattern Normalization Rules to automate model mapping for installations.

7. Run Reconciliation

• Go to: Software Asset > Reconciliation > Run Reconciliation.
• After reconciliation is complete, navigate to the License Workbench and validate:
• Installations
• Allocated licenses
• License consumption
• Compliance status

8. Address Gaps in Discovery or Mapping

• If some installations or compliance metrics are missing, review the Software Discovery Model (SAM > Normalization > Discovery Models).
• Manually update mappings or request normalization via the ServiceNow Content Service.
• Validate CI-to-installation-to-model mapping by checking associations under:
• Software Installation > CI
• Software Model > Discovery Models > Installations

[avivs]

Hi @abby_singh786  , thanks for this input.

I have a few questions:

1. Confirm Discovery for Oracle Database Servers

• How can I confirm it? We don't have any "Oracle" schedule. But I see records on the following tables
  • Oracle Instances - cmdb_ci_db_ora_instance
  • Weblogics - cmdb_ci_app_server_weblogic
  • On the other hand, there are no records cmdb_ci_database for Oracle type.
  • So are we missing something here?
• I see in the docs that this store app mentioned -  Data Collection for Oracle Global Licensing and Advisory Services, is it required? 
• Credentials > Oracle Database Account - not sure what this path is? I see this cred type 'Oracle API Credentials', this is not in used today. 
  
  
  

[abby_singh786]

1: You’re partially discovering Oracle DB components. Here’s what this likely means:

• You are discovering the Oracle DB instances (like SID and port) via basic OS-level or shell command Discovery, not via the full Oracle Database pattern.
• You’re also discovering WebLogic, which is good — likely because it’s running as a service or app server.

What’s Missing:

• You aren’t discovering the full Oracle Database entry in cmdb_ci_database, which holds normalized DB info (vendor, version, etc.) — this is required for full SAM and CMDB health.

Next Step: How to Confirm Proper Oracle DB Discovery

To fully confirm Oracle DB is being discovered:
1. Go to Discovery > Status
2. Filter for the CI or IP of a known Oracle DB host
3. Check the pattern steps executed:
• You should see steps like:
Oracle Database (Linux) → Collect Oracle DB Info
Identify Oracle Listener Info, etc.

If you don’t see those steps:
• The Oracle Database pattern is not being triggered — most likely because:
• No valid Oracle DB credentials are in place, or
• The MID Server cannot reach the Oracle port (1521), or
• The Oracle pattern is not enabled.

Missing Discovery Schedule for Oracle

You don’t need a schedule specifically named “Oracle”. But you do need to make sure the schedule targets the right servers.

To Fix:
• Go to Discovery > Schedules
• Open the current schedule that includes your Oracle servers
• Ensure the CI Classification or IP Range targets Oracle DB hosts
• Attach the correct MID Server
• Ensure Credentials are mapped via:
• Discovery > Credentials
• Or Credential Affinity rules

2: Do You Need “Data Collection for Oracle GLAS?

Only if you’re doing Oracle LMS Compliance

• The Oracle GLAS store app is used for LMS scripts, which Oracle requires during official audits.
• You don’t need it for basic SAM Oracle setup in ServiceNow.

Use it only if:
• You’re preparing for an Oracle audit
• You want deep data collection, especially around CPU cores, named users, feature usage

For now — it’s optional. You can skip it unless you’re working with Oracle LMS or facing an audit.

3: Credentials > Oracle Database Account?

You’re right — this is a specialised credential type.

To Set It Up:
1. Go to: Discovery > Credentials
2. Click New
3. Select Type: Oracle Database
• This is different from the Oracle API Credential (which is used for SaaS or Cloud integration).
4. Enter:
• Username: e.g., system or a read-only user
• Password
• Service name/SID (optional if you use TNS)
• Port (usually 1521)

Why This Matters:

Without this, ServiceNow can’t execute the full Oracle DB Discovery pattern, which fetches:
• DB version
• Installed features
• DB status and size
• Licensing-relevant info for SAM

 
4: Verify CI Records in CMDB

Once successful:
• Go to: CMDB > Databases > Oracle Database
• Table: cmdb_ci_database
• You should now see entries with:
• Name
• Version
• Oracle Instance
• Hosted on Server
• Database Role
• Application Links (if applicable)

5: Link to SAM

Now that the Oracle DB is properly discovered:
1. Go to: Software Installations
2. Check for Oracle-related software entries
• E.g., Oracle E-Business Suite, JD Edwards, etc.
3. If not visible, these may need custom patterns
• These applications often aren’t picked up as standard installations
• They require custom file system probes or service checks

6: Optional: Build Custom Pattern for Oracle Applications

If you confirm PeopleSoft or JD Edwards is installed on the server but still not being discovered:
• Go to: Discovery Patterns > Custom Patterns
• Create a new pattern scoped to:
• Type: Application
• Platform: Windows/Linux
• Add operations to:
• Check folders (e.g., /opt/jdedwards, /u01/app/peoplesoft)
• Detect services
• Extract version info from config files
• Publish and associate it with your Discovery Schedule

[abby_singh786]

Hi Avivs,

Why You Don’t See “Oracle Database” Credential Type

The “Oracle Database” credential type is part of the Discovery plugin for Oracle, not the Oracle Publisher Pack for SAM.

Here’s what’s going on:
• The Oracle Publisher Pack enables SAM features (like license types, license workbench, and entitlement logic).
• But for Discovery to detect Oracle Databases properly (beyond just instances or WebLogic), you need to enable additional Discovery plugins.


What You Need to Enable

Go to: System Definition > Plugins, and search for:

Discovery - Oracle Database Extension
• Plugin Name: com.snc.discovery.oracle_database
• This plugin adds:
• The “Oracle Database” credential type
• The full Oracle DB discovery pattern
• Required probes (e.g., SQL queries to Oracle)

Without this, the Oracle pattern won’t run fully, and you’ll never see that credential option.

Steps to Fix This
1. Go to: System Definition > Plugins
2. Search for: oracle
3. Find and activate:
• Discovery - Oracle Database Extension (com.snc.discovery.oracle_database)
4. Once installed:
• Go to Discovery > Credentials > New
• You will now see Oracle Database as a credential type
5. Create a credential as described earlier
6. Re-run Discovery for one Oracle DB server


Why This Is Missing in Oracle Publisher Pack Docs

You’re right — the Oracle Publisher Pack docs don’t mention this plugin, because they assume:

• 
  • You already have ServiceNow Discovery fully configured
  • You’ve already enabled all required platform Discovery extensions
  
  Unfortunately, this causes confusion for SAM users who rely on Discovery data — but don’t realize that Oracle DB Discovery is not native without this plugin.