Discovery status

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 20, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Discovery status

    The Discovery status in ServiceNow provides a detailed summary of each Discovery execution launched from a schedule. It helps you monitor, analyze, and troubleshoot discoveries by displaying key information such as discovery mode, probe messages sent, sensor records processed, and device classification. You can also cancel an ongoing Discovery directly from the status form.

    Show full answer Show less

    Discovery schedules without status updates for a specified time are automatically analyzed by the Discovery Status Monitor job, which helps identify issues in discovering configuration items.

    Accessing and Using Discovery Status

    To view the Discovery status, navigate to Discovery > Status and open the relevant status record. Each record corresponds to a single Discovery execution and contains high-level details useful for troubleshooting.

    • Refresh: Updates related tabs such as Discovery Log and ECC Queue for ongoing discoveries.
    • Discovery timeline: A graphical representation of the probes and sensors used during the discovery.
    • Discovery log entries: Records classification failures, CMDB updates, authentication failures, and other discovery actions.
    • ECC queue entries: Displays probe and sensor activity along with the XML payloads exchanged via the MID Server.
    • Device history: Summarizes all devices scanned and sensor actions on the CMDB during the discovery.

    By default, only 30 days of Discovery records are displayed in the status list.

    Key Fields in a Discovery Status Record

    • Number: Unique auto-generated identifier for the record.
    • Description: Indicates how the discovery was initiated (e.g., Scheduled or Discover Now).
    • Schedule: Name of the Discovery schedule used.
    • State: Current state of the discovery (Starting, Active, Completed, Canceled).
    • Started and Completed: Counts of probes started and completed.
    • Source: Origin of the discovery (Schedule Discovery, Quick Discovery, or DiscoveryAPI).
    • Discover: Type of discovery performed (Configuration items, IP addresses, Networks, Processes/Connections).
    • Max Run Time: Maximum allowed runtime for the discovery.
    • Log state changes: Indicates if state changes were logged during the discovery, visible in device lists.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    Using the Discovery Status form enables you to:

    • Monitor the progress and success of discovery schedules in real time.
    • Quickly identify and troubleshoot discovery failures by examining probe and sensor details.
    • Cancel ongoing discoveries if necessary to prevent resource waste or conflicts.
    • Gain insights into device classification and CMDB updates resulting from each discovery.
    • Access detailed logs and communications (ECC queue) between the instance and MID Server for deeper investigation.

    Additional Notes

    The Discovery timeline and ECC queue provide visual and technical insights into discovery operations, helping you understand the sequence and details of probe and sensor executions. The Devices related list offers a concise history of scanned devices and sensor actions, aiding in audit and verification processes.

    The Discovery status provides a summary of a Discovery launched from a schedule. You can also cancel a Discovery that is in progress from the status form.

    Note:
    Discovery schedules that have no status updates for a over a defined number of minutes are analyzed automatically by the Discovery Status Monitor job. By default, this job applies to Discovery schedules that discover configuration items. For more information, see the Discovery Status Monitoring Job article in the Now Support Knowledge Base.

    To access the Discovery Status form, navigate to Discovery > Status and open the status record for a Discovery.

    Each record in the Status list represents the execution of a Discovery by a schedule and displays such high-level information as the date of the Discovery, the mode, the number of probe messages sent to devices, and the number of sensor records that were processed. A status record contains data that can help you troubleshoot a failed discovery. Use this data to troubleshoot the behavior of individual probes and sensors or even run those elements separately. Use the status controls to enter probe/sensor threads at any point for a specific Discovery, and then follow the process in either direction. You can also clearly see which classification probe ran and discovered a particular device by viewing the classification probe column in the device list.

    • Refresh: Refreshes the related tabs, including the Discovery Log and ECC Queue for discoveries still in progress.
    • Discovery timeline: The Discovery timeline is a graphical display of a discovery, including information about each probe and sensor that was used.
    • Discovery log entries: The Discovery Log shows information such as classification failures, CMDB updates, and authentication failures. A Discovery Log record is created for each action associated with a discovery status.
    • ECC queue entries: Entries in the ECC queue provide you with a connected flow of probe and sensor activity, as well as the actual XML payload that is sent to or from an instance.
    • Device history: The device history provides a summary of all the devices scanned during discovery, and what action sensors took on the CMDB.
    Note:
    By default, only 30 days of Discovery records are displayed in the status list at a time.
    The following Discovery status record shows the discovery of a load balancer using a pattern.
    Figure 1. Example Discovery status record
    Example Discovery status record
    Field Description
    Number An auto-generated number for the record.
    Description How this discovery was run. Typically, the description is Scheduled, but if you ran discovery manually from a Schedule, the record would show Discover Now in the Description field.
    Schedule The name of the Discovery schedule.
    State The state of the discovery:
    • Starting
    • Active
    • Completed
    • Canceled
    Started and Completed The number of probes started and completed during discovery.
    Source Optional read-only field that shows the source of the discovery, such as Schedule Discovery, or Quick Discovery. If the source of the Discovery was from an API call, the source is DiscoveryAPI.
    From Schedule (Read-only schedule data)
    Discover Shows the Discovery type. The possible types are: Configuration items, IP addresses, Networks, or Processes/Connections (ADM).
    Max Run Time Displays the maximum amount of time Discovery was permitted to run on this schedule.
    Log state changes Indicates that state changes were logged during this Discovery. These states can be seen in the Last and Current fields in theDiscovery Devices list in this form.