OT Discovery communications

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 24, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of OT Discovery communications

    This content explains the communication architecture of OT Discovery components within a ServiceNow deployment. It guides customers on how to configure and connect these components—including MID Servers, Service Graph Connectors, Consoles, Sensors, and Collectors—to enable seamless data flow and discovery of OT assets.

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    Component Communications

    • MID Server to ServiceNow instance: MID Servers push data discovered from the OT environment to the ServiceNow instance. If the Discovery Console for OT has internet access, a MID Server may not be required.
    • Service Graph Connector (SGC): SGC communicates with the MID Server, Discovery Console, and ServiceNow instance to facilitate data integration.
    • Console to MID Server: Deploy a dedicated MID Server per network or segment and configure firewall rules to allow communication across boundaries.
    • Console to Sensors and Collectors: The Console communicates with Sensors, Collectors, MID Server, SGC, and ServiceNow instance. Separate Consoles should be deployed for each network or segment, with firewall configurations enabling communication.
    • Sensor to Console and Assets: Deploy separate Sensors per network or segment. Sensors communicate with OT assets and the Console. Sensor data is forwarded to ServiceNow via the SGC.
    • Collector to Console and Assets: Collectors communicate with both the Console and the system assets to gather discovery data.

    Network Port Configuration

    The communication between components requires specific network ports to be open and properly configured. Key ports and their purposes include:

    • Management Console: Port 8443 (HTTPS) for web interface; port 5671 (AMQP) for Sensor communication; port 123 (NTP) optionally for time synchronization; port 22 (SSH) for optional setup support; port 8443 API for MID Server data import.
    • Sensor: Port 5671 (AMQP) outbound to Console for communication; ports 443 (HTTP) and 22 (SSH) inbound for setup support.
    • MID Server: Port 443 bi-directional to the ServiceNow instance to enable secure communication.

    Properly configuring these ports and firewall rules is essential to ensure smooth, secure communication between all OT Discovery components and to enable accurate and timely data collection.

    This section describes how the OT Discovery components should be connected so they can communicate with each other.

    Component communications

    When determining the environment architecture for your deployment, consider how the following OT Discovery components interact.
    • MID Server-to-ServiceNow instance:
      • The MID Server needs to communicate with the ServiceNow instance to push the information from Discovery Console for OT.
        Note:
        If the Discovery Console for OT can reach the internet, the MID Server might not be needed in your OT configuration.
      • This configuration and deployment is the same as with any other MID Server.
      • The Service Graph Connector (SGC) needs to communicate with the MID Server, the Console, and the ServiceNow instance.
    • Console-to-MID Server communication:
      • Deploy a separate MID Server for each network or network segment.
      • Configure firewall rules to enable communication across networks or network segment boundaries.
      • The Console needs to communicate with the Sensors, the Collectors, the MID Server, the SGC, and your ServiceNow instance.
      Figure 1. Network communication setup
      Network setup
    • Sensor-to-Console communication:
      • Deploy a separate Console for each network, network segment, or system.
      • Configure firewall rules to enable communication across networks or network segment boundaries.
      • The Discovery Sensor for OT needs to communicate with OT assets and with the Discovery Console for OT.
      • Discovery Sensor for OT data is pushed to the ServiceNow instance by the Service Graph Connector.
    • Sensor-to-asset communication:
      • Deploy a separate Sensor for each network, network segment, or system.
      • Configure firewall rules to enable communication across network, network segment, or system boundaries.
    • Discovery OT Collector-to-Console communication:
      • Discovery OT Collector needs to communicate with the Console.
      • The Collector communicates with the Console and with your system's assets.

    Network port map

    The following table describes how to set up network ports.

    Table 1. Network port map
    Source Destination Port Direction Destination Required/Optional Description
    Management Console 8443 (HTTPS) inbound Bi <-> Workstation Required Console web interface
    Management Console 5671 (AMQP) inbound Uni <- Sensor Required Communications from Sensors to Console
    Management Console 123 (NTP) inbound Uni <- Time Server /Esxi Host Optional Clock synchronization, Not needed it time server or hypervisor will provide time.
    Management Console 8443 API Uni <- MID Server Required Import data from Management Console via the APIs.
    Management Console 22 (SSH) inbound <- Host Setup Computer Optional (setup) Additional support during deployment
    Sensor 5671 (AMQP) outbound Uni <- Management Console Required Communications from Sensors to Console
    Sensor 443 (HTTP) inbound <- Host Setup Computer Required Additional support during deployment
    Sensor 22 (SSH) inbound <- Host Setup Computer Required Additional support during deployment
    MID Server 443 Bi <-> NOW instance /Web Required Communications from the MID Server to the NOW fabric internet facing.