AWS OS image pattern-based discovery

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated December 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of AWS OS Image Pattern-Based Discovery

    AWS OS image pattern-based discovery enables the identification of both owned and executable AWS OS images in your cloud environment. To utilize this feature, it may be necessary to update to the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.

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    Key Features

    • Utilizes Amazon AWS - Owned Template and Amazon AWS - Executable Template patterns to discover OS images.
    • Stores discovered OS images in the Cloud Image [cmdbcicloudosimage] table to prevent excessive records in the Image [cmdbciostemplate] table.
    • Populates essential data fields such as image name, object ID, image type, and root device type.
    • Supports CI relationships to maintain connections between OS images and AWS Datacenters.
    • Discovers and records AWS tags and license types, including Bring Your Own License (BYOL) and license included for Windows and RHEL VMs.

    Key Outcomes

    By implementing AWS OS image pattern-based discovery, ServiceNow customers can efficiently manage their AWS OS images, streamline data collection in the CMDB, and ensure accurate documentation of images and associated licenses. This not only enhances visibility and governance of cloud resources but also supports compliance and operational efficiency in managing cloud infrastructure.

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns finds AWS OS images (both owned and executable) on your cloud environment. Discovering some of these resources may require updating to the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.

    Discovery uses the Amazon AWS - Owned Template (LP) and Amazon AWS - Executable Template (LP) patterns to discover AWS OS images from your AWS account. Owned images are custom images created by your AWS account, while executable images include public and shared images your account has permission to use.

    When using the Image [cmdb_ci_os_template] table to store Cloud OS Images, you may notice an unusually large number of records. To avoid this issue, you can store the discovered OS images in the Cloud Image [cmdb_ci_cloud_os_image] table. When enabled, Discovery launches the Amazon AWS - Owned Cloud OS Image (LP) and Amazon AWS - Executable Cloud OS Image (LP) patterns, which populate the Cloud Image [cmdb_ci_cloud_os_image] table. For more information, see Enable Cloud OS Image discovery.

    Pattern-based discovery and mapping requirements

    Verify the AWS discovery prerequisites section in Amazon AWS Cloud components discovery using patterns.

    Data collected by Discovery during horizontal discovery

    Discovery populates the data in the CMDB when running the AWS OS image patterns.

    Table 1. Image [cmdb_ci_os_template] or Cloud Image [cmdb_ci_cloud_os_image]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Name of the image.

    For example: CentOS 7.0-64 Minimal for VSI.
    Object ID [object_id] Unique identifier, allocated by Amazon AWS Cloud for this resource.
    Image Type [image_type] Type of the OS image.
    Root Device Type [root_device_type] The device name of the root device volume.

    For example: /dev/sda1.
    Image Source [image_source] Source of the OS image.
    Guest OS [guest_os] Operating system that is secondary to the OS.
    Provider [provider] The cloud provider, which is AWS.

    This field is only populated in the Cloud Image [cmdb_ci_cloud_os_image] table.

    CI relationships

    The AWS OS image patterns create these relationships to support AWS OS image discovery.

    CI Relationship CI
    Image [cmdb_ci_os_template] or Cloud Image [cmdb_ci_cloud_os_image] Hosted on::Hosts AWS Datacenter [cmdb_ci_aws_datacenter]
    Key value [cmdb_key_value] References Image [cmdb_ci_os_template] or Cloud Image [cmdb_ci_cloud_os_image]

    AWS Tag discovery

    The pattern extension section discovers tags and populates them in the Key value [cmdb_key_value] table.

    Table 2. Key value [cmdb_key_value]
    Field Description
    Key [key] Tag name.
    Value [value] Tag value.
    Configuration item [configuration_item] References the Image [cmdb_ci_os_template] or Cloud Image [cmdb_ci_cloud_os_image] table.

    AWS BYOL discovery

    The pattern extension section discovers the following license types for Windows and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) VMs:
    • Bring Your Own License (BYOL)
    • License included
    The pattern stores the license type and model in the Key Value [cmdb_key_value] table.
    Table 3. Key value [cmdb_key_value]
    Field Description
    Key [key] The license type key, which is one of the following:
    • Windows_OS_License_Type_automatic
    • RHEL_OS_License_Type_automatic
    Value [value] The license model, which is one of the following:
    • BYOL
    • License Included
    Configuration item [configuration_item] References the Image [cmdb_ci_os_template] or Cloud Image [cmdb_ci_cloud_os_image] table.