Discovery classification parameters

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Discovery classification parameters

    Discovery classification parameters in ServiceNow Yokohama release enable accurate identification and classification of various devices and processes during Discovery. These parameters help define the characteristics of devices based on protocols such as SSH, WMI, SNMP, and process probes. Understanding and utilizing these parameters ensures precise classification of Configuration Items (CIs), which is essential for maintaining a reliable Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

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    Key Features

    • Unix Parameters: Identify UNIX-based systems (Linux, Solaris, HP-UX) communicating over SSH. Key parameters include:
      • output: Raw probe output (e.g., uname -a) for classification.
      • type: Returns "UNIX" classification.
      • ipaddress: IP address of the device.
      • name: Operating system name (e.g., Linux, HP-UX).
    • Windows Parameters: Identify Windows devices communicating via WMI. Key parameters include:
      • isNode: Indicates if the instance is a node.
      • type: Returns "windows" classification.
      • isVIP: Indicates if the device is a virtual machine with a virtual IP.
      • ipaddress: Device IP address.
      • name: Windows version.
      • cidata.name: Hostname of the Windows OS.
    • SNMP Parameters: Classify network devices like routers, switches, printers. Notable parameters include:
      • Indicators for device capabilities such as powering (UPS), hosting (hosts servers), routing (network routing), switching (network switching), printing (printing capabilities), and vlans (virtual LAN hosting).
      • ipaddress: IP addresses used for discovery (multiple addresses possible).
      • sysdescr: Descriptive field with OS and version details.
      • hintrouter: Flags if device is identified as a router.
      • Control parameters such as blockrouterexploration and blockswitchexploration prevent launching additional probes for routers or switches during network discovery.
      • mfrapc: Identifies UPS devices from American Power Conversion (APC).
      • netware: Flags devices running Netware OS.
    • Process Parameters: Identify running processes on devices (e.g., LDAP, Apache, JBoss). Important parameters include:
      • parameter: Parameters used to run the process.
      • command: Command line used to start the process.
      • output: Output from the process probe line.
      • type: Process type such as UNIX or Windows.
      • PID: Process ID, generally not reliable for classification due to its dynamic nature.
      • name: Process name, which may not always be unique or reliable (e.g., multiple Windows processes named svchost.exe).

    Why This Matters

    Accurate classification parameters allow ServiceNow Discovery to precisely identify device types, operating systems, and processes, enabling better CMDB accuracy and asset management. This leads to improved operational intelligence, automated workflows, and more effective incident and change management.

    What Customers Can Expect

    • Improved device and process classification accuracy during Discovery scans.
    • Enhanced control over network device exploration with parameters to block unnecessary probes.
    • Ability to distinguish virtual machines, nodes, and device capabilities for more granular CMDB records.
    • Support for multiple protocols (SSH, WMI, SNMP) ensuring broad device coverage.

    These parameters are available for Discovery classifiers.

    Note:
    Condition filters in process classifiers are case-sensitive.

    Unix parameters

    The UNIX parameters define the characteristics of several types of computers, such as Linux, Solaris, and HP-UX, communicating with SSH protocol, version 2.

    Parameter Description
    output The raw output of the classifier probe (uname -a).
    type Returns the classification UNIX.
    IP address Returns the IP address of the device being discovered.
    name Name of the operating system for this UNIX CI. For example, Linux or HP-UX.

    Windows parameters

    Windows parameters identify Windows computers communicating with the WMI protocol.

    Parameter Description
    isNode Indicates if this instance is a node.
    type Returns the classification windows.
    isVIP Indicates if this CI is a virtual machine, with a virtual IP address.
    ip_address Returns the IP address of the device being discovered.
    name Name of the Windows version.
    cidata.name Hostname of the Windows OS

    SNMP parameters

    The SNMP parameters can define the characteristics of several types of devices, such as routers, switches, and printers.

    Parameter Description
    powering A value of true indicates that this device is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
    hosting A value of true indicates that this device can host programs. Hosts are general purpose computers such as servers.
    netware A value of true indicates that this device is running the Netware operating system.
    routing A value of true indicates that this device has network routing capabilities.
    ip_address Returns the IP address through which the device is being discovered. A device can have multiple IP addresses.
    sysdescr Required descriptive field on any SNMP device that can contain useful classification data, such as the operating system and its version.
    vlans A value of true indicates that this device can host a virtual local area network.
    hint_router A value of true indicates that Discovery has determined that this device is a router. This field only applies to devices that can be used as both a router and a switch.
    block_router_exploration If this parameter is true,Discovery will not launch exploration probes for routers it detects. This parameter is used for network Discovery only.
    switching A value of true indicates that this device has network switching capabilities.
    mfr_apc A value of true indicates that this device is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) manufactured by American Power Conversion (APC).
    printing A value of true indicates that this device has printing capabilities.
    block_switch_exploration If this parameter is true, Discovery will not launch exploration probes for switches it detects. This parameter is used for network Discovery only.

    Process parameters

    Process parameters identify processes such as those used by LDAP, Apache Server, and JBoss Server.

    Parameter Description
    parameter The parameters used to run the process.
    command The command used to run the process.
    output The complete output of the current line of the process probe.
    type Indicates the process type (e.g. unix or windows).
    PID The process ID generated by the operating system of a device to identify a running process. Generally, this parameter is not a practical classification criteria, because the value does not remain static, except in the case of processes running on an appliance that is never restarted.
    name Name of the process being discovered. In some cases, this parameter is not reliable, since several process might be given the same name. In Windows, for example several processes return scvhost.exe for this parameter.