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sourceDocument: Australia IT Operations Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-operations-management

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia IT Operations Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itom

bundleId :

    - itom

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Apache Kafka

# Apache Kafka integration configuration fields {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated March 12, 2026  
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## Summary of Apache Kafka integration configuration fields

This document details the configuration fields for setting up Apache Kafka integration within ServiceNow's Health Log Analytics.
It guides customers on how to configure the integration form to pull log data from Apache Kafka clusters into their ServiceNow instance efficiently and reliably.
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## Integration Configuration Fields

* **Integration Name:** Required unique identifier for the integration; auto-updates the generic name shown in the form.
* **Execute On:** Choose whether to run the data input on a specific MID Server or a MID Server cluster, which affects how logs are pulled and failover is handled.
* **MID Server Name:** When executing on a specific MID Server, select one that supports basic authentication (not mTLS). Log ingestion is enabled automatically if not already active. The default maximum is 10 concurrent data inputs per MID Server, adjustable via a MID Server property.
* **MID Server Cluster:** When executing on a cluster, select a failover cluster where one MID Server runs the data input and failover occurs on failure. All MID Servers in the cluster must have log ingestion enabled, which Health Log Analytics enables automatically if needed. Capacity validation ensures at least one MID Server in the cluster has capacity for new data inputs.
* **Service Instance:** Required field to bind the log data to the appropriate service instance in ServiceNow.
* **Data Source:** Read-only field, set to Kafka indicating the source of log data.
* **Description:** Optional field to add notes or details about the integration for identification purposes.

## Data Retrieval Method

* **Kafka Node Names:** Required comma-separated list of Kafka broker addresses (HOST:PORT). Not all cluster nodes need to be listed.
* **Topics:** Required comma-separated list of Kafka topics to subscribe to for log data.
* **Kafka Credentials:** Select existing Kafka SSL credentials or create new ones to authenticate the integration.
* **Group ID:** The Kafka Consumer Group name used for managing message consumption.

## Advanced Settings

* **Timeout:** Polling wait time in milliseconds when no data is available (default 500 ms).
* **Default Timezone:** Time zone used for event timestamps if logs lack timezone info; defaults to GMT but customizable.
* **Sub Sample Receive Ratio \& Sub Sample Drop Ratio:** Settings to batch and reduce the number of events processed to manage load.
* **Character Encoding:** Read-only UTF-8 encoding used for data input.
* **Node Discovery Timeout:** Time allowed for discovering Kafka nodes before timing out (default 30 ms).
* **Max Length in Bytes:** Maximum size of events in bytes (default 32,766 bytes).
* **Drop if Queue is Full:** Option to discard logs when MID Server load is high; default is false to retain logs.

## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

By configuring these fields accurately, customers can establish a reliable pipeline for Kafka log data into Health Log Analytics, ensuring appropriate failover mechanisms, authentication, and performance tuning. Understanding these fields helps optimize MID Server resource usage and maintain continuous log ingestion without data loss.  
Description of the fields on the Apache Kafka integration configuration forms for Health Log Analytics.
For the Apache Kafka integration setup procedure, see [Set up an Apache Kafka integration for Health Log Analytics](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/SEyxA_FSSwIydvjdqiOe8Q "Set up an integration for streaming log data from Apache Kafka to your ServiceNow instance for processing by Health Log Analytics.").
{#il-connector-hla-kafka-fields__table_cnt_1x5_l2c__entry__2}

| Field | Description |
|-|-|
| Integration Name | Unique name of this integration. For example: My Kafka integration. This field is required. Note: When you fill in this field, the generic name displayed on the form adjusts automatically to match the name you entered. |
| Execute on | Option to select whether to use a specific MID Server or a MID Server cluster. This field is required. |
| MID server name | (Only when the Execute on field is set to Specific MID Server) MID Server to which log data from Apache Kafka is pulled. This field is required. Note: * You can select only MID Servers that support basic authentication. MID Servers that support mTLS are not listed. * The default maximum number of data inputs streaming logs to a single MID Server is 10. You can modify the maximum number by adding the property `sn.occ.log_ingestion.max_datainputs_per_mid` to the MID Server and then changing the default value. * If log ingestion is not enabled for the selected MID Server, Health Log Analytics enables it automatically. {#il-connector-hla-kafka-fields__ul_y2q_sz5_l2c} |
| MID Server Cluster | (Only when Execute on is set to Specific MID Server cluster.) The MID Server cluster to which the log data is pulled. This field is required. The data input runs on a single MID Server in the cluster until that MID Server fails. The system then moves all the data input tasks to the next available MID Server in the cluster according to the configured order. Note: * Health Log Analytics supports only failover MID Server clusters. In these clusters, multiple MID Servers are grouped together for failover protection. When selecting a cluster from the data input or integration form, the MID Server clusters list displays only failover clusters. * Log ingestion must be enabled for each MID Server in the cluster. If log ingestion is not enabled for the active MID Server, Health Log Analytics enables it automatically. * The default maximum number of data inputs or integrations streaming logs to a single MID Server is 10. A cluster passes capacity validation if it contains at least one MID Server with fewer than 10 data inputs or integrations running on it. This is true even when that MID Server is down. {#il-connector-hla-kafka-fields__ul_htt_wdq_dwb} For more information about MID Server clusters, see [Configure a MID Server cluster](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=t_ConfigureAMIDServerCluster&version=australia&pubname=australia-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US). |
| Service instance | The service instance (formerly the application service) to which to bind the log data. This field is required. |
| Data source | The source of the log data that the integration pulls to your ServiceNow instance: Kafka. This field is read-only. |
| Description | Option to add a brief description of the integration to help identify it. |
[Table 1. Provide details]

{#il-connector-hla-kafka-fields__table_cnt_1x5_l2c} {#il-connector-hla-kafka-fields__table_x11_2x5_l2c__entry__2}

| Field | Description |
|-|-|
| Kafka node names | A comma-separated list in the format HOST:PORT,HOST:PORT. This field is required. The list does not have to include all the Apache Kafka Cluster servers. |
| Topics | A comma-separated list of topics to which the data input must subscribe. This field is required. |
| Kafka credentials | The Apache Kafka credentials. You can select existing Kafka SSL credentials, or create new ones by selecting Create Kafka credentials from the drop-down list. For a description of the fields on the Kafka SSL credentials form, see [Kafka SSL credentials fields](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/JZzAZEOLpNPVFTWf0nmPzg "Description of the fields on the Kafka SSL credentials form."). |
| Group ID | The name of the Apache Kafka Consumer Group. |
[Table 2. Set data retrieval method]

{#il-connector-hla-kafka-fields__table_x11_2x5_l2c} {#il-connector-hla-kafka-fields__table_h5d_fx5_l2c__entry__3}

| Field | Description | Default value |
|-|-|-|
| Timeout | The time, in milliseconds, spent waiting in the poll if data is not available in the topics. | 500 |
| Default timezone | The time zone of events that the system will use if a log does not specify the time zone. By default, the system uses GMT in such cases, but you can specify a different time zone. | GMT |
| Sub sample receive ratio | The number of events to batch together, out of which all but one will be discarded. This setting is used to decrease the number of received events. | -1 |
| Character encoding | The character encoding for this data input. This field is read-only. | UTF-8 |
| Node discovery timeout | The time, in milliseconds, before node discovery times out. | 30 |
| Sub sample drop ratio | The number of events to batch together, out of which one will be discarded. This setting is used to reduce the number of fetched events. | -1 |
| Max length in bytes | The maximum length, in bytes, of events. | 32766 |
| Drop if queue is full | Option to discard logs if there is a load on the MID Server. | False |
[Table 3. Advanced settings]

{#il-connector-hla-kafka-fields__table_h5d_fx5_l2c}