--- sourceDocument: Australia Telecommunications Network Inventory sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/telecom-network-inventory Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Telecommunications Network Inventory ft:clusterId : - telninv bundleId : - telninv workflow : - Customer and Industry --- # Data center infrastructure allocation placement policies # Data center infrastructure allocation placement policies {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated November 5, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) 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 Data center infrastructure allocation placement policies Data center infrastructure allocation placement policies in ServiceNow Australia release govern how racks are allocated during the data center infrastructure allocation process. These policies are stored as Knowledge Base articles and applied at the data center or individual rack level. Rack-level policies take precedence over data center-level policies. If no custom policies are defined, built-in default policies apply but cannot be modified. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Policy Storage and Application:** Policies are managed as articles linked to configuration items (data centers or racks) in the Knowledge Base and must be published and current to be effective. * **Default Policies:** There are four main default parameters controlling rack allocation: * **maxFillPercent:** Limits how full a rack can be filled (default 100%). Setting to 0 disables rack allocation. * **reserveRU:** Number of rack units reserved and left free. Racks not meeting this reserve are excluded. * **balanceLoad:** When true, prefers the emptiest racks; when false, prefers the tightest-fit racks. * **preferBottomPlacement:** Data center-level only; if true, equipment is placed starting from the bottom of racks upward. * **Custom Placement Policies:** Customers can override defaults by creating custom Knowledge Base articles using plain language parameters. Articles can specify a default section for the data center and overrides for individual racks using their unique sysid from CMDB. Overrides by rack name or number are ignored. * **Fallback Behavior:** Any unspecified parameters for a rack inherit the data center default. If custom policies are not defined, the system uses built-in defaults automatically. ## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers * Define custom policies in the Knowledge Base to tailor rack allocation behavior, such as limiting rack fill percentages or reserving rack units. * Use rack sysid for precise per-rack overrides to ensure accurate policy application. * Published and current Knowledge Base articles are required for policies to take effect during allocation. * Understand that rack policies override data center policies, allowing granular control over allocation placements. * Default policies provide sensible starting points but are not editable, so customization requires explicit Knowledge Base articles. Data center policies and rack policies are stored in the Knowledge Base and are applied to racks during the data center infrastructure allocation process. ## Default policies {#data-center-infra-allocation-placement-policies__section_nfb_hpq_tjc} Data center policies and rack policies are stored as articles in Knowledge Base and are applied to racks during the data center infrastructure allocation process. In the case where both levels of policy exist, rack policies take priority. If no custom policies are defined, built-in default policies apply. These default policies are not editable. You can override them by defining custom policies in the Knowledge Base for your data center or individual racks. {#data-center-infra-allocation-placement-policies__table_h3y_hpq_tjc__entry__4} | Parameter | Level | Default | Effect | |-|-|-|-| | maxFillPercent | Data center default and per-rack | 100 | Caps how full a rack can be filled. To allow the rack to be filled up to its full capacity, use the default value of 100. Setting this value to 0 makes the rack unavailable for allocation. | | reserveRU | Data center default and per-rack | 0 | Number of rack units kept free. The reserve floor is checked before scoring --- racks that cannot meet the reserve requirement are excluded. | | balanceLoad | Data center default and per-rack | False | When true, the emptiest rack is preferred. When false, the tightest-fit rack is preferred. | | preferBottomPlacement | Data center default only | True | When true, equipment is placed from the bottom of the rack upward. When false, equipment is placed from the top of the rack downward. This parameter is not honored as a per-rack override. | [Table 1. Default policy parameters] {#data-center-infra-allocation-placement-policies__table_h3y_hpq_tjc} ## Custom placement policies {#data-center-infra-allocation-placement-policies__section_tk4_gpq_tjc} Each Knowledge Base article is linked to a configuration item --- either a data center or a specific rack. Articles must be published and the latest version to be read by data center infrastructure allocation. Unpublished or non-latest articles are ignored. Write the recognized parameters in plain language in the article. Data center infrastructure allocation interprets them automatically. Keep articles focused on the following four parameters: * maxFillPercent * reserveRU * balanceLoad * preferBottomPlacement To apply different policies to individual racks within the same data center, structure the Knowledge Base article with a default section for data center-wide values and a section that maps individual racks to their overrides using each rack's unique system identifier. To find a rack's system identifier, open the rack record in the CMDB and copy the value from the sys_id field. A rack override identified by display name or rack number is not applied, and the rack silently falls back to the data center default. Values not listed for a rack fall back to the data center default. Note: Custom policies are optional. Data center infrastructure allocation runs normally with no custom policies defined. **Related concepts** * [Data center infra allocation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/mQeXXor9JUu4Sai1Ac4oyw "Data center infra allocation change request reserves rack units using the rack allocation agentic workflow. The rack allocation agentic workflow handles change requests and finds racks that can accommodate the capacity requirement based on specific physical and logical constraints.") * [Data center infrastructure allocation failure cases](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/UnZU0j~NOMXTrE7z8_Bi7Q "Allocation failures occur when devices, rack constraints, or CMDB records don't meet the requirements for placement.") * [Data center infrastructure rack allocation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WkmKlbVooS2j131UTWjCog "Data center infrastructure allocation reserves rack unit space in a data center based on the requirements specified in a change request and the placement policies that you have configured.")