How Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content works

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of How Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content works

    Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content (ACC-VC) is an extension of the ServiceNow Agent Client Collector (ACC) that requires installation on the target host. It utilizes checks and policies to schedule and collect essential host data, enhancing visibility within your IT environment.

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    Key Features

    • Triggers: ACC-VC activates data collection under specific conditions, including:
      • Periodic scheduling for regular Discovery.
      • CI deletion, where data collection is triggered upon the removal of a computer or server CI record.
      • MID Server and target host cycles, initiating collection when either goes down and then comes back online.
      • Network breaks, which prompt Discovery when connectivity issues occur.
    • Checks and Policies: The core of ACC-VC involves the Enhanced Discovery Check, which is executed based on a 24-hour schedule. This schedule is synced across all agents.
    • Data Processing: Upon receiving data from the MID Server, ACC-VC utilizes the EnhancedDiscoveryHandler script to transform and reconcile data into a compatible format for the identification and reconciliation engine (IRE).
    • Compatibility: ACC-VC supports various virtualization and cloud instances, including vCenter, Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure.

    Key Outcomes

    By implementing ACC-VC, ServiceNow customers can achieve improved visibility and management of their IT assets, streamline data collection processes, and ensure accurate CI records within their CMDB. The solution allows for customization of checks, policies, and definitions to fit specific operational needs, ensuring that IT environments are effectively monitored and maintained.

    Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content (ACC-VC) requires installation of ServiceNow Agent Client Collector (ACC) on the target host. ACC is a derivative of Sensu-Go, an open-source software.

    ACC-VC use cases

    ACC-VC applies Checks and Policies to schedule and collect host data. ACC-VC is triggered in the following cases:
    • Periodic scheduling: A policy-based approach where Discovery is triggered on a periodic basis.
    • On CI delete: When the computer or server CI record is deleted.
    • MID Server cycle: When the MID Server goes down and comes back up.
    • Target host cycle: When the target host goes down and comes back up.
    • Network break: When there is a break in the network link to the target.
    Note:
    Discovery is triggered for those agents whose hosts are already present. Agents whose hosts are not present are discovered through ACC-F.

    ACC-VC checks and policies

    The ACC-VC assets are stored as Agent plugins with the main entry point [acc_visibility_main] and other modules for OS families. There is one main system Discovery Check definition, called Enhanced Discovery, which is used by the Enhanced Discovery Policy. This ACC-VC policy runs off a schedule, which is defaulted to 24 hours (86,400 seconds). This policy configuration is synced to all agents as defined in the ACC-VC policy.

    When the payload is returned from the MID Server to the instance, the ACC-VC Check Type, EnhancedDiscovery, delegates tasks to the EnhancedDiscoveryHandler script include provided by ACC-VC. The script contains logic to process the data from the check and handles tasks such as:
    • Data transformation into an identification and reconciliation engine (IRE) compatible payload
    • Non-CI data reconciliation (cmdb_running_processes, cmdb_tcp_connections, and so on)

    The ACC-VC Check Definition, Enhanced Discovery, is initiated by the ServiceNow Instance. Then, an ECC Queue record with topic, MonitoringProbe, is created on the output queue with relevant Check information. The MID Server then processes the check by sending a message to the ACC via WebSocket over TLS.

    During this time, the MID Server also serves any relevant Assets or Plugins that the ACC requests, making sure it is relevant to the particular Operating System, platform, OS version, and architecture on which the ACC is running.

    You can edit and modify all parts of the ACC-VC application including check type, policy, and check definition. See Checks and policies for more information.

    Virtual machines and cloud instances

    ACC-VC associates a target, discovered via Discovery, with a pre-existing virtual machine (VM) Instance CIs. ACC-VC associates the discovered CI record with any pre-existing VM Instance record or Cloud Server Instance record with appropriate CMDB relationships.

    The following variants of virtualization and cloud server vendors are supported for ACC-VC:
    • vCenter
    • Amazon AWS Cloud
    • Google (GCP)
    • Microsoft Azure