Amazon EC2 Reserved Instance pattern-based discovery

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated June 16, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Amazon EC2 Reserved Instance pattern-based discovery

    The Amazon EC2 Reserved Instance pattern-based discovery in ServiceNow's Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application enables automated identification and inventory of AWS EC2 Reserved Instances within your cloud environment. This discovery populates information both in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and non-CMDB tables, providing a detailed view of Reserved Instances and their relationships for effective cloud resource management.

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    Key Features

    • Pattern Activation: The EC2 Reserved Instance discovery pattern is disabled by default and requires manual activation. Since Visibility Content version 6.28.0, enabling or disabling patterns does not count as a customization and patterns reset to the latest version after upgrades while retaining active status.
    • AWS Discovery Prerequisites: Ensure AWS discovery prerequisites are met, including removing relevant resources from the Resource Inclusion List to avoid duplicate discovery.
    • GovCloud Support: Discovery of AWS GovCloud (US) accounts requires configuring the AWS service account with an appropriate datacenter URL.
    • Data Storage: Discovery results are stored in both CMDB and non-CMDB tables:
      • Non-CMDB Table: 'cmdbawselasticcloudcomputereservedinstance' stores Reserved Instance details such as ARN, name, state, instance type, and reservation scope.
      • CMDB Table: 'cmdbcivminstance' maintains virtual machine instance records linked to Reserved Instances, including install and operational status.
      • Tag Collection: AWS tags discovered are stored in the 'cmdbkeyvalue' table with key-value pairs for enhanced asset categorization.
    • CI Relationships: Relationships are created between Reserved Instances, virtual machine instances, and AWS datacenters to map hosting and reference dependencies accurately.

    Practical Guidance for ServiceNow Customers

    • Activate the Reserved Instance discovery pattern to enable automated discovery of EC2 Reserved Instances.
    • Verify and configure AWS discovery prerequisites, including Resource Inclusion List adjustments, to prevent duplicate discovery records.
    • For AWS GovCloud accounts, configure AWS service accounts with the correct datacenter URLs to ensure successful discovery.
    • Leverage the populated CMDB and non-CMDB tables to gain a comprehensive inventory of EC2 Reserved Instances and their associations within your cloud environment.
    • Utilize collected AWS tags stored in the key-value table to enhance reporting, filtering, and management of cloud assets.

    Expected Outcomes

    By implementing this pattern-based discovery, ServiceNow customers can expect accurate, up-to-date visibility of EC2 Reserved Instances in their AWS environment, facilitating improved asset management, cost tracking, and operational insight. The enriched CMDB data and defined relationships support informed decision-making regarding cloud resource allocation and optimization.

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns finds AWS services 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.

    Pattern-based discovery and mapping requirements

    Verify the AWS discovery prerequisites
    For more information, see the prerequisites section in AWS discovery using patterns.
    Remove resources from the Resource Inclusion List table
    Verify that the relevant resource isn't listed in the Resource Inclusion List [sa_cloud_inventory_resource_whitelist] table to avoid duplicate discovery. For more information on removing resources from the Resource Inclusion List, see AWS Resource Inventory discovery with Patterns.
    Enable the relevant pattern
    The pattern for this service is disabled by default. Starting with Visibility Content version 6.28.0, activating or deactivating a pattern won't be considered a customization, and it will continue to receive updates. Patterns that were previously activated or deactivated will reset to the latest predefined version after upgrading while retaining the last active field value. For more information on enabling patterns, see Activate a disabled pattern.
    Configure the Discovery schedule to support GovCloud
    Discovering AWS GovCloud (US) accounts requires using a datacenter URL when setting up an AWS service account. For more information, see Create AWS service accounts.

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application populates data in both CMDB and non-CMDB tables.

    Data stored in non-CMDB tables

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application populates data in the non-CMDB table when running the Amazon AWS - Elastic Compute Cloud Reserved Instance - Extended Inventory (LP) pattern.

    You can review the non-CMDB AWS tables by navigating to All > Configuration > AWS. You can also search the navigation filter for the specific pattern name.

    Table 1. AWS Elastic Compute Cloud - Reserved Instance [cmdb_aws_elastic_cloud_compute_reserved_instance]
    Field Description
    Object Id [object_id] The Amazon Resource Name (ARN) uniquely identifying the Reserved Instance.

    The ARN consists of the region, account ID, and instance ID in the following format: arn:aws:ec2:<region>:<accountId>:reserved-instances/<instance_id>.
    Name [name] The unique identifier assigned to the EC2 instance.
    State [state] The current status or lifecycle state of the EC2 instance.
    Configuration Item [configuration_item] References the Virtual Machine Instance [cmdb_ci_vm_instance] table.
    Instance Type [instance_type] The type of EC2 instance. For example: t2.micro or m5.large.
    Scope [scope] The reservation scope. For example: Regional or Availability Zone.

    Data stored in CMDB tables

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application populates data in the CMDB when running the Amazon AWS - Elastic Compute Cloud Reserved Instance - Extended Inventory (LP) pattern.

    Table 2. Virtual Machine Instance [cmdb_ci_vm_instance]
    Field Description
    Object ID [object_id] The ARN uniquely identifying the Reserved Instance.

    The ARN consists of the region, account ID, and instance ID in the following format: arn:aws:ec2:<region>:<accountId>:reserved-instances/<instance_id>.
    Name [name] The unique identifier assigned to the EC2 instance.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource. Default value is Operational.
    Description [short_description] Type of resource. The value is set to AWS::Elastic Compute Cloud::Reserved Instance.

    CI relationships

    The Amazon AWS - Elastic Compute Cloud Reserved Instance - Extended Inventory (LP) pattern creates these relationships to support Amazon EC2 Reserved Instance discovery.

    CI Relationship CI
    Virtual Machine Instance [cmdb_ci_vm_instance] Hosted on::Hosts AWS Datacenter [cmdb_ci_aws_datacenter]
    AWS Elastic Compute Cloud - Reserved Instance [cmdb_aws_elastic_cloud_compute_reserved_instance] References Virtual Machine Instance [cmdb_ci_vm_instance]

    AWS tag discovery

    The pattern collects tags and populates them in the Key Value [cmdb_key_value] table.
    Table 3. Key Value [cmdb_key_value]
    Field Description
    Key [key] Tag name.
    Value [value] Tag value.