Data collected for Amazon AWS Cloud Discovery
Summarize
Summary of Data collected for Amazon AWS Cloud Discovery
This content describes how ServiceNow Discovery collects detailed information about cloud resources within Amazon AWS datacenters. It highlights the necessity of using the latest Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application versions to ensure compatibility with AWS resources. The information is intended to help ServiceNow customers effectively discover and manage AWS cloud infrastructure within their Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
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Prerequisites and Setup
- Application Updates: Ensure the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns, CMDB CI Class Models, and Visibility Content applications are up to date for optimal AWS resource discovery.
- Discovery Scheduling: Configure a discovery schedule through the Cloud Discovery Workspace to automate data collection.
- REST API Permissions: Verify REST API permissions required for AWS discovery by downloading the Cloud Discovery patterns spreadsheet. This spreadsheet provides critical details such as pattern names, CI classes, and vendor documentation, and it is updated quarterly.
- API Testing: Customers can test AWS REST APIs using tools like Postman to validate connectivity and permissions.
Data Collected During AWS Cloud Discovery
The discovery process gathers structured data across various AWS components and maps them into specific CMDB tables, enabling comprehensive infrastructure visibility. Key data categories include:
- AWS Datacenters: Identification and region details.
- Availability Zones: Zone names.
- Virtual Machine Instances: Attributes such as state, CPUs, memory, disks, network adapters, and unique instance IDs.
- Compute Security Groups: Group names, states, and identifiers.
- Images and Templates: Guest OS, image types, root device types, hardware specs like vCPUs, memory, and storage.
- Storage Volumes: Storage type, size, and state.
- Networks and Subnets: Network names, CIDR blocks, states, and subnet statuses.
- Network Interfaces: Names, MAC manufacturers, netmasks, and installation statuses.
- Load Balancers and Resource Groups: Identifiers and operational states.
- Public IP Addresses: IPs and associated DNS names.
- Storage Accounts: SKU names and states.
- DNS Records: Aliases, categories, and IP addresses.
- Cloud Databases: Database names, types, FQDNs, states, TCP ports, categories, and backup configurations.
- Cloud Web Servers: Install status, vendor, operational status, and fully qualified domain names.
- Kubernetes Clusters: Names, ports, unique IDs, vendors, and FQDNs associated with the Kubernetes API server.
Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
By leveraging this AWS Cloud Discovery data collection, ServiceNow customers can:
- Maintain an accurate, up-to-date CMDB reflecting their AWS cloud environment.
- Gain visibility into critical cloud resources and their configurations for better operational management.
- Automate discovery schedules and permission management to streamline cloud asset tracking.
- Use detailed data attributes to support compliance, incident management, and change management processes.
Related Concepts
The discovery process integrates with ServiceNow components such as Agent Client Collector and Discovery, and it utilizes pattern-based discovery methods tailored for AWS environments.
Discovery collects information about cloud resources in AWS datacenters. Discovering some of these resources may require updating to the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.
Request apps on the Store
Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.
Prerequisites
- Verify that the applications are up to date.
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- Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns.
- CMDB CI Class Models.
- Visibility Content.
- Configure a discovery schedule
- Create a discovery schedule in Cloud Discovery Workspace
Verify the REST API Permissions
Download the Cloud Discovery patterns spreadsheet so you can grant user permissions required for running the Discovery patterns. In addition to permissions, the spreadsheet also includes useful information such as pattern names, types, CI Classes, and links to vendor documentation. New patterns are available quarterly, so check periodically to be sure you have the latest version of the spreadsheet.
Data collected for AWS Cloud Discovery
The following tables show examples of data collected during AWS Cloud Discovery.
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Region | region |
| Object ID | object_id |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| State | state |
| Object ID | object_id |
| CPUs | cpus |
| Disks | disks |
| Memory | memory |
| Network adapters | nics |
| VM Instance ID | vm_inst_id |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| State | state |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| Guest OS | guest_os |
| Root device type | root_device_type |
| Image source | image_source |
| Image type | image_type |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| vCPUs | vcpus |
| Memory MB | memory_mb |
| Local Storage GB | local_storage_gb |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| State | state |
| Object ID | object_id |
| Storage type | storage_type |
| Size | size |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| State* | state |
| CIDR* | cidr |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Status | status |
| CIDR | cidr |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Netmask | netmask |
| MAC Manufacturer | mac_manufacturer |
| Status | install_status |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| State | state |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| State | state |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| Public IP address | public_ip_address |
| Public DNS | public_dns |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| Sku Name | sku_name |
| State | state |
| Label | Field name |
|---|---|
| DNS Alias [cmdb_ci_dns_alias] | |
| Name | name |
| Category | category |
| Status | status |
| DNS name [cmdb_ci_dns_name] | |
| Name | name |
| IP address | ip_address |
| Label | Field Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | name | The name of the database that you created in AWS. |
| Object ID | object_id | This is also the name of the database. |
| Type | Type | The type of database you created. |
| Fully qualified domain name | fqdn | The FQDN that AWS assigned to your database. An example format for AWS is as follows:
|
| State | state | The state of the database: whether it is Available or Terminated. |
| TCP port(s) | tcp_port | The TCP port that the database communicates through. |
| Category | category | The instance class of the database, for example: db.t2.micro. |
| Automated Backups | automated_backup | Indicates whether automated backups are enabled and the retention period. |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Install status | install_status |
| Vendor | vendor |
| Fully qualified domain name | fqdn |
| Operational status | operational_status |
| State | state |
| Label | Field Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | name | The name of the kube-controller-manager leader. |
| Port | port | The identifier for the Kubernetes apiserver port. |
| Kubernetes UID | k8s_uid | The unique identifier for the Kubernetes Cluster. |
| Vendor | vendor | The vendor of the Kubernetes Cluster. |
| Fully qualified domain name | fqdn | The fully qualified domain name of the Kubernetes apiserver. |