Discovery for VMware vCenter

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated December 2, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Discovery for VMware vCenter

    The Discovery for VMware vCenter enables ServiceNow customers to explore and identify VMware vCenter processes running on Windows or Linux hosts, including appliances. It supports IPv6 and is compatible with vCenter API versions 4.0 and higher, specifically tested with vCenter versions up to 8.0 and appliance versions up to 6.7. This discovery populates critical configuration item (CI) data such as name, IP address, MAC address, and discovery source.

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    Key Features

    • Relationship Mapping: When vCenter runs on a Windows or Linux server, a "Runs on" relationship is created between the vCenter CI and its host server, enhancing infrastructure mapping. This relationship is not created for dedicated vCenter appliances.
    • Discovery Process: Discovery classifies vCenter, then launches probes to gather detailed data about datacenters, ESX hosts, virtual machines, and other vCenter objects. It is recommended to discover vCenter before server CIs to improve relationship accuracy.
    • Credential Requirements: VMware credentials with read-only access are required, with additional license admin privileges needed for Software Asset Management (SAM) tracking. Windows credentials are not required if valid VMware credentials are used.
    • vCenter Event Collector: An optional MID Server extension that updates the CMDB based on real-time vCenter events, enabling timely updates without rerunning full discovery. This enhances accuracy for VM state changes such as power on/off.
    • Handling Deleted or Removed CIs: When a VM is deleted from vCenter, its CMDB record is marked terminated and retired. Removed vCenter CIs are marked “stale” either via Discovery audit records or event collector notifications, facilitating lifecycle management and CMDB health monitoring.

    Practical Considerations for ServiceNow Customers

    • Ensure vCenter discovery runs before server discovery to establish correct “Runs on” relationships and improve CMDB accuracy.
    • Use properly formatted VMware domain credentials (e.g., Domain\UserName) with appropriate permissions for discovery and SAM tracking.
    • Leverage the vCenter event collector to keep the CMDB updated with VM changes in near real-time, reducing the need for frequent full discoveries.
    • Configure CMDB Health settings and remediation workflows to manage stale CIs effectively, maintaining a clean and accurate CMDB.
    • Windows credentials are not necessary if VMware credentials are valid, simplifying credential management.

    Discovery can explore the VMware vCenter process running on a Windows or Linux host. IPv6 is supported for disocvery in VMware vCenter.

    Note:

    If a Windows or Linux server is running vCenter application, after creating the vCenter CI, a "Runs on" relationship to the Windows or Linux server host is created.

    When a vCenter application is running on a dedicated vCenter appliance, a "Runs on" relationship to the vCenter CI isn’t created.

    Tested vCenter versions

    The ServiceNow® platform supports vCenter API versions 4.0 and higher. The following versions were tested with the Zurich release:
    • vCenter versions 8.0 and earlier
    • vCenter appliance version 6.7 and earlier
    For installations based on the vCenter appliance, a server CI is created for the vCenter appliance and the following fields are populated:
    • NameIP
    • AddressMAC
    • AddressDiscovery
    • Source
    Note:
    If you're discovering SUSE Linux hosts for vCenter appliances, version 6.0 and earlier, observe these SSH restrictions.

    See Data collected for VMware Cloud Discovery for a description of the VMware architecture and component relationships.

    vCenter discovery process

    After classifying vCenter, Discovery launches the VMware - vCenter Datacenters probe, which in turn launches specific probes that return information about ESX machines, virtual machines, and other vCenter objects. The vmapp port probe is also configured to launch the VMware - vCenter Datacenters probe.
    Note:
    For accurate relationship mapping between server CIs and vCenter resources (such as ESX hosts and datastores), you should initiate discovery of the vCenter environment before discovering Server CIs. This approach helps Discovery associate servers with their corresponding vCenter-managed infrastructure more effectively.

    VMWare credentials

    To access vCenter with a domain account, specify the domain with the user name in the credential record using a supported format, such as Domain\UserName. The VMware credentials must have a read-only role in vCenter. For Software Asset Management (SAM) tracking, the credentials also require the "Assign license" privilege in vCenter, also known as the License Admin privilege.
    Important:
    Windows credentials aren't necessary for vCenter Discovery when valid VMware credentials are used.

    Updating the CMDB with vCenter event collector

    In addition to finding vCenter data through the standard discovery process, Discovery can also update the CMDB by detecting vCenter events through a MID Server extension called the vCenter event collector.

    The event collector allows the CMDB to be updated with changes to virtual machines (VMs), in addition to the updates detected by Discovery. A change to a VM is sent as an event from the vCenter server to the vCenter event collector. When an event is received, the CMDB is updated accordingly. Full vCenter Discovery does not need to rerun. For some events, such as powered on and powered off events, Discovery does not need to run again at all. For most events, Discovery runs only on the necessary vCenter resource.

    For instructions on configuring vCenter events, see Configure and run the vCenter event collector extension.

    VM deleted from vCenter

    If the VM is deleted from vCenter, the cmdb_ci_vm_instance state changes to terminated and the Status field changes to retired.

    CIs removed from vCenter

    When a vCenter CI, such as a virtual machine, is removed, the ServiceNow instance marks it as "stale" in the CMDB, using either of these procedures:
    • When Discovery runs, it creates an audit record in the Components installed with CMDB Health table for the missing CI and marks the CI "stale".
    • If the instance is configured to collect vCenter events, the system can also create a "stale" audit record for the CI in the CMDB Health Result [cmdb_health_result] table from the VmRemovedEvent event, without having to run Discovery.
    Note:
    When the Staleness setting is configured, the dependency view (BSM map) grays out stale CIs in its relationship diagram to indicate that they were removed from vCenter.

    To avoid stale CI health indicators from being generated during VMware discovery, set the system property glide.cmdb.health.src.cmdb_health_audit_only to true. This disables stale CI reporting from the VMware discovery source, enabling you to manage the CI life cycle through other means. For more information, see CMDB Health system properties.

    You have the option of creating a CMDB remediation rule to automatically execute a remediation workflow that can, for example, delete stale CIs. For more information on stale CIs, see CMDB Health Metrics.

    vCenter Discovery on Windows host

    Windows credentials aren't necessary for vCenter Discovery, when valid VMware credentials are used.