Combined MID Server release notes for upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated August 11, 2026
  • 7 minutes to read
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    Summary of Combined MID Server release notes for upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

    This consolidated guide provides essential information for ServiceNow customers upgrading MID Server from the Yokohama release to the Zurich release. It covers system requirements, new features, changes, removals, and upgrade considerations to ensure a smooth transition and optimized MID Server performance.

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    Important Upgrade Information

    • Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Requirements: Both Yokohama and Zurich releases require a minimum JRE version 17.0.10, with 17.0.12 recommended. The upgrade process validates the JRE version and warns if unsupported. If a supported JRE is available on the host, it is used post-upgrade.
    • Auto-Upgrade Access: MID Server host machines must have access to install.service-now.com for auto-upgrades.
    • Windows Service Restriction: Only one Windows MID Server service is allowed per executable path. Multiple services pointing to the same folder will prevent the MID Server from starting after upgrade.
    • Pre-Upgrade Checks and Manual Upgrades: ServiceNow provides tools and documentation for pre-upgrade validation and manual upgrade procedures.

    Key Features Introduced Between Yokohama and Zurich

    • Yokohama: External Credential Storage and Management now supports certificate-based authentication for Azure Key Vault, enhancing security for enterprise environments.
    • Zurich:
      • ITOM Infra Services Workspace: Offers a unified dashboard for real-time MID Server monitoring, proactive alerts, automation, and diagnostics to reduce downtime and support tickets.
      • MID Guardian Agent: An AI-powered assistant within the MID Server ecosystem that proactively diagnoses and resolves configuration, connectivity, upgrade, and operational issues, reducing Mean Time to Repair (MTTR).

    Notable Changes to Existing Features

    • Yokohama:
      • MID Server is compiled with Java 17 and requires this minimum JRE version for runtime.
      • Improved manual installation on Windows: MID Server can be installed as LocalSystem or a non-admin user with Start and Stop permissions.
    • Zurich:
      • Smart Workload Manager: MID Servers in clusters now intelligently distribute jobs based on load metrics (queue size, execution time, CPU usage, buffer size) to prevent overload.
      • Logging Enhancements: Improved MID Server logging with compressed log backups stored locally and options to fetch logs to the instance. JFR logs can be enabled every four hours with backup capabilities.
      • Performance Improvements: Enhanced MID Server performance during heavy discovery loads by addressing script include cache misses with large worker thread counts.

    Removed and Deprecated Features

    • Yokohama: 3DES encryption was permanently removed from MID Server to improve security.
    • Zurich: No features were removed or deprecated in this release.

    Activation and Additional Requirements

    • MID Server remains active by default as part of the ServiceNow AI Platform in both Yokohama and Zurich releases.
    • No additional browser, accessibility, or localization requirements were introduced or changed between Yokohama and Zurich.

    Practical Impact for ServiceNow Customers

    Upgrading to Zurich ensures MID Server benefits from enhanced security, smarter workload distribution, improved monitoring via the ITOM Infra Services Workspace, and AI-driven operational assistance with the MID Guardian Agent. Customers should verify JRE compatibility and service configurations before upgrading. Improved logging and performance optimizations support more reliable and efficient MID Server operations, reducing downtime and support efforts.

    Consolidated page of all release notes for MID Server from Yokohama to Zurich.

    How to use this page

    To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family MID Server release notes onto one page. Read this summary of the new features, changes, and updated information for your product from Yokohama to Zurich.

    Tip:
    If there were no updates for a release notes section in a certain family release, we included a short note for your reference. For example, if a product did not have any updates in Tokyo, the row says "No updates for this release."

    Important information for upgrading MID Server to Zurich

    Before you upgrade to Zurich, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    For the latest MID Server system requirements, see MID Server system requirements. The minimum JRE version supported is 17.0.10 and the recommended version is 17.0.12.

    If you have installed your own JRE, the upgrade process takes the following actions to verify that the MID Server uses a supported JRE:
    • If a MID Server is using an unsupported version of the JRE when it upgrades, the upgrade process displays a warning message with the minimum and recommended JRE version.
    • If a supported JRE is running on the MID Server host, the upgraded MID Server uses that version.

    All MID Server host machines require access to the download site at install.service-now.com to enable auto-upgrades. For additional details, read how the system manages MID Server upgrades.

    Only one Windows MID Server service is permitted according to the executable path. Upgraded Windows MID Servers that have multiple services pointing to the same installation folder can’t start. See MID Server fails to start for more information.

    For more information about MID Server upgrades, see the following topics:

    Zurich

    For the latest MID Server system requirements, see MID Server system requirements. The minimum JRE version supported is 17.0.10 and the recommended version is 17.0.12.

    If you have installed your own JRE, the upgrade process takes the following actions to verify that the MID Server uses a supported JRE:
    • If a MID Server is using an unsupported version of the JRE when it upgrades, the upgrade process displays a warning message with the minimum and recommended JRE version.
    • If a supported JRE is running on the MID Server host, the upgraded MID Server uses that version.

    All MID Server host machines require access to the download site at install.service-now.com to enable auto-upgrades. For additional details, read how the system manages MID Server upgrades.

    Only one Windows MID Server service is permitted according to the executable path. Upgraded Windows MID Servers that have multiple services pointing to the same installation folder can’t start. See MID Server fails to start for more information.

    For more information about MID Server upgrades, see the following topics:

    New features

    Between your current release family and Zurich, new features were introduced for MID Server.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    External Credential Storage and Management supports certificate-based authentication for Azure Key Vault
    The External Credential Storage and Management added support for certificate-based authentication when connecting to Azure Key Vault. This provides a more secure and flexible way to authenticate, especially for enterprise environments that prefer certificate credentials over client secrets.

    Zurich
    ITOM Infra Services Workspace
    The ITOM Infra Services Workspace provides a concise overview of MID Server activity. The dashboard integrates several previously disparate tables so that issues can be monitored and resolved. The workspace provides real-time monitoring, proactive alerts, automation of common tasks, and centralized diagnostics to reduce downtime and support tickets.
    MID Guardian Agent
    The MID Guardian Agent is an advanced AI feature within the MID Server ecosystem/ITOM Infra Services workspace, designed to proactively assist users in diagnosing and resolving issues related to configuration, connectivity, upgrades, and operations. By intelligently analyzing logs, signals, and runtime behaviors, it offers guided troubleshooting steps, automated fixes, and predictive insights. This significantly reduces Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) and enhances the reliability and operational efficiency of the MID server.

    Changes

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some changes were made to existing MID Server features.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    MID Server supports and requires a minimum JRE version 17

    The MID Server is compiled using Java 17 and is incompatible with any Java version below 17 for runtime execution. The MID Server is bundled with version 17.0.12 and the minimum JRE version supported is 17.0.10. See the MID Server JRE Minimum Version Requirement Update to JRE 17 Starting from Yokohama Release [KB1704368] article in the Now Support Knowledge Base for information about required procedures before upgrading the instance.

    Improvements when manually installing a MID Server on Windows

    The MID Server can now be installed on Windows hosts directly as a LocalSystem or non-admin user with Start and Stop permissions.

    Zurich
    Smart Workload Manager in clusters

    MID Servers in a cluster now assign jobs based on the true load, using a variety of criteria. The smart workload manager continuously evaluates the queue size, execution time, CPU usage, and buffer size. The manager then assigns tasks to ensure that no server is overloaded.

    Enhancements to MID Server logging and JFR

    MID Server logging has been improved with log backups that are preserved in a compressed format on local host with option to fetch to the instance. You can enable JFR logs every four hours and backup JFR files for a set time.

    MID Server has improved performance during heavy discovery load

    MID Servers no longer have performance degradation due to script include cache misses when using large amounts of worker threads.

    Removed

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some MID Server features or functionality were removed.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Deprecations

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some MID Server features or functionality were deprecated.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Activation information

    Review information on how to activate MID Server.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    MID Server is a ServiceNow AI Platform feature that is active by default.

    Zurich

    MID Server is a ServiceNow AI Platform feature that is active by default.

    Additional requirements

    If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for MID Server we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Browser requirements

    If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for MID Server we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Accessibility information

    Review details on accessibility information for MID Server, such as specific requirements or compliance levels.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Localization information

    If there are specific localization considerations for MID Server we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Highlight information

    If there are specific highlight considerations for MID Server we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    • MID Server supports and requires a minimum JRE version 17. The MID Server is bundled with version 17.0.12 and the minimum JRE version supported is 17.0.10.
    • The MID Server can now be installed on Windows hosts directly as a LocalSystem or non-admin user with Start and Stop permissions.

    See MID Server for more information.

    Zurich
    • MID Server smart workload manager continuously evaluates load and assigns jobs in a cluster to ensure that no server is overloaded.
    • MID Server logging has been improved with log backups that are preserved in a compressed format on a local host with an option to fetch to the instance.

    See MID Server for more information.