VMware NSX-T cluster pattern-based discovery

Release version: Australia

Updated May 7, 2026

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Summary of VMware NSX-T cluster pattern-based discovery

The VMware NSX-T cluster pattern in ServiceNow Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns enables automated discovery of VMware NSX-T infrastructure components. This pattern populates the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) with detailed NSX-T cluster data, including management clusters, nodes, transport nodes, gateways, segments, and other related resources. It supports comprehensive visibility and relationship mapping of NSX-T environments.

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To leverage this pattern effectively, customers must ensure they have the latest Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application, appropriate credentials, and sufficient API permissions for NSX-T management cluster access.

Prerequisites and Setup

Keep the CMDB CI Class Models, Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns, and Visibility Content applications up to date.
Create and configure an applicative credential alias to authenticate with the NSX-T management cluster APIs.
Verify API access and permissions to perform necessary NSX-T API calls such as cluster status, node details, segments, gateways, transport zones, etc.
Set up a serverless discovery schedule to run the NSX Cluster pattern on the VMware NSX-T management cluster.

Key Features and Data Collected

The pattern discovers and populates multiple NSX-T-specific CI classes in the CMDB, capturing both attributes and relationships:

NSX Management Cluster and Nodes: Includes cluster IP, status, node FQDN, IDs, and operational state.
NSX Management Cluster Node Groups: Groups nodes with cluster IP and group type.
Transport Nodes and Zones: Details transport nodes (hosts or VMs), transport zones (overlay or VLAN), forwarding modes, and default zone flags.
Gateways and Segments: Captures Tier-0 and Tier-1 gateways, their HA and failover modes, segment resources, and descriptions.
Virtual Switches and Edge Clusters: Includes virtual switch identifiers, edge cluster groups, node types, and forwarding settings.
IP Addresses: Associates IP addresses with transport nodes.

CMDB Relationships and References

The pattern automatically creates CI relationships to accurately reflect NSX-T infrastructure topology, such as:

Membership of nodes in management clusters.
Management relationships between gateways, transport nodes, and clusters.
Connectivity between gateways and segments or other gateways at different tiers.
Ownership of IP addresses by transport nodes.
Containment of transport nodes within transport zones.

Additionally, references link CIs across related NSX-T tables to maintain data integrity and support comprehensive dependency views.

Tagging and External Metadata

The discovery collects resource tags and external system metadata, storing them in dedicated CMDB tables. This enhances metadata management and allows customers to leverage tags and additional metadata for reporting and operational context.

Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

Automated, up-to-date visibility into NSX-T virtual networking infrastructure within the ServiceNow CMDB.
Enhanced dependency and impact analysis through accurate relationship mapping of NSX-T components.
Streamlined management and troubleshooting of NSX-T environments by understanding resource status and configurations.
Integration with existing ServiceNow discovery, CMDB, and service mapping workflows to improve operational intelligence.

Next Steps

Ensure prerequisite applications are current and compatible.
Create and configure NSX-T credential aliases with proper API permissions.
Set up serverless discovery schedules to automate NSX-T cluster data collection.
Review discovered data in the CMDB and dependency views to validate completeness and accuracy.

Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns uses the NSX Cluster pattern to find VMware NSX-T infrastructure. 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 new or enhanced Patterns on the ServiceNow® Store

Visit the ServiceNow Store to view all the available updates 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.

NSX Cluster data model

The following diagram illustrates the tables and relationships that the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application creates when discovering NSX-T infrastructure resources.

Prerequisites

Verify that the following applications are up to date

CMDB CI Class Models
Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns
Visibility Content

Configure a credential alias

For more information, see Create an applicative credential alias for NSX-T cluster discovery.

Verify NSX-T API access and permissions

Verify that the credential has sufficient permissions to execute the following NSX-T API calls:

POST /api/session/create
GET /api/v1/cluster/status
GET /api/v1/node
GET /policy/api/v1/infra/segments
GET /policy/api/v1/infra/tier-0s
GET /policy/api/v1/infra/tier-1s
GET /api/v1/transport-nodes
GET /api/v1/transport-zones
GET /api/v1/fabric/virtual-switches/
GET /api/v1/edge-clusters

Create a serverless discovery schedule

For more information, see Create a serverless schedule for NSX-T cluster discovery.

Data collected by Discovery during horizontal discovery

Discovery populates the data in the CMDB when running the NSX Cluster pattern.

Table 1. NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
Field	Description
Name [name]	IP address of the NSX Management Cluster.
IP Address [ip_address]	IP address of the NSX Management Cluster.
Cluster Status [cluster_status]	Status of the management cluster as reported by the NSX-T API.
Operational status [operational_status]	Operational status of the resource, derived from the cluster status.
Install Status [install_status]	Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.

Table 2. NSX Management Cluster Node [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node]
Field	Description
Name [name]	Display name of the cluster node, derived from the node's fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
ID [nsx_node_id]	Unique identifier of the NSX Manager node.
Fully qualified domain name [fqdn]	FQDN of the node.
Node Status [node_status]	Status of the node as reported by the NSX-T API.
Operational status [operational_status]	Operational status of the resource, derived from the node status.
Install Status [install_status]	Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.

Table 3. NSX Management Cluster Node Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node_group]
Field	Description
Name [name]	Concatenation of the cluster IP address and the group type. For example: `10.0.0.1 MANAGER`.
Object ID [object_id]	Group ID assigned by NSX-T.
Operational status [operational_status]	Operational status of the resource, derived from the group status.
Install Status [install_status]	Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.

Table 4. NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]
Field	Description
Name [name]	Display name of the transport node, derived from the host FQDN or virtual machine (VM) display name.
Object ID [object_id]	Unique identifier of the transport node.
Host Type [host_type]	Type of the transport node host. For example: ESXi, KVM, or Edge.
Host Name [host_name]	Host name of the transport node.
Host ID [host_id]	Identifier of the host running the transport node.
Fully qualified domain name [fqdn]	FQDN of the transport node.
IP Address [ip_address]	IP address of the transport node.
Operational status [operational_status]	Operational status of the resource. Default value is Operational.
Install Status [install_status]	Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
Description [short_description]	User-provided description of the transport node.

Table 5. NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource]
Field	Description
Name [name]	Display name of the transport zone.
Object ID [object_id]	Unique identifier of the transport zone.
Transport Type [transport_type]	Transport type of the zone. For example: OVERLAY or VLAN.
Forwarding Mode [forwarding_mode]	Forwarding mode of the transport zone.
Is Default [is_default]	Indicates whether this is the default transport zone.
Operational status [operational_status]	Operational status of the resource. The value is set to Operational.
Install Status [install_status]	Install status of the resource. The value is set to Installed.
Description [short_description]	User-provided description of the transport zone.

Table 6. NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]
Field	Description
Name [name]	Display name of the edge cluster group.
Object ID [object_id]	Unique identifier of the edge cluster.
Node Type [node_type]	Type of edge node in the cluster.
Inter Site Forwarding [enable_inter_site_forwarding]	Indicates whether inter-site forwarding is enabled for this edge cluster.

Table 7. NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource]
Field	Description
Name [name]	Display name of the virtual switch.
Object ID [object_id]	Unique identifier of the virtual switch.
CM Local ID [cm_local_id]	Local identifier assigned by the compute manager.
Origin ID [origin_id]	Origin identifier of the virtual switch resource.
Operational status [operational_status]	Operational status of the resource. Default value is Operational.
Install Status [install_status]	Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.

Table 8. NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource]
Field	Description
Name [name]	Display name of the gateway.
Object ID [object_id]	Unique identifier of the gateway.
Tier Type [tier_type]	Tier type of the gateway: Tier-0 or Tier-1.
HA Mode [ha_mode]	High-availability mode of the gateway.
Failover Mode [failover_mode]	Failover mode of the gateway.
Operational status [operational_status]	Operational status of the resource. Default value is Operational.
Install Status [install_status]	Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
Description [short_description]	User-provided description of the gateway resource.

Table 9. NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]
Field	Description
Name [name]	Display name of the segment.
Object ID [object_id]	Unique identifier of the segment.
Operational status [operational_status]	Operational status of the resource, derived from the resource state.
Install Status [install_status]	Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
Description [short_description]	User-provided description of the segment resource.

Table 10. IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address]
Field	Description
IP Address [ip_address]	IP address of the transport node.

Dependency Views map

On the Dependency Views map, you can view discovered NSX-T cluster resources and the relationships between them.

CI relationships

The NSX Cluster pattern creates the following relationships and references to support NSX-T cluster discovery. References link to records in other tables and don't appear in the CI Relationship [cmdb_rel_ci] table.

Table 11. CI relationships
CI	Relationship	CI
NSX Management Cluster Node [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node]	Members::Member of	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource]	Managed by::Manages	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource]	Connects to::Connected by	NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]
NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] (Tier 1)	Connects to::Connected by	NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] (Tier 0)
NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]	Managed by::Manages	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]	Owns::Owned by	IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address]
NSX Management Cluster Node Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node_group]	Managed by::Manages	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Management Cluster Node Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node_group]	Uses::Used by	NSX Management Cluster Node [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node]
NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]	Managed by::Manages	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource]	Managed by::Manages	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource]	Contains::Contained by	NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]
NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource]	Managed by::Manages	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]	Managed by::Manages	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]	Uses::Used by	NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]

Table 12. CI references
CI	Field	Referenced CI
NSX Management Cluster Node [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node]	Cluster [cluster]	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Management Cluster Node Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node_group]	Cluster [cluster]	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]	Cluster [cluster]	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource]	Cluster [cluster]	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]	Cluster [cluster]	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource]	Cluster [cluster]	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource]	Cluster [cluster]	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]	Cluster [cluster]	NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
Key Value [cmdb_key_value]	Configuration item [configuration_item]	References one of the following NSX resource tables: NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource] NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource] NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]
External system metadata [cmdb_key_value_v2]	Configuration item [configuration_item]	References one of the following NSX resource tables: NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource] NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource] NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group] NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource] NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource]

Tag discovery and external system metadata

The NSX Cluster pattern collects resource tags and external system metadata. Tags are stored in the Key Value [cmdb_key_value] table. External system metadata is stored in the External system metadata [cmdb_key_value_v2] table.

Table 13. Key Value [cmdb_key_value]
Field	Description
Key [key]	Tag name.
Value [value]	Tag value.
Configuration item [configuration_item]	References the NSX resource table associated with the tag. Possible tables: NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource] NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource] NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]

Table 14. External system metadata [cmdb_key_value_v2]
Field	Description
Key [key]	Metadata property name.
String value [string_value]	Value of the metadata property.
Value type [value_type]	Data type of the metadata value.
Configuration item [configuration_item]	References the NSX resource table associated with the metadata entry. Possible tables: NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource] NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource] NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group] NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource] NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource]