Data collected for Microsoft Azure Cloud Discovery
Summarize
Summary of Data collected for Microsoft Azure Cloud Discovery
This document explains how ServiceNow Discovery collects detailed information about cloud resources within Microsoft Azure datacenters. It outlines the prerequisites, data collection methods, and the various configuration items (CIs) discovered in Azure environments. The discovery process relies on the Cloud Provisioning and Governance API and Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns.
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Prerequisites
- Application updates: Ensure the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application is up to date from the ServiceNow Store to access the latest patterns.
- Azure Credentials: Create Microsoft Azure cloud credentials with appropriate access to the Azure account for discovery operations.
- Discovery Schedule: Configure a discovery schedule within the Cloud Discovery Workspace to automate resource discovery.
- API Permissions: Verify REST API permissions by using the Cloud Discovery patterns spreadsheet, which details required permissions, pattern names, CI classes, and vendor documentation. This spreadsheet is updated quarterly to reflect new patterns.
How Discovery Finds Microsoft Azure Resources
Discovery uses predefined patterns to identify and collect data on Azure resources. These patterns cover a broad range of resource types including databases, load balancers, web servers, virtual machines, networks, storage, and more.
Key Resource Types Discovered and Data Collected
Discovered resources are stored in various CMDB tables, each capturing specific attributes relevant to the resource type. Examples include:
- Azure Datacenters: Name, region, object ID.
- Virtual Machine Instances: State, CPUs, memory, disks, network adapters.
- Compute Security Groups: Name, state, object ID.
- Storage Volumes: Size, type, state, object ID.
- Cloud Networks and Subnets: Name, state/status, CIDR blocks.
- Resource Groups: State, operational status, install status, with lifecycle tracking on termination.
- Public IP Addresses: IP address, DNS name, object ID.
- Cloud Databases: Fully qualified domain name, type, vendor, version, operational status.
- Cloud Web Servers and IP Addresses: Installation and operational statuses, vendor, IP and DNS details.
Additional tables capture deployment details, storage accounts, compute templates, hardware types, and more, allowing comprehensive visibility into Azure cloud infrastructure.
Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
- Provides automated discovery of Azure cloud resources, ensuring your CMDB remains accurate and up to date.
- Enables better asset and configuration management by capturing detailed attributes for diverse Azure services.
- Supports governance and operational workflows by tracking resource states, operational statuses, and lifecycle changes.
- Integrates with Service Mapping for enhanced visibility of load balancers and service topologies.
- Allows scheduling and permission management to align discovery with organizational policies and security requirements.
Next Steps
- Ensure all required ServiceNow applications and patterns are current by checking the ServiceNow Store regularly.
- Create and configure Azure credentials and discovery schedules to begin collecting cloud resource data.
- Review and apply the necessary REST API permissions using the provided Cloud Discovery patterns spreadsheet.
- Leverage discovered data within CMDB for improved cloud service management and governance.
Discovery collects information about cloud resources in Microsoft Azure 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 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
-
- Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns
- CMDB CI Class Models
- Visibility Content
- Create Azure cloud credentials
- Create Microsoft Azure credentials that can access the Microsoft Azure account. For more information, see Create Azure cloud credentials.
- 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.
How Discovery finds Microsoft Azure resources
Discovery uses the Cloud Provisioning and Governance API and Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns to find cloud resources.
| Pattern | Description |
|---|---|
| Azure DataBase (LP) |
Discovers database types of:
Populates the [cmdb_ci_cloud_database] table. |
| Azure LoadBalancer TD | Retrieves Microsoft Azure load balancers and populates the cmdb_ci_lb_service table. This pattern is only used by Service Mapping for top-down discovery, not by the Discovery application for horizontal discovery. |
| Azure WebSite (LP) | Retrieves Microsoft Azure web servers and populates the Cloud WebServers [cmdb_ci_cloud_webserver] and IP address [cmdb_ci_ip_address] tables. |
Data collected by Discovery during horizontal 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 |
| Disks size (GB) | disks_size |
| 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 |
| Image source | image_source |
| 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 Address | mac_address |
| MAC Manufacturer | mac_manufacturer |
| Status | install_status |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| State | state |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Provisioning state | provisioning_state |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| State | state |
| Operational Status | operational_status |
| Install Status | install_status |
- When a resource group is discovered for the first time, the State field is set to Available, operational_status=Operational, and Status=Installed; based on the response mapping.
- When a resource group is terminated on Microsoft Azure, the CMPReconciler scripts set the State field to Terminated, and operational_status=Non-Operational and Status=Absent.
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Fully qualified domain name | fqdn |
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| Operational Status | operational_status |
| Type | type |
| State | state |
| Vendor | vendor |
| Version | version Note: For NoSQL and MSSQL Managed Instances, the API responses for these databases do not return version data. |
| Category* | category |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Fully qualified domain name | fqdn |
| Install status | install_status |
| IP Address | ip_address |
| Name | name |
| Netmask | netmask |
| Operational status | operational_status |
| Vendor | vendor |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Life-cycle Stage Status | life_cycle_stage_status |
| Name | name |
| Status | status |
| Serial Number | serial_number |
| Type | type |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| VCPUS | vcpus |
| Label | Field Name |
|---|---|
| Name | name |
| Object ID | object_id |
| Provider | provider |
| vCPUs | vcpus |