Load balancer fields and probes

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Load Balancer Fields and Probes

    This document outlines the fields and probes used by ServiceNow Discovery to gather information on various types of load balancers. It focuses on data collection through probes and sensors, specifically for Citrix Netscaler, Cisco GSS, Cisco CSS, and F5 BIG-IP load balancers. The default behavior of Discovery is to use the discovered IP address for the configuration item (CI) record, which can be adjusted if necessary.

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    Key Features

    • Field Definitions: Each load balancer type has specific fields that are populated by various probes. For example, fields like Serial Number, Model ID, and IP Address are vital for identifying and managing load balancers.
    • Probe Types: Discovery gathers data using different probes such as SNMP for Netscaler and F5 BIG-IP systems, and specific modules for Apache and HAProxy configurations.
    • Customization: Some fields are not visible by default, allowing customers to customize forms to display crucial data as needed, such as Failover mode and Service Port.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing these fields and probes, ServiceNow customers can effectively manage their load balancer configurations, ensuring operational status and performance are continuously monitored. The ability to customize data visibility enhances usability and allows for tailored management of load balancing environments.

    Discovery stores load balancer information in several tables.

    The information in this topic pertains to discovery with probes and sensors only. If you are using patterns, such as to discover F5 Big-IP load balancers, see the relevant topic for that type of load balancer.

    Note:
    By default, the system uses the discovered IP address of a load balancer for the CI record. This can be the management IP created for the device that is used in the Discovery schedule. For instructions on how to force Discovery to use the IP address of the load balancer's NIC rather than that of a management IP, see IP address selection properties.
    Table 1. Fields on the Citrix Netscalers [cmdb_ci_lb_netscaler] table
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Serial Number [serial_number] SNMP - Netscaler - Identity - Serial
    Asset tag [asset_tag] SNMP - Netscaler - Identity
    Model ID [model_id] SNMP - Netscaler - Identity
    Table 2. Fields on the Cisco GSS [cmdb_ci_lb_cisco_gss] table
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Serial Number [serial_number] Cisco GSS - Serial Number
    Model ID [model_id] Cisco GSS - Identity
    IP Address [ip_address] Cisco GSS - Network
    Manufacturer [manufacturer] Cisco GSS - Identity
    Table 3. Fields on the Cisco CSS [cmdb_ci_lb_cisco_css] table
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Serial Number [serial_number] SNMP - Load Balancer – Identity
    Model ID [model_id]
    IP Address [ip_address]
    Manufacturer [manufacturer]
    Table 4. Fields on the F5 BIG-IP [cmdb_ci_lb_bigip] table
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Active modules [active_modules]* SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    Asset tag [asset_tag]
    Model ID [model_id]
    Failover mode [failover_mode]*
    Failover peer [failover_peer]*
    Serial Number [serial_number] Cisco GSS - Serial Number
    *not visible on the form by default. Customize the form to add this field.
    Table 5. Fields on the Load Balancer [cmdb_ci_lb] table
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Operational status [operational_status]
    • Apache - Get JK Module
    • Apache - Get Proxy Module
    • HAProxy - Get Configuration
    • SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    • SNMP - Netscaler - System
    • SNMP - Load Balancer - Identity
    Name [name]
    Table 6. Fields on the Load Balancer Application [cmdb_ci_lb_appl] table
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Configuration file [config_file]* Nginx - Get Configuration
    Name [name]
    • Apache - Get JK Module
    • Apache - Get Proxy Module
    • HAProxy - Get Configuration
    • Nginx - Get Configuration
    IP Address [ip_address]*
    Most recent discovery [last_discovered]*
    Version [version]
    • Apache - Version
    • HAProxy - Version
    • Nginx - Version
    Table 7. Fields on the Load Balancer Interface [cmdb_ci_lb_interface] table
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Status [install_status]*
    • Apache - Get JK Module
    • Apache - Get Proxy Module
    • HAProxy - Get Configuration
    • SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    • SNMP - Netscaler - System
    Load Balancer [load_balancer]
    Name [name]
    *not visible on the form by default. Customize the form to add this field.
    Table 8. Fields on the Load Balancer Pool [cmdb_ci_lb_pool] table
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Load Balancing Method [load_balance_method]
    • Apache - Get JK Module
    • Apache - Get Proxy Module
    • HAProxy - Get Configuration
    • SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    • SNMP - Netscaler - System
    Load Balancer [load_balancer]
    Most recent discovery [last_discovered]*
    Name [name]
    *not visible on the form by default. Customize the form to add this field.
    Table 9. Fields for Load Balancer Pool Member [cmdb_ci_lb_pool_member] data
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Fully qualified domain name [fqdn]*
    • HAProxy - Get Configuration
    • Nginx - Get Configuration
    • SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    • SNMP - Netscaler - System
    IP Address [ip_address]
    • Apache - Get JK Module
    • Apache - Get Proxy Module
    • HAProxy - Get Configuration
    • Nginx- Get Configuration
    • SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    • SNMP - Netscaler - System
    Load balancer [load_balancer]
    Most recent discovery [last_discovery]*
    Name [name]
    Pool [pool]*
    Service Port [service_port]
    *not visible on the form by default. Customize the form to add this field.
    Table 10. Fields for Load Balancer Service [cmdb_ci_lb_service] data
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Input URL [input_url]
    • Apache - Get JK Module
    • Apache - Get Proxy Module
    • Nginx - Get Configuration
    IP Address [ip_address]
    • Apache - Get JK Module
    • Apache - Get Proxy Module
    • Cisco GSS - Identity
    • HAProxy - Get Configuration
    • Nginx - Get Configuration
    • SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    • SNMP - Netscaler - System
    Last port [last_port]* HAProxy - Get Configuration
    Load Balancer [load_balancer]
    • Apache - Get JK Module
    • Apache - Get Proxy Module
    • Cisco GSS - Identity
    • HAProxy - Get Configuration
    • Nginx - Get Configuration
    • SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    • SNMP - Netscaler - System
    Most recent discovery [last_discovery]*
    Service Port [service_port]*
    *not visible on the form by default. Customize the form to add this field.
    Table 11. Fields for Load Balancer VLAN [cmdb_ci_lb_vlan] data
    Field label and name Probes that gather data
    Load Balancer [load_balancer]
    • Apache - Get JK Module
    • Apache - Get Proxy Module
    • HAProxy - Get Configuration
    • Nginx - Get Configuration
    • SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    • SNMP - Netscaler - System
    Name [name]
    Tag [tag]
    • SNMP - F5 BIG-IP - System
    • SNMP - Netscaler - System

    Apache web server data

    Discovery also collects data on Apache web serer load balancing modules using SSH. See Apache mod_jk and mod_proxy discovery for more information on probes for Apache web server data. For information on the tables, fields, and data sources that discovery populates for Apache web servers, see Apache web server discovery.