Introduction to Orchestration
Summarize
Summary of Introduction to Orchestration
Orchestration in ServiceNow automates multi-system tasks across remote services, servers, applications, and hardware, enabling fast and reliable management of IT and business processes. It supports complex workflows that span various management disciplines and infrastructure elements, enhancing collaboration by using reusable data and versioned workflows and activities. Orchestration is designed to minimize failures by applying human tasks to handle errors as they occur.
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Key Features
- Integration and Automation: Orchestration can invoke external web services or interact with internal systems via MID Server, extending automation beyond ServiceNow instances.
- Workflow Editor Extensions: Includes ready-to-use activity packs, an Activity Designer for creating custom activities without heavy scripting, scoped applications for packaging activities, and a Databus to track data flow across activities.
- Core Applications:
- Client Software Distribution automates software delivery with out-of-the-box SCCM support and third-party integrations like JAMF for Macs.
- Password Reset application allows users to reset Active Directory passwords and can be extended to other systems.
- ROI tracking helps evaluate estimated versus actual costs for automated tasks and measure process efficiency.
- Supported Systems: Automates tasks for systems exposing SOAP or REST web services, command-line accessible systems (SSH, PowerShell, WMI), proprietary services such as Windows Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, InfoBlox, F5 Networks, file systems via SFTP, and databases with JDBC drivers.
- Extensibility: Custom activities can be created using templates in the Activity Designer to integrate with additional systems not covered by out-of-the-box activities.
How Orchestration Works
Orchestration activities start within workflows by launching Discovery probes and sensors that generate probe records in the ECC Queue. The workflow pauses while the MID Server executes the probe and resumes once results return, enabling decision-making based on the probe data to either continue or exit the workflow seamlessly.
Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
- Automate complex, cross-system IT and business processes reliably and quickly.
- Increase collaboration and reduce development effort through reusable and version-controlled workflow activities.
- Integrate easily with a wide variety of third-party systems and protocols out-of-the-box or via custom activities.
- Improve operational efficiency with built-in tools for software distribution, password resets, and ROI tracking.
Orchestration automates simple or complex multi-system tasks on remote services, servers, applications, and hardware.
An Orchestration process can cross all management disciplines and interact with hosted services and all types of infrastructure elements. These capabilities provide a powerful system for managing IT and Business processes quickly and reliably.
Orchestrated solutions aide collaboration among teams by providing reusable data and versioning for both the workflows and the activities within them. Subject matter experts can create activities that are reusable to numerous workflow developers. When an activity requires a change, developers can see the downstream implication of the change immediately by knowing which workflows use the activity. Well-designed orchestrations never fail and apply human tasks to address errors as they arise.
Orchestration tools
- Activity packs containing ready-to-use activities.
- Activity Designer, which enables developers to create custom activities without an over dependence to create scripts to orchestrate to third-party systems.
- Ability to create activity packs using Scoped Applications.
- A Databus for following the flow of data across orchestration activities.
- Client Software Distribution
- An application that automates software delivery from the Service Catalog. Provides OOB support for SCCM. Partner solutions support Macs using JAMF. Other third-party solutions provide support through the extension framework.
- Configuring Password Reset
- An application for users to reset their password in Active Directory. It can expand to communicate with other third-party systems.
- Orchestration ROI
- Enables users to evaluate estimated costs and actual costs for tasks, automate these tasks, and track the ROI of these tasks.
Systems that Orchestration can automate
Orchestration can automate tasks such as employee onboarding, user access rights, server management, managed file transfers, and Security Operations Orchestration activities . For example, you might use the Active Directory and Exchange activities provided in the base Orchestration system to set up network accounts and mailboxes for new employees.
- Any system exposing web services (SOAP, REST)
- Any system accessible from the command line (such as a UNIX system accessible through SSH, a Windows system enabled for PowerShell remoting or WMI)
- Numerous proprietary services: Windows
Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange mail servers, InfoBlox, and F5 Networks. Note:For a full list of Activity Pack service offerings, see Orchestration Core Activity Packs.
- Any filesystem accessible by SFTP
- Any database with a compliant JDBC driver
- Additional Activity Packs are also available with other ServiceNow products, such as Security Operations
Orchestration workflow
When an Orchestration activity starts within a workflow, Orchestration launches a Discovery probes and sensors and writes a probe record to the ECC Queue. The workflow pauses as the MID Server picks up the request and executes the probe. When the probe reports back, the workflow resumes as the results are analyzed. The workflow can exit or continue at this point.