ColdFusion discovery

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of ColdFusion discovery

    The ServiceNow Discovery application identifies Adobe ColdFusion servers and the running instances of ColdFusion applications, specifically supporting only the 2016 version of ColdFusion. To discover these resources effectively, customers may need to update to the latest Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns applications from the ServiceNow Store.

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    The discovery process uses two primary patterns: ColdFusion Application and ColdFusion Application Server. The ColdFusion Application Server pattern is triggered by the ColdFusion Application Server process classifier to perform horizontal discovery, while Service Mapping performs top-down discovery focused on application services.

    Prerequisites

    • Credentials: Configure Windows credentials for Windows hosts or SSH credentials for Linux hosts where ColdFusion servers are installed.
    • File Access: The discovery pattern requires access to specific ColdFusion configuration files:
      • neo-runtime.xml: Maps the URL to the application’s working directory path.
      • application.cfc and application.cfm: Provide application names.
      • neo-datasource.xml: Contains datasource names used in ColdFusion applications. This is important for top-down discovery of database connections.

    Entry Point for Top-Down Discovery: Use the full URL or IP address of the ColdFusion web application as the HTTP(S) endpoint, e.g., https://my-website-on-coldfusion/path.

    Data Collected During Horizontal Discovery

    • ColdFusion Server [cmdbcicoldfusionserver]: Discovers server name, version, and installation directory.
    • ColdFusion Applications [cmdbcicfapplication]: Identifies application names and installation directories. Note that custom applications are not discovered by this pattern.

    Configuration Item (CI) Relationships

    The discovery establishes relationships to represent the environment accurately:

    • ColdFusion applications are contained by ColdFusion servers.
    • ColdFusion servers run on operating system servers (Linux, Windows, or OSX).

    Service Mapping and Top-Down Discovery

    Service Mapping enhances ColdFusion discovery by identifying outgoing datasource connections from ColdFusion servers to associated databases, providing a comprehensive application service map.

    For example, a ColdFusion web application service map may include:

    • The ColdFusion application server instance (e.g., named cfusion).
    • The ColdFusion application itself (e.g., hdStreetOracle).
    • The connected database instance (e.g., XE).

    This mapping helps customers understand application dependencies and service relationships within their environment.

    The ServiceNow Discovery application finds Adobe ColdFusion servers and the instances of ColdFusion applications running on them. Only the 2016 version of ColdFusion is supported. Discovering some of these resources may require updating to the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.

    Components

    Discovery and Service Mapping use the ColdFusion Application and ColdFusion Application Server patterns to run horizontal and top-down discovery. The ColdFusion Application Server pattern is triggered from the ColdFusion Application Server process classifier for horizontal discovery.

    Request apps on the Store

    Visit the ServiceNow Store website 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

    Credentials
    Configure the following credentials, depending on what type of host machine the ColdFusion server is installed on:
    • Windows credentials
    • SSH credentials (for Linux machines)
    File access
    The pattern must be able to access these ColdFusion files:
    File Description
    neo-runtime.xml This file provides the mapping between the URL and the working directory path of the application.
    application.cfc and application.cfm These files provide application names.
    neo-datasource.xml This file provides the name of the datasource that is used in the configuration of the ColdFusion application. The datasource reference is configured in the application.cfc and application.cfm files.
    Note:
    The datasource is used for top-down discovery only.
    Entry point

    For top-down discovery, use the full URL or IP address of the web application as the HTTP(S) endpoint. For example: https://my-website-on-coldfusion/path or https:10.120.255.2555:8500/path

    Data collected during horizontal discovery

    Table and Field Description
    Cold Fusion Server [cmdb_ci_coldfusion_server]

    Installation directory [installation_directory]

    		 The name and version of the ColdFusion server, and the directory where it is installed.

    Name [name]

    Version [version]

    Installation directory [installation_directory]

    		 The name of the application and the directory where it is installed.

    Name [name]
    Note:
    Cold Fusion applications [cmdb_ci_cf_application] are custom applications that this pattern does not discover.

    CI relationships

    CI Relationship CI
    cmdb_ci_cf_application Contains::Contained by cmdb_ci_coldfusion_server
    cmdb_ci_coldfusion_server Runs on::Runs

    cmdb_ci_linux_server

    cmdb_ci_win_server

    cmdb_ci_osx_server

    Connections discovered by Service Mapping during the top-down discovery

    Service Mapping performs the top-down discovery of the Adobe ColdFusion in the context of application services. Service Mapping discovers the outgoing datasource connections from ColdFusion servers to instances of database.

    Example

    In this example, the application service map shows the results of a top-down discovery of the ColdFusion Web application service. The application service is comprised of three CIs:
    • The ColdFusion application server is named cfusion.
    • The ColdFusion application hdStreetOracle.
    • A database named XE, which the ColdFusion application connects to.
    Figure 1. ColdFusion service map
    ColdFusion service map