Application patterns for the Agent Client Collector
Summarize
Summary of Application patterns for the Agent Client Collector
Application patterns in the Agent Client Collector (ACC) gather detailed information about applications running on ACC host servers. These patterns activate after ACC host Discovery completes and are specifically supported for server environments, enhancing visibility into application-level data.
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Prerequisites and Setup
- Install the following components:
- Agent Client Collector Framework
- Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content Discovery
- Ensure the agent connects to a MID Server, which executes the patterns as ad-hoc checks named PatternOnTheFlyCheck.
- Set the property snagent.applclassificationbehavior to full and restart connected MID Servers.
- On Windows, use PowerShell 3.0 or higher.
- Host device roles required:
- Linux/macOS: ServiceNow user with sudoers and nopasswd enabled
- Windows: Local System user, SYSTEM, or local user with specific privileges (Logon as a service, Backup, Debug Programs)
Managing and Viewing Application Patterns
- View supported ACC application patterns under All > Pattern Designer > Supported Patterns for ACC.
- To see executed patterns on an agent, navigate to All > Agent Client Collector > Agents, select an agent, then View > Discovery, and check the Application Pattern logs tab.
- Executed patterns are marked with true in the Executed On Agent column.
- Note that several operations like WMI method invocation, SNMP queries, and file put operations are not supported within application patterns on ACC.
Configuration Properties
Key properties to optimize application pattern execution include:
- snagent.applclassificationbehavior: Set to full to enable application patterns and access allow-listed pattern commands. Use the allow-list template tailored for application patterns.
- mid.discovery.agent.command.mid.timeout: Controls MID Server wait time for agent responses (default 60 seconds).
- mid.discovery.agent.command.timeout: Sets max execution time for commands on agent hosts (default 60 seconds).
Debugging Patterns in ACC Mode
- Enable debugging in Pattern Designer with snagent.applclassificationbehavior set to full and select Use ACC connection for debugging.
- Pattern execution success is logged in Pattern Designer and detailed information appears in MID Server logs (set mid.log.level to DEBUG) and ACC logs (search for PatternOnTheFlyCheck).
Oracle Global License Advisory Services (GLAS) Data Collection
- Oracle Java process discovery works via patterns or file-based discovery using ACC, with pattern data taking precedence if both run on the same installation.
- Requirements:
- All users must have Oracle GLAS store app version 1.8.4 or later.
- Agent Client Collector users must have the Framework plugin and optionally the for Visibility - Content plugin for enhanced data.
- Oracle Java discovery via ACC applies broadly to server environments and is partially supported for desktop environments.
- Application patterns support Oracle GLAS data collection on Linux; file deployment uses ACC plugins rather than SSH or WMI.
File-based Discovery of Java Installations
ACC for Visibility - Content can perform file-based discovery of Java installations to collect system file information relevant to Oracle GLAS data, complementing pattern-based discovery methods.
Application patterns gather details on the applications that run on the Agent Client Collector (ACC) host. Application patterns are supported only for servers, and are triggered after the Agent Client Collector host Discovery is complete.
Prerequisites for using application patterns
To enable application patterns on the Agent Client Collector, install the following:
- Agent Client Collector Framework
- Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content
- Discovery
Ensure that the agent is connected to a MID Server to enable pattern execution. The MID Server runs the pattern, and each command step is evaluated against the agent as an ad-hoc check who's name begins with PatternOnTheFlyCheck.
Set the sn_agent.appl_classification_behavior property to full, and restart any MID Servers connected to the agent.
When working in a Windows environment, ensure that you're working with Powershell 3.0 or higher.
- In a Linux or macOS environment: ServiceNow user with sudoers; nopasswd enabled with regular Discovery commands.
- In a Windows environment: Local System user, SYSTEM, or a local user account where the local user account uses one of the following:
- Logon as a service
- Backup (SeBackupPrivilege)
- Debug Programs privileges
Viewing supported application patterns
To view the list of patterns supported for Agent Client Collector, navigate to . Application patterns are the only pattern types supported for use with Agent Client Collector.
Viewing Application Patterns executed on Agent Client Collector
- Navigate to .
- Select an agent.
- Select from the context menu (hamburger icon).
- Open the agent.
- Select the Application Pattern logs tab on the bottom of the page.
The list of patterns executed on the agent appears. Executed patterns are indicated with the value true in the Executed On Agent column.
Unsupported application pattern operations
Application patterns aren't supported in the following pattern operations:
- WMI method invocation
- Change/unchange user
- All custom operations
- SNMP query
- Put file
Agent Client Collector pattern execution properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| sn_agent.appl_classification_behavior | Set value to full to enable working with applications patterns and to access pattern commands in the allow-list. Default: simple Note: To enable application pattern execution with the allow-list, use the allow-list template for application patterns. For details, see the Pattern execution on ACC: Sample Allowlist for Pattern Content article in the Now Support
Knowledge Base. |
| mid.discovery.agent.command.mid.timeout | The maximum duration, in seconds, that the MID Server waits for a response from the agent before timing out. Default: 60 seconds |
| mid.discovery.agent.command.timeout | The maximum amount of time, in seconds, that the command is given to execute on the agent host. Default: 60 seconds |
Using pattern designer debugging in ACC mode
You can debug application patterns that are configured in ACC mode.
- Set the sn_agent.appl_classification_behavior property to full.
- In the Pattern Designer, enable the debug option and select Use ACC connection in the Debug identification section.
The pattern log indicates whether the pattern was successfully executed on the agent.
You can also receive pattern details in the following logs:
- MID Server logs: Set mid.log.level to DEBUG for the mid agent log to display details on the pattern step, ACC check, and the pattern response.
- ACC logs: Search for the string PatternOnTheFlyCheck for details on pattern checks.
Oracle Global License Advisory Services (GLAS) data collection
Oracle Java process discovery works either with patterns (when using either a MID Server or Agent Client Collector), or with file-based discovery (using Agent Client Collector with file-based discovery). If both the pattern and file-based discovery run the same Java installation, the pattern-collected data takes precedence.
- All users must have the Oracle GLAS store app, starting with version 1.8.4.
- Agent Client Collector users:
- Must have the Agent Client Collector Framework store plugin.
- Can have the Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content store plugin, for extra data.
For information about privileged user access, see KB1705845.
Note:Oracle Java discovery with ACC is applicable in all server environments. However, currently, it's partially supported for different Desktop environments. For a Windows Desktop update set, see the KB article KB1705845.
For information on java installation Discovery using Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content, see Discover java installation data using Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content file-based discovery.
For information on the collected data, see Data collected by Oracle Global License Advisory Services (GLAS) using Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content.
Application patterns support Oracle GLAS data collection in a Linux environment. For details on using patterns, see Oracle GLAS data collection using patterns.
Although Oracle GLAS supports Put file operations, the related files are deployed using Agent Client Collector plugins instead of SSH or WMI.