Agent Client Collector File-Based Discovery properties
Summarize
Summary of Agent Client Collector File-Based Discovery properties
ServiceNow’s Agent Client Collector (ACC) File-Based Discovery enables detailed scanning of file systems on Windows, Linux, and macOS endpoints. This discovery method helps you identify and collect software asset information by scanning specified directories, filtering files, and managing performance through configurable system properties. The properties allow you to tailor the scanning paths, exclude directories, control resource usage, and enhance scan accuracy.
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Key Features
- Configurable Scan Paths: Define directories to scan on Windows (pipe-separated) and Linux/macOS (colon-separated) using environment variables and wildcards for flexible targeting.
- Exclude Directories: Specify directories to ignore during scanning to optimize performance and reduce unnecessary data collection.
- Performance Throttling: Control the number of files processed per batch and pause duration between batches to limit endpoint resource impact during scanning.
- Hidden File Handling: Option to skip hidden files and folders on Windows and dot-prefixed hidden files on Linux/macOS to focus scans on relevant data.
- SWID Tag Scanning: Enable scanning for Software Identification (SWID) tags (.swid, .swidtag, .cmptag files) on both Windows and Unix platforms for enhanced software inventory accuracy.
- File Matching Rules: Use configurable filename matching rules and file extensions to precisely define which files are discovered, supporting strict or full scan modes.
- Delta and Full Scan Modes: Configure how often full scans occur versus incremental (delta) scans to maintain data accuracy while optimizing scan duration.
- Linux MIME Type Support: On Linux, file scanning can be based on MIME types instead of just extensions, improving detection of various file formats.
- Running Process Discovery: Optionally enable discovery of software running outside standard scan directories, capturing more comprehensive software usage.
- Archive File Scanning: Extend discovery into ZIP and JAR archive files without extraction to uncover software packaged within compressed files.
Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers
By configuring these system properties, you can fine-tune File-Based Discovery to balance thorough software asset detection with minimal impact on endpoint performance. Defining appropriate scan paths and exclusions helps focus discovery efforts, while throttling settings prevent resource overload. Enabling SWID tag and archive scanning enriches your software inventory data. Using delta scanning frequency ensures your data remains current without excessive scanning. These configurations empower you to maintain an accurate, efficient, and scalable software discovery process within your ServiceNow environment.
Configure File-Based Discovery behavior using system properties that control scanning paths, performance throttling, and file filtering options.
Discovery settings properties
All File-Based Discovery configuration properties are configurable from the System Properties page ().
| Property | Description | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.path.windows | Directories to scan on Windows endpoints (pipe-separated). Supports environment variables (%PROGRAMFILES%) and wildcards. | Windows |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.path.linux | Directories to scan on Linux/macOS endpoints (colon-separated). Supports environment variables ($HOME) and wildcards. | Linux, macOS |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.ignore_path.windows | Directories to exclude from scanning on Windows (pipe-separated). | Windows |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.ignore_path.unix | Directories to exclude from scanning on Linux/macOS (colon-separated). | Linux, macOS |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.throttle_size.windows | Number of files to process before pausing (Windows). | Windows |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.throttle_size.unix | Number of files to process before pausing (Linux/macOS). | Linux, macOS |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.sleeptime.windows | Pause duration in milliseconds after each throttle batch (Windows). | Windows |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.sleeptime.unix | Pause duration in milliseconds after each throttle batch (Linux/macOS). | Linux, macOS |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.skip_hidden_folders.windows | When enabled, skips hidden files and folders during scanning (Windows). | Windows |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.skip_hidden_folders.unix | When enabled, skips dot-prefixed (hidden) files and folders during scanning (Linux/macOS). | Linux, macOS |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.scan_swid.windows | Enables or disables SWID tag scanning on Windows platforms. When enabled, the scanner looks for .swid, .swidtag, and .cmptag files in the configured scan directories. | Windows |
| glide.discovery.file_discovery.scan_swid.unix | Enables or disables SWID tag scanning on Linux and macOS platforms. When enabled, the scanner looks for .swid, .swidtag, and .cmptag files in the configured scan directories. | Linux, macOS |
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| File matching rules (sn_acc_vis_content_file_config) | Defines the filename matching rules. Each rule specifies:
|
| File extensions (sn_acc_vis_content_file_extension) | Defines which file extensions to scan for File Management (such as .exe, .dll, .msi, .pkg, and so forth). Each record specifies an extension and the platform it applies to (Windows, Mac, or All). |
| Full Scan Mode (sn_acc_vis_content.file_disovery.enable_fbd_fullscan) | When false (strict mode), only files that match a rule in the File Config table are discovered. When true, all files with a matching extension are discovered only if no specific rule exists for them. Default: false |
| Delta Scan Frequency (sn_acc_vis_content.file_discovery.fresh_scan_frequency_by_delta_count) | The number of delta scans to perform before forcing a full scan. This ensures data accuracy over time. For details on delta scanning, see Agent Client Collector File-Based Discovery. Default: 5 |
| MME Types (Linux only) (sn_acc_vis_content.file_discovery.mime_type.unix) | Colon-separated list of MIME types to scan on Linux (such as application/x-pie-executable:text/x-shellscript). On Linux, File Management uses MIME type detection instead of extension-based matching. |
| Running process-based discovery (sn_acc_vis_content.file_discovery.fbd_process_scan_enabled) |
Running process-based discovery enables the ACC-VC agent to detect software running outside of standard scan directories, including applications that a directory-only scan can't detect. Default: false |
| Archive file scanning (sn_acc_vis_content.file_discovery.archive_scan_enabled) |
Archive file scanning extends file-based discovery to look inside ZIP and JAR archive files and report the files contained within them. This enables discovery of software artifacts that are distributed in compressed packages without requiring the archive to be extracted on the endpoint. Default: false |
Performance throttling
The throttling properties control how File-Based Discovery manages system resources during scanning operations. The throttle size determines how many files are processed in each batch, while the sleep time controls the pause duration between batches to prevent excessive system load.
Path configuration
Path properties support environment variables and wildcards for flexible directory specification. Use pipe separators (|) for Windows paths and colon separators (:) for Linux and macOS paths. The ignore path properties allow you to exclude specific directories from scanning to improve performance and avoid unnecessary data collection.