Connection Suggestions list

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Connection Suggestions list

    The Connection Suggestions list in ServiceNow's Yokohama release helps you review and manage potential connections between configuration items (CIs) relevant to application services. This feature supports decision-making on which connections to include, exclude, or review based on discovery data and predictive intelligence, enhancing the accuracy of your service maps.

    Show full answer Show less

    Key Features

    • From and To Columns: Identify the source and target CIs or their fingerprints/processes involved in the connection, providing context for each suggestion.
    • Target Host and VIP Indicators: Shows the host of the target CI, highlighting if it is part of a load balancer. Selecting a load balancer member adds the entire load balancer and its members to the application service.
    • IP and Port: Displays the IP address and port of the target CI to assist in network-level identification.
    • Confidence Level: Indicates the likelihood that a connection belongs to the service instance, ranging from High (specific internal components) to Very Low (central organization-wide applications). This is available only when fingerprint-based discovery is enabled.
    • Decision Status: Tracks your previous actions on each suggestion, such as manually added, excluded, undecided, or added automatically by rules.
    • Rule Applied: Shows the service mapping rule that triggered the automatic addition of a connection.
    • Decision Changed By and Updated Timestamp: Records the user or MID Server responsible for the last decision change and when it occurred, supporting audit and accountability.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    This list enables you to efficiently validate and curate CI connections, ensuring your application service maps accurately represent dependencies and interactions. It supports both manual and automated decision processes, leveraging predictive intelligence and fingerprint discovery for improved mapping precision. By reviewing connection suggestions, you can better manage service health, impact analysis, and change management processes.

    Review details of connection suggestions to decide which connections are relevant for application services.

    Table 1. Connection Suggestions list columns
    Column Description
    From The CI class or fingerprint process of the CI that is the connection source. This field appears only when you access connection suggestions by navigating to Service Mapping > Administration > Connection Suggestions.
    To The CI class, or fingerprint, or process of the CI that is the connection target.
    Target Host The host of the CI that is the connection target.

    If the VIP column shows true, the target host is a load balancer member. When you select such a target host, the system adds the load balancer and all its members as CIs in the application service.
    IP The IP of the CI that is the connection target.
    Port The port of the CI that is the connection target.
    Confidence
    The confidence level indicates the likelihood of this connection being part of the service instances.
    • High - This connection is likely to an internal component that is only used by this specific component or application.
    • Medium - This connection is likely to a middleware component used by multiple services, such as IBM MQ or Oracle WebLogic Server.
    • Low - This connection is likely to an application deployed on numerous servers in the organization, typically for monitoring purposes, such as Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Agents or MID Server.
    • Very low - This connection is likely to a central application used by the entire organization, for example, Microsoft Active Directory or Okta.
    If the confidence level appears as N/A, wait until the application fingerprints training is complete. See the Application fingerprint training status report.

    Confidence level is available only if fingerprint based discovery is enabled. See Discover applications based on fingerprints for more information.
    Decision This value indicates the outcome of the previous action taken on this connection suggestion:
    • Added manually - You added a connection based on this suggestion.
    • Excluded manually - You removed a connection based on this suggestion.
    • Undecided - You reset the previous decision to add or remove a connection based on this suggestion.
    • Added by rule - Service Mapping added a connection based on a connection rule.
    Rule The rule that Service Mapping applied to add a connection.
    VIP The target host is a load balancer member. The system shows this information only for load balancers that you previously discovered using horizontal discovery.

    This field appears only when you access connection suggestions by navigating to Service Mapping > Administration > Connection Suggestions.
    Decision changed by The user who changed the decision last time.

    If the decision was changed by a rule, this field shows the MID Server user. For more information about setting up MID Server user role, see Create the MID Server user and grant the role.

    This field appears only when you access connection suggestions by navigating to Service Mapping > Administration > Connection Suggestions.
    Updated The timestamp of when this connection last changed.