Discovery models and software installations
Summarize
Summary of Discovery models and software installations
Software discovery models in ServiceNow are automatically created during discovery to identify and normalize software installations within your environment. These models help you manage and reconcile discovered software versions by associating them with defined software models.
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Key Features
- Automatic Creation and Storage: Software discovery models are stored in the Software Discovery Model [cmdbsamswdiscoverymodel] table and are generated automatically when new software is discovered. Manual creation is not supported.
- Normalization Process: When a discovery model is created, normalization runs automatically to standardize software details. If normalization values differ from original package data, users are alerted and can manually accept or adjust normalization suggestions.
- Primary Key Matching: Software installations are matched to discovery models using the primary key combination of Publisher, Display Name, and Version. Version matching prioritizes exact matches and falls back to major version matches when needed.
- Distinction Between Models: Software models represent purchased software versions/configurations, while discovery models represent actually discovered software instances. Multiple discovery models can link to a single software model, supporting version variations.
- Reverting Normalization: You can revert normalization to reset discovery models to an unnormalized state (Match Not Found) and then manually or automatically re-normalize based on updated rules from the Content Service team.
- Software Installations Table: Discovered software installations are stored in the Software Installation [cmdbsamswinstall] table and linked to discovery models through the primary key during discovery.
- Exclusions: Discovery models are not created for software installations with names containing "Security Update".
Key Outcomes
By leveraging discovery models and software installations, ServiceNow customers can accurately track and normalize software across their environments. This enables consistent software asset management by grouping discovered software versions under appropriate software models, improving inventory accuracy, compliance, and reconciliation processes. The ability to manually adjust normalization or revert it provides flexibility to maintain data quality aligned with organizational standards.
Software discovery models are automatically created during discovery to identify and normalize the software installed in your environment.
Software discovery models are stored in the Software Discovery Model [cmdb_sam_sw_discovery_model] table. The normalization process is automatically run when a new discovery model is created. Discovery models are not created for software installations that have a name containing Security Update.
- A software model is a specific version or configuration of software that is purchased and/or available to users.
- A software discovery model is a model created when a version of software is discovered in a network environment.
- Publisher = X
- Product = Y
- Version = Starts with 10
If there are two separate installs of this product (version 10.1 and version 10.2), two discovery models are created. One of the discovery models has the discovered version set to 10.1, and the other discovery model has the discovered version set to 10.2. The reconciliation process associates both of these discovery models to the same software model since they both meet the version criterion of Starts with 10.
Discovery Models
Software discovery models cannot be created manually. The following field combination, called the primary key, is used to match new software installations to a new or existing software discovery model.
For example, if no match is found for version number 8.0.4, but version 8.0 is found, then version 8.0 is used in the Software model field.
The differing values can be set by the user, or by accepting the normalization suggestion changes. Once a new value is set, the normalization status changes form Normalized to Manually Normalized.
Under specific conditions, certain fields that are typically read-only can be edited. If edited, the status changes to Manually Normalized.
Revert normalization
You can revert a normalization if needed.
When you revert a normalization, discovery models that have a status of Normalized, Partially Normalized, or Publisher Normalized revert to the status of Match Not Found. All normalized fields are also reset to their original unnormalized values. You can then normalize your discovery models manually or wait for the next normalization to run automatically. If you are normalizing your discovery models manually, the Software Asset Management application creates normalization suggestions based on the latest normalization rules from the Content Service team. You can choose to accept or reject these suggestions. If you wait for normalization to run automatically, discovery models are normalized using the latest normalization rules from the Content Service team. The discovery models are then set to a status of Normalized, Partially Normalized, or Publisher Normalized, and the normalized field values are set.
Software Installations
The Software Installations list contains the software installed in your organization and is populated by discovery.Installed software is placed in the Software Installation [cmdb_sam_sw_install] table by Discovery, and a primary key is built (using Publisher, Display Name, and Version fields).
Discovery automatically matches the discovered software installation with a new or existing software discovery model using the primary key.