Deduplicating IBM software installations

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Deduplicating IBM software installations

    This guidance explains how ServiceNow customers can manage and deduplicate IBM software installation records discovered from multiple sources in the Software Asset Management (SAM) application. It focuses on integrating IBM publisher packs with authorized Software Asset Management providers, IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT), or BigFix Inventory to ensure accurate license tracking and compliance.

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    Key Features

    • Multiple Discovery Sources: IBM software installations can be discovered from different tools such as Anglepoint, ILMT, or BigFix Inventory, which may create duplicate records for the same software installation.
    • Deduplication Process: The SAM - Deduplicate Install Table scheduled job consolidates duplicate installation records by marking only one as active for license reconciliation, while others are marked inactive.
    • Default Prioritization: By default, installations discovered through ILMT or BigFix Inventory are prioritized and marked active over those from authorized Software Asset Management providers.
    • Custom Prioritization: Customers can change prioritization to favor authorized Software Asset Management providers by updating the system property com.snc.samp.ibm.usesampibmlicensing to true in System Properties. This reverses the active/inactive marking logic accordingly.
    • Domain Separation Support: The prioritization property supports domain separation, allowing configurations tailored by domain.

    Practical Benefits

    • Ensures accurate and streamlined tracking of IBM software installations across multiple discovery tools.
    • Prevents license compliance issues caused by duplicate installation records.
    • Gives customers flexibility to choose which discovery source to prioritize based on their environment and compliance strategy.
    • Automates deduplication through a scheduled job, reducing manual effort and potential errors.

    To track and manage your IBM licenses, you can integrate the IBM publisher pack with an authorized Software Asset Management provider, IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT), or BigFix Inventory. If you are switching between an authorized Software Asset Management provider integration and either an ILMT or BigFix Inventory integration, you can deduplicate software installations that have the same edition, version, and language but are discovered through different sources.

    If you discover the same IBM software installation through multiple sources, such as Anglepoint and ILMT, the Software Asset Management application creates a separate software installation record for each discovery of that software installation. You can resolve these duplicate software installation records by running the SAM - Deduplicate Install Table scheduled job, which ensures that only one duplicate software installation record is marked as active and included in reconciliation. See Duplicate software installations in the Software Asset Management application for more information on deduplication.

    By default, the Software Asset Management application prioritizes IBM software installations that are discovered through ILMT or BigFix Inventory. When you run the SAM - Deduplicate Install Table scheduled job, records for all IBM software installations that are discovered through ILMT or BigFix Inventory are marked as active, while records for the same software installations that are discovered through an authorized Software Asset Management provider are marked as inactive. If an IBM software installation is discovered through an authorized Software Asset Management provider only, the corresponding record is marked as active.

    To prioritize IBM software installations that are discovered through authorized Software Asset Management providers instead, you can update the value of the Use Servicenow Software Asset Management and Discovery for IBM license compliance property (com.snc.samp.ibm.use_samp_ibm_licensing) by navigating to All > System Properties > All Properties. From the list of available system properties, search for and select the com.snc.samp.ibm.use_samp_ibm_licensing property. When the system property record opens, set the Value field to true and then select Update. Each time you subsequently run the SAM - Deduplicate Install Table scheduled job, records for all IBM software installations that are discovered through an authorized Software Asset Management provider are marked as active, while records for the same software installations that are discovered through ILMT or BigFix Inventory are marked as inactive. If an IBM software installation is discovered through ILMT or BigFix Inventory only, the corresponding record is marked as active.
    Note:
    The Use Servicenow Software Asset Management and Discovery for IBM license compliance property supports domain separation.