Agent Client Collector File-Based Discovery properties

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated May 4, 2026
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    Summary of Agent Client Collector File-Based Discovery properties

    Agent Client Collector (ACC) File-Based Discovery enables you to configure how file scanning behaves on Windows, Linux, and macOS endpoints. This configuration is managed through system properties that control scanning paths, file filtering, performance throttling, and advanced scanning options such as SWID tag detection and archive file scanning.

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    Key Features

    • Configurable Scan Paths: Define directories to scan using environment variables and wildcards. Use pipe-separated paths for Windows and colon-separated paths for Linux/macOS. You can also specify directories to exclude from scanning to optimize performance.
    • File Matching Rules: Control which files are discovered by defining filename patterns and extensions. You can restrict discovery to specific rules or enable full scan mode to include all files matching extensions if no rule applies.
    • Delta and Full Scan Modes: Configure how often full scans run versus delta scans to maintain data accuracy over time.
    • Platform-Specific Settings: Separate properties for Windows and Linux/macOS allow customized behavior, including skipping hidden files/folders, scanning SWID tags, and specifying MIME types on Linux.
    • Performance Throttling: Manage resource usage by setting the number of files processed per batch and the pause duration between batches to reduce system load during discovery.
    • Advanced Discovery Options: Enable running process-based discovery to detect software outside standard scan directories and archive file scanning to inspect compressed packages without extraction.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    By configuring these properties, you can tailor File-Based Discovery to your environment's needs, balancing thoroughness and system impact. Setting appropriate scan paths and exclusion lists improves scan efficiency. Throttling settings help maintain endpoint performance during scans. Advanced options like SWID tag scanning and archive inspection increase the completeness of Software Asset Management data.

    All File-Based Discovery properties are accessible via the System Properties page (All > System Properties > All Properties), allowing centralized management and easy tuning of discovery behavior for accurate and efficient asset visibility.

    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 (All > System Properties > All Properties).

    Table 1. File-Based Discovery configuration properties
    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
    Table 2. File based discovery system properties
    Property Description
    File matching rules (sn_acc_vis_content_file_config) Defines the filename matching rules. Each rule specifies:
    • File name: The pattern to match.
    • Condition: exact_match, starts_with, ends_with, or contains.
    • Extension: Reference to the sn_acc_vis_content_file_extension property.
    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.