ColdFusion discovery

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of ColdFusion discovery

    The ServiceNow Discovery application identifies Adobe ColdFusion servers and their running ColdFusion application instances, supporting only ColdFusion 2016. Discovery leverages horizontal and top-down patterns from the Discovery and Service Mapping applications, which may require updating to the latest versions from the ServiceNow Store for optimal performance.

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    Prerequisites

    To enable discovery, configure credentials based on the host OS:

    • Windows credentials for Windows-based ColdFusion servers
    • SSH credentials for Linux-based ColdFusion servers

    The discovery patterns require file access to key ColdFusion configuration files:

    • neo-runtime.xml: Maps URLs to working directory paths of applications.
    • application.cfc and application.cfm: Provide application names.
    • neo-datasource.xml: Specifies datasource names used by applications (used for top-down discovery).

    Discovery Process

    Horizontal discovery uses the ColdFusion Application Server process classifier and runs patterns to identify servers and applications, capturing details such as:

    • ColdFusion server name, version, and installation directory.
    • Application name and installation directory.

    Note: Custom ColdFusion applications are not discovered by this pattern.

    Top-down discovery requires specifying the full URL or IP address of the ColdFusion web application as the HTTP(S) endpoint. Service Mapping then discovers outgoing datasource connections from ColdFusion servers to database instances, providing visibility into application service maps.

    Configuration and Results

    The discovery populates Configuration Items (CIs) and their relationships, including:

    • ColdFusion Server CI: Represents the server hosting ColdFusion.
    • ColdFusion Application CI: Represents discovered applications.
    • Relationships showing which applications are contained by servers and which servers run on specific operating systems.

    Service Mapping enhances this by mapping application services, their components, and database connections, enabling customers to visualize ColdFusion service dependencies and infrastructure comprehensively.

    The ServiceNow Discovery application finds Adobe ColdFusion servers and the instances of ColdFusion applications running on them. Only the 2016 version of ColdFusion is supported. Discovering some of these resources may require updating to the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.

    Components

    Discovery and Service Mapping use the ColdFusion Application and ColdFusion Application Server patterns to run horizontal and top-down discovery. The ColdFusion Application Server pattern is triggered from the ColdFusion Application Server process classifier for horizontal discovery.

    Request apps on the Store

    Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

    Prerequisites

    Credentials
    Configure the following credentials, depending on what type of host machine the ColdFusion server is installed on:
    • Windows credentials
    • SSH credentials (for Linux machines)
    File access
    The pattern must be able to access these ColdFusion files:
    File Description
    neo-runtime.xml This file provides the mapping between the URL and the working directory path of the application.
    application.cfc and application.cfm These files provide application names.
    neo-datasource.xml This file provides the name of the datasource that is used in the configuration of the ColdFusion application. The datasource reference is configured in the application.cfc and application.cfm files.
    Note:
    The datasource is used for top-down discovery only.
    Entry point

    For top-down discovery, use the full URL or IP address of the web application as the HTTP(S) endpoint. For example: https://my-website-on-coldfusion/path or https:10.120.255.2555:8500/path

    Data collected during horizontal discovery

    Table and Field Description
    Cold Fusion Server [cmdb_ci_coldfusion_server]

    Installation directory [installation_directory]

    		 The name and version of the ColdFusion server, and the directory where it is installed.

    Name [name]

    Version [version]

    Installation directory [installation_directory]

    		 The name of the application and the directory where it is installed.

    Name [name]
    Note:
    Cold Fusion applications [cmdb_ci_cf_application] are custom applications that this pattern does not discover.

    CI relationships

    CI Relationship CI
    cmdb_ci_cf_application Contains::Contained by cmdb_ci_coldfusion_server
    cmdb_ci_coldfusion_server Runs on::Runs

    cmdb_ci_linux_server

    cmdb_ci_win_server

    cmdb_ci_osx_server

    Connections discovered by Service Mapping during the top-down discovery

    Service Mapping performs the top-down discovery of the Adobe ColdFusion in the context of application services. Service Mapping discovers the outgoing datasource connections from ColdFusion servers to instances of database.

    Example

    In this example, the application service map shows the results of a top-down discovery of the ColdFusion Web application service. The application service is comprised of three CIs:
    • The ColdFusion application server is named cfusion.
    • The ColdFusion application hdStreetOracle.
    • A database named XE, which the ColdFusion application connects to.
    Figure 1. ColdFusion service map
    ColdFusion service map