Discovery classification parameters

Release version: Zurich

Updated July 31, 2025

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Summary of Discovery classification parameters

This documentation explains the classification parameters used by ServiceNow Discovery classifiers to identify and categorize devices and processes across different operating systems and network devices. These parameters help tailor discovery probes and accurately classify configuration items (CIs) such as UNIX/Linux systems, Windows machines, SNMP-enabled devices, and running processes.

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UNIX Parameters

output: Raw output from the classifier probe (e.g., uname -a) to identify OS details.
type: Returns classification as UNIX.
ipaddress: IP address of the device discovered.
name: Name of the UNIX OS, such as Linux or HP-UX.

Windows Parameters

isNode: Indicates if the instance is a node.
type: Returns classification as Windows.
isVIP: Indicates if the CI is a virtual machine with a virtual IP address.
ipaddress: IP address of the Windows device.
name: Windows OS version name.
cidata.name: Hostname of the Windows OS.

SNMP Parameters

These parameters classify network devices like routers, switches, printers, and UPS devices:

powering: True if device is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
hosting: True if device can host programs (e.g., servers).
netware: True if running Netware OS.
routing: True if device has routing capabilities.
ipaddress: IP address used for discovery; devices may have multiple IPs.
sysdescr: Required descriptive field containing OS and version info.
vlans: True if device can host virtual LANs.
hintrouter: True if Discovery identifies device as a router (for dual router/switch devices).
blockrouterexploration: Prevents exploration probes on detected routers (network Discovery only).
switching: True if device has switching capabilities.
mfrapc: True if UPS is manufactured by APC.
printing: True if device supports printing.
blockswitchexploration: Prevents exploration probes on switches (network Discovery only).

Process Parameters

These parameters identify running processes across UNIX and Windows devices:

parameter: The parameters used to run the process.
command: Command used to start the process.
output: Complete output line from the process probe.
type: Process type (e.g., UNIX or Windows).
PID: Process ID assigned by the OS; generally not stable for classification except on appliances.
name: Name of the process; may not be reliable alone due to common names like svchost.exe on Windows.

Important Notes

Condition filters in process classifiers are case-sensitive.
Classification parameters enable precise identification and differentiation of devices and processes during Discovery.
Some parameters, such as blocking exploration of routers or switches, help optimize network Discovery performance.

These parameters are available for Discovery classifiers.

Note:

Condition filters in process classifiers are case-sensitive.

Unix parameters

The UNIX parameters define the characteristics of several types of computers, such as Linux, Solaris, and HP-UX, communicating with SSH protocol, version 2.


Parameter	Description
output	The raw output of the classifier probe (uname -a).
type	Returns the classification UNIX.
IP address	Returns the IP address of the device being discovered.
name	Name of the operating system for this UNIX CI. For example, Linux or HP-UX.

Windows parameters

Windows parameters identify Windows computers communicating with the WMI protocol.


Parameter	Description
isNode	Indicates if this instance is a node.
type	Returns the classification windows.
isVIP	Indicates if this CI is a virtual machine, with a virtual IP address.
ip_address	Returns the IP address of the device being discovered.
name	Name of the Windows version.
cidata.name	Hostname of the Windows OS

SNMP parameters

The SNMP parameters can define the characteristics of several types of devices, such as routers, switches, and printers.


Parameter	Description
powering	A value of true indicates that this device is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
hosting	A value of true indicates that this device can host programs. Hosts are general purpose computers such as servers.
netware	A value of true indicates that this device is running the Netware operating system.
routing	A value of true indicates that this device has network routing capabilities.
ip_address	Returns the IP address through which the device is being discovered. A device can have multiple IP addresses.
sysdescr	Required descriptive field on any SNMP device that can contain useful classification data, such as the operating system and its version.
vlans	A value of true indicates that this device can host a virtual local area network.
hint_router	A value of true indicates that Discovery has determined that this device is a router. This field only applies to devices that can be used as both a router and a switch.
block_router_exploration	If this parameter is true,Discovery will not launch exploration probes for routers it detects. This parameter is used for network Discovery only.
switching	A value of true indicates that this device has network switching capabilities.
mfr_apc	A value of true indicates that this device is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) manufactured by American Power Conversion (APC).
printing	A value of true indicates that this device has printing capabilities.
block_switch_exploration	If this parameter is true, Discovery will not launch exploration probes for switches it detects. This parameter is used for network Discovery only.

Process parameters

Process parameters identify processes such as those used by LDAP, Apache Server, and JBoss Server.


Parameter	Description
parameter	The parameters used to run the process.
command	The command used to run the process.
output	The complete output of the current line of the process probe.
type	Indicates the process type (e.g. unix or windows).
PID	The process ID generated by the operating system of a device to identify a running process. Generally, this parameter is not a practical classification criteria, because the value does not remain static, except in the case of processes running on an appliance that is never restarted.
name	Name of the process being discovered. In some cases, this parameter is not reliable, since several process might be given the same name. In Windows, for example several processes return scvhost.exe for this parameter.