Data collected by Discovery on storage devices

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated August 5, 2025
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    Summary of Data collected by Discovery on storage devices

    ServiceNow Discovery identifies and classifies detailed information about various storage devices and their components, enabling customers to maintain accurate and comprehensive Configuration Management Database (CMDB) records. This data collection supports better management of storage infrastructure by capturing attributes and establishing relationships between storage-related Configuration Items (CIs).

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    Key Features

    • Storage Disks: Discovery collects data such as disk name, connected host reference, interface type, size, free space, manufacturer, and model ID.
    • Storage File Shares: Captures the name and path of file shares.
    • Storage Pools: Includes storage pool name, size, free space, and hosting CI reference.
    • Storage Ports: Records port name, Worldwide Port Name (WWPN), and speed.
    • Storage Host Bus Adapters (HBAs): Gathers HBA name, model, and associated computer reference.
    • Storage Servers: Discovers server name, manufacturer, model, operating system, OS version, and description.
    • Storage Volumes: Captures volume name, unique ID, state, size, and storage type.

    Storage Relationships

    Discovery automatically establishes relationships among storage CIs to reflect dependencies and connections in the environment, which is critical for impact analysis and accurate service mapping.

    • Storage Area Network (SAN) Relationships: Discovery links storage volumes to physical disks using relationships such as "Exports to::Imports from" for Fibre Channel and iSCSI disks, reflecting data flow and component dependencies.
    • Network Attached Storage (NAS) Relationships: Discovery maps NAS file shares by resolving hostnames or IP addresses of remotely mounted disks on client computers to the storage servers exporting those file systems. It stores the resolved IP address and creates relationships like "Allocated from::Allocated to" between NAS File Systems and Storage File Shares.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Provides a detailed and accurate inventory of storage infrastructure components within the CMDB.
    • Enables clear visibility into storage device attributes and their interconnections, improving incident, problem, and change management.
    • Supports comprehensive impact analysis by mapping dependencies between storage volumes, disks, file shares, and servers.
    • Facilitates alignment of storage configurations with operational and business services through precise relationship mapping.

    Discovery identifies and classifies information about storage devices.

    Table 1. Resources discovered on the Storage Disks [cmdb_ci_storage_disk] table
    Field Description
    Name Name of the storage disk.
    Computer Reference to the host CI.
    Interface Interface type with which the storage disk is connected to the host.
    Size Size of the storage disk.
    Free disk space (GB) Free space in GV available on the disk.
    Manufacturer Manufacturer of the storage disk.
    Model ID Model name of the disk.
    Table 2. Resources discovered on the Storage File Shares [cmdb_ci_storage_fileshare] table
    Field Description
    Name Name of the CI.
    Path Path to the file share.
    Table 3. Resources discovered on the Storage Pools [cmdb_ci_storage_pool] table
    Field Description
    Name Name of the storage pool.
    Size Size of the storage pool.
    Free space Free space available in the pool.
    Hosted by Reference to the CMDB CI.
    Table 4. Resources discovered on the Storage Ports [cmdb_ci_storage_port] table
    Field Description
    Name Name of the storage port.
    WWPN Unique Worldwide Port Name (WWPN) for the storage port.
    Speed Speed of the storage port.
    Table 5. Resources discovered on the Storage HBAs [cmdb_ci_storage_hba] table
    Field Description
    Name Name of the Storage Host Bus Adapter (HBA).
    Model ID Model name of the HBA.
    Computer Reference to the computer CI.
    Table 6. Resources discovered on the Storage Servers [cmdb_ci_storage_server] table
    Field Description
    Name Name of the CI.
    Manufacturer Manufacturer of the storage server.
    Model ID Model name of the storage server.
    Operating System Operating system (OS) of the storage server.
    OS Version OS version of the storage server.
    Description Short description of the storage server.
    Table 7. Resources discovered on the Storage Volumes [cmdb_ci_storage_volume] table
    Field Description
    Name Name of the storage volume.
    Object ID Unique ID for the storage volume.
    State State of the storage volume.
    Size Size of the storage volume.
    Storage Type Type of storage volume.

    Storage relationships

    Discovery establishes the correct relationships between Network-Attached Storage (NAS) storage devices and remotely mounted client servers that consume the storage. Discovery maps NAS file shares. It maps by taking the IP or hostname of a remote mounted disk on the client computer. It then matches it to the IP or hostname of the storage server providing the exported file system.

    Discovery creates the following relationships for storage CIs running on Storage Area Networks.

    Table 8. SAN CI relationships
    Parent Component Relationship Child Component
    Storage Volume [cmdb_ci_storage_volume] Exports to::Imports from Fibre Channel Disk [cmdb_ci_fc_disk]
    Storage Volume [cmdb_ci_storage_volume] Exports to::Imports from iSCSI [cmdb_ci_iscsi_disk]

    Discovery maps NAS file shares. It maps by resolving the hostname of a remote mounted disk on the client computer to an IP address. It then matches it to the IP address of the storage server that provides the exported file system. Discovery extracts the hostname or IP address from the NAS path to determine the identity of the storage server. If the hostname is an actual hostname, the system immediately resolves that value into an IP address. It also stores it in the nas_ip_address field of the NAS File System [cmdb_ci_nas_file_system] table.

    Discovery creates the following relationships for storage CIs running on Network Attached Storage (NAS). These relationships are the same between Linux and Windows operating system hosts.

    Table 9. NAS CI relationships
    Parent Component Relationship Child Component
    NAS File System [cmdb_ci_nas_file_system] Allocated from::Allocated to Storage File Share [cmdb_ci_storage_fileshare]