Choose the right method for discovery and mapping application services
Summarize
Summary of Choose the right method for discovery and mapping application services
Service Mapping in ServiceNow offers multiple methods to discover and map application services by collecting information about configuration items (CIs) and organizing them effectively. The main mapping methods are pattern-based, tag-based, traffic-based, and discovery based on Predictive Intelligence. Selecting the appropriate method depends on your organization's environment, data availability, and operational needs.
Show less
Mapping Methods and Their Practical Use
- Discovery based on Predictive Intelligence: Uses machine learning to evaluate connections between application fingerprints, CIs, and processes, creating automatic and suggested connections based on customizable rules. It is effective for mapping multiple application services, especially in large on-premise deployments. However, it requires repeated discovery runs for training and may sometimes incorrectly add or remove dynamic connections.
- Pattern-based discovery: Utilizes predefined patterns—sequences of commands that detect CI attributes and connections—to create precise and complete service instances. This method reliably reflects the IT infrastructure but requires configuring credentials and permissions to access applications within private networks, which may demand time and effort.
- Tag-based discovery: Leverages tags assigned to CIs for service mapping, utilizing data from Discovery and Cloud Provisioning and Governance populating the CMDB. It is efficient for mapping multiple services and is enhanced by the Tag-based Service Mapping workspace (available from version 1.16.3). Be aware that services mapped solely by tags may miss relevant CIs if tags are incomplete or incorrect.
- Traffic-based discovery: Discovers CIs by analyzing their traffic connections, complementing pattern-based discovery. It helps identify CIs missed by patterns but can introduce redundant or irrelevant CIs, potentially cluttering service maps. It is recommended to use traffic-based discovery in early stages and disable it after refining the application service map.
Key Considerations for ServiceNow Customers
- Choose Predictive Intelligence for automated, scalable discovery in large on-premise environments, with an understanding of its learning curve and potential inaccuracies.
- Pattern-based discovery is ideal for generating highly accurate and complete service maps but requires appropriate access configurations.
- Use tag-based discovery if your organization maintains a robust tagging strategy to efficiently map multiple services.
- Apply traffic-based discovery to enhance discovery completeness initially but plan to disable it to avoid clutter from irrelevant CIs.
Understanding these methods helps you optimize Service Mapping to accurately represent application services, aiding in better service management and operational insight.
Service Mapping deploys different methods for collecting information about configuration items (CIs) and organizing them into application services. The available mapping methods are: pattern-based, tag-based, traffic-based, and discovery based on Predictive Intelligence. Learn about the mapping methods to use the ones that best suit the needs of your organization.
| Mapping method | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automated Service Suggestions | Predictive Intelligence evaluates connections between application fingerprints, CIs, and processes, and ranks their relevancy. Service Mapping uses this information to create connections based on connection rules. It also generates connection suggestions for servers and load balancers for you to decide which connections to add or remove from the service instances. | Service Mapping automatically adds CI connections and CIs they lead to based on connection rules. You can modify the default connection rules or create your own to enhance this discovery
method. Discovery based on Predictive Intelligence is effective for mapping multiple application services. |
When using discovery based on Predictive Intelligence to identify TCP connections and processes, deploy it in large on-premise deployments. Predictive Intelligence is a machine learning solution and needs training. To achieve best results using this discovery method, you must run discovery repeatedly. Service Mapping may erroneously add or remove dynamic connections. |
| Pattern-based discovery | Service Mapping uses patterns to discover and map CIs. A pattern is a sequence of commands designed to detect attributes of a CI and its outbound connections. A typical Service Mapping pattern consists of separate algorithms for identifying CIs and finding CI connections. |
Pattern-based discovery creates precise and complete service instances that reliably represent the service-aware view of your organization's IT infrastructure. | Pattern-based mapping requires configuring credentials, users, and user permissions to let Service Mapping access applications inside your organization private network. This process may take time and effort. |
| Tag-based discovery | If your organization uses tags for asset management, you can use these tags to map service instances. Discovery and Cloud Provisioning and Governance discover tags assigned to CIs, and populate the CMDB with this data. Service Mapping uses the tag-related data from the CMDB to map services. |
You can effectively use tags to map multiple application services. Starting with Service Mapping Plus version 1.16.3, take advantage of the Tag-based Service Mapping workspace to efficiently map your application services. . |
Service instances mapped using tags might not include relevant CIs if those CIs do not have the correct tags. |
| Traffic-based discovery | Service Mapping can discover and map configuration items (CIs) following their traffic-based connections. This method is referred to as traffic-based mapping and complements pattern-based mapping. Depending on your configuration, the behavior of traffic-based discovery varies. |
Using traffic-based discovery is like casting a finer net, allowing Service Mapping to find even those CIs that it failed to discover using patterns. | While using traffic-based discovery creates a more inclusive map, it may also result in mapping many redundant CIs that do not influence the application service operation. It may clutter an application service with irrelevant CIs. Use traffic-based discovery at the initial stages of discovering an application service and disable it once you completed discovery and fine-tuned the application service. |