Global variables are variables that are automatically available for all steps in horizontal discovery patterns. They store information about the target CI, such as its IP address, host name, operating system, and credentials. There are two global variables that may be used for steps in horizontal discovery patterns: system and computer_system. The system variable contains the information about the target CI’s IP address, host name, and credentials. The computer_system variable contains the information about the target CI’s operating system, such as its name, version, and architecture12.

In the context of ServiceNow Discovery patterns, the types of temporary variables include Scalar/List and Tabular/Table. Scalar/List variables are used to store single values or lists of values, while Tabular/Table variables are used to store structured data in a table format. Command and SQL statement are not types of temporary variables; rather, they are types of operations or steps that can be used within a pattern to execute commands or SQL queries.References= ServiceNow Discovery documentation, especially sections related to Discovery Patterns and the use of temporary variables within patterns.

A horizontal discovery pattern is a series of operations that tell Discovery how to find and identify an application on a host1. To extract the build and version numbers from the config file, the pattern can use either of the following methods:

Parse File operation with Delimited Text parsing strategy: This operation reads the content of a file and splits it into fields based on a delimiter character. The pattern can specify the delimiter as a space and the fields to extract as the second and fourth ones from the first line of the file2.

Parse File operation with Regular Expression parsing strategy: This operation reads the content of a file and matches it against a regular expression. The pattern can specify the regular expression as app build (\d+\.\d+\.\d+\.\d+) version (\d+\.\d+) and the groups to extract as the first and second ones from the first line of the file2.

According to the ServiceNow website1, the key capabilities of a ServiceNow ITOM Enterprise solution are:

Manage hybrid clouds: Gain visibility and control across your hybrid cloud environment with a single system of action for IT.

Proactively eliminate service outages: Identify issues and anomalies before they cause service outages with AIOps and machine learning.

Automate IT service operations: Automate common service requests, processes, and tasks with digital workflows and virtual agents.

Optimize IT service delivery: Align your IT resources and investments with business priorities and optimize service delivery performance.

The ECC Queue is the normal connection point between an instance and other systems that integrate with ServiceNow, such as MID Servers1. The ECC Queue displays input and output messages from and to MID Servers2. The actual XML payload that is sent to or from an instance is stored in the ECC Queue3. The ECC Queue also provides a connected flow of probe and sensor activity, as probes are sent from the instance to the MID Server, and sensors are sent from the MID Server to the instance2.

The Pattern Designer is a graphical tool that allows users to create and edit horizontal discovery patterns. The Pattern Designer has three main sections: the left section shows the CI type and the pattern type, the middle section shows the pattern steps and the flow diagram, and the far-right section shows the details of the selected step or operation. The far-right section can display the following tabs, depending on the type of step or operation selected12:

Operations: This tab shows the list of available operations that can be added to the pattern, such as Execute Command, Parse File, Set Parameter Value, etc. Operations are the basic building blocks of a pattern that perform specific actions on the target device or the MID Server.

CI Attributes: This tab shows the list of attributes that can be set or updated for the CI type of the pattern, such as name, serial number, manufacturer, etc. CI attributes are used to populate the CI record in the CMDB with the information collected by the pattern.

Temporary Variables: This tab shows the list of temporary variables that can be created or used by the pattern, such as $result, $output, $user_var, etc. Temporary variables are used to store and manipulate data within the pattern, such as the output of a command, the value of a parameter, or the result of a calculation.

CMDB Dashboard: This tab shows the CMDB dashboard that displays the CI record and its related lists, such as relationships, identification rules, sensors, etc. The CMDB dashboard is used to preview and verify the outcome of the pattern on the CI record in the CMDB.

The main Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the CMDB Health scorecard in ServiceNow include Correctness, Completeness, and Staleness. These KPIs are critical for assessing the overall health and quality of the CMDB. Correctness refers to the accuracy of the data in the CMDB, Completeness measures whether all required CI data is present, and Staleness indicates the freshness or timeliness of the CI data. Compliance and Duplicates, while important, are not considered main KPIs in the context of the CMDB Health scorecard.References= ServiceNow CMDB documentation and CMDB Health Dashboard user guide, focusing on the key performance indicators for CMDB health.

 To allow a MID Server to access servers using WinRM, the following configurations are required:

MID Servers need to be added to the WinRM Group policy on the Servers: This enables the servers to accept WinRM connections from the MID Servers and grant them the necessary permissions to execute commands and scripts1.

MID Server Parameters Add WinRM: This enables the MID Server to use WinRM as a protocol for Discovery and Orchestration and specify the WinRM port, authentication method, and encryption settings2.

 CI reclassification is the process of changing the class of a CI in the CMDB based on the discovery data. It can be done manually or automatically, depending on the configuration settings. CI reclassification can result in data loss if the new class has fewer or different attributes than the original class, and the existing attribute values are not preserved or mapped to the new class. This can happen when a CI is switched to a different class hierarchy, such as from a Linux Server to a Windows Server, or when a CI is downgraded to a less specific class, such as from a Database to a Software Instance. Therefore, switching and downgrading have a higher chance of leading to lost data during CI reclassification.

The Automation Error Messages list displays the errors that occurred during the execution of Discovery automation scripts. From this list, you can view the details of each error, such as the script name, the error message, the device, and the time. You can also perform actions on the errors, such as retrying the script, ignoring the error, or creating an incident. To do so, you can use the options on the right navigation pane, which are categorized as follows1:

SELECT ALL: This option allows you to select all the errors in the list.

SELECT ONE: This option allows you to select one error in the list by clicking on the checkbox next to it.

ACTION ON SELECTED: This option allows you to perform an action on the selected errors, such as Retry, Ignore, or Create Incident. You can also choose to perform the action on all the errors in the list by selecting the All option from the drop-down menu.

ACTION ON ALL: This option allows you to perform an action on all the errors in the list, regardless of the selection. You can choose from the same actions as the ACTION ON SELECTED option.

In a Merge Table pattern operation within ServiceNow Discovery, the editable fields typically include the Target Table, Second Table, and First Table. These fields are configurable and allow users to specify the tables involved in the merge operation. The Target Table is where the merged data will be stored, while the First and Second Tables are the source tables whose data is being merged. The Primary Table is not typically an editable field in this context.References= ServiceNow Discovery documentation, particularly the sections discussing pattern design and operations, including Merge Table operations within Discovery Patterns.

The SNMP Query pattern operation executes an SNMP query on a target device and stores the results in a variable. The Variable Type field determines the format of the results. There are two valid Variable Types for this operation: Table and Scalar. Table is used when the query returns multiple values, such as a list of interfaces or processes. Scalar is used when the query returns a single value, such as the system name or uptime12.