CI Discovery

[dbnmln]

For folks out there not using the ServiceNow Discovery tool;   What are you using for an auto-discovery tool?   Are you manually importing CI's into ServiceNow or do you have integration setup?

Thanks

Dean

[robpickering]

Dean, I'm using scheduled Import Sets and Transform Maps from our Solarwinds Orion element management system.

Additionally, the SCCM 2012 Imports, available in Dublin, work pretty well.   Between the two, we have over 90% of our CIs in ServiceNow without Discovery.  

We're also looking at using Help the Helpdesk to supplement the SCCM 2012 scheduled imports and providing more timely updates.

[bwatercutter]

Robert in researching integration from solarwinds to ServiceNow i came accross your post is this mapping of the two systems well define someplace? I am having trouble locating this interface. We have almost all of our backend components identified in Solarwinds and wanted to import and maintain these with this interface.   I am just now trying to figure out what I need to build out the CMDB for this information and concern that I do not have enough information of the how to build the structure in ServiceNow so I don't screw this up.

Any input on this would be appreciated.

[robpickering]

Bill, I wrote a JDBC Import Set via the MID Server.   The MID Server makes a JDBC connection to the Orion Database and then pulls an Import Set to ServiceNow.   I then run a Transform on it and create the appropriate CIs.

This was a year ago when I was fairly new to ServiceNow, though we're still using it.

If you think you will EVER use Asset Management, then this isn't the right way to go.   Yes, I have all of my CIs defined, and they can be used for Incident / Problem / Change, but you cannot convert a CI to an Asset, and I don't believe there is a way to link an existing CI to a new Asset.

If I was doing it over again, I would:

1. Define all of my Hardware and Software Models, to encompass all of my CIs in SolarWinds
2. Create Assets for each of the CIs (assuming they need one (e.g. are physical or virtual assets you want to manage as assets))
3. Have the Assets automatically create associated Configuration Items (then rename them to match my nodes in Orion)
4. Use my Import from Orion to update appropriate fields on the Configuration Items (status, support group, site, tier, whatever)

This is basically what I did with our Windows workstations and servers.   I use the ServiceNow SCCM 2012 plugin to pull all CIs from SCCM, that automatically creates Hardware and Software models and linked assets and CIs.   Then I use my Orion import to update other fields on the CI records.   I don't create new CIs from Orion, and my team knows that if a Windows CI isn't available in ServiceNow it's because it's not populating into SCCM for some reason (usually not running the client).

I would be happy to share my transform map for Solarwinds Orion and you can then modify it to suit your needs (your Custom Fields in Orion will be different than mine most likely).   We manage the following all from Orion:

1. Node Type (Linux, Windows, Router, Switch, Application, etc)
2. Location (Site)
3. Support Group
4. System Contact
5. Operational Status

Some others, I cannot remember right now.

Hope this helps.

-Rob

[jayr]

Hi Rob,

I'm looking for something like this. We might just be pulling the status of the CIs (we already have them imported in SNOW). Would you mind sharing your transform map?

P.S. I'm having a bit of difficulty knowing which tables to pull data from in SolarWinds, how did you go about with this?