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ServiceNow Integration

Overview

ServiceNow customers can integrate with SIFF in a number of ways:

  1. Configuring ServiceNow as a source for Change Requests in the SIFF Change App:
    • Synchronize change requests with SIFF and propagate changes back to ServiceNow
    • Link through from SIFF to ServiceNow
    • Importing contacts from ServiceNow (for referencing in Change Requests)
    • Enriching ServiceNow Change Request to indicate number of changes, issues, and links back to SIFF (this requires additional configuration in ServiceNow)
  2. Discovering elements based on the ServiceNow CMDB for SIFF to manage.

Configuring Change Source

Prerequisites

  1. An existing ServiceNow instance and URL to access
  2. At least one SIFF Collector as access to the ServiceNow instance is via a Collector.
  3. Network access for the Collector to access the ServiceNow instance (if any restrictions / firewalls are in place)
  4. ServiceNow user and password for access. This user must be configured with the timezone GMT to ensure dates/times shown in SIFF match the date/times shown in ServiceNow. The user must also have necessary privileges to access the following tables:
    • change_request
    • sys_user
    • sys_journal_field
    • incident
    • task_ci
    • task_cmdb_ci_service
    • cmdb_ci
    • sn_si_incident (if ServiceNow Security Incident Response plugin enabled)

SIFF Configuration

Configuration is handled via the Admin app under Change Sources:

ServiceNow Change Source

  1. Start by selecting the built-in siff-servicenow template and the Copy button. This will bring up the configuration dialog as shown above.
  2. Set an appropriate name
  3. Choose a Collector used to communicate with ServiceNow
  4. Set the Source URL (URL to the ServiceNow instance)
  5. Set the Username and Password to access ServiceNow
  6. Other fields can be left as-is
  7. Click the Save Source button
  8. Back on the Source list select the new entry and Activate.

If working correctly the Status should update to running. Otherwise check the Error Detail for more information.

Note: Only change requests modified/added after activation time will be synchronised with SIFF.

Change App

With a ServiceNow Change Source configured and newly added or modified change requests made on the ServiceNow side, these should begin to become visible via the SIFF Change App.

Below is an example change request imported from Service Now:

ServiceNow Example Change Requeste

Field Notes
(Summary) synchronised with ServiceNow field Short description
Change Request Change Request ID as from ServiceNow. Clicking on the actual ID will link back to the ServiceNow instance to view the entry.
Status synchronised with ServiceNow field State
Requested By synchronised with ServiceNow field Requested By
Assignees synchronised with ServiceNow field Assigned to
Elements resolved by Affected CIs on the ServiceNow entry, can also be updated on the SIFF side to indicate which SIFF managed elements are impacted
Comments synchronised with ServiceNow Notes
Start Time / End Time synchronised with ServiceNow Planned start/end dates, or Actual start/end dates if set. Can be updated from SIFF.
Description synchronised with ServiceNow field Description

Configuring CMDB Element Discovery

Prerequisites

Same as for Configuring Change Source

SIFF Configuration

Configuration for discovery is managed via the Monitor app under Discovery -> CMDB:

ServiceNow CMDB Discovery

  1. Use the Add button to create a new CMDB discovery entry.
  2. Set an appropriate name
  3. Choose a Collector used to communicate with ServiceNow
  4. Set the Type to ServiceNow
  5. Set the URL (URL to the ServiceNow instance)
  6. Set the Username and Password to access ServiceNow
  7. By default the Tablename and IP Address Field Name are set to match the defaults for the ServiceNow IP Address table, however they can be modified to extract from any CMDB table (for example cmdb_ci_netgear and field ip_address)
  8. Optionally configure one or more filters to specify network ranges. By default all IPs discovered will be added to SIFF, otherwise if filters are used:
    • If only include filters: add IPs that match ranges only
    • If only exclude filters: add IPs except for those in ranges
    • If both types: must be in included ranges but not excluded ranges
  9. Set Auto-manage to true to have SIFF attempt to manage new devices, otherwise by default they are just added to the Unmanaged elements. It's recommended to finish configuration and verify the discovery is working as expected before enabling this.
  10. Click the Save CMDB button
  11. Back on the CMDB list select the Run Discovery button to force a discovery in order to verify the configuration.
  12. When complete switch to the Elements -> Unmanaged tab to see if the expected IPs have been added.