ServiceNow Service Graph Connector SyncPack Release Notes, version 1.1.0

Version 1.1.0 of the "ServiceNow Service Graph Connector" SyncPack adds two new PowerFlow applications for syncing interfaces and file systems. Additionally, it prevents unavailable device data from overriding previous data in a Device Sync, and allows advanced topology to be sent when running the device and interface syncs.

This SyncPack works with the ServiceNow Service Graph Connector method instead of the ServiceNow Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) used by the existing "ServiceNow CMDB" SyncPack. This version lets you sync devices between ServiceNow and SL1.

This SyncPack is not compatible with versions of the "ServiceNow Incident" SyncPack older than version 4.0.0. 

You cannot upgrade to this SyncPack from the "ServiceNow CMDB" SyncPack.

Features Included in This Release

This release of the SyncPack includes the following features:

  • Added OAuth2 support to the SyncPack. There are four required parameters you can add to a configuration object to facilitate OAuth2 connection to ServiceNow:

    • snow_oauth_client_id: OAuth2 Client ID from ServiceNow
    • snow_oauth_client_secret: OAuth2 Client secret from ServiceNow
    • snow_oauth_token_url: Full authentication URL, including host and protocol from ServiceNow. For example, "https://<test-instance-name>.service-now.com/oauth_token.do"
    • snow_auth_method: You can enter 'oauth' or 'http_basic' as the value. If no value is provided, 'http_basic' will be used for connection.

The configuration options listed above are only required in the configuration object if you plan to use OAuth2 to authenticate. If the values are not present in the configuration object, normal "http_basic" authentication will be used.

  • Moved the Service Graph menus under the ServiceNow Service Graph Application in ServiceNow. Additionally, the ScienceLogic specific Service Graph menu was removed.
  • The Service Graph Connector SyncPack no longer uses triggered applications to post CI and relationships to ServiceNow.
  • The Service Graph Connector SyncPack no longer uses batch endpoints to send payloads to ServiceNow.
  • Payloads sent to ServiceNow are now grouped under a single multi-import set for each endpoint involved in the sync.
  • Increased the default value for the snow_chunk_size configuration option to 2000 for all applications.
  • The excluded_inactive field in the configuration options for the "Sync Devices from SL1 to ServiceNow" application now defaults to True.
  • Renamed the "Cache SL1 Device Classes" application to "Cache SL1 Orgs and Device Classes", as the application now also pulls and caches SL1 organization information used by several applications. This update eliminates the need for SL1 organizations to be pulled in every run of applications, such as the Device Sync.
  • Created the "Sync Interfaces from SL1 to ServiceNow via SGC" application to sync network adapters to ServiceNow.
  • Created the "Sync File Systems from SL1 to ServiceNow via SGC" application to sync file systems to ServiceNow.
  • The "Sync Devices from SL1 to ServiceNow via SGC" and "Sync Interfaces from SL1 to ServiceNow via SGC" applications now send advanced topology relationships to ServiceNow.

In version 1.1.0 of this SyncPack, the relationships are sent to ServiceNow but ignored.

This SyncPack requires you to download and install the new "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" application from ServiceNow. For more information, see Installing the "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" Application in ServiceNow.

Issues Addressed in this Release

The following issues were addressed in this release:

  • Version 1.49.0 of the "ServiceNow CMDB CI Class Models" addressed issues with how ServiceNow models vCenter in the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) that interfered with the syncing of vCenter devices to the ServiceNow CMDB. Also, be sure to use the latest vCenter Dynamic Application in SL1. You can download the latest class models from the ServiceNow Store.
  • Addressed an issue where the default value of "0" for the patch_window parameter in the "Sync Maintenance Schedules from ServiceNow to SL1" application caused more recent versions of SL1 to interpret this value as a patch window of length zero minutes. With this release, the default value of the patch_window parameter is set to "no_window".

To view the latest manuals for the SL1 PowerFlow Platform, see the SL1 PowerFlow page. To view the latest release notes for PowerFlow, see SL1 PowerFlow Release Notes.

Known Issue

This version of the SyncPack has the following known issue:

  • The Service Graph Connector will not work with Incidents synced to ServiceNow. As a result, the Configuration Item field and the related list on the Affected CIs tab will not be populated when using the Service Graph Connector. The Device field on the Event record will also be blank. This issue is addressed in version 4.0.0 of the ServiceNow Incident SyncPack.

System Requirements

The "ServiceNow Service Graph Connector" SyncPack requires:

  • SL1 PowerFlow platform version 2.4.0 or later.
  • SL1 version 11.2.0 or later. For details on upgrading SL1, see the relevant SL1 Platform Release Notes.
  • "Base Steps" SyncPack version 1.5.4 or later. You can download SyncPacks from the PowerPacks page at the SL1 Support Site.
  • "ServiceNow Base" SyncPack version 3.8.0 or later.
  • ServiceNow version Tokyo or later with Web Services enabled.
  • ServiceNow CMDB CI Class Models version 1.49.0 or later. You can download the class models from the ServiceNow Store.
  • "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" application version 1.0.2. You can download the application from the ServiceNow Store.

You should always use the most recent version of a SyncPack and its certified application.

Prerequisites for the SyncPack

To install this SyncPack, you must have administrator access to both SL1 and ServiceNow. Specifically, you will need:

  • ScienceLogic administrator access to the Administration Portal
  • ServiceNow administrator access

If you want to upload and install multiple ServiceNow SyncPacks at the same time, you should upload all of the SyncPacks first, and then install them to address any dependencies between the SyncPacks.

The following table lists the port access required by PowerFlow and this SyncPack:

Source IP PowerFlow Destination PowerFlow Source Port Destination Port Requirement
PowerFlow SL1 API Any TCP 443 SL1 API Access
PowerFlow ServiceNow API Any TCP 443 ServiceNow API Access

ScienceLogic highly recommends that you disable all firewall session-limiting policies. Firewalls will drop HTTPS requests, which results in data loss.

Installing the SyncPack

If you are upgrading to this version of the SyncPack from a previous version, make a note of any settings you made on the various applications in this SyncPack, as these settings are not retained when you upgrade.

A SyncPack file has the .whl file extension type. You can download the SyncPack file from the ScienceLogic Support site.

To locate and download the SyncPack:

  1. Go to the ScienceLogic Support site at https://support.sciencelogic.com/s/.
  2. Click the Product Downloads tab and select PowerPacks & SyncPacks.
  3. In the Search field, type the name of this SyncPack and select it from the search results. The Release Version page appears.
  4. On the Files tab, click the down arrow next to the SyncPack version that you want to install, and select Show File Details. The Release File Details page appears.
  5. Click the Download File button to download the SyncPack.

After you download a SyncPack, you can import it to the PowerFlow platform using the PowerFlow user interface.

To import a SyncPack in the PowerFlow user interface:

  1. On the SyncPacks page, click Import SyncPack. The Import SyncPack page appears.
  2. Click Browse and select the .whl file for the SyncPack you want to install. You can also drag and drop a .whl file to the Import SyncPack page.
  3. Click Import. PowerFlow registers and uploads the SyncPack. The SyncPack is added to the SyncPacks page.

You cannot edit the content package in a SyncPack published by ScienceLogic. You must make a copy of a ScienceLogic SyncPack and save your changes to the new SyncPack to prevent overwriting any information in the original SyncPack when upgrading.

To activate and install a SyncPack in the PowerFlow user interface:

  1. On the SyncPacks page, click the Actions button () for the SyncPack you want to install and select Activate & Install. The Activate & Install SyncPack modal appears.

    If you try to activate and install a SyncPack that is already activated and installed, you can choose to "force" installation across all the nodes in the PowerFlow system.

    If you do not see the PowerPack that you want to install, click the Filter icon () on the SyncPacks page and select Toggle Inactive SyncPacks to see a list of the imported PowerPacks.

  1. Click Yes to confirm the activation and installation. When the SyncPack is activated, the SyncPacks page displays a green check mark icon for that SyncPack. If the activation or installation failed, then a red exclamation mark icon appears.
  2. For more information about the activation and installation process, click the check mark icon or the exclamation mark icon in the Activated column for that SyncPack. For a successful installation, the "Activate & Install SyncPack" PowerFlow application appears, and you can view the Step Log for the steps. For a failed installation, the Error Logs window appears.
  3. If you have other versions of the same SyncPack on your PowerFlow system, you can click the Actions button () for that SyncPack and select Change active version to activate a different version other than the version that is currently running.

Installing the "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" Application in ServiceNow

You must install the "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" application on the ServiceNow instance to enable this SyncPack. This application is also called the "certified" or "scoped" application.

Contents of the Application

. Version 1.0.2 of the "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" application includes the following updates:

  • Included support for ServiceNow Vancouver, Utah, and Tokyo.
  • The initial release of the application enabled the sync of devices from the SL1 datalake to populate and enrich the ServiceNow CMDB.

Installing the Application

You must first request the "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" application from the ServiceNow Store, and then you can install it. You must have a ServiceNow HI Service Account to request this application and download it onto your ServiceNow instance.

To request and install the "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" application:

  1. Go to the ServiceNow Store and search for "ScienceLogic".
  2. Select the "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" application. The detail page for the application appears.
  3. Click Get and log in with your HI credentials.
  4. After the request is approved, log in to ServiceNow as an administrator and navigate to Application Manager (System Applications > Applications).
  5. Click Downloads in the menu header or search for "ScienceLogic".
  6. Click the version drop-down for the "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" application listing to make sure you are using the correct version of the application that is compatible with your version of the "ServiceNow Service Graph Connector" SyncPack.
  7. Click Install for the "Service Graph Connector for ScienceLogic" application. The installation is complete when the button changes to Installed.
  8. In the filter navigator, search for "ScienceLogic" and locate the application in the navigation menu in the left pane. You might need to log out of ServiceNow and log in again to see the updated left-hand navigation menu.