How are Auvik devices matched with ServiceNow CMDB configuration items?

Matching Auvik devices with configuration items (CIs) in ServiceNow CMDB is handled by ServiceNow CMDB Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE). For a complete overview, see CMDB Identification and Reconciliation (IRE).

IRE will start with the highest priority identification rule to the lowest priority rule. For example, suppose a CI class has these identification rules:

• Priority 100: name and serial number (lower number = higher priority)
• Priority 200: name.

It will look for a CI with a matching name and serial number. If one doesn’t exist, it will look for a CI that matches the name only. If there isn’t one, it will create a new CI. 

A new CI will only be created if it has the minimum set of identifiers. Suppose that a CI class has this identification rule:

• Priority 100: name and serial number

A device that has a name only and no serial number can’t be matched and a new CI won’t be created either.

Identification rules can be defined for each CI Class. If a CI class does not have identification rules, it uses its parent CI class identification rules. If there are none, then no CIs are updated or created. There are CI classes that do not have any identification rules out-of-the-box. These need to be defined before Auvik can sync any devices to ServiceNow CMDB. If you need to add an identification rule, see Create or edit a CI identification rule.

You can see the current identification rules:

1. In ServiceNow navigate to the CI Class Manager.
2. Click on the Hierarchy button.
3. Enter the CI class that you want to view identification rules for.
4. Click on the desired CI class.
5. Click on Identification Rule.

See Identification rules for more information on identification rules and CI Class Manager for more information on how to use the ServiceNow CI Class Manager.