How Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content works

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content works

    Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content (ACC-VC) is a ServiceNow solution that requires the installation of the Agent Client Collector (ACC) on target hosts. ACC is based on the open-source Sensu-Go software. ACC-VC facilitates scheduled and event-driven data collection from hosts to support discovery and visibility into infrastructure components.

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    Key Features

    • Use Cases and Triggers: ACC-VC collects host data based on defined Checks and Policies and is triggered by periodic schedules, configuration item (CI) deletions, MID Server restarts, target host restarts, and network interruptions.
    • Checks and Policies: The primary check is the Enhanced Discovery check, managed by the Enhanced Discovery Policy, which runs by default every 24 hours. These configurations are synced across agents.
    • Data Handling: Returned payloads are processed by the EnhancedDiscoveryHandler script, transforming data into a format compatible with the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) and reconciling non-CI data such as running processes and TCP connections.
    • Communication Workflow: Discovery checks are initiated by the ServiceNow instance, create ECC Queue records, and are processed by the MID Server, which communicates securely with ACC on the host via WebSocket over TLS. The MID Server also provides relevant assets and plugins based on the host’s OS and architecture.
    • Customization: Customers can edit and modify all ACC-VC components including checks, policies, and check definitions to tailor data collection to their environment.
    • Virtual Machines and Cloud Instances: ACC-VC links discovered hosts with existing VM Instance or Cloud Server Instance CIs in the CMDB, supporting virtualization and cloud platforms such as vCenter, AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure.

    What This Enables for ServiceNow Customers

    ACC-VC provides a robust, policy-driven mechanism for collecting and reconciling infrastructure data from physical, virtual, and cloud hosts. It ensures continuous visibility into your environment by triggering discovery under various operational conditions and enabling integration with your CMDB. The solution supports customization and integrates securely with the MID Server, enhancing automated discovery workflows and improving configuration management accuracy.

    Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content (ACC-VC) requires installation of ServiceNow Agent Client Collector (ACC) on the target host. ACC is a derivative of Sensu-Go, an open-source software.

    ACC-VC use cases

    ACC-VC applies Checks and Policies to schedule and collect host data. ACC-VC is triggered in the following cases:
    • Periodic scheduling: A policy-based approach where Discovery is triggered on a periodic basis.
    • On CI delete: When the computer or server CI record is deleted.
    • MID Server cycle: When the MID Server goes down and comes back up.
    • Target host cycle: When the target host goes down and comes back up.
    • Network break: When there is a break in the network link to the target.
    Note:
    Discovery is triggered for those agents whose hosts are already present. Agents whose hosts are not present are discovered through ACC-F.

    ACC-VC checks and policies

    The ACC-VC assets are stored as Agent plugins with the main entry point [acc_visibility_main] and other modules for OS families. There is one main system Discovery Check definition, called Enhanced Discovery, which is used by the Enhanced Discovery Policy. This ACC-VC policy runs off a schedule, which is defaulted to 24 hours (86,400 seconds). This policy configuration is synced to all agents as defined in the ACC-VC policy.

    When the payload is returned from the MID Server to the instance, the ACC-VC Check Type, EnhancedDiscovery, delegates tasks to the EnhancedDiscoveryHandler script include provided by ACC-VC. The script contains logic to process the data from the check and handles tasks such as:
    • Data transformation into an identification and reconciliation engine (IRE) compatible payload
    • Non-CI data reconciliation (cmdb_running_processes, cmdb_tcp_connections, and so on)

    The ACC-VC Check Definition, Enhanced Discovery, is initiated by the ServiceNow Instance. Then, an ECC Queue record with topic, MonitoringProbe, is created on the output queue with relevant Check information. The MID Server then processes the check by sending a message to the ACC via WebSocket over TLS.

    During this time, the MID Server also serves any relevant Assets or Plugins that the ACC requests, making sure it is relevant to the particular Operating System, platform, OS version, and architecture on which the ACC is running.

    You can edit and modify all parts of the ACC-VC application including check type, policy, and check definition. See Checks and policies for more information.

    Virtual machines and cloud instances

    ACC-VC associates a target, discovered via Discovery, with a pre-existing virtual machine (VM) Instance CIs. ACC-VC associates the discovered CI record with any pre-existing VM Instance record or Cloud Server Instance record with appropriate CMDB relationships.

    The following variants of virtualization and cloud server vendors are supported for ACC-VC:
    • vCenter
    • Amazon AWS Cloud
    • Google (GCP)
    • Microsoft Azure