Probes used by Orchestration

Release version: Xanadu

Updated August 1, 2024

2 minutes to read

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Summary of Probes used by Orchestration

Orchestration in ServiceNow uses probes controlled by MID Servers to perform automated tasks on remote computers, such as restarting servers or creating virtual machines. When a Workflow runs an Orchestration activity, it triggers a probe that executes on the target machine via the MID Server and communicates results back through the ECC Queue to update the Workflow state.

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How Orchestration Probes Work

Each Orchestration activity launches a probe that writes an output record to the ECC Queue. The selected MID Server monitors the ECC Queue, executes the probe on the target machine, and returns the results as an input record. This input is sent to a sensor in the Workflow activity which updates the Workflow and moves it to the next step. Probe parameters are defined by the activities that initiate them.

Key Probes Included in the System

The base system provides several probes found under Orchestration > Definition > Probes, each identified by its ECC Queue topic and name. These probes enable a variety of tasks:

Command: Runs a local command on the MID Server.
DNS Name Resolver: Resolves fully qualified domain names (FQDN) to IP addresses using the MID Server’s OS DNS cache and hosts file, executing queries in parallel.
SCPCommand: Securely copies files between machines using the MID Server as a tunnel.
Shazzam: Identifies active devices on the network.
SNMPProbe: Performs generic SNMP queries.
SOAPProbe: Sends SOAP requests to target machines.
SSHCommand: Executes shell scripts via SSH on target machines.
SSHCommandLong: Executes long-running shell scripts via SSH.
VMWare: Runs VMware-specific scripts on the MID Server for VMware orchestration activities.
Windows - PowerShell: Runs PowerShell scripts on the MID Server with access to two variables: $computer (target machine) and $cred (credentials for authentication).

Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

This orchestration probe framework enables customers to automate complex IT tasks across diverse environments securely and efficiently. By leveraging the MID Server and prebuilt probes, customers can streamline workflows, improve operational consistency, and minimize manual intervention in remote system management.

Certain probes, controlled by MID Servers, perform Orchestration tasks on remote computers, such as restarting a server or creating virtual machines from templates.

How Orchestration probes work

When a Workflow executes an Orchestration activity, that activity launches a probe, which writes an output record to the ECC Queue. The MID Server selected for the activity checks the ECC Queue for assignments, and then executes the appropriate probe to do the work on the target machine. The information about the activity (machine restarted, files copied, etc.) that is returned from the target machine by the probe is written to the ECC Queue as an input record. This information is then sent from the ECC Queue to a sensor that is built into the Workflow activity. The Workflow is updated, and the next activity is executed.

Note:

The probe parameters are set by the activities that launch the probe.

Probe List

The base system includes the following Orchestration probes (Orchestration > Definition > Probes).

Table 1. Probe List
Probe Name	ECC Queue Topic	ECC Queue Name	Description
Command	Command		A probe that runs a local command on the MID server.
DNS Name Resolver	DNSNameResolver		A probe that resolves a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) into an IP address. The probe executes MID Server queries in parallel. It utilizes DNS lookup by the MID Server host OS to make use of the OS maintained DNS cache. It also leverages the hosts file on the OS.
SCPCommand	SCPCommand		A probe that copies files securely from one machine to another. The copy function is performed using the MID Server as a tunnel.
Shazzam	Shazzam		A probe that identifies active devices.
SNMPProbe	SNMP	SNMP Query	This is a generic SNMP probe.
SOAPProbe	SOAPProbe		A probe that sends a SOAP request to target machine.
SSHCommand	SSHCommand		A probe that executes shell scripts from a command line after logging in to a target machine via SSH.
SSHCommandLong	SSHCommandLong		A probe that executes long running shell scripts from a command line after logging in to a target machine via SSH.
VMWare	VMWareProbe		A generic VMware probe that executes the MID Server script include in the ECC queue name that is set by a VMware Orchestration activity. This probe can run any MID Server script include.
Windows - PowerShell	PowerShell	Windows - PowerShell	A probe that runs a Windows PowerShell script on the MID Server. The PowerShell script is provided as the value of a parameter with name ending in .ps1. Two variables are available to the script: `$computer`: The computer pointed to as the source for this probe `$cred`: A PowerShell credential, using a user name and password from the Credentials table, that logs into `$computer` successfully.