Application patterns for the Agent Client Collector

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Application Patterns for the Agent Client Collector

    Application patterns for the Agent Client Collector (ACC) allow users to gather details on applications running on ACC hosts. They are activated post-Discovery of the ACC host and are exclusively supported for server environments.

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    Prerequisites

    • Install the Agent Client Collector Framework and Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content Discovery.
    • Set the snagent.applclassificationbehavior property to full and restart connected MID Servers.
    • For Windows, use Powershell 3.0 or higher.
    • Required roles vary by environment: Linux/macOS requires a ServiceNow user with sudoers; Windows requires a Local System user or specific local user privileges.

    Viewing Supported Application Patterns

    To access supported application patterns, navigate to All > Pattern Designer > Supported Patterns for ACC. Only application patterns can be utilized with ACC.

    Viewing Executed Application Patterns

    To see which application patterns have been executed on a specific agent:

    • Go to All > Agent Client Collector > Agents.
    • Select an agent and choose View > Discovery.
    • Open the agent and click on the Application Pattern logs tab.

    Unsupported Operations

    Application patterns do not support operations such as WMI method invocation, user change, custom operations, and SNMP queries.

    Configuration Properties

    Adjust the following properties for optimal application pattern use:

    • snagent.applclassificationbehavior: Set to full for enabling application pattern commands.
    • mid.discovery.agent.command.mid.timeout: Default is 60 seconds for MID Server response wait time.
    • mid.discovery.agent.command.timeout: Default is 60 seconds for command execution on the agent.

    Debugging Application Patterns

    Enable debugging by setting snagent.applclassificationbehavior to full and enabling the debug option in Pattern Designer. Access detailed logs in MID Server logs and ACC logs for execution insights.

    Oracle GLAS Data Collection

    Oracle Java process discovery can utilize application patterns or file-based discovery. Ensure users have the Oracle GLAS store app and relevant plugins for full functionality. Application patterns support Oracle GLAS data collection in Linux environments but are only partially supported for Desktop environments.

    Application patterns gather details on the applications that run on the Agent Client Collector (ACC) host. Application patterns are supported only for servers, and are triggered after the Agent Client Collector host Discovery is complete.

    Prerequisites for using application patterns

    To enable application patterns on the Agent Client Collector, install the following:

    • Agent Client Collector Framework
    • Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content
    • Discovery

    Set the sn_agent.appl_classification_behavior property to full, and restart any MID Servers connected to the agent.

    When working in a Windows environment, ensure that you're working with Powershell 3.0 or higher.

    Role required (on the host device):
    • In a Linux or macOS environment: ServiceNow user with sudoers; nopasswd enabled with regular Discovery commands.
    • In a Windows environment: Local System user, SYSTEM, or a local user account where the local user account uses one of the following:
      • Logon as a service
      • Backup (SeBackupPrivilege)
      • Debug Programs privileges

    Viewing supported application patterns

    To view the list of patterns supported for Agent Client Collector, navigate to All > Pattern Designer > Supported Patterns for ACC. Application patterns are the only pattern types supported for use with Agent Client Collector.

    Viewing Application Patterns executed on Agent Client Collector

    You can view the application patterns that were executed on a given agent.
    1. Navigate to All > Agent Client Collector > Agents.
    2. Select an agent.
    3. Select View > Discovery from the context menu (hamburger).
    4. Open the agent.
    5. Select the Application Pattern logs tab on the bottom of the page.

      The list of patterns executed on the agent appears. Executed patterns are indicated with the value true in the Executed On Agent column.

    Unsupported application pattern operations

    Application patterns aren't supported in the following pattern operations:

    • WMI method invocation
    • Change/unchange user
    • All custom operations
    • SNMP query
    • Put file

    Agent Client Collector pattern execution properties

    Configure the following properties (All > System Properties > All Properties) to maximize the use of application patterns with Agent Client Collector:
    Table 1. Application pattern properties
    Property Description
    sn_agent.appl_classification_behavior Set value to full to enable working with applications patterns and to access pattern commands in the allow-list.

    Default: simple

    Note:
    To enable application pattern execution with the allow-list, use the allow-list template for application patterns. For details, see the Pattern execution on ACC: Sample Allowlist for Pattern Content article in the Now Support Knowledge Base.
    Table 2. MID Server configuration parameter properties
    mid.discovery.agent.command.mid.timeout The maximum duration, in seconds, that the MID Server waits for a response from the agent before timing out.

    Default: 60 seconds
    mid.discovery.agent.command.timeout The maximum amount of time, in seconds, that the command is given to execute on the agent host.

    Default: 60 seconds

    Using pattern designer debugging in ACC mode

    You can debug application patterns that are configured in ACC mode.

    1. Set the sn_agent.appl_classification_behavior property to full.
    2. In the Pattern Designer, enable the debug option and select Use ACC connection in the Debug identification section.

    The pattern log indicates whether the pattern was successfully executed on the agent.

    You can also receive pattern details in the following logs:

    • MID Server logs: Set mid.log.level to DEBUG for the mid agent log to display details on the pattern step, ACC check, and the pattern response.
    • ACC logs: Search for the string PatternOnTheFlyCheck for details on pattern checks.

    Oracle Global License Advisory Services (GLAS) data collection

    Oracle Java process discovery works either with patterns (when using either a MID Server or Agent Client Collector), or with file-based discovery (using Agent Client Collector with file-based discovery). If both the pattern and file-based discovery run the same Java installation, the pattern-collected data takes precedence.

    When performing Discovery with Agent Client Collector, ensure that you have the following settings:
    • All users must have the Oracle GLAS store app, starting with version 1.8.4.
    • Agent Client Collector users:
      • Must have the Agent Client Collector Framework store plugin.
      • Can have the Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Content store plugin, for extra data.

      For information about privileged user access, see KB1705845.

      Note:
      Oracle Java discovery with ACC is applicable in all server environments. However, currently, it's partially supported for different Desktop environments. For a Windows Desktop update set, see the KB article KB1705845.

    Application patterns support Oracle GLAS data collection in a Linux environment. For details on using patterns, see Oracle Global License Advisory Services (GLAS) data collection using patterns.

    Although Oracle GLAS supports Put file operations, the related files are deployed using Agent Client Collector plugins instead of SSH or WMI.