Exploring synthetic monitoring
Summarize
Summary of Exploring synthetic monitoring
Synthetic monitoring in ServiceNow enables proactive, automated testing of HTTP service endpoints by simulating user interactions. It helps identify bugs, performance issues, and outages before they affect real users. Synthetic monitors continuously test endpoints listed in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) for availability, response time, and expected content, generating alerts when tests fail predefined criteria.
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Tests can be executed from within your network using an Agent Client Collector (ACC) or MID Server, or via the ServiceNow platform for publicly accessible endpoints.
Key users and roles
- Synthetic monitoring administrators (Admin role): Assign roles, create and manage monitors, and review test results.
- Service owners (Editor role): Create, edit, and review monitors and their results.
- Network operation center (NOC) operators (Viewer role): Monitor test results and respond to alerts.
How synthetic monitoring works
- Service owners select critical endpoints to monitor.
- Admins or service owners configure test locations (including the default ServiceNow hosted location for public endpoints).
- Monitors are configured with criteria such as expected HTTP status codes and response times.
- Tests run automatically according to the monitor settings.
- Failures trigger alerts via Event Management for timely incident response.
- Operators and service owners analyze test results and related configuration items (CIs) to triage issues.
Benefits
- Aggregate monitoring views: Users can see overall monitor status and drill down into individual monitor details.
- Visualization of test results: Detailed views include success rates, response times, historical logs, and associated CIs for troubleshooting.
- Real-time alerts: Early notifications help prevent user impact by addressing outages promptly.
- Stakeholder communication: Shared insights support informed decision-making and operational transparency.
- Flexible monitor management: Service owners can update or deactivate monitors to align with changing business needs.
Next steps
To optimize synthetic monitoring, explore detailed configuration guides and learn how to identify system issues using this capability.
Learn how synthetic monitoring provides proactive, automated testing of service endpoints. By simulating user interactions, it can identify bugs, performance issues, and outages before they impact real users.
Synthetic monitoring overview
Synthetic monitors continually call HTTP endpoints in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) to test availability, response times, or the presence of a defined string in the response body. When a test fails the configured criteria, it can alert you to endpoint issues before your customers do.
For example, you might create a monitor that tests the GET HTTP endpoint of a service. You could configure that monitor to check for a status code of 200 and a response time of under 500
ms. If any code other than 200 is returned or the request takes longer than 500 ms, the test fails. An alert can then be generated and sent through Event Management.
Synthetic monitoring users
| User | Description |
|---|---|
| Synthetic monitoring administrator (Admin role) | Assigns roles, creates and edits monitors, and views monitor tests and their results. |
| Service owner (Editor role) | Creates and edits monitors and can also view monitor tests and their results. |
| Network operation center (NOC) operator (Viewer role) | Monitors tests and their results. |
Synthetic monitoring customer-hosted workflow
Admins, service owners, and NOC operators use synthetic monitoring in the following way:
- As a service owner, you determine which endpoints to monitor based on business criticality.
- As an admin or service owner, you configure locations to run the tests from.Note:The ServiceNow hosted location is available by default and doesn't need to be configured. However, endpoints tested by that location must be publicly available.
- As an admin or service owner, you configure the monitor and then review the results of the tests that the monitor sends. If the results aren't successful, you troubleshoot the configuration. You can also create an alert that fires when a test fails.
- Synthetic monitoring runs tests based on the monitor's configuration and reports the results of each test.
- As a service owner or operator, you monitor the test results and also respond to any generated alerts. You can view related configuration items (CIs) to start triaging the issue when a test fails.
Synthetic monitoring benefits
| Benefit | Feature | Users |
|---|---|---|
| View aggregate monitor information. View the synthetic monitoring home page where you can:
|
View aggregate information about the monitors. | Operators, service owners |
| Visualize synthetic test results. View the details page for a monitor where you can see:
|
View a monitor and its tests. | Operators, service owners |
| Get real-time notifications for outages before they impact users. | Optionally configure alerts when tests don't succeed. | Operators, service owners |
| Share insights with stakeholders. | View aggregate monitor information. | Operators, service owners |
| Update monitors to match your business needs. | Edit existing monitors, including deactivation. | Service owner |