VMware NSX-T cluster pattern-based discovery

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated May 7, 2026
  • 7 minutes to read
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    Summary of VMware NSX-T cluster pattern-based discovery

    The VMware NSX-T cluster pattern in the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application enables ServiceNow customers to discover and map VMware NSX-T infrastructure components within their Configuration Management Database (CMDB). This pattern identifies NSX-T elements such as management clusters, nodes, gateways, transport nodes, and segments, along with their relationships. Accurate discovery requires the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns app and proper NSX-T API access credentials.

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    Prerequisites

    • Ensure CMDB CI Class Models, Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns, and Visibility Content applications are up to date.
    • Create an applicative credential alias with sufficient permissions to access NSX-T APIs required for discovery.
    • Configure NSX-T API credential with rights to perform session creation and retrieve cluster, node, segment, gateway, and transport zone information.
    • Set up a serverless discovery schedule to automate NSX-T cluster discovery runs.

    Data Model and Discovered Resources

    When the NSX Cluster pattern runs, it populates various CMDB tables representing NSX-T resources:

    • NSX Management Cluster: Includes cluster IP, status, and operational information.
    • Management Cluster Nodes and Node Groups: Node details such as FQDN, status, and group associations.
    • Transport Nodes and Zones: Host types, IPs, operational statuses, and zone types (e.g., OVERLAY or VLAN).
    • Edge Clusters, Virtual Switches, Gateways, and Segments: Configuration and operational data including HA modes, tier types, and forwarding modes.
    • IP Addresses: Linked to transport nodes for network mapping.

    Relationships and References

    The discovery pattern automatically creates comprehensive CI relationships to represent how NSX-T components interconnect, such as management cluster nodes being members of clusters, gateways managing clusters, and transport nodes owning IP addresses. These relationships enable dependency views in ServiceNow, helping customers visualize NSX-T infrastructure dependencies clearly.

    Tag and Metadata Collection

    NSX-T resource tags and external system metadata are collected and stored in dedicated CMDB tables. This enhances resource context and supports further integrations or reporting needs by associating key-value pairs with discovered CIs.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Automated and accurate discovery of VMware NSX-T environments into the CMDB.
    • Visibility into NSX-T cluster components and their dependencies for impact analysis and service mapping.
    • Centralized management of NSX-T infrastructure data supporting IT operations and change management processes.
    • Configurable schedules and credentials to tailor discovery runs securely and efficiently.

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns uses the NSX Cluster pattern to find VMware NSX-T infrastructure. Discovering some of these resources may require updating to the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.

    Request new or enhanced Patterns on the ServiceNow® Store

    Visit the ServiceNow Store to view all the available updates and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

    NSX Cluster data model

    The following diagram illustrates the tables and relationships that the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application creates when discovering NSX-T infrastructure resources.

    Figure 1. Tables and relationships populated during NSX-T cluster discovery
    NSX Cluster data model

    Prerequisites

    Verify that the following applications are up to date
    • CMDB CI Class Models
    • Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns
    • Visibility Content
    Configure a credential alias
    For more information, see Create an applicative credential alias for NSX-T cluster discovery.
    Verify NSX-T API access and permissions

    Verify that the credential has sufficient permissions to execute the following NSX-T API calls:

    • POST /api/session/create
    • GET /api/v1/cluster/status
    • GET /api/v1/node
    • GET /policy/api/v1/infra/segments
    • GET /policy/api/v1/infra/tier-0s
    • GET /policy/api/v1/infra/tier-1s
    • GET /api/v1/transport-nodes
    • GET /api/v1/transport-zones
    • GET /api/v1/fabric/virtual-switches/
    • GET /api/v1/edge-clusters
    Create a serverless discovery schedule
    For more information, see Create a serverless schedule for NSX-T cluster discovery.

    Data collected by Discovery during horizontal discovery

    Discovery populates the data in the CMDB when running the NSX Cluster pattern.

    Table 1. NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    Field Description
    Name [name] IP address of the NSX Management Cluster.
    IP Address [ip_address] IP address of the NSX Management Cluster.
    Cluster Status [cluster_status] Status of the management cluster as reported by the NSX-T API.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource, derived from the cluster status.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
    Table 2. NSX Management Cluster Node [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Display name of the cluster node, derived from the node's fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
    ID [nsx_node_id] Unique identifier of the NSX Manager node.
    Fully qualified domain name [fqdn] FQDN of the node.
    Node Status [node_status] Status of the node as reported by the NSX-T API.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource, derived from the node status.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
    Table 3. NSX Management Cluster Node Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node_group]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Concatenation of the cluster IP address and the group type.

    For example: 10.0.0.1 MANAGER.

    Object ID [object_id] Group ID assigned by NSX-T.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource, derived from the group status.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
    Table 4. NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Display name of the transport node, derived from the host FQDN or virtual machine (VM) display name.
    Object ID [object_id] Unique identifier of the transport node.
    Host Type [host_type] Type of the transport node host.

    For example: ESXi, KVM, or Edge.

    Host Name [host_name] Host name of the transport node.
    Host ID [host_id] Identifier of the host running the transport node.
    Fully qualified domain name [fqdn] FQDN of the transport node.
    IP Address [ip_address] IP address of the transport node.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource. Default value is Operational.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
    Description [short_description] User-provided description of the transport node.
    Table 5. NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Display name of the transport zone.
    Object ID [object_id] Unique identifier of the transport zone.
    Transport Type [transport_type] Transport type of the zone. For example: OVERLAY or VLAN.
    Forwarding Mode [forwarding_mode] Forwarding mode of the transport zone.
    Is Default [is_default] Indicates whether this is the default transport zone.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource. The value is set to Operational.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. The value is set to Installed.
    Description [short_description] User-provided description of the transport zone.
    Table 6. NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Display name of the edge cluster group.
    Object ID [object_id] Unique identifier of the edge cluster.
    Node Type [node_type] Type of edge node in the cluster.
    Inter Site Forwarding [enable_inter_site_forwarding] Indicates whether inter-site forwarding is enabled for this edge cluster.
    Table 7. NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Display name of the virtual switch.
    Object ID [object_id] Unique identifier of the virtual switch.
    CM Local ID [cm_local_id] Local identifier assigned by the compute manager.
    Origin ID [origin_id] Origin identifier of the virtual switch resource.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource. Default value is Operational.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
    Table 8. NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Display name of the gateway.
    Object ID [object_id] Unique identifier of the gateway.
    Tier Type [tier_type] Tier type of the gateway: Tier-0 or Tier-1.
    HA Mode [ha_mode] High-availability mode of the gateway.
    Failover Mode [failover_mode] Failover mode of the gateway.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource. Default value is Operational.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
    Description [short_description] User-provided description of the gateway resource.
    Table 9. NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Display name of the segment.
    Object ID [object_id] Unique identifier of the segment.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource, derived from the resource state.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
    Description [short_description] User-provided description of the segment resource.
    Table 10. IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address]
    Field Description
    IP Address [ip_address] IP address of the transport node.

    Dependency Views map

    On the Dependency Views map, you can view discovered NSX-T cluster resources and the relationships between them.

    Figure 2. NSX Management Cluster CI dependency view
    NSX Management Cluster CI and connection on a Dependency Views map

    CI relationships

    The NSX Cluster pattern creates the following relationships and references to support NSX-T cluster discovery. References link to records in other tables and don't appear in the CI Relationship [cmdb_rel_ci] table.

    Table 11. CI relationships
    CI Relationship CI
    NSX Management Cluster Node [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node] Members::Member of NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] Managed by::Manages NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] Connects to::Connected by NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]
    NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] (Tier 1) Connects to::Connected by NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] (Tier 0)
    NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource] Managed by::Manages NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource] Owns::Owned by IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address]
    NSX Management Cluster Node Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node_group] Managed by::Manages NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Management Cluster Node Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node_group] Uses::Used by NSX Management Cluster Node [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node]
    NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource] Managed by::Manages NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource] Managed by::Manages NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource] Contains::Contained by NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]
    NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource] Managed by::Manages NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group] Managed by::Manages NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group] Uses::Used by NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]
    Table 12. CI references
    CI Field Referenced CI
    NSX Management Cluster Node [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node] Cluster [cluster] NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Management Cluster Node Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster_node_group] Cluster [cluster] NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource] Cluster [cluster] NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource] Cluster [cluster] NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource] Cluster [cluster] NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource] Cluster [cluster] NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource] Cluster [cluster] NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group] Cluster [cluster] NSX Management Cluster [cmdb_ci_nsx_management_cluster]
    Key Value [cmdb_key_value] Configuration item [configuration_item] References one of the following NSX resource tables:
    • NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]
    • NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource]
    • NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]
    • NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]
    External system metadata [cmdb_key_value_v2] Configuration item [configuration_item] References one of the following NSX resource tables:
    • NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]
    • NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource]
    • NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]
    • NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]
    • NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource]
    • NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource]

    Tag discovery and external system metadata

    The NSX Cluster pattern collects resource tags and external system metadata. Tags are stored in the Key Value [cmdb_key_value] table. External system metadata is stored in the External system metadata [cmdb_key_value_v2] table.

    Table 13. Key Value [cmdb_key_value]
    Field Description
    Key [key] Tag name.
    Value [value] Tag value.
    Configuration item [configuration_item] References the NSX resource table associated with the tag. Possible tables:
    • NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]
    • NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource]
    • NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]
    • NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]
    Table 14. External system metadata [cmdb_key_value_v2]
    Field Description
    Key [key] Metadata property name.
    String value [string_value] Value of the metadata property.
    Value type [value_type] Data type of the metadata value.
    Configuration item [configuration_item] References the NSX resource table associated with the metadata entry. Possible tables:
    • NSX Segment Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_segment_resource]
    • NSX Gateway Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_gateway_resource]
    • NSX Transport Node Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_node_resource]
    • NSX Edge Cluster Group [cmdb_ci_nsx_edge_cluster_group]
    • NSX Transport Zone Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_transport_zone_resource]
    • NSX Virtual Switch Resource [cmdb_ci_nsx_virtual_switch_resource]