---
sourceDocument: Yokohama IT Operations Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/yokohama/it-operations-management

 Release :

    - yokohama

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Yokohama IT Operations Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itom

bundleId :

    - itom

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Discovery probe management

# Discovery probe management {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Yokohama
* 
* Updated January 30, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

Several discovery probes and their associated sensors are included with Discovery. You rarely need to modify probes or sensors. But you might need to set parameters to control the behavior of a particular probe or align versions of customized probes.{#r_Probes__ph_probe-intro}
Note:  
For information on Probe to Pattern migration see the knowledge article [KB0694477](https://support.servicenow.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0694477).

## What you can do {#r_Probes__section_pcy_yrf_dcb}

These are the things you can do with probes and sensors:  

Review the base system probes
:   Review the [List of Discovery probes](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/F4fPHL_pRcSyOUcSLoqUPA "A wide variety of probes exist for the Discovery application to detect elements on your network.") to see the probes that exist
    in the base system. Probes need to be active on classifiers for Discovery to trigger
    the probes. However, not all probes are active on classifiers as more patterns replace
    probes and sensors. To see a list of patterns, see [Available discovery
    patterns](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/apXXo5Qg1EKex2K~T9~EaQ "ITOM Visibility comes with an extensive library of patterns.").

Create or modify a probe
:   You can [create a new
    probe](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/60A8VPZ_PVwLYxVvAnjmeg "Create a new probe to discover additional CIs or modify an existing probe to collect additional information. After you create or modify a probe, test it.") to discover additional CIs that Discovery does not find with the base
    system probes or patterns, or modify an existing probe to collect additional
    information on the type of CI. After you create or modify a probe, test it. You can
    also create multiprobes and multisensors. See [Create a Discovery multiprobe](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/d~uAmStwz2Y3bx50t2CPpA#t_MultiprobesAndMultisensors "You can use the default multiprobes and multisensors provided in the platform or create your own.") for more information.

Upgrade to the latest version of a probe or sensor
:   If you upgrade your instance, the Discovery application is also updated, along with
    components like probes and sensors. However, if you customized any probes or sensors,
    they do not upgrade. You need to copy your customizations to a text file, upgrade the
    probes and sensors, and reapply your customizations. See [Align versions of customized probes and sensors](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/RoFIyn73nJB8CElKjpLU0Q "If you customized a probe or sensor and upgraded to a new version of an instance, you need to realign the versions of the customized probe and sensor to the most current version.") for more information.

Set probe parameters
:   Probe parameters control several aspects about how probes function. With each probe
    provided in the base system, certain parameters are allowed. These are specified in
    the [list of
    Discovery probes](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/F4fPHL_pRcSyOUcSLoqUPA "A wide variety of probes exist for the Discovery application to detect elements on your network."). See [Set probe parameters](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/UHZBnXmoydOuoy0I74kSWA "Use probe parameters to control the behavior of a particular probe every time it is triggered.") for
    instructions on how to set a parameter.

Review probe permissions
:   Certain probes need permissions to run on the target machines or CIs that you are
    trying to discover. See [Discovery probe permissions](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/mUF_cPfSMJerUmInFKo6OQ "Several probes require additional permissions to run.") for more
    information.
* **[Create or modify a probe](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/60A8VPZ_PVwLYxVvAnjmeg)**   
  Create a new probe to discover additional CIs or modify an existing probe to collect additional information. After you create or modify a probe, test it.
* **[Discovery probe permissions](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/mUF_cPfSMJerUmInFKo6OQ)**   
  Several probes require additional permissions to run.
* **[Set probe parameters](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/UHZBnXmoydOuoy0I74kSWA)**   
  Use probe parameters to control the behavior of a particular probe every time it is triggered.