SERVICENOW-CIS-DISCOVERY Hard Questions — 25 Difficult Questions

Question 1

When a pattern step uses a 'Query' to the target, what is the 'Temporary Variable' used for?

Accepted Answer

To store the output of the step for use in subsequent steps.. A temporary variable is used to store the output of a pattern step so that subsequent steps can access and parse that data.

Answer

To act as a filter for the result set.

Answer

To increase the speed of the scan.

Answer

To define the credentials for the query.

Question 2

Which THREE actions should you take when troubleshooting a discovery process that is failing to populate the 'Serial Number' field for a specific class of routers?

Accepted Answer

Review the Identification Rule for the router class. Troubleshooting involves verifying the pattern execution, the identification rule logic, and the reconciliation rule settings.

Answer

Increase the Discovery timeout value

Answer

Modify the MID Server cluster configuration

Question 3

Which THREE of the following are components or features that are part of the 'Discovery' to 'CMDB' data pipeline?

Accepted Answer

Discovery Patterns. The pipeline includes data collection (Discovery), processing (IRE), and governance (Reconciliation).

Answer

Incident Management

Answer

Knowledge Management

Question 4

A customer requires that a specific Discovery Schedule only executes during maintenance windows on weekends. Which configuration setting should be modified?

Accepted Answer

Adjust the 'Run' field to 'Periodically' and select a custom Schedule record.. The Schedule field on the Discovery Schedule record defines the execution frequency using standard system schedules.

Answer

Change the discovery pattern logic.

Answer

Update the Discovery Behavior record.

Answer

Modify the MID Server cluster affinity.

Question 5

You have a custom CI class that is not appearing in the CMDB Health Dashboard reports. What is the first step to ensure it is included?

Accepted Answer

Add the class to the CMDB Health Dashboard 'Dashboard Configuration' settings.. CMDB Health settings must be configured to include specific classes for health metrics calculation.

Answer

Create an ACL for the CMDB Health table.

Answer

Restart the Discovery services.

Answer

Run a full Discovery of the entire environment.

Question 6

During a Discovery run, a Linux server CI is updated with a null value for its serial number, overwriting a manually entered value. Which configuration prevents this?

Accepted Answer

Reconciliation Rules. Discovery Source and reconciliation rules define which data sources are allowed to update specific attributes, preventing lower-priority sources from overwriting authoritative ones.

Answer

CMDB Health Dashboard

Answer

Discovery Pattern Pre/Post scripts

Answer

MID Server Capabilities

Question 7

During a Discovery run, a Linux server is identified, but the CMDB record is not updated with the latest memory information. Which log should be inspected to troubleshoot the Identification and Reconciliation engine (IRE) process?

Accepted Answer

System Logs > Identification and Reconciliation Engine Logs. The IRE logs all interactions between Discovery and the CMDB, including validation failures and attribute update denials.

Answer

System Logs > Node Logs

Answer

Discovery > Pattern Logs

Answer

System Logs > Discovery Logs

Question 8

During the Classification phase, Discovery identifies a device as a Linux server but fails to populate the serial number. Which troubleshooting step is most effective?

Accepted Answer

Check the ECC Queue for 'Input' records related to the SNMP probes and review the pattern logs.. If classification succeeds but specific data is missing, the issue is typically in the Exploration phase probes or identifiers.

Answer

Change the MID Server user to an admin account.

Answer

Delete the Discovery Schedule and recreate it.

Answer

Re-run the Shazzam probe for that specific IP.

Question 9

You are implementing a new discovery tool and want to ensure it integrates seamlessly with existing CMDB identification rules. What is the first step?

Accepted Answer

Review existing Identification Rules to ensure they support the new tool's incoming CI data.. You must check existing Identification Rules to see if the new tool's data can be mapped using existing identifiers.

Answer

Delete all existing CIs.

Answer

Disable all existing identification rules.

Answer

Use a new CI class for all data from the new tool.

Question 10

You have a custom application that Discovery is currently ignoring. You want to trigger a specific pattern when the device is classified as a 'Linux Server'. Where do you configure this relationship?

Accepted Answer

In the Discovery Classification record. Discovery Classification records link CIs to specific patterns, allowing you to trigger custom patterns for specific device types.

Answer

In the ECC Queue

Answer

In the Discovery Schedule

Answer

In the CI Identification Rule

Question 11

A customer needs to discover devices across a firewall. What is the standard configuration to allow this?

Accepted Answer

Place a MID Server inside the network segment of the target devices.. The MID Server must be placed in a zone that can communicate with the target devices, and the firewall must allow the specific ports required by the probes.

Answer

Open all ports on the firewall.

Answer

Use a VPN connection on the instance.

Answer

Enable 'External Discovery' in the instance.

Question 12

You need to add a new port to be scanned by Discovery. Which record do you update?

Accepted Answer

The IP Service record.. You update the 'IP Service' record to include the new port.

Answer

The MID Server capabilities.

Answer

The Discovery Schedule.

Answer

The Discovery Classifier.

Question 13

If you are troubleshooting a Discovery issue where the device is correctly classified but no data is being populated in the CMDB, which phase should you investigate first?

Accepted Answer

Exploration. Exploration is the phase where probes run to gather attributes to populate the CMDB.

Answer

Shazzam

Answer

Schedule

Answer

Classification

Answer

Identification

Question 14

When a discovery probe fails due to a timeout, what is the best way to increase the timeout value for that specific probe?

Accepted Answer

Update the probe's timeout parameter.. The 'Ecc_queue_timeout' parameter can be adjusted on the specific probe or sensor configuration.

Answer

Increase the Shazzam port wait time.

Answer

Modify the Discovery Schedule.

Answer

Change the global MID Server timeout property.

Question 15

You are performing Discovery and notice that the 'Discovery Status' shows 'Success', but the CI record was not updated. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The Identification rules are preventing the update.. Identification rules (specifically Reconciliation rules) might be preventing updates to the CMDB.

Answer

The MID Server is down.

Answer

The credential had no access.

Answer

The Shazzam phase failed.

Question 16

When the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) processes a payload, which THREE components determine if a CI is updated or created?

Accepted Answer

Data Source. The IRE relies on Identification Rules, Reconciliation Rules, and the payload content to make decisions.

Answer

MID Server configuration

Answer

Discovery Schedule

Question 17

You need to ensure that a specific attribute is NOT updated by any source except a manual update from a specific user group. How can this be done?

Accepted Answer

Set the Reconciliation rule for that attribute to only allow the 'Manual' data source.. Reconciliation rules allow you to specify data sources, but for non-Discovery sources, ACLs or Data Policies might be used; however, in terms of reconciliation, you can define a 'None' rule or manage it via source priority.

Answer

Change the class to 'Internal'.

Answer

Remove the attribute from the discovery pattern.

Answer

Create a business rule that runs after insert/update.

Question 18

What happens if a device is discovered that matches two different Classification records?

Accepted Answer

It uses the classifier with the highest priority.. Discovery uses priority values on classifiers to decide which one to apply when multiple match.

Answer

It errors out and stops discovery.

Answer

It asks the user to choose.

Answer

It applies both classifiers.

Question 19

When a discovery scan is running very slowly, which configuration adjustment might improve performance?

Accepted Answer

Increasing the number of concurrent tasks on the MID Server.. Adjusting the 'Max number of concurrent discovery tasks' on the MID Server can improve throughput.

Answer

Adding more IP ranges to the schedule.

Answer

Deleting all existing CI records.

Answer

Changing the Discovery schedule to 'Weekly'.

Question 20

During the Identification phase, you notice that multiple CI records are being created for the same physical server. Which component should you verify to ensure the Identification engine correctly merges these attributes?

Accepted Answer

Identification Rules. Identification Rules define the criteria used by the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) to determine if a CI already exists, preventing duplicates.

Answer

Classification Criteria

Answer

Discovery Patterns

Answer

Discovery Probes