This custom Discovery probe helps you if you need to read a text file from a Windows computer and populate a CI in the CMDB with the values from the file.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

About this task

In this example the user wanted to read files created by BGinfo.
Note: When you have completed the probe and sensor, place the probe in the appropriate Windows classifier at Discovery Definition > CI Classification > Windows.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to Discovery Definition > Probes, and then click New.
  2. Complete the following fields:
    • Name: Unique and descriptive name for the probe
    • Probe type: Select Probe.
    • Description: Describe the function of this probe.
    • Used by Discovery: Select this check box
    • ECC queue topic: This is name of the probe the MID server is to run. In this example, we use WMIRunner.
    • ECC queue name: In this example, we use the descriptive name WMI: BGInfo files.
  3. Right-click in the header bar and select Save from the context menu.
  4. Select the Probe Parameters tab in the Probe form, and then click New.
  5. Enter WMI_GetFiles.js as the Name of this parameter.
  6. Copy the script below into the Script field and edit as needed.
  7. Click Submit. 
    
//
 // Use ServiceNow WMIAPI to gather stats
 //
 var CMD_RETRIES = 3;
 var scanner = getScanner();
 if (scanner) {
   var output = "";
   for(var i = 0; i < CMD_RETRIES; i++) {
      output = scanner.winExec("%SystemRoot%\\system32\\cmd.exe /C type \\\"C:\\Information Systems\\BgInfo\\*.txt\\\"");
      if (output)
         break;
   }
   scanner.appendToRoot("output", output);
 }
  8. Navigate to Discovery Definition > Sensors, and then click New.
    Complete the following fields:
    • Name: Use the same name as the matching probe. In this example, we use Windows - Get BGInfo files.
    • Reacts to probe: The name of the probe created in the previous procedure: Windows - Get BGInfo files
    • Sensor type: Select the type of sensor to create - in this example Sensor.
    • Description: Describes the function of this sensor.
    • Script: Copy the script below into the Script field and edit as needed.
    • Sensor type: Determines how the answer from the probe is processed - in this example JavaScript.
  9. Click Submit. 
     
 
new DiscoverySensor({ data: {}, process: function(result) { 
 
        this.parseOutput(result.output);
        this.update(this.data);
    },
 
 parseOutput: function(output) {
        var currentFile;
        var files = {};
 
 if (output.startsWith("<wmi")) {
            var bgout = new XMLHelper(output).toObject();
            if (!bgout)
                return;
 
 output = bgout.output;
        }
 
 var lines = output.split(/\n/);
 
 for(var i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
            var line = lines[i];
            if (line.startsWith("C:\\Information Systems\\BgInfo\\")) {
                currentFile = line.substr(30);
                files[currentFile] = "";
            } else if (currentFile) {
                var newLine = line.trim();
                if (newLine)
                    files[currentFile] += (files[currentFile]? "\n"&nbsp;: "") + newLine;
            }
        }
 
 this.data['u_jack_id'] = files['JackID.txt'];
 this.data['warranty_expiration'] = files['Warranty.txt'];
 this.data['po_number'] = files['Ponum.txt'];},
 type: "DiscoverySensor"
 
 });