Question 1

What causes CMDB CI Not Being Created by Discovery?

Accepted Answer

CI identification rules creating duplicates instead of new CIshigh likelihood

Check CMDB > CI Class Manager for your device class, then examine the identification rules. Look at Discovery > Discovery Log for 'duplicate CI' messages and check if existing CIs match your discovered device attributes.

MID Server probe authentication failurehigh likelihood

Review MID Server > ECC Queue for probe responses with authentication errors. Check Discovery > Credentials for the correct device type credentials and verify they're assigned to the right Discovery Schedule or IP range.

Discovery IP range exclusion or incorrect scopemedium likelihood

Navigate to Discovery > Discovery Schedules and verify your target device IP is within the defined ranges and not in any exclusion lists. Check the 'Discover' tab for IP range configuration.

Missing or unmapped CI class in Discovery patternmedium likelihood

Go to Discovery > Discovery Patterns and find the pattern for your device type. Verify the 'CI Class' field is populated and the class exists in CMDB > CI Class Manager.

Network connectivity or SNMP configuration issuesmedium likelihood

Check MID Server > ECC Queue for timeout errors or SNMP failures. Verify SNMP community strings in Discovery > Credentials match the device configuration and check firewall rules between MID Server and target device.

Question 2

How do you fix CMDB CI Not Being Created by Discovery?

Accepted Answer

How to fix it Navigate to Discovery > Discovery Log and filter by your Discovery Schedule name and recent time range to identify specific errors for missing devices. Look for log entries containing 'duplicate CI found' or 'CI identification'. If found, go to CMDB > CI Class Manager and select your device's CI class. Click the Identification Rules related list and review each rule. Check if the combination of attributes (like serial number, MAC address, name) is too restrictive and matching existing CIs instead of creating new ones. Query the CI table directly using Configuration > Base Items > [Your CI Class] and search for any existing CIs with similar attributes to your missing device. If duplicates exist, either modify the identification rules to be more specific or delete the duplicate CI and re-run discovery. For rule modifications, focus on unique identifiers like serial numbers rather than names. Check credential issues by going to MID Server > ECC Queue and filter by State = 'Error' and Source contains your MID Server name. Look for authentication failures or 'Login failed' messages. Navigate to Discovery > Credentials and verify the correct credential type (SSH, SNMP, WMI) exists for your device type. Test credentials by going to Discovery > Discovery Schedules, selecting your schedule, and using the 'Test Connectivity' option for the specific IP address. Verify IP range coverage by checking your Discovery Schedule's IP Ranges tab. Ensure your target device IP is included and not listed in any exclusion ranges. Check Discovery patterns by navigating to Discovery > Discovery Patterns and finding the pattern that should handle your device type (search by device manufacturer or model). Verify the pattern's CI Class field is populated. If empty or incorrect, select the appropriate CI class from CMDB > CI Class Manager. If the CI class doesn't exist, create it by going to System Definition > Tables and extending the appropriate parent class (usually cmdb_ci or a more specific subclass). Re-run discovery for the specific device by going to your Discovery Schedule, clicking Discover Now, and entering the single IP address rather than running the full range.

Question 3

How do you prevent CMDB CI Not Being Created by Discovery?

Accepted Answer

Set up Discovery Health Dashboard monitoring to automatically alert when CI creation rates drop below expected thresholds for specific device types. Implement standardized CI identification rules that use unique hardware identifiers (serial numbers, MAC addresses) rather than volatile attributes like hostnames or IP addresses. Create credential validation schedules that test authentication against sample devices monthly to catch expired passwords before they affect discovery runs. Establish IP range documentation standards that map network segments to Discovery Schedules and include change approval processes for network modifications. Configure Discovery pattern governance to require CI class validation and testing before activating new or modified patterns in production.

CMDB CI Not Being Created by Discovery

Symptom

Possible Causes

Debugging this in a real instance?

Solution

How to fix it

Prevention Tips

Test Your Knowledge