Orchestration

You can map parameter values in a test payload to variables in the Outputs tab automatically.

Orchestration provides customizable activity templates to create and manage custom activities in the Workflow Editor.

Custom activities run in their own scope, even if it is different from that of the workflow.

The Azure AD activity pack enables an administrator to automate employee onboarding and offboarding functions on Azure AD and manage Office 365 licensing.

The Client Software Distribution (CSD) application allows administrators to distribute software from the service catalog using third-party management systems.

The CSD dashboard provides a collection of visual reports for the Client Software Distribution application.

After SCCM deploys software to a target computer, client software distribution (CSD) detects the installation and validates its status.

Client software distribution (CSD) provides built-in extension points for integrating a ServiceNow instance with client software distribution providers, such as Casper, Altiris, or LANDesk.

You can use Client Software Distribution (CSD) to deploy and revoke software deployments from Microsoft System Center Configuration Management (SCCM) and manage distributions on SCCM hosts.

You can protect sensitive data passed from Orchestration activities by encrypting input and output variables.

This activity pack supports Infoblox DDI management through ServiceNow Orchestration.

The Infoblox DHCP activities manage the IP addresses reserved for DHCP in your network.

The Infoblox DNS activities manage DNS records in your network using an Infoblox DDI Grid Server.

The Infoblox IPAM activities manage IP addresses in your network using an Infoblox DDI Grid Server.

The Infoblox network activities manage networks using an Infoblox DDI Grid Server.

The base Orchestration system includes packs of custom activities you can use to automate typical IT and business processes in your network.

Orchestration provides several applications with your subscription.

The databus allows workflow designers to track the flow of data through an Orchestration workflow and provides access to output data that can be consumed by other custom activities.

These examples demonstrate how Orchestration can be used to automate common tasks.

The Exchange activity pack allows workflows to manage Microsoft Exchange mail systems.

Orchestration automatically selects an appropriate MID Server based on the capabilities that you configure in activities, the IP addresses of target devices, and the application that the MID Server is allowed to use.

The Orchestration ROI application allows you to estimate and compute cost savings for tasks in your system that could be automated with Orchestration.

Orchestration ROI provides a collection of standard and premium reports to help you calculate savings from automating services in your organization.

Use the SFTP File Transfer activities to manage files and directories on an SFTP server and to move files from one SFTP server to another.

SSH activities allow workflows to perform operations on Linux and Unix computers.

Orchestration provides an activity pack of SSH activities that were customized using the ServiceNow activity designer.

PowerShell is built on the Windows .NET Framework and is designed to control and automate the administration of Windows machines and applications.

A set of six Orchestration Active Directory activities enables organizations to automate their on-boarding/off-boarding processes with auditable, self-documenting workflows that save time and eliminate mistakes.

Orchestration provides custom activities for configuring elements of an F5 load balancer, including pools, pool members, and the virtual servers contained in the pool.

PowerShell activities are configured to return data to a workflow from a host using Microsoft PowerShell.

The Microsoft System Center Configuration Management (SCCM) activity pack provides Orchestration activities you can use to manage software deployments and collections on an SCCM server.

An administrator can revoke software without any user interaction using Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) if the software configuration specifies an SCCM uninstall collection, even if the software was installed by some other process or user.

The Orchestration activity designer enables a user with either the workflow_admin or activity_creator and workflow_creator roles to construct reusable activities that suit an organization's business needs.

Create the exit conditions for your activity in the Condition column and set the order for each..

To use a MID Server with Microsoft System Center Configuration Management (SCCM) activities, configure it to communicate with the SCCM server.

Follow the SCCM configuration procedures in the order shown.

You can create and update different types of custom activities in the Workflow Editor using a custom template.

Create the variables to pass into the activity in the Inputs form of the activity designer.

All application integrations in Orchestration require connection information, credentials, and connection and credential aliases to their respective applications to access resources.

This activity verifies if a device exists in an SCCM device collection.

Domain separation is supported in Orchestration. Domain separation enables you to separate data, processes, and administrative tasks into logical groupings called domains. You can control several aspects of this separation, including which users can see and access data.

Users of software deployed by Client Software Distribution (CSD) can request the extension of a lease window, if the software is revocable by a software distribution system.

The following General Property fields are common to all activity designer templates.

Global activities are Orchestration activities created in the global scope.

Define the roles and permissions that the Infoblox activities need to access the various resources on the Infoblox server.

This table lists all plugins available for Orchestration and their dependencies.

MID Server capabilities define the specific functions of a MID Server within an IP address range.

PowerShell functions are stored in script files (*.ps1) that use a PowerShell Script module (*.psm1) file name extension.

Orchestration uses the default MID Server if it cannot find a MID Server with the correct IP range and capability.

The Orchestration – Runtime plugin enables other applications on the ServiceNow platform to automate tasks, without requiring an Orchestration subscription.

This dashboard shows an overview of Orchestration usage metrics to show customers how their organization uses Orchestration and to support license compliance.

Enable debug messages to display from PowerShell.

View detailed PowerShell credential information and view extended logging information.

PowerShell uses the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and Windows Remote Management (WinRM) protocols to enable Orchestration activities to run commands on remote Windows hosts.

Authentication and access denied errors can prevent PowerShell activities from running a command on a target host.

Use the Pre Processing form of the activity designer to define a script to run before the activity executes.

Orchestration provides an activity pack customized using the ServiceNow activity designer that runs probes on target hosts to return specific information.

The Add F5 Pool Member activity adds a member to an F5 load balancer pool.

The Add F5 Profile to Virtual Server activity adds a profile to a virtual server assigned to an F5 load balancer pool.

The Add F5 Virtual Server activity adds a virtual server.

The Add to Device Collection activity adds the specified device into a Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) device collection.

The Add to User Collection activity adds a user to a Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) user collection.

The Add User to Group activity adds a user to a group in Windows Active Directory.

The Change Service State activity starts or stops a Windows service on a remote system.

The Check F5 Pool activity checks the status of a pool to determine if it is available to accept traffic.

The Copy File activity copies a file from an SFTP server (source host) to another SFTP server (target host).

The Create AD Object activity creates an object in Windows Active Directory.

The Create Directory activity creates a new directory on an SFTP server.

Client software distribution (CSD) extension keys allow you to customize the deployment and revocation of software from distribution providers.

The client software distribution (CSD) extension points create the customization code for the specific provider and the extension keys.

The Delete Address List activity removes an existing address list from an Exchange server.

The Delete F5 Pool activity deletes an F5 load balancer pool.

The Delete F5 Pool Member activity deletes an F5 load balancer pool member.

The Delete F5 Virtual Server activity deletes a virtual server from an F5 load balancer pool.

The Delete Mailbox activity deletes the Microsoft Exchange mailbox of an Active Directory user.

The Delete User activity deletes the named user's account from the Azure Active Directory tenant.

The Disable AD User Account activity disables a Windows Active Directory user account, making it inactive.

The Disable Mailbox activity disables the mailbox associated with a specified Active Directory account.

The Enable AD User Account activity enables a Windows Active Directory user account, making it active.

The Enable Mailbox activity creates a new mailbox for an existing Active Directory user.

The custom File Copy activity copies a file on a Linux or UNIX computer.

The File Read activity reads a file on a Linux or UNIX computer.

The File Write activity writes a file on a Linux or UNIX computer.

The Get AddressList activity retrieves all attributes from the specified Exchange address list.

The Get Applications activity returns a list of all the applications available on a Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) server.

The Get Deployments activity returns the list of deployments performed by Orchestration using a Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) server.

The Get Device Collections activity returns the list of available device collections on a Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) host.

The Get F5 Pool Member activity returns the pool members and verifies the pool's status.

The Get File List activity returns a list of files from a given directory and its subdirectories on an SFTP server (source host).

The Get Mailbox activity gets the mailbox for the specified user or all mailboxes on a Microsoft Exchange server.

The Get User Collections activity returns the list of available user collections on a Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) server.

The Get User Info activity returns the named user's information from the Azure Active Directory.

The Infobox DDI activity pack includes two default workflows, one that reserves and registers IP addresses and another that releases IP addresses.

Several types of components are installed with the Orchestration - ROI plugin (com.snc.runbook_automation.roi).

The Is AD Account Locked activity determines whether an Active Directory user account is locked.

Several types of components are installed with client software distribution (CSD).

The Join Domain activity joins a Windows computer to a domain.

Use Orchestration activities in a Workflow to integrate with third-party systems.

The Modify F5 Virtual Server activity configures a virtual server assigned to an F5 load balancer pool with irules and a vlan.

The Move Address List activity moves a Microsoft Exchange address list to another location in the address hierarchy.

These Orchestration activities have been deprecated.

Certain probes, controlled by MID Servers, perform Orchestration tasks on remote computers, such as restarting a server or creating virtual machines from templates.

The premium dashboard provides detailed reports on calculated savings over time.

The dashboard of standard ROI reports provides summaries, estimated costs, and calculated costs for automated processes. To access the ROI standard dashboard, navigate to Orchestration ROI Reports Dashboard .

The Query AD activity retrieves entries from the Windows Active Directory based on an LDAP search filter and stores the results as a JSON string that can be used in the data bus.

The Remove AD Object activity deletes an object from Windows Active Directory.

The Remove File or Directory activity removes a file or a directory on an SFTP server, including subdirectories, when configured.

The Remove from Device Collection activity removes a device from a Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) device collection.

The Remove from User Collection activity removes a user from a Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) user collection.

The Remove User from Group activity removes a user from a group in Windows Active Directory.

The Remove User License activity revokes the specified Office 365 software license for the named user.

The Rename File or Directory activity renames a file or directory to a new name on an SFTP server.

The Reset AD User Password activity resets the password of a user account in Windows Active Directory.

The Reset Linux User Password activity resets the password for a given user on a Linux computer.

The Reset User Password activity changes the named user's Azure Active Directory password.

The Restart Windows Server activity stops and then restarts a Windows server using Powershell.

Ordering an SCCM application from a client software distribution (CSD) catalog item in the service catalog triggers the Order Client Software workflow.

The Set Address List activity modifies a Microsoft Exchange address list.

The Set File Attributes activity sets common file attributes, such as timestamps, size, permissions, and UID/GID, for a file or directory on an SFTP server.

The Set Mailbox activity modifies the settings of an existing Microsoft Exchange mailbox.

The SFTP File Transfer activity pack includes a scoped workflow that uses multiple activities to manage files on SFTP servers.

The SOAP Message activity uses SOAP messages defined in the System Web Services plugin and can call the messages using a MID Server.

You use execution parameters to create the input process script in the Pre processing form of the activity designer.

Use these parameters to create a post-processing script.

The Uninstall Windows App activity uninstalls an application from a Windows target machine.

The Unlock AD Account activity unlocks a locked Active Directory user account.

The Update Address List activity adds or removes users from the specified address list and immediately applies any cached address list changes to the server.

The Update AD Object activity updates an object in Windows Active Directory.

Orchestration automates simple or complex multi-system tasks on remote services, servers, applications, and hardware.

ServiceNow Orchestration extends the workflow engine to manage processes and to automate things outside of a ServiceNow instance.

Activity packs are available with your subscription to Orchestration.

Client software distribution requires the Orchestration - Client Software Distribution plugin (com.snc.orchestration.client_sf_distribution), which is available by request with a subscription to Orchestration.

The Orchestration (com.snc.runbook_automation) plugin is available within a separate subscription from the rest of the ServiceNow platform.

The Orchestration - System Center Configuration Manager plugin installs the SCCM activity pack that deploys software from an SCCM host and manages user and device collections.

Identify the provider and specify the workflows and extension points for a customized software distribution process.

Select a date range to calculate the average number of tasks and the duration per month for the correlated tasks.

Configure a MID Server with defined IP ranges to use Exchange.

To create catalog items for SCCM software deployment or to configure your instance to revoke software through SCCM, you must first associate that software with a collection through an SCCM configuration.

You can copy activities for reuse from the Custom tab in the global scope.

Create a JavaScript Probe activity to instruct a MID server to execute server-side javascript.

Create a custom JDBC activity to automate SQL commands and stored procedure calls to relational databases from workflow.

Create a custom JMS activity to retrieve or send messages to external systems using the Java Messaging Service.

The Outputs form in the designer contains a variable builder for creating data structures of objects and arrays.

Create an activity that executes basic SFTP commands on a remote server.

Create an activity that extracts data from a target host that uses the SSH network protocol.

Populate output variables defined in a custom activity with payload data returned from an inputs test on an external host or endpoint.

Create a custom PowerShell activity return data to a workflow from a host using Microsoft PowerShell.

Create an activity that runs a probe on the target host that is configured to return specific information..

Use this procedure to create a custom REST web service Orchestration activity.

Create an activity that runs any script.

Using the applications discovered on the SCCM server, create a catalog item for an application you want to offer for distribution from the service catalog.

Licenses and software counters are associated with the software model and must be created if you want to track the license for software deployed by client software distribution (CSD).

The ROI automation entry record couples the cost of performing a task with the specific workflow that automates the task, for the purpose of calculating the resulting savings.

The correlated task rule applies configurable conditions to fields in a selected table that tell the instance which manual tasks correspond to an automation entry record.

Before calculating your Orchestration ROI, you must create labor rate cards for the manual work that would be required to complete the tasks correlated to the ROI calculations.

All Infoblox activities require a REST credential to manage IP addresses from the Infoblox DDI server.

Using the applications discovered on the SCCM server, set up a software model used by the Software Asset Management application to manage licenses.

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) requires the appropriate credentials to deploy applications using the Client Software Distribution application.

These are instructions for creating JavaScript arrays using SOAP execution parameters.

Use the input variables you created to configure the command that Orchestration executes on the SOAP endpoint.

To set a multivalued property using an Exchange activity, you must use a specific parameter format.

When a user creates a custom activity and saves or submits it, that activity appears in the Custom and Packs tabs of the designer palette, but is visible only to the user who created it.

Orchestration activities that were converted to activity packs are deprecated for upgraded and new instances but can be reactivated for use in new workflows.

Retrieve the collections and the list of applications available for deployment from your SCCM servers.

The Packs tab of the Workflow Editor contains any activity packs downloaded from the ServiceNow Store and any activity packs that you create.

To deploy software using ServiceNow Client Software Distribution (CSD), ensure that an SCCM administrative user has the correct permissions to deploy software and that PowerShell is properly configured.

Ensure that the System Center Configuration Manager SCCM Cmdlet Library is up-to-date.

From the Post Processing form in the activity designer you can define a script to run after the activity executes.

This activity verifies if a user exists in an SCCM user collection.