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FAQ - Brief Overview of Is_Virtual (and virtual vs physical CIs) in ServiceNow

Synopsis and Purpose

This FAQ explains several concepts about ServiceNow and it’s use of the Is_Virtual attribute and several closely related virtual vs physical topics.

Please consult your ServiceNow documentation for further information on this topic (this FAQ is not intended as a comprehensive guide to ServiceNow and physical vs virtual behaviours).

ServiceNow Business Rule/s may also control the behaviour of the “Is_Virtual” attribute

  • ServiceNow may provide one or more out of the box business rules that also control the behaviour of the Is_Virtual attribute (i.e. business rules that test CMDB CI records to determine whether a CI is physical or virtual).

  • Customers should review their ServiceNow environment, and the associated documentation from ServiceNow, to understand if ServiceNow business rule/s are also impacting the Is_Virtual attribute.

  • If ServiceNow business rule/s are also impacting the Is_Virtual attribute, then the CI Sync Is_Virtual determination (based on the rule described on this page) may be either augmented or even overridden by ServiceNow.

ServiceNow CI Classes dedicated to Virtual Resources also impact Is_Virtual

  • Virtualised resources (VMs, virtual data stores, Cloud PCs, etc) are commonly stored in CMDB CI classes that are specific to virtualised objects. This means they are virtual by the fact the CIs are in a virtualised CI Class. As such, there is no specific attribute stating “Is Virtual” on those CI records.

How is ServiceNow functionality impacted by the “Is_Virtual” attribute

  • The “Is Virtual” (virtual) attribute exists against the Computer (cmdb_ci_computer) CIs in the ServiceNow CMDB. 

  • The attribute indicates whether a CI is Virtualized or Not (if virtual=True then it is virtualized CI and if virtual=False then it is a physical CI).

  • Importantly, this attribute is used by the ServiceNow business rules that replicate/sync data between the ServiceNow cmdb_ci_computer and the Asset (alm_*) records.  That is, if virtual=False (i.e. it’s a physical CI) the ServiceNow business rules will typically create an asset in the alm_* tables.

  • If your business is not using and/or not concerned about the data in the ServiceNow Asset tables (i.e. the alm_* tables) then this topic and the default behaviour of CI Sync is not relevant. Alternatively, if your business is using Asset management in ServiceNow then this topic will be important.

  1. Rule 15 - “Is Virtual” Determination Rules for Intune

  2. Set the Is Virtual field based on the manufacturer and model for InTune

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Data Classification

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Classified in accordance with the Syncfish Data Classification Framework