ITOM deep-dive · LessonBy Sneha I, ServiceNow Trainer, 8 yrs · Published · ServiceNow · all levels
Agent Client Collector
Agent based visibility for discovery, monitoring and check execution on servers and endpoints.
Quick answer
Agent based visibility for discovery, monitoring and check execution on servers and endpoints.
Key takeaways
- ACC suits hosts where credentialed scanning is hard
- Most estates run agent and agentless together
- Policies control check assignment at scale
- Version drift is the common operational issue
What it is
ACC is a lightweight agent installed on hosts. It reports inventory, runs checks and streams metrics back through the MID server, which gives visibility where credentialed network scanning is difficult or blocked.
Agent versus agentless
Agentless Discovery needs credentials and network access. ACC needs an installed agent and outbound connectivity. Most estates end up mixed: agentless for network devices and appliances, agents on servers where you already have configuration management.
Operating it
Treat agents as managed software.
- Deploy through your existing configuration management tooling
- Use policies to control which checks run on which groups of hosts
- Watch agent version drift, old agents fail quietly
- Start with inventory, add monitoring checks once the CMDB data is trusted
Practice challenge
+0 XPStreak ×0
Question 1 of 2
How does the agent reach the instance?
Frequently asked questions
Does ACC replace Discovery?
No. It complements it. Network devices, storage and appliances still need agentless discovery.
What connectivity does the agent need?
Outbound to the MID server. It does not require inbound access to the host.