1.Complete SNOW Mid Server Installation: Step-by-step process Explained
ServiceNow MID Server Installation ensures secure communication between your instance and on-premises systems. This guide covers setup, download, and validation for easy deployment.
What is MID Server?
The Management, Instrumentation, and Discovery (MID) Server is a small Java application that can be installed to function as a Windows service or UNIX daemon on a server on your local network.
What does MID Server do?
The ServiceNow MID Server behaves as a bridge between the ServiceNow instance and external systems; securely communicating with device, applications or database servers within an enterprise network
M – Management: – It provides centralized task management from ServiceNow to an internal system. The MID Server is so that ServiceNow can perform things like software deployment and running workflows in private networks.
I – Instrumentation: – Collects and maintains data from devices and applications. The MID Server delivers information on network health and performance in real time so that every problem can be identified before it occurs.
D – Discovery: – Maps IT assets and services in the network automatically MID Server collects and identifies the entire inventory of items for your ServiceNow CMDB to create a real-time snapshot of an IT environment.
Why MID Server Installation?
The MID Server Installation is used in ServiceNow to provide on-prem software systems within a company’s intranet.
- Secure Access: Allows ServiceNow to work with internal systems in a safe way.
- Automation: These include, for instance, the process of software update and the various workflow.
- Assets Discovery: Tracks devices and applications for correct identification of assets in the CMDB.
- Data Collection: Collects information from other connected devices for monitoring as well as for further inclusion.
Where are MID Servers located?
MID Servers often reside behind the company firewall or within the demilitarized zone (DMZ) allowing for communication between ServiceNow and the rest of the company network.
Installation steps of MID Server:
Mid Server Host System
- Windows Server 2016 or higher
- CPU – 2 CPUs @ 2GHz
- HDD – 40GB
- RAM – 8GB
Step 1: MID Server User Account
- Create a user account and assign ‘mid_server’ role
- Set a password

Step 2: Host Requirements for MID
The MID Server installation requires an administrator to verify certain connection and system prerequisites are met on the host system the MID Server is installed on.
- Supported OS: Windows Server 2012 R2(x64), 2016 or higher
- RAM: >1GB
- HD Storage: >40GB
- CPU: 2CPUs @ 2GHz, 2.20GHZ(x2)
Step 3: Download the MID Installer
- Navigate > MID server > downloads
- Chose the right installable

Step 4: Run the Installer (Windows)
- Run the MID Installer on windows machine

Provide ServiceNow instance URL & User credentials which has mid_server role

Provide a name for MID Server service & service account credentials through which MID service will be run.

Step 5: Validate MID Server
- Navigate to MID Server > Servers on your instance
- Open the MID server record to be validated, and click ‘Validate’ under related links
2. ServiceNow MID Server Architecture: Understanding Its Core Components

ServiceNow MID server Architecture establishes the connection between an organization internal network and to the selected ServiceNow instance through ECC Queue.
- ECC Queue: it is an integration point within ServiceNow, which stores both input and output messages for communication with other systems.
- The MID Server architecture establishes a persistent connection to the instance through the Asynchronous Message Bus (AMB) channel. Upon receiving a message, it polls the ECC Queue to check for tasks.
- How the MID Server Architecture Communicates with the ECC Queue
- Probes: A probe collects information from the MID Server which it forwards to ServiceNow.
- the MID Server checks the status of the ECC output queue every 15 seconds and retrieves probe records,
- executes the retrieved probe on the target system to collect data.
- the MID Server then returns the response to the ECC Queue, creating a new input record.
- Sensors: Sensors process the data and updates in the CMDB.
- Whenever new records are inserted into the ECC Queue, they process this data and update it in the CMDB accordingly.
3. ServiceNow MID Server Configuration: A Step-by-Step Guide
The MID Server configuration enables communication between ServiceNow and external systems. This guide covers the steps to configure it for secure and proper functionality.
Here are some requirements/configurations of ServiceNow MID server:
- Operating System:
The MID Server can be installed on a Windows: physical or virtual server operating system 2003, 2008, 2012 and Linux: physical or virtual server.
- System configuration:
The MID Server specifically should occupy not less than four gigabytes of RAM and half a gigabyte of disk space.
- JRE version:
This build is implemented to JRE 11, the minimum supported JRE is 11.0.9 and it is advised to use 11.0.16.1.
- Role requirements:
The MID Server user must have the mid_server role, additionally, the server must be system administered to install the MID Server.
- Naming convention:
Best practice for the naming convention is to use the host machine name along with the type of ServiceNow instance.
- Account:
Create a unique credential with at least reader and writer permission for the host of the mid server directories.
- Validation:
Confirm the MID Server by selecting the new MID Server in the list of MID Servers, going to the Validate link, and specifying or clearing criteria.
Best Practices for Configuring MID Server Capabilities in ServiceNow
- MID Server capabilities describe the tasks of a MID Server within an IP address range in an application to choose the most suitable performing one.
- It is used to set application MID Servers capabilities such as Orchestration, Cloud Management, and Service Mapping.
Some of the ServiceNow MID Server capabilities includes:
- Automation: Activate and deploy Automation Center, automation summary execution setup and tracking of ServiceNow flows and actions.
- UiPath: Integrate UiPath with Automation Center, UiPath Outbound Calling with the Webhook Registry and UiPath Webhook call routing plans
- Third-party automations: Track third-party automations
- Automation request form: Optimize the design for an automation request form
- Recommended Actions application: Download and configure the Recommended Actions application, set the Recommended Actions application system properties and choose the option for the Recommended Actions application
- ServiceNow Spotlight: Create Connection with ServiceNow Spotlight, HOW To Create ServiceNow Spotlight Connection, and HOW to reset ServiceNow Spotlight settings
- Common Service Data Model guidelines: Adapt the Common Service Data Model to Automation Center
Configuring MID server capabilities:
- Go to All > MID Server > Capabilities.
- Choose one from the above capability or choose ALL if you want to use all the capabilities in the capabilities list.
- Create a new capability:
- Click New.
- Set a certain value for a custom capability. An example is the capability for DOMAIN with a progressive value of service-now.
- Click Submit.
- To add MID Servers to the capability, go to Edit in the MID Servers related list.
- To configure this capability please select one or more MID Servers from the Available list.
- Click Save.
4. Understanding the Importance of MID Server Dashboards in ServiceNow
A MID Server Dashboard gives the status, health or activity of MID Servers with regarding their performance.
From these dashboards the administrators can have a view and overview of multiple MID Servers and easily diagnose problems with them.
- Overview tab: The Overview tab displays several graphs which reflect the MID Server status, validation problems and pending upgrades/jobs. The tab also shows which MID Servers by capability.

- Performance tab: The Performance tab shows information concerning events throughout the life cycle of the MID Server and the CPU and memory usage.

- Custom Performance tab: The Custom performance tab allows a user to configure that particular MID Servers are to be displayed in a certain period of time.

- Benefits of Dashboards:
MID Server dashboards in ServiceNow can be configured to suit specific requirements as required for different implementations of ServiceNow and the information is updated in real time to give an indication of the running of MID Server for efficiency purposes.
- Proactive Monitoring: Used in order to get the alerts and generate the error logs that could help to identify problems before they start affecting the significant processes.
- Optimization: Helps in identifying overworked servers that may require some load shedding or an upgrade of the servers.
- Enhanced Troubleshooting: Helps diagnose problems faster because clients provide log and error data, saving time.
5. Understanding MID Server Clusters in ServiceNow
ServiceNow MID Server Cluster is a group of MID Server designed to support availability and distribution of loads.
- Load Balancer – automatically distributes the work between MID Server to maintain the stability and performance.
- Failover – determines which server to be used next if any failure occurs.
- MID Servers in a fail-over cluster operate independently and do not load balance with other MID Servers in the same cluster (but can also be members of load balancing clusters).
- If a MID Server is down, within the cluster, the MID Server Cluster Management business rule assigns the next available MID Server to execute the work. The selected MID Server monitors the ECC Queue and takes on jobs dependent on their status which are either processed or ready.
- How Cluster works?
- MID Servers in clusters connect to the instance and to all the devices with which they are anticipated to communicate. Discovery operation is terminated if all the servers within a cluster are down.
- MID Server clusters in ServiceNow are governed by a business rule called MID Server Cluster Management that checks to see if the MID Server associated to a job in the ECC Queue is a member of a cluster.
Benefits of MID Server Cluster
ServiceNow MID Server Clusters play a vital role that they enable creation of a strong architecture of the system which is required to carry out fundamental activities across an enterprise network.
- Improved Performance: By segregation of numerous tasks, clusters guarantee that tasks are performed as and when required without interruption.
- Increased Reliability: Business continuity, reliability and automated failover guarantee that important work progresses whether or not MID Server function.
- Operational Flexibility: With scalable and geographically distributed deployment, clusters can grow with organizational growth while maintaining perfection in task allocation and processing. allocation and processing.
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