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Containers and Kubernetes: What Discovery Can See

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • Why containers are different
  • What can be discovered
  • SNWR’s phase 1 scope

🔁 Quick look back: Last time: Linking Cloud VMs to Servers. You learned how VM instances link to their server CIs.

1 The Problem: Containers Come and Go in Minutes

snwr-eks-01 runs containers that start and stop all the time. A nightly scan would:

  • Miss most short-lived containers.
  • Record ones that are already gone.

🎯 The problem: Containers come and go in minutes, faster than nightly scans.

👉 The fix: Record the cluster now, and plan container tools for later.

Compare cluster-level and workload-level visibility.
Figure 1. What SNWR discovers in Kubernetes.

2 What can be discovered

  • The cluster and its nodes, through cloud APIs.
  • Namespaces, workloads and containers, with Kubernetes-specific tools such as an agent in the cluster.

💡 Good to know: Kubernetes tools change quickly. Check current ServiceNow docs for the recommended approach on your release.

3 Why start small

Container data changes constantly. It needs its own design for what to keep and for how long.

4 Project Clear View: How We Implemented It

📍 Situation: The SOW had only the EKS cluster in scope.

🧭 Decision: Record the cluster in phase 1 and plan workloads for phase 2.

🛠️ Steps we took:

  1. Checked snwr-eks-01 appears from Cloud Discovery.
  2. Checked its nodes link to EC2 instances.
  3. Explained phase 2 options to Kenji.
  4. Added Kubernetes workloads to the next-steps list.

✅ What we verified:

  • The cluster and nodes are in the CMDB.
  • Kenji agreed the phase 2 plan.

📁 Evidence: Next-steps item (see Operations Handover › Next Steps: Service Mapping, Laptops and Certificates).

5 Quick recap

  • Containers change faster than nightly scans.
  • Cloud Discovery records the cluster and nodes.
  • Workloads need Kubernetes-specific tools.
  • Many projects start with the cluster only.

6 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 Why don’t nightly scans suit containers? Show answer

Containers start and stop within minutes.

2 What did SNWR record in phase 1? Show answer

The EKS cluster and its nodes.

3 What’s needed for workloads? Show answer

Kubernetes-specific tools, planned for phase 2.

Nice work! You know what Discovery sees in Kubernetes. 🎉
Next up: Fixing Cloud Discovery Errors

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