Accessing the Service-Now application

You don't need to install any client-side application on your local machine to access Service-Now in your environment. It is easily accessible by a standard web browser, which makes it appear as a web browser application for a customer. Here it is important to note that instance addresses or links (http://{instancename}.service-now.com) will always be company specific.

Getting ready

To access Service-Now, you need a standard web browser (you may use Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Mozilla Firefox) to access the URL with an active Service-Now instance, and valid credentials.

How to do it...

1. Open any standard web browser.
2. Type the Service-Now instance web address provided for your company in the address bar (http://{instance_name}.service-now.com).
3. If customer has given external authentication, then are you are automatically logged in. To read more about external authentication follow: http://wiki.servicenow.com/index.php?title=External_Authentication_(Single_Sign-On_-_SSO) link.
4. If customer has not been given external authentication, then you will see a login page as follows, where you need to enter the User name and Password in the respective fields:
   

   Service-Now login screen

5. Now click on the Login button. If your credentials match, then Service-Now will allow you to move further and show the following application screen:
   

   Service-Now application screen

6. If your credentials do not match, then Service-Now denies access and shows you the following error message as follows:
   

   Service-Now error screen

How it works...

If an external authentication is not being used, then the User name and Password authentication is done by the Service-Now user table (sys_user), which will serve only as the master source of the user's data. So, when you enter the username and password, Service-Now verifies the user's account against the user table and after successful verification, Service-Now allows you to move further. However, if Service-Now is not able to match the credentials you entered, then it does not allow you to login and show error message.

There's more…

Each Service-Now instance has unique, secured web address but administrators are allowed to create a custom URL which can redirect to original URL. Here it is important to note that instances address (http ://{ instance­_name}.service-now.com) will be always company specific.

See also

To read more about external authentication follow:

• http://wiki.servicenow.com/index.php?title=External_Authentication_(Single_Sign-On_-_SSO)