Hermes Messaging Service Errors on Self-Hosted (On-Premises) InstancesIssue <!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Self-hosted (on-premises) ServiceNow instances may log errors indicating failure to connect to the Hermes Messaging Service Kafka brokers hosted in ServiceNow data centers. Symptoms<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Error messages appear in instance logs similar to: Problem creating AdminClient for valk-prod-hermes-c003.<datacenter>.service-now.com:3000,valk-prod-hermes-c003.<datacenter>.service-now.com:3001,valk-prod-hermes-c003.<datacenter>.service-now.com:3002,valk-prod-hermes-c003.<datacenter>.service-now.com:3003 Stack traces referencing: com.glide.hermes.client.glide.util.ScriptableHermesUtil.sendHeartBeatscom.glide.hermes.client.glide.util.ScriptableHermesUtil.sendHeartbeat Errors may occur periodically as the instance attempts to establish or maintain a heartbeat connection to the Hermes Kafka brokersNo immediate functional impact unless actively using Hermes-backed features Facts<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Instance type: Self-hosted / On-premisesThe Hermes Messaging Service is ServiceNow's cloud-based Apache Kafka infrastructureHermes enables the following platform features: Stream Connect for Apache Kafka (producing/consuming Kafka messages)Log Export Service (LES) for forwarding logs to external SIEM/analytics toolsIntegrationHub Kafka capabilities Hermes brokers are hosted in ServiceNow data centers and require outbound network connectivity from the instancePorts used by Hermes brokers typically include 3000–3003 (and 4000–4003, 4100–4103, 4200–4203 for producer/consumer operations)Self-hosted instances that do not use Hermes-backed features do not require connectivity to ServiceNow's Hermes clusters Release<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } All currently supported ServiceNow releases (Tokyo, Utah, Vancouver, Washington DC, Xanadu, Yokohama, Zurich) Cause<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } The errors occur because the ServiceNow instance is configured to communicate with the Hermes Messaging Service but cannot successfully connect to the Hermes Kafka brokers. Common causes include: Network/Firewall Restrictions: The self-hosted instance does not have outbound connectivity to ServiceNow's Hermes data center endpoints on the required ports.DNS Resolution Failure: The instance cannot resolve the Hermes broker hostnames from the on-premises network.TLS/Certificate Trust Issues: The instance does not have the required certificates in the truststore to establish a secure connection with the Hermes brokers.Legacy Configuration After Migration: Instances migrated from ServiceNow-hosted environments may retain Hermes configurations that are no longer applicable or functional in the on-premises deployment.Hermes Features Not Required: The instance has Hermes components active but the organization does not use any Hermes-dependent features (Stream Connect, Log Export Service, IntegrationHub Kafka). Resolution<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Option 1: Disable Hermes (If Hermes Features Are Not Required) If your organization does not use Stream Connect for Apache Kafka, Log Export Service, or IntegrationHub Kafka capabilities, you can disable Hermes to stop the connection attempts and eliminate the error messages. Navigate to System Properties (sys_properties.list)Search for the property: hermes.kafka.disabledSet the value to trueSave the property This will prevent the instance from attempting to connect to the Hermes Kafka brokers. Option 2: Establish Connectivity (If Hermes Features Are Required) If your organization uses or plans to use Hermes-backed features, ensure proper connectivity: Network Configuration: Work with your network administrator to allow outbound connectivity to ServiceNow Hermes endpointsRequired ports typically include: 3000–3003, 4000–4003, 4100–4103, 4200–4203Ensure DNS resolution is functional for *.service-now.com hostnames Certificate Configuration: Verify the Key Management Framework (KMF) plugin is activatedEnsure proper certificates are configured in the instance truststoreGenerate instance-signed certificates using the Instance PKI Certificate Generator Hermes Diagnostics: Navigate to Hermes Diagnostics to verify connectivity statusAddress any reported issues with ports, certificates, or broker connectivity For detailed setup instructions, refer to the product documentation for Hermes Messaging Service activation and configuration.