Configuration Items (CI) are services, components, or other assets that need to be managed in order to deliver an IT service. They are the basic units of the configuration management system and represent the specific services provided by OIT. Examples of CIs include documents, software, hardware, and services such as consulting and technical support. Regardless of form, composition, or complexity, the life cycle of a CI is documented and controlled. CIs are classified into several configuration groups, each of which has a life cycle. The configuration group life cycle describes each phase of a CIs life from requirements definition and acquisition through deployment and maintenance to retirement and disposition of the CI.
Typical Life Cycles for Different Asset Classes
Asset life cycles vary widely depending on the type of asset
Audit & Validation / Change Management
CIs must be periodically audited and information in the CI record will be validated against the actual asset. Wherever possible, auditing will be automated using a discovery process or some other method that does not require manual intervention. The result of the audit will be reviewed by the auditor who will also arrange for remediation of the differences. The audit process will be scheduled in such a way that every CI is audited at least once a year. Each time an audit is run, the following information will be maintained in a report that is stored with the CI class definition record in ServiceNow:
- Date and time of the audit
- Auditor
- CI class
- Method of audit (i.e. based on automated tools or manual audit)
- Results of the audit
- Revealed differences between CMDB and actual CIs installed
- Effects of the deviations
- Corrections carried out to the CMDB
- Improvement potentials
- Reasons for the revealed differences between CMDB and actual CIs installed
- Measures for the future avoidance of the differences
Configuration Groups
The following are the configuration groups used by OIT for organizing CIs in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB):
- Application Servers
- Tomcat
- BEA Weblogic
- IBM Websphere
- Java
- JBoss
- Domino
- Web Servers
- Servers
- Linux
- Windows
- Unix
- ESX
- Solaris
- AIX
- HPUX
- OS X
- Netware
- Clusters
- Windows
- Database Servers
- DB2
- MSSQL
- MySQL
- Oracle
- Sybase
- Database Instances
- DB2
- HBase
- MSSQL
- MySQL
- Oracle
- PostgreSQL
- Sybase
- Database Catalogs
- DB2
- MSSQL
- MySQL
- Oracle
- Sybase
- Network
- Networks
- Services
- Network Gear
- Routers
- Switches
- VPN
- Load Balancers
- LB Hardware
- LB Applications
- Data Center
- Data Center
- Computer Room
- Zone
- Rack
- UPS
- Power Circuit
- CRAC (Air Conditioner)
- Infrastructure Services
- FTP
- Directory Servers
- Other
- VMware
- VMware vCenter Instances
- VMware vCenter Datacenters
- VMware vCenter Clusters
- ESX Servers
- VMware Virtual Machine Instances
- VMware vCenter Datastores
- VMware vCenter Folders
- VMware vCenter Networks
- ESX Resource Pools
- Hyper-V
- Hyper-V Servers
- Virtual Machine Instances
- Networks
- Resource Pools
- Clusters
- KVM
- KVMs
- Virtual Machine Instances
- Networks
- Storage Pools
- Automation Servers
- Puppet Masters
- Base Items
- Business Services
- Applications
- Servers (Physical)
- Servers (Virtual)
- Computers
- Workstations
- Out-of-Band Devices
- Network Gear
- Printers
- Communications
- Communication Devices
- UPSs
- Accessories
- Computer Peripherals
- Software
- Storage
- Servers
- File Shares
- Pools
- Volumes
- Disks
- Controllers
- Ports
- HBAs
- Switches
- Storage Networks (SAN)
- SANs
- Fabrics
- Zone Sets
- Zones
- Endpoints
- Connections
Configuration Management Process
Overview
CI Life Cycles Overview
CI Naming Standards Overview
How to Maintain the CMDB Quality and Data Integrity
Resources
Committee Membership and Meetings
C/wiki/spaces/adcom/pages/68025789
OIT Architecture Review Board
Configuration Items