Configuration Management

Configuration Management
Content:

Configuration Management objective and overview Some definitions Responsibilities and obligations Important aspects:
Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Interfaces to other SM processes Variant and baseline License management Benefits, costs, risks

Best practices Summary

Configuration Management

Mission Statement
Configuration Management provides a logical model for the infrastructure or a service by identifying, controlling, maintaining, and verifying the versions of Configuration Items (CIs) in existence.
Configuration Management covers the identification, recording, and reporting of IT components, including their versions, constituent components, and relationships. Items that should be under the control of Configuration Management include hardware, software, and associated documentation. The goal of Configuration Management is to provide IT infrastructure control through the identification, registration, monitoring, and management of: All the Configuration Items of the IT infrastructure in scope

All configurations, versions, and their documentation All changes, errors, service level agreements, and history of the components in
general

Relationships between the different components Exceptions between configuration records and the real infrastructure

Configuration Management

Tasks
Configuration Management is responsible for:

Specification of versions, configuration

status accounting of all current and historical data concerned with each CI throughout its lifecycle

Documentation of the relationship

between all CIs

IT Infrastructure Planning Identification & naming

Tracing records about any CI Ensuring that only authorised changes

on a Configuration Item have been implemented

Reviews and audits that verify the

physical existence of CIs and check that only authorised and identifiable CIs are accepted and correctly recorded in the Configuration Management system.
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Status proof

Control

CMDB
Verification and audit

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Definition: Configuration Item

All components that are part of the IT infrastructure are called Configuration Items (CIs). Configuration Items:

Are required to provide services Should be clearly identifiable Are submitted for changes Have to be administered
Configuration Items have:
CI
CI

A category Relationships An attribute A status

CI CI CI

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Definition: Configuration Item Scope and Level of Detail

Service L e v e l o f d e t a i l Hardware Software Documentation Environment

Network printer PC Software bundle Local printer USV

DBMS HD Keyboard CPU SLA

W.P.

e-mail

scope
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Configuration Management

Tasks

Configuration identification

Configuration Control
Configuration Management

Verification and Audit

Status Accounting

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Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Structure Overview

IT Infrastructure

Hardware CI Categories

Software

Network

Documentation

Suite 1 Superordinated CI (Parent)

Program 1- 1 Program 1- 2

Suite 2

Program 1- 3

Subordinated CI (Children)
Module 1- 2- 1
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Module 1- 2- 2

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CMDB Status of CI

Lifecycle of a CI

CMDB scope

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Interfaces with all other processes

Start Incident Problem Known error RFC Approved change Changed, tested, implemented Closure
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Strategic processes
Finance Architectures Configuration Management Data Base (CMDB)

Other modules
Service Level Management IT Continuity Management

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Relationship with Release and Change Management

Change Management
Register RFC and assign ID Impact analysis

Release Management

Configuration Management
Documentation and configuration audit Reporting of affected CIs, areas, and people Update documentation

Configuration Management Database

Definitive Software Library

Approve change Distribution of software and hardware documentation

Implementation (includes pre-release testing for software) Post-implementation review Close RFC Closure

Update documentation

Store changed CIs according to quality required

Example: release of new software

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Configuration Management

CIs and their relations to other processes

Incident Record

Change Record

CI
Problem Record Known Error Record

Service / SLA

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