Kevin, Perhaps one of the reasons you're not getting super detailed feedback is that there are *many* ways of representing CI's and they are all dependant on a much larger discussion of the scope of your CMDB. Consequently, this may be a more appropriate question for ITIL specific resources/user groups. However, since I'm rumored to be a helpful sort, I'll give answering your question a try.
The first thing that came to mind when I read your question earlier today was "why the heck does he want to keep office chairs in the CMDB?" I think that you perhaps misunderstand what a CMDB is so here is a very brief discussion on the topic which may help you get on track with this so we can have this discussion with the right mindset - http://www.itilsurvival.com/CMDBITILdatabasetypicaldatarequirements.html BMC doesn't provide a pre-defined model for things like you mentioned (phones, desks, office equipment, etc) as those things are typically a function of Asset or Facilities Management as far as process is concerned. A Configuration Management Database is just that - it keeps information on IT Configurations. IP Phones would fit there, perhaps, because they are a part of the larger IT infrastructure - they have an IP address, they interact with the network, etc. A fax machine, POTS phone, desk and cell phone, though? Probably not something you'd put in a CMDB. However, because the CMDB is an extensible DB, you can add company-specific CI Classes if you truly have need to. One way to think about designing the CMDB is thinking about it dimensionally - scope, width and depth. Scope defines what you'll put in the CMDB in terms of CI types. This is probably the most important piece of the process - you have to ask the question "what questions about my IT infrastructure do I want the CMDB to answer?". Do you need to know if you change out a Router what systems will be affected downstream? Do your Help Desk agents need to know configuration, installed software and patches on a client desktop when they call in with an issue? Do you need to know what computers have a particular BIOS revision? And when I say "need to know" I mean just that - unless it has *real* business value, cut the CI from the CMDB scope. Depth defines what Attributes (or fields) about the CIs you'll keep in the CMDB. Again, this is a "need to know" excercise. Discovery tools capture *everything* you could want to know, and more. However, for each attribute you capture, there's effort involved in maintenance, so make sure you only get the Attributes that will provide actual value. This is also important for finding a Class "fit" for your CI type - the more you put in the CI in terms of Attributes, the less you'll be able to take advantage of Class inheritance and derivation. How CI's are related and which relationships will be important is more or less the "width" of the CMDB. Relationships unto themselves can be a *huge* discussion. Suffice to say stick with the relationships that will provide *actual* value (and refer to the original set of questions you want the CMDB to answer for guidance on this) keeping in mind that any two CI's may have 0 or more relationships between them. A server may have, for example, a Membership relationship with an IP subnet but also be Dependant on it as well. So, to get specific - if you're looking to put something like a Blackberry in your CMDB, ask the depth-defining questions first (assuming you've defined that this is a CI you actually need to keep in the CMDB scope). Do you need to know what software in installed? The SIM card serial #? The Phone Number? The Carrier? All of the that and then some? Once you've answered these questions, *then* you go to the Common Data Model and look at what BMC has provided already and see if you have a good candidate class with matching Attributes like Eli suggested. If there isn't an exact match, look for the closest match and consider creating a custom derived class. Specific to the example, I've had customers create a class to hold Handhelds, IP Phones, etc. derived from BMC_ComputerSystem. Some attributes had to be added, like Phone Number and Carrier, but for the most part many of the properties of a Blackberryjackiphone fit within the Computer System model fairly well. So, there's my stab and helping you out here. If you have more specific questions, don't hesitate to let us know and we'll try to help you. However, I would be careful with sarcasm code as it sometimes develops nasty system bugs. For example: if CoCreateAnnoyance(*m_sarcasticnewbie->emailmessage) { DeleteInstance(*m_sarcasticnewbie); } return 0; Just sayin.... ;) Hope this helps! Chris Woyton -----Original Message----- From: Action Request System discussion list(ARSList) [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Kevin Pulsen Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 1:58 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: ITSM 7, CMDB CI and Product Definitions ** ahhh thanks, {module sarcasm} writeline (That's as useful as a 3 Inch ladder) {end sarcasm} So, what is the deal? Why can't anyone share their real world experience? I was hoping to see other points of view, with 3300 subscribers to this list, there has to be more than one. I'm not asking for Coca-Cola's secret formula, I'm just asking to see what others have done. Note to self, Add to module - Sharing = function (in short supply); goto {sarcasm}; Anyways, tried creating a new CI - I was able to create a new SuperClass and a new Class Name (associated with the superclass) Everything shows up fine in the CMDB Class manager Console, however nothing shows in the CI selection in the product category creation. Thanks, Kevin P. ** You have the answer either use an existing CI such as Computer System or Equipment or create a new CI to meet your needs. Their are add on CIs available if needed. -----Original Message----- From: Kevin Pulsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, 12 May 2008 11:52 am Subject: Re: ITSM 7, CMDB CI and Product Definitions ** Hi Eli, ok, but where does a Blackberry fall into the ootb CI? where does a telephone, office desk, fax, etc fall into the ootb CI? These aren't defined and the product category creation wizard will not allow you to created a item without defining a CI. Thanks, Kevin P. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. __Platinum Sponsor: www.rmsportal.com ARSlist: "Where the Answers Are" html___ _______________________________________________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE or access ARSlist Archives at www.arslist.org Platinum Sponsor: www.rmsportal.com ARSlist: "Where the Answers Are"
