Storing all your configuration data is just common sense. But it's a waste of time if you don't manage change. So before you spend time or a dime on a configuration-management database, take some steps to ensure that your work and money will be well spent. Strictly speaking, a CMDB is a store of asset information, also known as configuration items, or CIs. Whereas an asset-management database is a financial tracking of a resource, with its ownership, location and life expectancy, a CMDB identifies the service role of each IT asset. The CMDB not only lists the serial whatsits and CPU thingamabobs, the way NSM (network and system management) products have for years, it also accurately documents relationships among IT assets—a feature NSM vendors are just beginning to offer. For example, a server relies on hardware components such as memory and cooling fans to operate. The BIOS relies on the hardware and the operating system on the BIOS. A well-formed CMDB documents these parent-child relationships. The more accurate your database, the more reliable the service.
展开▼
