FITS - Configuration Management

This section tells you how to define and create a configuration management database and populate it with configuration items.

It also describes the methods of keeping the CMDB up to date, which is critical to configuration management.  Some of these methods belong to other FITS processes and there will be a link to each one as it is raised in this process.

Step 1:  Define configuration item level

Step 2:  Define attributes

Step 3:  Create CMDB

Step 4:  Methods of updating CMDB

Step 5:  Gather configuration item information

Step 6:  Populate CMDB

Step 7:  Maintain CMDB

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First define the configuration item level at which information is recorded.  The more detailed the configuration item level, the more effort is required to maintain it. When beginning the implementation of Configuration Management, it is advisable to keep the configuration item levels high and simple.  We have prepared a table of suggested configuration items to help you with this.

Remember to balance the usefulness of the data against the effort required to gather and maintain it.  It may be interesting and valuable to know exactly how many mice there are in school, and to track down where they disappear from.  However, it may be more costly in terms of time and effort to do this when compared to the cost of buying a bulk batch of mice every term.  Select high- value configuration items to manage first.

Further information about configuration items can be found in Configuration Management Database.

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We recommend that you restrict your configuration items as follows in the first instance:

If you have them, you can add other high-value items, such as a video- conferencing suite or interactive whiteboard, at a similar level.

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Attributes are the pieces of information recorded against each configuration item. The more attributes you have, the more effort is required to keep them up to date. When beginning the implementation of configuration management it is advisable to keep the list of attributes to a core minimum of information about each configuration item.  We have prepared a table of suggested attributes to help you with this.

Remember to balance maintenance with need.  It may be useful to know the name of the supplier and their contact details along with the expiry date of the warranty, but it may be less onerous to record contact information once only and it is likely that the supplier will be able to tell you when the warranty expires.  Recording this information explicitly against each configuration item may be heavy handed if you only have two suppliers and their names and numbers are on your telephone list. Select the most useful information to start with: what the item is and where it is.

Further information about attributes can be found in Configuration management database.

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We recommend that in the first instance you restrict attributes as follows:

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We have created a basic configuration management database template for you to download and populate.  This is based on our suggested configuration items and attributes, but you may add to it as you see fit.

We have also created a configuration management database example  to help you understand the content that is required.

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The methods of updating the CMDB need to be in place before you start to gather data and populate the database.  This is to ensure that the mechanisms are in place and working to enable updates to be processed as soon as the database is live. 

If you audit your equipment and populate your database first, there will be a delay while you implement the update processes.  During this time your database will become out of date and you will have to do another audit before you can continue.

There are three channels for updating the configuration management database:

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Stock control is needed where configuration items are purchased and held in reserve until they are issued for use.  It is important, for asset management and security reasons, to capture and record their details as soon as they are delivered.

A simple 'goods in' stock-control mechanism could be to use the delivery note accompanying the equipment to create new records in the configuration management database as soon as possible after delivery.  To do this, make sure that your delivery notes are passed immediately to the CMDB administrator with full attribute information as recorded at 'goods in', such as the location of the equipment following delivery.

'Goods out' should be managed via the request for change or incident/request process.

We have created a goods-in template for recording configuration item and attribute information at 'goods in' that you may use directly or adapt to suit your environment.

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Before you gather the configuration item information, you need to define configuration item level, define attributes and create CMDB

Once these have been defined and are in place, you can gather the configuration item information for input.  The best way to do this is to carry out a full audit.  Bear in mind the following points when carrying out an audit.

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When the configuration item data has been gathered, it can be entered into database.  Not all the attributes will be appropriate to all configuration items. Where this is the case, enter N/A to show that it is not an omission.

Example attributes gives an explanation of each attribute and our example configuration management database shows you how to apply them.

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Details of how to maintain the CMDB are described in the Operations guide.

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