1. Delaware Valley Chapter
CMDB: Why, When and How?
Lou Eggert – USG, Inc.
Delaware Valley Chapter
March 6, 2008

2. Topics Introduction to Configuration Management What is a CMDB?
Why Do You Want One?
Are You Ready?
How Do You Get Started?
What Happens Next?
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3. Introduction – Configuration Management
The IT Infrastructure Library® (ITIL®) describes Configuration Management (CM) as:
a method for controlling infrastructure and services.
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4. Introduction – Configuration Management
The purpose of CM is to control changes through creation and maintenance of documentation.
Change Management and other ITIL processes use documentation to make better decisions. 
Creating and maintaining records of Configuration Items (CI) such as hardware, software, and the documentation related to these CIs is all CM describes.
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5. Introduction – Configuration Management
The activities of CM all relate to the idea of creating and maintaining a database of information regarding CIs, and then inserting this information into the decision making process.
This simple understanding is the path to success regarding CM, and the establishment of the Configuration Management Database, or CMDB.
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6. What is a CMDB?
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7. What is a CMDB? Not a single, all-powerful database.
Does not have amazing abilities.
Does not come in a box.
Not Software.
Not Hardware.
So What is it?
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8. What is a CMDB? Configuration Management Data Base
More “Databank” than “Database”.
Links together all the collections of information you use in your day to day activities.
References and relates repositories of CI information.
Contains Metadata: Data about data!
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9. Why Do You Want a CMDB?
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10. Why Do You Want a CMDB?
CM is the process of managing the information relating to your infrastructure.
The CMDB contains metadata about services in your infrastructure.
An IT organization must understand what services are and how to manage them.
The CMDB plays a role in achieving service excellence.
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11. Why Do You Want a CMDB?
The concept of a CMDB serving as single source of data is one of its greatest strengths.
Without a central repository for configuration information, IT organizations continue to work in silos, and fail to align activities with business objectives.
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12. Why Do You Want a CMDB?
How can you manage and improve IT services if you don't know what equipment you have, where it is, how it’s connected and the impact of changing it?
A basic Configuration Management (CM) process and toolset (i.e. CMDB) can enable teams to better communicate and coordinate processes by establishing a common data repository.
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13. Why Do You Want a CMDB? A CMDB allows you to:
Improve operational effectiveness.
Provide cost efficiencies.
Improve the overall quality of service.
Provide a foundation for changing a reactive IT culture into a proactive service provider.
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14. Are You Ready?
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15. Are You Ready? Uncover your own CMDB...
Locate existing information repositories
Records regarding hardware and software models, versions, etc. 
Manuals and software CD-ROMs.
An Excel spreadsheet with records of office system configurations. 
Finance has an asset register tracking hardware and software purchased. 
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16. Are You Ready? Uncover your own CMDB...continued
Someone else is using Access to track software licenses.  
Over there is a shelf holding user manuals.
Next to that is a closet with spare hardware. 
Elsewhere there are diagrams of services, circuits, and systems in Visio or maybe PowerPoint.
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17. Are You Ready?
Beware falling down the slippery slope of thinking CM and the CMDB are huge things you have to purchase or develop. 
Start small, and grow as you mature.  Follow the simple steps of locating the sources of data, taking them under management control, and creating a system for knowing what is where. 
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18. How Do You Get Started?
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19. How Do You Get Started? Planning - A CM process begins with a plan.
Your CM plan needs to include:
purpose and scope of CM,
a description of the CIs and services to which the CM plan applies,
a time line showing important CM activities completion,
a description of current and expected CM tools (e.g. what you have and expect to find),
related documentation such as existing CM plans or plans from suppliers,
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20. How Do You Get Started? Planning (Continued):
a listing of relevant documents and their interrelationships,
policies describing CM management activities,
the organization, responsibilities and authorities of relevant interested parties,
qualifications and training of staff to support CM,
criteria for the selection of CIs,
frequency, distribution, and control of reports.
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21. Everything Starts with ITIL!
How Do You Get Started?
Everything Starts with ITIL!
The CM plan must explain and describe how you plan to achieve each of the following CM process activities.
The ITIL provides great detail on the following planning items, but here are some highlights...
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22. How Do You Get Started?
Identification — the selection and identification of CIs and their relationships.  Identification includes:
assigning unique identifiers and version numbers to CIs,
applying labels to CIs as appropriate,
entering the CI into the appropriate databank. 
For service-level CIs, the selection of resource-level CIs and the descriptions of their interrelationships should describe the services' structure. 
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23. How Do You Get Started?
Good selection and identification criteria include:
regulatory requirements,
criticality in terms of risks and safety,
new or modified technology,
interfaces with other CIs,
procurement conditions,
support and service considerations.
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24. How Do You Get Started?
Control — procedures that ensure no change to any CI without controlling documentation such as an updated service or product specification, or a RFC.  In your CM plan, define how you will accurately update CMDB records.  Include:
management authorizations and relationships of those in authority,
procedures for control of changes to CI records within the CMDB,
methods to communicate changes from physical CIs to their CMDB records,
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25. How Do You Get Started?
Status Accounting — reporting on changes to CIs throughout their lifecycle.  Include methods to track CIs from ordering to depreciation.
Unlike Control, Status Accounting seeks to maintain a historical record for the CI.  This includes baselines, linked Incidents, Problems, Known Errors, etc.
methods for collecting, recording, processing and maintaining status accounting records,
definition of the content and format for all configuration status accounting reports.
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26. How Do You Get Started?
Verification and Audit — a series of reviews to verify the presence and configuration of CIs with their respective records within the CMDB. Include in the plan:
a list of audits planned,
procedures to be used,
authorizations required (within and without IT),
description of report and expected contents,
Configuration Care and Feeding.
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27. What Happens Next?
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28. What Happens Next?
Remember, the real purpose of CM and the CMDB is to Control CIs. 
Initially, use the CMDB to enhance maintenance decisions.
Expand into using the CMDB to evaluate Requests for Change (RFCs) in support of Change and Release Management.
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29. What Happens Next?
To support Change Management, identify critical components (CIs) that underpin key systems or applications. Some common examples of these types of CIs include:
power supplies,
shared servers,
central routers and switches,
high worth users,
shared applications,
high speed network connections,
vital audit, security, and production systems.
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30. What Happens Next? Combine CI information into services.
This requires more work, so start small. 
Focus on new services, or “problem” services in need of improvement. 
Start by defining service CIs – composed of these critical infrastructure CIs. 
This will help stabilize your infrastructure by reducing unexpected consequences of changes.
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31. What Happens Next?
Following the rest of the CM process defined in the ITIL allows you to maintain the integrity of the CMDB as you expand it. 
Establish management objectives to bring other services or locations under CM control. 
Perform audits to ensure integrity and find new CIs. 
Begin to use the CMDB for impact analysis for Changes. 
Relate Incidents, Problems, and Known Errors to services and specific CIs in the CMDB.
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32. What Happens Next?
Over time, you can migrate to new systems if required. 
You will know what you need, and how to achieve it. 
You might even find it worthwhile to purchase a system — and you will have established the value proposition to justify them. 
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33. What Happens Next? The CMDB is a Journey, Not a Destination
As you mature your processes, the CMDB, and the quality of the data it presents will also mature.
Don’t try to do everything at once.
Design for the future:
Top Down Design
Bottom up Creation
Make it Flexible and Scalable
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34. What Happens Next?
With your new understanding, and your plan in hand, you are ready to realize the benefits of Configuration Management!
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35. Wrap Up / Q&A Questions? Lou Eggert Lou.Eggert@usgct.com 609-947-3866
Thank You!
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