ServiceNow

Configuration Management
Deep Dive Training
Learning Objectives
 Define Configuration Management
 Identify the scope of the Configuration Management processes
and its key activities
 Explain the benefits of Configuration Management
 Explain key terms and concepts
 Understand process roles and responsibilities
 Walk through the ServiceNow Configuration Management
Application
Configuration Management
DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS
Configuration Management Overview

 Configuration Management is the process of

establishing and maintaining reliable
information on managed IT services,
applications and infrastructure components
throughout their lifecycle

 The Configuration Management (CM) process

focuses on the creation, maintenance, and use of
Configuration Items (CIs), their Attributes, and
Relationships
Configuration Management Overview
 Configuration Management process is focused on
establishing a complete Configuration Management
Database (CMDB) and process integration with other
ITIL processes to help realize Configuration
Management objectives
 It is important to note that Configuration Management
is not Asset Management
 This will enable the CMDB to capture end-to-end
information about Configuration Items (CIs) and their
relationships, however the amount and quality of
information maintained within it is expected to continue
to evolve over time
CMDB Relationships With Other ITSM Processes
ITIL Incident Management
Configuration Management assists Incident Management by: providing the
Service Desk with immediate information on the CIs affected, and more timely
resolution of faults by understanding what CIs have been affected and
changed.
ITIL Service Catalog Management
With Service Portfolio Management, Business Services in the CMDB can also
be managed by the Service Catalog team, and exposed to end-users who can
then request items from them.
ITIL Problem Management (Later Phase)
Configuration Management assists Problem Management by: linking the CIs
affected by problems to the incident / problem / change management
processes, and ensuring the CI status is properly maintained.
ITIL Change Management (Later Phase)
Configuration Management assists Change Management by: recording which
CIs have been changed and controlling the status of CIs throughout the entire
CI lifecycle. Configuration Management ensures any changes made to CIs are
recorded and kept accurate.
Key Definitions
A Configuration Item (CI) is a service asset that needs
to be managed in order to deliver a service. The scope
CI of what constitutes a CI varies by organizations and
environments but should be aligned with business
requirements.

The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is

the key component of the Configuration Management
process. It is a database where the configuration
CMDB information of managed assets (Configuration Items) is
stored. The CMDB supports the delivery of services by
maintaining accurate and reliable information on IT
assets.
Key Definitions

A Baseline is a point-in-time configuration of one or more

BASELINE CIs that has been formally reviewed and agreed.
Changes from the configuration baseline should only be
implemented through formal change procedures.

Operational Data means information about the current-

state environment that is captured e.g. by discovery and
OPERATIONAL other data sources. The CMDB should only contain
DATA configuration information that has been validated and is
subject to change control, and should not be used as a
monitoring tool or a repository for operational data
not relevant for ITSM.
Delineating Between Asset and Configuration
Management
Configuration Item “In ITIL terminology, configuration items (CI) are
components of an infrastructure that currently are, or soon will be
under Configuration Management. CIs may be a single module
such as a monitor or tape drive, or more complex items, such as a
complete system.”

Asset Management spans the entire lifecycle of an IT asset, for any

hardware asset or software asset focusing on tracking for any
financial, regulatory, or contractual purposes.

Configuration Management spans the operational lifecycle of the

assets in the infrastructure and focuses on operational information
including status and attributes. Configuration Management adds
service relationships to the CI information.
Delineating Between Asset and Configuration
Management
Asset Lifecycle Assets

Asset becomes a CI if it needs to be

Managed Retired/
Requested Procured Deploy “Operational”
Environment Disposed

CMDB Lifecycle CIs

An IT Asset can become a CI A CI might not become an IT Asset

e.g. Server Asset will become a CI e.g. a Process Guide Document might
when it will be necessary to control be considered a CI but has no financial
changes to its attributes, and it is value and hence it is not tracked by IT
providing a service to the organization Asset Management

An IT Asset might not become a CI

e.g. Mobile Phone changes may not be
required to control hence it would not
be a CI
Config Management Database / Asset Repository
• Configuration Management Database: • Asset Repository (later phase)
• A repository that acts as a ‘data • Tracking Financially Valuable Assets,
warehouse’ for IT Organizations. The type of asset being used, who is using it,
primary goal is to ensure that and where it is being used.
relationships & dependencies between
systems and services are tracked

CMDB Asset Repository

• Relationship between Asset and Services • Serial Number

• Incident History • Asset Tag
• Change Management • Location
• Problem History • Asset Type
• Operating System • Asset Owner, End User
• Support Group • Asset Status
• Amount of Memory • License Metric
• Disk Size • Maintenance Dates
• Environment (Dev/Prod) • Purchase Date
• Core Attributes (CPU, Cores) • Cost
• Physical/Virtual
Configuration Management
CMDB
 CMDB Data Model Introduction
• The CMDB Data Model is the representation of configuration,
expressed in terms of CI Classes, CI Relationships, and CI
Attributes. It provides the foundational blueprint for properly
mapping services to applications and infrastructure
components.

• The CMDB Data Model comprises relationships and

dependencies between CIs, for example, the relationship
between two applications or between an application and its
supporting server instance.

• The design of CMDB Data Model is based on the requirements

extracted from the use cases provided by the UT teams and by
applying the CMDB design guiding principles.
 CMDB Data Model Introduction

• Each class represents a distinct group of CIs

• Logically separated based on configuration information
CI Classes that needs to be maintained
• Hierarchically organized by CI relationships

• Dependencies between CIs are defined using relationships

CMDB Model

CI that help create a holistic view of the environment

Relation- • CI relationships enable process stakeholders to perform
ships impact analysis and proactive management of IT assets

• Core attributes are common across CI classes and help

identify the CI and provide support information for incident
CI and problem management
Attributes • Class-specific attributes provide additional details used by
various processes including change and release
management
Classes in Scope for Phase 1

Class CSU

Desktops and Laptops ATS, CoFA, ITS

Business Services ITS, ATS

Applications ITS

Database ITS

Storage ITS Systems

Servers ITS Systems, TRecs, ATS

Phase 1 CMDB Model Example
Configuration Management
PROCESS ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
Roles and Responsibilities
Role / Group Create Read Update Delete

End User (Assigned To) X

ITIL Fulfiller X X
Service Desk (ITS- Tier 1) X
Tier 2 & 3 (ITS-Tier 2 & 3) X
Owner Group of CI X X X
Support Group of CI X X X
Tier 2 by School (Support Group) X X X
Tier 3 by School (Support Group) X X X
ServiceNow Admin X X X X
Configuration Management
PROCESS AND ACTIVITIES
Configuration Management Process Activities
The Configuration Management process is composed of the following activities
and interfaces with external tools and processes.

 Management and Planning – Develop an overall plan for creating and

managing the Configuration Management System
 Configuration Identification – Define the Classes, Attributes and
Relationships in the Configuration Management System, including
standards for identification, naming and labeling of Configuration Items
 Configuration Control – Ensure that adequate control mechanisms are
implemented to ensure that information is accurate and up-to-date
 Status Accounting and Reporting – Ensure that all Configuration
information is recorded as each CI progresses through its lifecycle, and
that key business questions can be answered
 Verification and Audit – Ensure conformity between the CMDB and the
actual business environment

Roles and responsibilities for each of these activities are in the

progress of being developed
 High Level Process Diagram
Configuration Management
External Processes

Service Asset
Incident Change Problem
Catalog Management
Management Management Management
Management
Process Details

1 2 4 5
3
Management & Configuration Status Accounting and Verification &
Configuration Control
Planning Identification Reporting Audit
Systems & Tools
Information

Configuration
Data (CMDB)
ServiceNow
CONFIGURATION
MANAGEMENT APPLICATION
AND MODULES
CI Record – Three Primary Sections
CORE CI INFORMATION
This section is identical for every
CI and captures common field
level information

ADDITIONAL CI INFORMATION
This section is used to maintain
more detailed information about
the CI. The specific information
captured here varies by class.

RELATED LISTS
This section captures related
records for the CI, such as
network adapters, disks, file
systems.

Attributes for each CI can be found in a KB article

CI Record – Core CI Information
It specifies the common name used to
identify the CI

Individual using or primarily responsible

for the CI
CI Record – Additional CI Information
Information changes based on
CI Class

Service Mapping Tools

CI Record – Tab Overview
Tabs show unique information for
this CI based on the CI class
Sources of CI Information

• CI Information was collected from spreadsheets

submitted by participating departments
• LanREV – College of Education
• SCCM – College of Engineering and McCombs School of
Business
• CLAIM - ATS
Tool Demo
CONFIGURATION
MANAGEMENT
Summary
Define Configuration Management
Identify the scope of the Configuration
Management processes and its key activities
Explain the benefits of Configuration Management
Explain key terms and concepts
Understand process roles and responsibilities
Walked through the ServiceNow application
Questions about
Configuration Management