Storing Network Kit within Service Chain orientated CMDB

[Jim82]

Hi,

I'm a Change & Config analyst and my company are currently in the process of changing our Service delivery toolset inc change & config.

Our current CMDB includes information for software, server hardware and network hardware and whilst there are links between servers and switches, and servers and applications the CMDB structure isn't particularly consistent.

Within the new tool we're moving to the CMDB will be structured along the lines of service delivery chains. e.g. the service will be at the top of the chain with the software beneath and the hardware at the bottom of the chain.

Structuring a CMDB around service chains seems, from the research I've done, to be the most popular way to structure a CMDB currently. The problem I have is how we structure the network kit we have in our current CMDB as I've yet to come across anyone who manages a CMDB that is both service chain structured and contains networking equipment.

Which leads me on to my questions...

Does anyone here have a Service delivery chain structured CMDB and if so does it contain networking equipment? If it does how have you chosen to structure it in a usable and maintainable way? If not why did you choose not to store networking kit?

All advice greatly appreciated. Many thanks for your time!

[Diarmid]

Hi,

I have to admit that I have little hands on experience of a CMDB; my understanding is therefore a bit theoretical. But it had never occurred to me that it would be built with just one hierarchic structure. I would have have expected a service structure, a hardware server structure, a network structure, quite possibly an applications structure and maybe even a customer/user structure and possibly an organization skills and function structure, with relationship links established between them all.

Does software not allow this kind of real world representation? Or is it too complex to manage in practice?
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