CMDB metadata

thirumaran · Newbie Joined: Mar 21, 2006 Posts: 7

Hi all,

Can you please explain what metadata is allabout with respect to CMDB .In what form will CMDB metadata be presented (like DB tables or XML or any other format) . Which format is recommended .

Appreciate if you can provide with a example

Thanks
Thirumaran

mlaucus · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 7:06 am Post subject: Look at the CIM Schema

Thirumaran

My first post on this forum (whoo hooo). Anyway have you looked Common Information Model (CIM) model at the DTMF website. It is a schema in UML that others have referenced for use as a CMDB schema. I have seen some literature that discusses this model but it is pretty complex.

To be honest I am trying to figure out this model also because we are looking at creating a CMDB and figure we might as well use a published standard.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Mark

Guerino1 · Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 4:39 am Post subject:

thirumaran,

Meta-Data is the description of the attributes necessary to describe an entity.

For example:

Entity = "Server"
Attribute 1 = "Server Name", string (30)
Attribute 2 = "Server Type", enum=HP, Compaq, Dell, Other
Attribute 3 = "No of CPUs", integer
Attribute 4 = "Memory in Gigabytes", integer
Etc.

It is the core to data modeling and what I show above is the smallest subset of what is truly necessary to do it correctly.

If it's something you're not heavily familiar with, I highly recommend you don't get into it for a number of reasons:

1) Even experts never get the definitions right.
2) There are too many conflicting definitions.
3) Technology moves at such a quick pace that many of your definitions will become outdated quicker than you can blink
4) Data modeling is a very advanced skill that you should not undertake unless it is your profession.
5) Whatever you put in place will be far short of what is truly necessary.

I hope this information helps.

Regards,
_________________
[Edited by Admin to remove link]

thirumaran · Newbie Joined: Mar 21, 2006 Posts: 7

Dear mlaucus,

yes, i did read the articles about CIM (DMTF) this is 1 solution there are many alternate solutions like
1) DCML (Data control Markup language)
2) MOF

All talk the same in different style.

Please let me know if my understanding is right.

The Archictect solution will have the UML + CMDB webservices which will create the CMDB metadata in the respective database. This CMDB metedata is a very generic one.
This DB metadata will create the tables required in the respective databases.

Highlevel view:
UML -> DB generic tables -> tables in respective configuration managemenet database (eg AM asset management).

The generic database (metadata) wil have a table for datatype , CI modilization ,etc.. and will also support I18N features.

please evaluate me and guide me in proper directions.

can we call the UML as the CMDB metadata ?

thanks
thirumaran

mlaucus · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:21 am Post subject:

Dear Thirumaran

I agree that there are various solutions out there for a CMDB schema including the ones you mentioned. I think the CIM one is designed to be generic. I know that we have different attributes than this model becuase of our business needs. I am just using this as a guide in developing our CMDB (if we even develop one or buy one).

I also agree that the UML would be used in developing the Database Schemas. At our ourganization I want to go through this process so I might be able to understand easier what attributes am I capturing. I would say that the UML represents the CMDB schema that you pointed out.

This is a pretty complex model but I also have been looking for CMDB examples and I am challenged in finding anyting.

Not sure if this helped or not

Mark

TarunSachdeva · Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 3:07 pm Post subject: CMDB metadata

Hi All,

The only thing I know about Metadata is, It is data about data.
Like we have a CI - Printer. The data about this CI is stored in CMDB as say -

Make - HP, Cannon etc.
Model - xyz
dpi - 1200 dpi
Owner - Floor Manager (incase of Network Printer).

Metadata holds the link / URL / IP address of storage device where these attributes of printer are stored. So, Metadata is data about data.

Please correct me if I am wrong.
_________________
Thanks & Regards,
Tarun Sachdeva,
ITIL Foundation Certified.

CarlMattocks · Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:52 am Post subject:

Yes metadata is data about data (e.g. database schema) and it is also information about information (XML schema). The schema that is most valuable for Configuration Management is the CI classification structure . Currently we are leveraging OWL metadata to do this.
_________________
Carl Mattocks
Chair OASIS (ISO/TS 15000) ebXMLRegistry Semantic Content SC
Chair OASIS Business Centric Methodology TC
CEO CHECKMi
vmail (usa) 908 322 8715

fustbariclation · Newbie Joined: Feb 07, 2006 Posts: 7

fustbariclation · Newbie Joined: Feb 07, 2006 Posts: 7

CarlMattocks · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 1:02 am Post subject:

Yes - a COP (Community of Practice) has been established to guide the usage of Ontologies for ITSM / COBIT / COSO / SOA (I will send details to you offline). As such, my position on how OWL metadata should be used for CMDB is most likely to evolve.

That said (architecture thus far) :
Objective is to leverage namespace for a URL / URI type ID.
Workflow-wise events acknowledge that Ontology provides for two types of CI relationship -
(a) explicit facts that are authenticated by automated profiling of a physical device e.g. read registry of a server at an IP address to record which applications use it as a host
(b) logical class inhertance characteristics
e.g. every server has the physical characteristics of the model supplied by vendor
Metrics can be defined as Reports composed from XML structures with rules embedded in (XSL) Stylesheets & (Path) rules for transformation.
_________________
Carl Mattocks
Chair OASIS (ISO/TS 15000) ebXMLRegistry Semantic Content SC
Chair OASIS Business Centric Methodology TC
CEO CHECKMi
vmail (usa) 908 322 8715

fustbariclation · Newbie Joined: Feb 07, 2006 Posts: 7

CarlMattocks · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 12:14 am Post subject:

The ONION (ontologies in ontology) COP is a practitioner 'grassroots' type of initiative .
There is no direct connection with the vendor consortium.
However, there is some synergy with the OASIS technical committees that are stewarding (1) BCM (Business Centric Methodology), which contains guidelines for semantically rich SOA and (2) the DCML specification which does use RDF & OWL assertions to define Infrastructure resources.
_________________
Carl Mattocks
Chair OASIS (ISO/TS 15000) ebXMLRegistry Semantic Content SC
Chair OASIS Business Centric Methodology TC
CEO CHECKMi
vmail (usa) 908 322 8715

fustbariclation · Newbie Joined: Feb 07, 2006 Posts: 7


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