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ITIL :: View topic - CMDB - Status options for Software CI's
Hi,
I've done some work around classes,status etc on Configuration Items for my CMDB. It's all pretty straight forward with the Hardware statuses (Stock, Production decommissioned etc) but i'm struggling on the software side of things.
I've kept the Class at a high level - Software, and Type examples include Patch, Application and Component. I'm struggling with the status lifecycle though for Software. I'm thinking along the lines of Install pending, installed, license expiring, expired but not sure.
Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?
All feedback greatly apperciated.
Joined: Mar 04, 2008 Posts: 1883 Location: Newcastle-under-Lyme
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:56 pm Post subject:
GOC,
as always I suggest start with what you are going to use it for.
Make up statements like "we need to know whether the software is in live use because..., and we will use the information to..."
Well don't make them up, derive them from what you do. _________________ "Method goes far to prevent trouble in business: for it makes the task easy, hinders confusion, saves abundance of time, and instructs those that have business depending, both what to do and what to hope."
William Penn 1644-1718
Many thanks for the response and i'll bear what you have stated in mind - very good advice.
Basically the Status will confirm the "state" that software is in at any given time. The troube is i'm struggling with options for the Status of software, ie how would you give it a Status of " not in use at present" or "retired" -(possibly expired or upgraded)?
From your own knowledge or personal experience would you have any examples?
Joined: Sep 16, 2006 Posts: 3118 Location: London, UK
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 7:28 am Post subject:
GOC
What are you trying to say with the value for software
either software is installed or it is not - boolean
either software is licensed or it is not - boolean
site licence or seat license
annual cost - renewable or fix cost
expire on
what about versions of the software
O/S
IO/S
application services
applications
There are NO hard answers to your question.
If you choose the states - happy, sad, despondent and oblivous - that is find
there is no organization that will punish you for it
it is your damn data _________________ John Hardesty
ITSM Manager's Certificate (Red Badge)
Change Management is POWER & CONTROL. /....evil laughter
Joined: Jul 07, 2012 Posts: 1 Location: Boston, MA
Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 6:32 am Post subject: License values vs Status values
The status of a software application license is an attribute that should remain separate from its status.
Status suggestions:
- Requested (use prior to site approval and/or certification)
- Certified
- Installed or Active
- Retired
- Disabled (use to indicate suspension due to events such as license status, use in denial of service attacks, etc)[/list]
Hi,
I've done some work around classes,status etc on Configuration Items for my CMDB. It's all pretty straight forward with the Hardware statuses (Stock, Production decommissioned etc) but i'm struggling on the software side of things.
I've kept the Class at a high level - Software, and Type examples include Patch, Application and Component. I'm struggling with the status lifecycle though for Software. I'm thinking along the lines of Install pending, installed, license expiring, expired but not sure.
Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?
All feedback greatly apperciated.
Regards,
GOC
Hi GOC,
In addition to things mentioned by others, you may want to consider the "highest level environment" that the software has been deployed too...
For example: DEV, INTEG, UAT, PROD
This helps distinguish between the cases when Software v1.0 is in production and Software v2.0 is still in another preceding environment, like INTEG or UAT (denoting that it will be in production in the future).
I hope this helps.
My Best _________________ The International Foundation for Information Technology (IF4IT)
Joined: Sep 16, 2006 Posts: 3118 Location: London, UK
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:34 am Post subject:
IF4IT
That would not be an attribute of the software / application.
Instead, if the DB is a relational database, the system that has the software installed would refer back to the software / application.
In addition, when you have multiple versions of the software / application, then you would have multiple records for that software / application - one for each version.
In closing, you would also have patch / service packs linking back to the appropriate software / application and version.
However, this all depends on what you are tracking, why you are tracking and how you are going to manage the changes to the data you are tracking _________________ John Hardesty
ITSM Manager's Certificate (Red Badge)
Change Management is POWER & CONTROL. /....evil laughter
That would not be an attribute of the software / application.
Instead, if the DB is a relational database, the system that has the software installed would refer back to the software / application.
I understand that in the CMDB you would want to tie the software to its environments, through relationships, and I agree that it's VERY useful to do that. However, I've found it useful in the past to use a "Current Environment" attribute as a status indicator that allowed us to create visual dashboards that depicted color-coded progress for Software Releases/Versions. This allowed us to do things like...
This allowed us to compare progress across Releases of a given piece of Software, such as "SW(X)" and even compare different Releases of different Software to each other, such as comparing SW(X) to SW(Y) and to SW(Z).
Two very large enterprises we established this for found such color-coded progress reports very useful.
UKVIKING wrote:
In addition, when you have multiple versions of the software / application, then you would have multiple records for that software / application - one for each version.
I agree. I would also add that Software is not the same as an Application. An Application (which to me is nothing more than a Software System) is often composed of one or more different pieces of Software, which is often captured through Relationships.
For example: Application(X)-Release/Version(2.0) is composed of software that runs local to the Web Server, software that runs local to the Application Server, software that runs local to the Database Server, software that runs local to the ETL Server, and software that runs local to the File Transfer Server. In such a case, there are many pieces of software associated with it.
UKVIKING wrote:
In closing, you would also have patch / service packs linking back to the appropriate software / application and version.
However, this all depends on what you are tracking, why you are tracking and how you are going to manage the changes to the data you are tracking
Yes, I agree. You would have many things linked back to it.
My Best _________________ The International Foundation for Information Technology (IF4IT)
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