Configuration items management

Configuration item discovery

You use the discovery tool to find configuration items that exist in your information technology infrastructure.

You can use the settings in the discovery tool to specify the types of configuration items to search for. Some examples of configuration items include: computers, systems, routers, and switches. The discovered configuration items reside in the discovery tool database, including configuration item types.

Configuration item data import

You use Integration Composer and the IBM® Tivoli® Integration Adapter to import data from the discovery engine. You can import the data in two stages:

Stage 1

You import configuration item types as classifications, including their attributes and relationships, and the relationship rules between various configuration item types. You can view the classifications and attributes in the Classifications application. You can view relationships and relationship rules in the Relationships application. You can also view the list of configuration item types in the Configuration Item Types application.

You can manage only a subset of the configuration items that the discovery tool finds. In the Configuration Item Types application, you can select the configuration item types that you want to manage under configuration management and change control. The import process in stage 2 imports only the configuration item types that you select.

Stage 2

You import configuration item instances into the Actual Configuration Items application. The import brings only the configuration items that are associated with the configuration item types that you selected in the Configuration Item Types application. Selecting configuration item types is a way to filter the data. The import process also brings the relationships that exist between the various configuration items.

Authorized configuration item creation

Configuration management and change control processes do not operate on actual configuration items. Instead, they operate as authorized configuration items which are items that conform to rules and relationships that you define in the Configuration Items application.

When you create an authorized configuration item, it can be linked to an actual configuration item record. You can also create an authorized configuration item that is independent of any actual configuration item record, because not all configuration items need to work with the discovery engine. You can create a link between the authorized configuration item and the actual configuration item in the Configuration Items and Actual Configuration Items applications.

You can create an authorized classification hierarchy that maps to an actual classification hierarchy. Partial mappings can exist between the two classifications, rather than a complete mirror image. You can use the Manage CI Hierarchies action in the Classifications application to define the configuration item hierarchies.