The CMDB imperative : how to realize the dream and avoid the nightmares

369 Pages·2009·3.838 MB·English

by  Glenn O'Donnell, Carlos Casanova

The CMDB Imperative
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The CMDB Imperative
How to Realize the Dream
and Avoid the Nightmares
Glenn O’Donnell
Carlos Casanova
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
O’Donnell, Glenn.
The CMDB imperative : how to realize the dream and avoid the nightmares / Glenn O’Donnell,
Carlos Casanova.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-13-700837-7
1. Configuration management. 2. Management information systems. 3. Information technology—
Management. I. Casanova, Carlos. II. Title.
QA76.76.C69O36 2009
004.068’8—dc22
2008050499
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.
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ISBN-13: 978-0-13-700837-7
ISBN-10: 0-13-700837-6
Text printed in the United States on recycled paper at R.R. Donnelley in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
First printing February 2009
Associate Publisher Project Editor Publishing Coordinator
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To my beautiful, brilliant, and delightful wife, who has tolerated
me for 25 years and especially over the past several months
of long hours writing this book.
—Glenn O’Donnell
To my beautiful wife and best friend, Raquel, and our two
amazing children, Julian and Katherine, all of whom are
the driving forces in everything I do. Thank you for enduring
my crankiness over the months while I spent
every spare moment in my office writing.
—Carlos Casanova
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Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xv
About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxi
Chapter 1 The Need for Process Discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A Credibility Crisis for IT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
How IT Can Redeem Itself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
The Power of Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
A Brief Review of Configuration in the ITIL Processes . .6
The Configuration Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Why the Term “CMDB” Must Go Away—
and It Is…Slowly! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Chapter 2 What Is a CMDB? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Birth of the CMDB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Configuration Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
How Much Data Does a CI Need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
A Brief Explanation of CMDB Federation . . . . . . . . . . .40
CIs as the CMDB “DNA” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Reconciliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
The CMS Arrives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Populating the CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
CMS as an Integration Mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
VIII THE CMDB IMPERATIVE
Chapter 3 Planning for the CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Do You Need a CMS and Why? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Reality: What Is the State of the CMS Market? . . . . . . .61
Acceptance: Selling the CMS to the Organization . . . . .68
Structure: How Will the CMS Fit In? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Quantity: How Many CMDBs Are Needed
in the CMS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Accountability: Who “Owns” the CMS? . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Reuse: What Incumbent Tools Can Be Leveraged? . . . .81
Schedule: What Timelines Are Realistic? . . . . . . . . . . .84
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Chapter 4 The Federated CMS Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Turning Data into Useful Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
The Relationships Are Critical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Where Is the Data? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Link Data into Information Using Metadata . . . . . . . . .98
The Distributed CMS in Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Navigating the CMS Information Chains . . . . . . . . . .125
Why Federation Makes More Sense Than
a Monolithic CMDB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Integrating External Domains in the
Federated Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Chapter 5 CMS Deployment Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Getting Your Hands Dirty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
What Comes First? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Building Service and Application Infrastructure
Models—It’s What Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
Wait for the “Uber-CMDB/CMS” Technology…
If You Can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
CONTENTS
Attack the Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Leverage Incumbent Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
Chapter 6 Integration—There’s No Way Around It! . . . . . . . . . . 177
Standards: Past, Present, and Future . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
Vendor Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
CMS Object Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
Software Engineering and Development Skills . . . . . .191
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
Chapter 7 The Future of the CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Dynamic Technologies and Services Fuel the CMS
Imperative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
The Extra Dimension of Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
ITIL v3 and the CMDB Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
The Service Catalog and the CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
Object Modeling Technologies Need to Mature . . . . .233
CMS: The Lifeblood of Every IT and Business Service
Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
Chapter 8 Continual Improvement for the CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Metrics for the CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
The Cyclic Nature of Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244
Begin with Small Steps and Build Out . . . . . . . . . . . .248
Statistical Quality Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
Maintain Data and Information Accuracy . . . . . . . . . .256
Evolve Based on Customer Requirements . . . . . . . . . .259
Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263