Configuration item
A configuration element or configuration object (English CI ) is a component of the configuration management considered entirety of resources.
In IT management , according to the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) , it is understood to mean all operating resources involved in leading business processes. Examples of this are PCs, peripheral devices, telephones, all network components , servers , installation documentation, procedural instructions, IT services, software (source code and executable files) and tools.
In configuration management according to ISO 10007: 2003, a configuration element is part of a configuration that contains the functional and physical characteristics of a product.
Context in ITIL
administration
The administration of the configuration elements is the responsibility of the configuration management , which provides an administration infrastructure in addition to the necessary processes.
CMDB as the database of configuration elements
An essential part of the infrastructure is the configuration items database (English configuration management database , abbreviated CMDB). All configuration elements are stored here centrally. The database is a strategic link with an overarching function in other operational process areas. Since, in addition to the properties of the configuration elements, their relationships with one another are also saved, extensive applications are possible. Relationships can be both physical and logical. For example, the installed software, the manufacturer, the supplier, the customer service contract and a case history of previously incurred faults can be assigned to a computer.
Versioning
In order to prevent malfunctions caused by inconsistently planned or untested changes, important configuration elements are standardized and versioned in their configuration and the change processes are recorded. The necessary settings and application parameters are therefore documented for an operational state. This procedure makes it possible, in the case of recurring faults in which the element is involved, to trace back whether these are related to a change. Changes to the basic setting ( configuration baseline ) are also recorded. In this case, at least what was changed, when, why, by whom and who approved it is documented.
Configuration elements in IT incident management and problem management
Since configuration items are essential elements for IT operations, their function is monitored, so they are the subject of IT monitoring (english monitoring ). By stored in the CMDB relationships between configuration items in error, the effect on other configuration items and services can (English services ) are derived. Incidents ( see also IT incident management ) can be classified as problems if they are repeated frequently according to ITIL (see also problem management ).
Change Management Relationships
Configuration items are among the fundamentals of change management (English change management ). As a basis for decision-making, they provide information about which configuration elements need to be changed in the event of changes.
Context in configuration management
Configuration management knows the concept of the configuration element in relation to the configuration of a product. The element is taken into account in the various sub-areas of configuration management organization and planning (KMO), configuration identification (KI), configuration monitoring (KÜ), configuration bookkeeping (KB) and configuration audit (KA).