Configuration Management naming

Configuration Management naming conventions, particularly for attributes can be the bane of many an IT organization! Included here are a selection of possible attributes for Configuration Management naming.

Configuration Management naming - Attributes

The following attributes are examples that could be used in the CMDB. Note that hardware CI types will have different attributes from software CI types.

Attribute	Description
CI Name	The unique name by which this type of CI is known.
Copy or Serial Number	The number that uniquely identifies the particular instances of this CI - for example, for software the copy number, for hardware the serial number.
Category	Classification of a CI (e.g. hardware, software, documentation etc).
Type	Description of CI type, amplifying 'category' information (e.g. hardware configuration, software package, hardware device or program module).
Model Number (hardware)	Model of CI (corresponding, for example, to supplier's model number e.g. Dell model xxx, PC/aa model yyy).
Warranty expiry date	Date when the supplier's warranty expires for the CI.
Version Number	The version number of the CI.
Location	The location of the CI, e.g. the library or media where the software CIs reside, the site/room where a service is located.
Owner Responsible	The name and/or designation of the owner responsible for the CI.
Responsibility Date	Date the above owner became responsible for the CI.
Source/supplier	The source of the CI, e.g. developed in-house, bought in from company xxxxx etc.
License	License number or reference to license agreement
Supply Date	Date when the CI was supplied to the organization.
Accepted Date	Date when the CI was accepted by the organization as satisfactorily tested.
Status (current)	The current status of the CI; e.g. under 'test', 'live', 'archived'.
Status (scheduled)	The next scheduled status of the CI (with the date or indication of the event that will trigger the status change).
Parent CI(s) relationships	The unique CI identifier(s) - name/copy/number/model/number/ of the 'parent(s)' of this CI.
Child CI(s) relationships	The unique CI identifier(s) of all 'children' of this CI.
Relationships	The relationship of the CI with all CIs other than 'parent' and 'child' (e.g. this CI 'uses' another CI, this CI 'is connected to' another CI, this CI is 'resident on' another CI, this CI 'can access' another CI).
RFC Numbers	The identification number of all RFC’s affecting this CI.
Change Numbers	The identification number of all Change records affecting this CI.
Problem Numbers	The identification number of all Problem records affecting this CI.
Incident Numbers	The identification number of all Incident records affecting this CI.
Comment	A comment field to be used for textual narrative; for example, to provide a description of how this version of the CI is different from the previous version.

For RFC’s, Change records, package Release records, etc, the names, copy numbers, model numbers and version numbers of CIs affected by the Change, and how they are affected, should be recorded in the CMDB. A reversion path, and the consequences of reversion, should also be recorded.

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