Ni2 demo april07

© N(i)2 CONFIDENTIAL 1

Change & Release Management

Main Menu

Configuration Management

CMDB Platform

Multi-Domain Configuration

Absolute Visibility on Network and IT


CMDB Platform

The N(i)2 CMDB was built from the ground up and not as an extension to an existing domain

As a standalone application, it provides insightful analytics and visuals

As an enterprise CMDB, it has no limitations in its CI scope: equipment, event, content, etc.

It is built on a operability standards and its object model delivers true federation


Repository of CIs & Relations• Treats all objects as CIs

including objects like incidents, requests, tasks…

• Tracks CI instance attributes

• Tracks CI change history

• Maintains external file attachments like configuration files

• Manages relations between CIs

Click herefor more…


Catalogs• Catalogs are used to

standardize technology and to normalize policies

• CIs inherit some of their properties and rules from catalog items.

• Catalog Items are classified by category, sub-category, class, and type

• Catalogs are built with the Catalog Management module or could be populated through data import



CMDB Generic Reporting• Provides a set of generic

reports that can report on CIs in different output format:

• Tabular• Schematic• Location• Statistic

• Provides extensive amount of domain specific reports

• Provides Ni2 Query Language (NQL) that leverages the N(i)² object model concepts (CI, relationships and business rules)



Multi-Domains Dependency• Generates application

models (software, interfaces, adapters, processes)

• Maps applications to logical infrastructure (cluster nodes, application server....)

• Maps logical nodes to physical infrastructure (servers, chassis, storage, locations…)

• Maps applications to service model enabling the definition of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

• Models impact of services on business



Impact Analysis• Analyzes the

configuration make-up of a service

• Analyzes any CI impact on people

• Allows to define any impact theme for any domain



Locations• Manages containership

relation between cities, buildings, floors, rooms, racks…

• Manages CI locations on floor-plans

• Manages CI locations on maps (Maps can be extracted from GIS services or map files)

• Tracks civic addresses



Configuration Management

The N(i)2 CMDB offers multiple strategies to manage CIs:

During initial load, powerful import tools may be used to massively populate the CMDB

In the change process, features and workflows help register all changes in the CMDB

Discovery tools assist in updating the CMDB with logical CIs, and in auditing release changes


IMAC Functions• Provides a set of features

to add/modify/delete CIs and relations

• Supports linking external attachments to CIs

• Allows the management of attachments within a content management component

• Provides features to define multiple graphical representation for CIs based on the viewing context



• Discovers hardware and software assets

• Extracts asset attributes like serial number and host name

• Automatically builds relations between discovered items

• Uses SNMP or/and WMI protocols

• Discovers based on a host name, a single IP, a range of IPs, or a full subnet

• Leverages rule based reconciliation engine

Discovery



Import / Export• Imports CIs and their

attributes from any formatted text file

• Imports CIs relations

• Restructures raw data into N(i)2 object data

• Reconciles imported data with existing data in the CMDB

• Leverages a staging area to audit changes

• Exports CIs and their relations from the CMDB



Organization Design

Service Design

Multi-Domain Configuration Management

The N(i)2 CMDB architecture is designed to support multiple IT domains

The N(i)2 CMDB breaks down IT silos by federating and sharing information across domains

In addition to the N(i)2 CMDB, a series of management and modeling applications offer domain specific configuration management tools

Network Design

Connectivity Design

Structure Design

Rack Design

Asset Design


Rack Design• Manages mounting

positions in racks

• Manages cards position in chassis

• Supports rack design through reporting on heat dissipation, power load, physical characteristics…

• Tracks physical connectivity between devices



Connectivity Design• Manages circuits

between sites

• Treats circuit as an asset by tracking circuit’s TCO

• Manages channels in network facility for accurate capacity management planning

• Analyzes circuit dependencies for better change assessment



Supporting Structure Design• Manages port to port

connections

• Manages connections between sites

• Leverages a spatially enabled environment



Network Design• Manages network

inventory including sub-nets, IP addresses …

• Dynamically generates networks schematics from the CMDB

• Tracks IP addresses availability

• Tracks DHCP ranges



Organization & Service Design• Tracks human resources,

organizations, groups…

• Reports on organization structure, hierarchy…

• Provides tools to model business services

• Reports on services dependency, allocations…



Change & Release Management

The N(i)2 CMDB supports three types of change process: active and proactive

Reactive: unplanned changes are discovered through a discovery process

Active: changes occur via a request and the CMDB manages the change process lifecycle

Proactive: changes are modeled and their impacts assessed via “what if” scenarios


Request Change• Advanced request for

change management

• Request classification through policy catalog

• Automatic notification to change manager

• Identification of impacted configuration items through the CMDB



Assess Change• Checks current

configurations for conflicts with future infrastructure changes

• Models future “as intended” changes in alternate scenarios

• Analyses change impact on business from financial of and logistic perspectives



Authorize Change• Change process

supported by an approval engine

• Support for the escalation process

• Change history tracking for auditing and Sox compliancy



Build & Test Change• Audits planned changes

to extract required deployment activities

• Automatically generates release plan to ensure all change activities are regarded

• Optimizes change plans through alternate scenarios



Roll Out Change• Schedules release tasks

• Manages tasks dependencies

• Assigns tasks to deployment staff

• Ensures availability of resources through common calendar


Documents

Ni2 demo april07