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Configuration Management is heavily dependent upon a number of other disciplines. Effective Change Management, software control, Release Management, operational acceptance testing, and procedures for the installation and acceptance of new/different hardware and network components are all essential. If these are not already in existence, they should be planned alongside Configuration Management.
Figure 7.8-CMDB interfacing to Incident, Problem, Change and Release Management
Effective Problem Management procedures are also highly desirable so as to reap most benefit from Configuration Management. If no Problem Management procedures exist, consideration should be given to planning such procedures as soon as possible. Configuration Management underpins many service support processes such as Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management and Release Management. Figures 7.8 and 7.9 show the relationships.
Figure 7.9-Relationship between Configuration, Change and Release Management
Chapter 8, Change Management, describes procedures for authorising and implementing IT infrastructure Changes. Ideally, Change Management should be regarded as an integral part of a Configuration Management system. However, because many installations have been practising Change Management without adopting full Configuration Management, the subject is treated separately.
Configuration Management contributes to the effective control of Incidents and Problems. Further information on this is available in the Incident Management and Problem Management chapters in this book (Chapters 5 and 6 respectively).
Release Management can be regarded as part of Configuration Management. It covers the building, distribution and implementation of Releases. This chapter covers, in general terms, the procedures required for controlling software, hardware and documentation and the update of the logical model of the IT infrastructure. The logical model is used to control and record the details of the building, Release, distribution, implementation and maintenance of Releases. Further information on Release Management is given in Chapter 9.
It is recommended that a single Configuration Management system be used to control components in both the live and the development environments. If there are multiple platforms, the live Configuration Management system should be designated as the 'master' and links defined to the development control and build tools in order to control the movement of components into and out of independent testing environments.
There should be strong ties between Configuration Management and the Finance, Administration and Purchasing functions of the organisation. CIs are the organisation's property, whether they are hardware, software, documents, or anything else. Configuration Management is responsible for making Finance aware of any Changes in the location and condition of this property. Approval to pay for IT infrastructure components should involve verification by Configuration Management that those CIs have actually been received, have been installed, and are working correctly.
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