Asset types and subtypes

BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management provides a number of asset types and subtypes for creating an asset. Each asset subtype relates to an existing BMC Helix CMDB class. The existing asset classes and subclasses are reorganized in BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management to provide a more logically grouped set of asset types and subtypes. This organization makes it easier for users to use these subtypes when creating or filtering asset data.

A configuration item (CI) represents any component of an infrastructure. For example, a CI can represent a hardware component or software component, a service, an inventory location, and a network (LAN or WAN). CIs can vary widely in complexity, size, and type, from representing an entire system to representing a single component. Configuration administrators use the CI forms to create CIs and track them throughout their lifecycle. Throughout the CI lifecycle, configuration administrators manage costs, software licenses, and contracts.

Asset type	Asset subtypes
Business Service	Business Service
Computer System	Computer System Mainframe Printer
Equipment	Equipment
Hardware	CDROM Drive Card Chassis Database Storage Disk Drive Floppy Drive Hardware Package Hardware System Component Keyboard Local File System Media Memory Monitor Pointing Device Processor Rack Remote File System Resource Pool System Resource Tape Drive UPS
Network	Admin Domain Cluster Communication Endpoint Connectivity Collection Connectivity Segment IP Connectivity Subnet IP Endpoint IPX Connectivity Network LAN Endpoint LNs Collection Local Area Network (LAN) NT Domain Network Port Protocol Endpoint Wide Area Network (WAN)
Other	Account Activity Business Process Concrete Collection Document Logical System Component Physical Location Role Service Offering Instance Transaction
Software	Application Application Infrastructure Application Service Application System BIOS Element Database Disk Partition File System Operating System Package Patch Product Resource Allocation Setting Data Share Software Server System Software Virtual System Enabler Virtual System Setting Data

BMC_Access Point subclass

You use these BMC_Access Point CI types to define the endpoints in your topology. The following CI types can be created in the BMC_Access Point subclass.

The following table shows the CI types available in the BMC_Access Point subclass:

CI type	Description
Communication Endpoint	A communication protocol endpoint that is dedicated to running TCP/UDP.
IP Endpoint	A protocol endpoint that is dedicated to running IP.
LAN Endpoint	A communication endpoint that can send and receive data frames when its associated interface device is connected to a LAN. LAN Endpoints include Ethernet, Token Ring, and FDDI interfaces.
Protocol Endpoint	A communication endpoint from which data can be sent or received. Protocol Endpoints link system or computer interfaces to logical networks.

BMC_Bulk Inventory subclass

Bulk Inventory is the only CI type available under this subclass. You use this CI type to define your bulk items. The inventory items are ordered in bulk and are not tracked by an individual record for each item. The total quantity of a bulk inventory item is tracked against reorder levels.

BMC_Collection subclass

You use the BMC_Collection subclass CI types to define site information and connectivity information. The following CI types are available when you create a CI under the BMC_Collection subclass.

The following table shows the CI types available in the BMC_Collection subclass:

CI type	Description
Concrete Collection	A generic and instantiable collection, such as a pool of hosts available for running jobs.
Connectivity Collection	A group of protocol endpoints of the same type that are able to communicate with each other. It can also be a group of related systems, users, or other managed elements.
Connectivity Segment	A group of endpoints of a particular type (for example, Ethernet or token ring) that are able to intercommunicate by using bridging or routing services.
IP Connectivity Subnet	A group of related IP protocol endpoints that can communicate with each other as members of a subnet.
IPX Connectivity Network	A network or subnet that uses the IPX protocol.
LNs Collection	A group of logical networks.
Local Area Network (LAN)	A collection of IP subnets in a LAN.
Role	A role, for example, a business or IT role.
Wide Area Network (WAN)	A collection of IP subnets in a WAN.

BMC_Document class

You use the BMC_Document CI type to store information about documentation in your environment. Document is the only CI type available under this class.

BMC_Equipment class

You use the BMC_Equipment CI type to define noncomputing equipment, such as vehicles or maintenance tools. Equipment is the only CI type available under the BMC_Equipment class.

BMC_Logical Entity subclass

You use the BMC_Logical Entity CI types to define accounts, business processes, databases, and so on. The following CI types are available when you create a CI under the BMC_Logical Entity subclass.

The following table shows the CI types available in the BMC_Logical Entity subclass:

CI type	Description
Account	An account that a person owns, used to access a specific target system. An Account is usually connected to a Person entity.
Activity	A function or step in a business process definition. Activity is also the superclass for Business Process and other types of activity definitions.
Business Process	A set of activities that describe a business process.
Business Service	A business, IT, or technical service: A business service can be provided from one business or organization within a business to another. Examples of business services include customer support, order processing, and payroll. An IT service is a business service that the IT organization provides to support business services or IT's own operations. Examples of IT services include employee provisioning, backup, and recovery. A technical service can be provided by IT to represent a service offering and the service level targets associated with that service. Examples of technical services include web farms and storage.
Database	A collection of interrelated data, treated as a unit, which is organized into one or more schemas.
Physical Location	The position and address of a physical element.
Transaction	A single transaction initiated by a user or system. For example, a user selecting a web page from a user interface is a transaction, just as a computer program calling a web service to perform a function in another computer program is also a transaction.

BMC_Settings subclass

You use the BMC_Settings CI type to specify virtual systems. The following CI types are available when you create a CI under the BMC_Settings subclass.

A virtual system configuration consists of a top-level virtual system setting data CI with child resource allocation setting data CIs that are related as components. You can use virtual system configurations to represent current virtual systems and requests to create or modify virtual systems.

The following table shows the CI types available in the BMC_Settings subclass:

CI type	Description
Resource Allocation Setting Data	These settings contain information specific to the allocation that might not be visible to the consumer of the resource. For example, a virtual processor might look like a 2 GHz processor to the consumer; however, it might use only 1 GHz of memory.
Virtual System Setting Data	Virtual system setting data defines the virtual aspects of a virtual system through a set of virtualization-specific properties. You can use this CI to model configuration information about virtual systems and their components.

BMC_System subclass

You use the BMC_System CI type to define the systems in your organization. The following CI types are available when you create a CI under the BMC_System subclass.

The following table shows the CI types available in the BMC_System subclass:

CI type	Description
Admin Domain	A subclass of systems representing the admin domains for other elements such as Windows NT Domain, and J2EE Domain.
Application	A deployed program that performs specific tasks.
Application Infrastructure	Hierarchical separation of an application system from the infrastructure supporting that application system.
Application System	An application or software system that supports a particular business function and that can be managed as an independent unit.
Cluster	A group of disk sectors. The operating system assigns a unique number to each cluster and then keeps track of files according to the clusters they use.
Computer System	A complete, working computer. This CI type can also see a virtual system.
Inventory Location	The location of your inventory items.
Mainframe	A large computer capable of supporting hundreds, or even thousands, of users simultaneously.
NT Domain	A group of computers and devices on a Microsoft Windows NT network that are administered as a unit with common rules and procedures.
Printer	Both local printers and network printers.
Software Server	A server on which your software applications reside.

BMC_System Component subclass

The following CI types are available when you create a CI under the BMC_System Component subclass.

The following table shows the available CI types in the BMC_System Component subclass:

CI type	Description
BIOS	The built-in software that determines what a computer can do without accessing programs from a disk.
Card	A printed circuit board that you can insert into a computer to give it added capabilities.
CDROM Drive	A device that can read information from a CD-ROM.
Chassis	A metal frame that serves as the structural support for electronic components.
Database Storage	A device to save and retain data from a database.
Disk Drive	A device that reads data from and writes data to a disk.
Disk Partition	A continuous range of logical blocks that is identifiable by the operating system by using the partition's type field and subtype field.
File System	The system that an operating system or a program uses to organize and keep track of files.
Floppy Drive	A device that reads data from and writes data to a disk.
Hardware Package	A hardware package that groups hardware components that are made up of other hardware components. For example, a chassis is made up of a disk drive, memory, a processor, and so on.
Hardware System Component	A hardware system component is a physical object, such as a disk, disk drive, display screen, keyboard, printer, board, or processor.
Keyboard	The set of typewriter-like keys that enables you to enter data into a computer.
Local File System	Files that reside on your workstation.
Logical System Component	A logical system component.
Media	Objects on which data can be stored. These include hard disks, floppy disks, CDs, and tapes.
Memory	Internal storage areas in the computer.
Monitor	The display screen of a computer.
Network Port	An interface on a computer to which you can connect a network device.
Operating System	Software that controls the operation of a computer and directs the processing of programs.
Package	A computer program or a collection of related software, for example, Microsoft Office.
Patch	A fix to a program defect. Also called a service patch.
Pointing Device	A device with which you can control the movement of the cursor to select items on a display window.
Processor	A silicon chip that contains a CPU.
Product	Something that is produced, such as a software program or a hardware component. For example, Microsoft Office would be categorized under Product.
Rack	A hardware component that holds other hardware components.
Remote File System	A file system that is not connected directly to your workstation.
Resource Pool	A logical entity provided by the host system to allocate and assign resources.
Share	Shared components such as a file system.
System Resource	An entity managed by a BIOS (basic input/output system), an operating system, or other software that is available for use by application software, logical devices, or both. System resources are individually identified and allocated entities that are assignable, reservable, counted or tracked, releasable, resettable, and so on. Examples of software resources are message queues, shared memory segments, and named pipes. Examples of hardware resources in an x86 environment are IRQs, DMA channels, and memory-mapped I/O. Another example is J2EE resources used by a J2EE server to provide the J2EE standard services required by the J2EE platform architecture.
System Software	The operating system and all utility programs that manage computer resources at a low level.
Tape Drive	A device that reads data from and writes it on to a tape.
UPS Short for uninterruptible power supply	A power supply that includes a battery to maintain power in the event of a power outage.
Virtual System Enabler	A virtual system enabler represents a collection of virtual operating systems (for example, VMWare) that can run on a specified system.

BMC_System Service subclass

You use BMC_System Service subclass to define the system services in your organization. Application Service is a CI type available under the BMC_System Service subclass.

An Application Service is a logical element that contains the information necessary to represent and manage the functionality that a software feature provides. This service is a general-purpose object to configure and manage the implementation of the functionality. This service is not the functionality itself.

Relationship types

When you relate a configuration item (CI) or service to another CI, you must define the relationship between the two records. The following relationship types are available with BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management:

Relationship type	Description
Component	Establishes component (or part of) relationships between managed elements. For example, this relationship class can be used to define the patches that are installed on a software product. It can also be used to define the activities or steps that make up a business process. This class corresponds to the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) CIM_Component class.
Dependency	Establishes dependency relationships between object store elements.
Element Location	Relates a managed element to a location for site, inventory, and maintenance purposes. Physical elements have locations, and other managed elements might be related to locations. For example, organizations might have one or more location, whereas the services are related to one location.
Hosted Access Point	Relates an access point and the system on which it resides. This relationship is 1-to-many and is weak with respect to the system. Each system might host many service access points. If the implementation of the access point is modeled, it must be implemented by a device or software feature that is part of the system hosting the service access point.
Hosted Service	Relates a service and the system on which the service resides. The relationship is 1-to-many and is weak with respect to the service. A service is hosted on the system where logical devices or software features that implement the service are located. The model does not represent services hosted across multiple systems. The service is modeled as an application system that acts as an aggregation point for services that are each located on a single host.
Hosted System Components	Relates a system and a system component. This relationship is 1-to-many and is weak with respect to the system. This relationship class is a subclass of BMC_Component, representing a more specific type of component relationship. Use this class to relate system components, and use the BMC_Component to relate other types of components. This class does not correspond to the DMTF CIM_Component class.
Impact	Generically relates impact relationships between objects. This relationship class represents a generic association used to establish impact relationships between objects. This class does not correspond to the DMTF CIM_Component class.
Inventory Bulk Items	Relates a bulk item to inventory location.
Inventory Computer Systems	Relates a computer system to inventory location.
Inventory System Components	Relates a system component to inventory location.
Member Of Collection	Establishes membership of managed elements in a collection. This relationship class represents a set of CIs to establish membership of base managed elements in a collection. A collection is a logical grouping of related entities into an abstract container object. For example, this relationship can be used to link endpoints, systems, or users to an instance of BMC_Collection or its subclasses. This class corresponds to the DMTF class CIM_MemberOfCollection.
Settings Of	Relates a managed element to the applicable setting data and describes whether this setting is the default or current setting.