Creating a configuration item
You can create a CI to represent a physical, logical, or conceptual entity that is part of your IT environment. A CI has configurable attributes. Examples include computer systems, buildings, employees, software, and business services.
Note
If you do not have the Create, Edit, and Delete permissions on the class of a CI, the New and Save toolbar buttons are disabled.
CIs are shown in CMDB Manager. The following views are available to display classes in the left pane of the Instance Editor:
- Tile View--Displays large icons of each class in the data model. Use this view to select a class by clicking the icon of the class.
- List View--Displays small icons of each class in the data model. Use this view to select a class by clicking the name of the class.
- Tree View--Displays the hierarchy of classes in the data model in the form of a tree.
You can collapse the left pane of the CMDB Manager, which enables you to see the CMDB Manager by using the full screen of the web page.
The right pane of the CMDB Manager displays all existing CIs of the selected class. To view CIs of subclasses of the selected class, select the Include instances of subclasses check box from the Actions menu (
). To view the CIs, select the Configuration Items option in the Actions menu (). To view only the Business Services, select the Business Services option in the Actions menu (). The Configuration Items and Business Services options are enabled only if the Base element class is selected in the left pane of the CMDB Manager.
To create a configuration item
- Click the Remedyforce CMDB tab.
- In the left pane of the CMDB Manager, select the class whose instance you want to create from the list of classes.
You cannot create CIs of the following abstract classes:- BMC_AccessPoint
- BMC_Collection
- BMC_FinancialElement
- BMC_LogicalEntity
- BMC_Software
- BMC_System
- BMC_SystemComponent
- BMC_SystemService
- In the right pane of the CMDB Manager, click
. - On the General tab of the Attributes section in the CMDB Instance Editor, enter values for the CI.
For more information about the fields on the tab, see Fields on the General tab. - (Optional) In the Specifications tab of the Attributes section, enter more attribute values for the CI.
The Specifications tab contains attributes that are specific to the CI class. If you are creating a CI for the Base Element class, no fields are displayed in the Specifications tab. - (Optional for CMDB 1.0 only) In the Custom tab of the Attributes section, enter the custom attribute values for the CI.
The Custom tab appears in the Instance Editor when the system administrator creates custom fields for a CMDB class and makes these custom fields available for a class. When you create an instance of the class, these custom fields appear in this tab as custom attributes of the instance. - Click
.
The following fields in Attributes > General tab are filled with values that record more information about the CI.- Class ID -- This field is set to the ID of the class whose instance is being created.
- Created Date --This field is set to the date and time at which the instance is created.
- Last Modified By --This field is set to the user who last modified the instance.
- Last Modified Date --This field is set to the date and time at which the instance was last modified.
- To return to the CMDB Manager, click
.
Fields on the General tab
The General tab contains attributes that are common across all the CMDB classes. However, the system administrator can add more fields to the form. The following table provides description about the fields that are available on the General tab by default.
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Instance Name | Type a unique alphanumeric identifier for the current CI. |
Description | Type a description of the CI. |
Short Description | Type a short description of the CI. You can configure the CI Explorer to display the short description of the CI to quickly view information about the CI. |
Notes | Type general notes about the CI. |
Manufacturer Name | Type the name of the manufacturer of the CI, if applicable. |
Model | Type the name by which the entity represented by the CI is generally known. For example, the model name of an Acme widget might be Pro Widget 2000. |
Version Number | Type the version number of the physical entity represented by the CI. |
Serial # | Type the serial number of the physical entity represented by the CI. |
Asset # | Type the tag number of the physical entity represented by the CI. |
Token ID | Type a unique identifier that you want to assign to the CI. |
Priority | Select the priority of the CI from the list. |
Primary Client | From the list of all existing clients, select a client who primarily uses the CI. When you select a client in this field and save the CI, the CI is assigned to the client and the information is updated in the Details > Clients tab. |
Supported | Select whether technical support is provided for the CI. If you select No, the CI is deprecated and support might not be provided for it in the future. If support is not required for the CI, select N/A. |
Warranty Exp Date | Select the date when the warranty expires for the CI. |
Site | Type the site where the CI is located. |
CI Status | Select the status of the CI. You can use this field to record information about the decommissioning, transfer, and disposal of CIs. |
Stage | Select the stage of the CI. |
Mark As Deleted | Select this check box to mark the CI as deleted. When a CI is deleted, you can exclude it from searches and other activities by using the Mark As Deleted attribute in your conditions. Additionally, you can preserve its relationships if you want to reuse the CI at a later stage. Note: If this check box is selected, the CIs are shown in the CI list views but not in CI lookups, Impact Analysis window, or CI Explorer. |
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