Managing relationships between an asset and other CMDB instances

A CMDB instance represents a record in the BMC Remedyforce CMDB, which can be classified as a Configuration Item (CI), asset, or CI and asset. Each instance has configurable properties or attributes. You can attach supporting information about instances in the form of documents or URLs. You can also establish a relationship among instances in your environment. For example, you can establish a relationship among a monitor, keyboard, processor, and other items that make a computer system. Your staff members can also link assets and CIs to change requests, incidents, problems, releases, tasks, and knowledge articles.

Depending on the CI and asset management configurations, assets and CIs in the Remedyforce CMDB interrelate and affect one another as follows:

• If both CI and IT asset management are enabled, CIs and assets interrelate and affect one another. CI to CI, CI to asset, asset to asset, and asset to CI relationships exist.
• If only asset management is enabled, only assets interrelate and affect one another. Asset to asset relationships exist.
• If only CI management is enabled, only CIs interrelate and affect one another. CI to CI relationships exist.

Storing these relationships in the BMC Remedyforce CMDB enables you to see how the CMDB instances interrelate and affect one another. The use of relationships is a feature that differentiates between a CMDB and an asset store.

Relationships can be simple, such as a disk drive being a component of a computer system, or more complex. Relationships exist not only between physical assets and CIs, but also between logical and conceptual assets and CIs, such as the software instances and service instance. Relationship data makes the CMDB a powerful decision support tool. Understanding the dependencies and other relationships among your assets and CIs can tell you how upgrading Processor A can improve Laptop B's performance, or which services are affected if Router C failed. Most downtime is caused by issues stemming from configuration changes. Accurate relationship information can help you prevent those issues.

The following topics are provided:

To create a relationship between an asset and other CIs and assets

1. Click the Remedyforce CMDB tab.
   You can view classes and manage CIs and assets of a selected class on Remedyforce CMDB based on the CI and IT asset management configurations and the Remedyforce CMDB permissions assigned to you. For more information, see Overview of the Remedyforce CMDB tab. 

   Note

   If you do not have the Create, Edit, and Delete permissions on the class of an asset, the and toolbar icons on the Remedyforce CMDB tab are disabled.

2. In the left pane, perform one of the following actions:

   • If both CI and IT asset management are enabled, click on the CI or All tab on the left pane of Remedyforce CMDB, and select the class whose asset relationships you want to manage.
     When you are on the All tab, in the Tile and List views, class names are followed by the class type (for example, CI, Asset, and CI and Asset), and in the Tree view the class type is displayed as a tooltip.

   • If only CI management is enabled, select the class whose asset relationships you want to manage.

3. In the right pane, select the asset that you want to relate to another CI or asset.
4. Click .
5. In the Instance Editor, click the Relationships tab.

6. Perform one of the following actions:

   • To create a new relationship, click .
   • To edit an existing relationship, select that relationship from the list, and click .
   • To include the records that are marked as deleted, click  and select the Include Mark as Deleted check box.
7. In the Relationship Name field, type a unique alphanumeric identifier that you want to assign to the current relationship.
8. Click Select Class Instance and perform the following actions in the Select From Class Instances window.

   1. In the left pane, select the class whose CI or asset you want to relate to the current asset.

      Note

      In the Select From Class Instances window, the CI, Asset, and All tabs are displayed only when both CI management and IT asset management are enabled, and you have at least Read-Only access to CI Management View and Asset Management View. When only CI management is enabled, only CI classes are displayed in the left pane. Similarly, when only asset management is enabled, only asset classes are displayed in the left pane.

   2. In the right pane, select the CI or asset that you want to relate to the current asset.

   3. Click OK.
      If you did not specify a name in the Relationship Name field in step 6, the field is populated with a name in the following format:
      
      <Value of Instance Name field on left side> - <Value of Instance Name field on right side>
      
      For example, if the value in the Instance Name field on the left side is Instance Offering and the value in the Instance Name field on the right side is Description, the Relationship Name field is populated as Instance Offering - Description.

      Note

      The Select Class Instance button is not available when you edit an existing relationship.

9. In the Description field, type a description of this relationship.

10. (Optional) To mark this relationship as deleted, select the Mark As Deleted check box.

    Note

    If the Mark As Deleted check box is selected, the relationships are only shown in the Relationship list views, but not in lookups, Impact Analysis window, or the CMDB Explorer.

11. From the Type list, select the type of the relationship.
12. From the Direction list, select the direction arrow that is updated between the two icons.
    When you select the Source-destination or Destination-Source value in the Type list, the direction arrow is populated.
13. Click .
14. To return to the Instance Editor, click .
    The relationship that you have created appears in the Relationship section.
15. To return to the CMDB Manager, click  .

To navigate to the Instance Editor of related CIs and assets

From the Instance Editor of an asset, you can navigate to the Instance Editor of its related CIs and assets.

1. On the Instance Editor of the asset, click on the Relationships tab.

2. In the Instance Name link column, click on the CI or asset that you want to open.
   The related CI or asset is displayed on the Attributes tab of the Instance Editor.

   Note

   The Instance Type column indicates if the related instance is a CI, Asset, or CI/Asset.

To launch CMDB Explorer from the Instance Editor

From the Instance Editor of the asset, click  to launch the CMDB Explorer of the asset. For more information, see Working with the CMDB Explorer.