Common Service Data Model for Network Service Monitoring

gunnergraves · ‎12-17-2020

Hello Team,

Like many of you, I am trying to work through how to utilize the CSDM in my environment. We are a shared services provider for several child company's all managed in a single environment. I'm trying to show leadership the real value of moving into more of a Services Oriented view of our world. One place where I feel like there is significant value is in our Network Services Monitoring Service. Allowing our network engineers to easily consolidate the view of alerts and incidents into a clear status view of the network Service at a specific Site. (We have over 900 sites world-wide.)

I would describe where we are as a solid crawl. We have discovery running on most of the network infrastructure and there are attributes on the CI's that we can use to group them by site using a filter. We also have monitoring tools deployed and generating alerts for network devices. I want my network engineers to have a view where they can see the status (Green, Yellow, Red) of all the sites and be able to drill into those services to see the Alerts, Incidents, etc driving the status.

After reading the CSDM 3.0 I envisioned having a Technical Service that would just be “Network” and build service offerings for each Location using dynamic CI Groups. When I started trying to implement this in practice, I found that when you use a dynamic CI Group, it creates a “Query Based Technical Service” but it doesn’t allow Service Offerings to be assigned to it natively. When I tried to create a Technical Service and a Technical Service Offering directly from the CSDM window, I can use the Relationship Builder to add the CI’s to the Service or Service Offering level but I’m wondering if that is really the best way to do that.

Does anyone have an example of how they have modeled Network Support of multiple sites in the Technical Service area of CSDM?

Mary Vanatta · ‎12-18-2020

Hi @gunnergraves

Looks like we live in the same city. More than happy to guide you.

First I would say as a CSDM advisor that I use the TBM Taxonomy to help define those higher level services, and yes Network Services is a good place to start.

Mapped out what you are asking for several clients.

I see this as your main ask " I want my network engineers to have a view where they can see the status (Green, Yellow, Red) of all the sites and be able to drill into those services to see the Alerts, Incidents, etc driving the status. "

To have a view where they can see the status I assume you are using Event Management, correct?

Start with this:

Technical Service - Network Services
Service Offering - Network Monitoring - Chicago - contains local support group
Service Offering - Network Monitoring - Wichita - contains local support group

Not every technical service has a an application service or a business service, these are "underpinning services." That is another discussion. Called out in a recent PEAK training for implementation partners.

Here is what you are missing, your almost there:
Create a CMDB Query using the CMDB Query builder. (This may take access)
Once you create a query, you will add it to a CMDB Group.
Then you can attach the CMDB group to the Dynamic CI class - This can ONLY be done in PARIS.

Lastly, you will create a "contains relationship" on the Network Monitoring - Location and add the Dynamic CI Group.

Navigate to Configuration and click CMDB Query Builder.
Click Create new. Enter a Name – Network - Wichita

In the CMDB Classes list, locate for example the IP Switch class, and drag it to the canvas.
Use the condition filter above the Windows box on the canvas.

Set the conditional filter to Operational Status is “Operational” and Location contains Wichita
Click Save, and then click Saved Queries on the left to see the widget for the saved query.
Click the query widget to return to the canvas in edit mode.
Click Run to execute the query.

Review the query results. Each row displays the name of a ip switch CI

You may run queries on multiple tables or a parent table like "Network Gear"

Add columns to the query results:

Click the Switch node on the canvas once or twice so that the Server 1 Report Columns section appears in the right-side pane. Click Add Columns.
Select Manufacturer and then click outside the columns list to close it.
Click Run. Review the query results which now include the Manufacturer column.
Click Save again to save all your customization for this query.

Reference ServiceNow Documentation for building other queries

Add Queries to a CMDB Group -

Navigate to CMDB Groups>New
Name the Group to be similar to the Dynamic Group and Offering (Network Gear - Location)
Submit
Add Query - The new query you just created

CMDB Groups can be added to a Dynamic Group

Navigate to Dynamic CI Group
Fill it out (yes support groups can be added here as well)
on the CMDB Group field - select your CMDB group that you just created.

In event management you can use this to display the "Red, Yellow, Green" on the dashboard.

Dynamic CI groups can also group together CIs that "make up an application service" and mapped to the Application Service in the Application Service wizard.

View solution in original post

Mary Vanatta · ‎12-18-2020

@gunnergraves Dynamic CI groups are also considered a "CI" and can be selected in Change and Incident record in the CI field. The advantage is being able to select in the CI Field: "Network Switches - Wichita" and know taht you can view the list of switches that would be part of that particular change.

Mary Vanatta · ‎12-18-2020

In order to really find value, SN provided an update set from K20 that will allow routing of the Incident or Change to the support group on the TSO or BSO via client script.

Limitations: If using Event Mgmt, then you cannot select the Dynamic CI group as the CI for Incident. You really still need to populate the incident with the offending CI.

Rick25 · ‎01-11-2021

This is good stuff. I very appreciate your posts. We are beginning to deploy this type of model. One thing I'm trying to understand further is how to leverage the "service" definitions to influence the Incident "impact". Is there a good source of info on how that works?

Regards,

Rick

l_henry · ‎01-11-2021

Rick,

Thank you.

So when you used the Service/Service offering in the Incident/change forms the affected/impacted services will appear in the related lists. To add other CI's or services one would need to add them manually.

Ex: Active Directory or SSO breaks and it affects many services (application and business service offerings) then those would manually need to be added to the Affected CIs/Services related list on the Incident form.

Mary Vanatta · ‎01-11-2021

Rick,

Thank you.

So when you used the Service/Service offering in the Incident/change forms the affected/impacted services will appear in the related lists. To add other CI's or services one would need to add them manually.

Ex: Active Directory or SSO breaks and it affects many services (application and business service offerings) then those would manually need to be added to the Affected CIs/Services related list on the Incident form.