Uniquely Identify CI Configuration Items - Looking for opinions

[Sarah50]

I'm looking for different opinions and rationalizations for how different organizations mark their CIs as unique in Service now. Out of the box, Service now indicates this is usually the "Name" field however many organizations find using hostname, as the unique identifier as problematic. For example, retiring a piece of hardware but not a hostname. Also it seems different CI Classes want different fields to be their Unique ID which makes enforcement of uniquem

Server: Serial Number
Desktop: Asset Tag
Software: Software Name + Version

Can people offer up what they are doing in their CMS/CMDB implementations??

Thanks!

[tony_fugere]

You've mentioned exactly the same fields that I have seen my clients using as their "unique identifiers" when integrating external data sources:

• Computers (base class and all children): Serial Number (especially with Discovery)
• All Other Hardware: Asset Tag
• Software: Software Name + Version (aka the Package Name calculated field)

That really covers the gamut of what I have seen in action though. I find it helpful to write Business Rules to propagate that unique information into the Name field such that Name becomes the central location for displaying a CI throughout the system.

HTH

[robin850]

We currrently use Serial Number, Class, Name for all computers.

cheers,

robin850

[michelregueiro]

I think your proposals are good (shairp2, Tony and robin).

To share with you some alternatives, we have introduced for one customer a Code field in cmdb_ci that must be unique. That way, users can still have generic names but a unique code. Benefit: no need to define a combination of fields to define uniqueness. Inconvenient: does not address the need you mentioned about CI classes requiring different fields to be their unique ID.

Michel
aspediens.com

[Glenn Goldman2]

CI ID has served us well. System generated / unique # with the prefix CIxxxxxxxxxx
Hardware may change its names, OS and other attributes over time. The CI ID follows that CI cradle to grave.