Software vs Application class

[Dean12]

The software (cmdb_ci_spkg) and application (cmdb_ci_appl) classes seem to be very similar. I see where both classes have extended tables. From our initial test runs using Discovery, it seems the software class is populated more often than the application class. We have imported some of our legacy data into the cmdb, but I am not sure we imported them into the best possible class. What is the difference between the software class and the application class?

[dbhertel]

cmdb_ci_spkg = Software Package. Think of it as a 'master' reference of a specific version of software at your company. Example: "Visual Studio version 10.1.2a".

cmdb_software_instance = Individual instances, 1 record per installed instance on a server (typically found by Discovery). If 10 machines have Visual Studio 10.1.2a installed (from example above), then 10 records exist in cmdb_software_instance. There is also a 1-many reference between Package to Instances. cmdb_ci_spkg is auto-updated with the running total of installed instances per Package (10 in this example).

cmdb_ci_appl = Application CIs created in CMDB that represent something in your environment that you care about. Could be a running process classified by Discovery, or a piece of software that you want to represent or relate via a CMDB CI relationship to a server. Lots of types of applications can be created in this class (web services, for example are subclassed here)... any type of Application that represent a running apps/process/thing that is important to you to track in your CMDB.

Hope this helps --- Dave