Suggested class relationships

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 1 minute to read

    • The system keeps a table (Suggested Relationship [cmdb_rel_type_suggest]) of relationship types that are appropriate for a CI type, based on its class. You can manage suggested relationships by navigating to Configuration > Suggested Relationships, or in the CI Class Manager.

    Suggestion model

    The relationship editor has a base CI. The base CI designates the CI that a user was on before launching the editor, as the base CI in the new relationship. If you launched the relationship editor from the lnux100 CI, then lnux100 becomes the base CI. Also, every CI in the system has a type (class). For example, bond lnux100 is of the Linux server type.

    Many CI types are children of other types in the hierarchy. For example, the class hierarchy for a Linux server is:

    cmdb_ci -> cmdb_ci_hardware ->cmdb_ci_computer -> cmdb_ci_server -> cmdb_ci_linux_server

    The suggestion model works by analyzing the suggested relationship table for all relationships whose base class is the current base class of the user or any one of its parent classes. For example, looking at a Linux server, the suggestion model would retrieve any relationships whose base class was:

    cmdb_ci_linux_server, cmdb_ci_server, cmdb_ci_computer, cmdb_ci_hardware, or cmdb_ci

    ITOM Visibility, if available, uses enhanced discovery patterns to identify and add CI relationships to the Suggested Relationships table.

    Suggested CI relationships in the relationship editor

    The CI relationship editor uses the suggestion model to help users select reasonable relationships for configuration items.

    For example, consider these relationship types in the system:

    • Provides Power for :: Receives Power From
    • Runs on :: Hosts

    Typically, a user uses these relationships to define the following reasonable relationships between two items as follows:

    • a database runs on a server
    • a rack provides power for a server

    Typically, neither of the following definitions would be appropriate:

    • a rack runs on a server
    • a server runs on a database

    For descriptions of some key relationships, see CI relationships in the CMDB.