CMDB CI Class Models

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 3, 2023
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of CMDB CI Class Models

    The CMDB CI Class Models ServiceNow® Store app extends the base Configuration Management Database (CMDB) class hierarchy by adding additional class models. These include detailed class descriptions, identification rules, identifier entries, and dependent relationships. The extended classes integrate fully with existing CMDB functionality and are leveraged by ServiceNow applications such as Discovery and Service Mapping to discover and populate Configuration Items (CIs) across various technologies and software.

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    Key Features

    • Adds new classes, columns, and metadata to key CMDB tables including CMDB Class Information, Identifier, Identifier Entry, and CMDB Metadata Hosting Rules.
    • Supports discovery of multiple technologies and software through extension classes, such as Avi load balancers, Oracle RDS models, Firewalls, IBM Hardware Management Console, IoT devices, Nutanix, OpenStack, Red Hat Virtualization, TLS, and VMware NSX load balancers.
    • Enables applications like Discovery and Service Mapping to utilize these extended classes for improved and broader CI population.
    • Provides integration with related ServiceNow Store apps, including Discovery patterns and Service Graph Connectors, to enhance discovery capabilities and third-party data integration.

    Using and Managing the App

    • After installation, verify successful class additions by navigating to All > Configuration > CI Class Manager and viewing the class hierarchy and details such as identification rules and dependent relationships.
    • Uninstalling the app is not recommended as it may compromise CMDB integrity and cause unexpected behavior.
    • Customers can visit the ServiceNow Store to explore additional related apps and request new ones as needed.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This app enhances your CMDB’s capability to accurately model and discover a wider range of CIs, improving data quality and operational insight. By using these extended classes, you enable Discovery and Service Mapping to better manage complex environments involving diverse technologies. This leads to more comprehensive asset visibility, better service impact analysis, and streamlined IT operations management.

    The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) contains base-system classes that store data about Configuration Items (CIs). The CMDB CI Class Models ServiceNow® Store app adds class models that extend the CMDB class hierarchy, including class descriptions, identification rules, identifier entries, and dependent relationships if applicable.

    You can use the added classes as any other CMDB class. Applications such as Discovery and Service Mapping can use these class extensions to populate CIs and discover various technologies and software.

    Related ServiceNow® Store apps and reference information:
    • CMDB schema model: A collection of class diagrams and class attributes for key CMDB classes.
    • CMDB tables descriptions: Descriptions of key CMDB tables in the base system.
    • Populating the CMDB: Information about the various options for populating the CMDB.
    • Discovery patterns: A ServiceNow Store app that provides a library of Discovery patterns for discovering specific devices and applications in the industry.
    • Service Graph Connectors: ServiceNow Store apps that provide predefined integrations for importing and integrating common third-party data into CMDB classes. Also includes the IntegrationHub ETL wizard for creating new ETL transform maps.

    Add class models

    The app adds classes, columns, and the associated metadata as related records in the following tables:
    • CMDB Class Information [cmdb_class_info]: Class descriptions
    • Identifier [cmdb_identifier]: Identification rules
    • Identifier Entry [cmdb_identifier_entry]: Identification entries
    • CMDB Metadata Hosting Rules [cmdb_metadata_hosting]: Dependent relationships

    Discover using extension classes

    The table lists the software and technologies that applications can discover using the extension classes. It provides links to documentation for CMDB CI Class Models and the corresponding discovery patterns.
    Software/Technology CMDB CI Class Models Store app ServiceNow Store discovery patterns
    Avi load balancer Avi load balancer extension classes Avi Vantage load balancer discovery
    BYOL Model of RDS for Oracle BYOL model of RDS for Oracle extension classes
    Firewall Firewall extension classes
    IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) extension classes IBM Virtualization and Hardware Management Console discovery
    Internet of Things (IoT) Internet of Things (IoT) extension classes N/A
    Nutanix Nutanix extension classes Nutanix Acropolis discovery
    OpenStack OpenStack extension classes OpenStack resource discovery
    Red Hat Virtualization (RHV) Red Hat Virtualization (RHV) extension classes Red Hat Virtualization discovery
    Transport Layer Security (TLS) Transport Layer Security (TLS) extension classes Discovery procedures provided by Certificate Inventory and Management ServiceNow Store app
    VMware NSX load balancer VMware NSX load balancer extension classes VMware NSX Advanced load balancer discovery

    Request apps on the Store

    Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

    Verify successful installation

    After installing the CMDB CI Class Models store app, make sure the classes were added successfully:
    1. Navigate to All > Configuration > CI Class Manager.
    2. Click Hierarchy to display the CI Classes list.

      This list contains the added classes, such as the Nutanix classes.

    3. Select a class to see the corresponding class details, identification rules, identifier entries, and dependent relationships, if applicable.
    Note:
    Uninstalling the CMDB CI Class Models application might compromise the integrity of the CMDB and result in unexpected behavior.