Compare versions of CI configuration files

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

    • You can compare two versions of tracked CI configuration files to see the actual changes made to them.

    Before you begin

    Role required: admin

    If Discovery and Service Mapping do not track a configuration file you want to track, perform advanced configuration as described in Modify tracking changes in configuration files.

    About this task

    Discovery and Service Mapping check configuration files for changes during horizontal discovery using patterns. If a configuration file is modified, the system saves the version of the file. You can use the time stamp to differentiate between versions.

    Changes to configuration files are associated with CIs to which these files belong. Maps show configuration file changes as changes to related CIs.

    Procedure

    1. To compare the latest and the previous version of the CI configuration file from Service Mapping:
      1. Navigate to All > Service Mapping > Services > Business Services.
      2. Click View Map next to the required business service.
      3. On the Changes tab, locate the change record for the modified CI configuration file.
        Important:
        The name of the change must be File Modified.

        Change record for a modified configuration file.
      4. Right-click the change record for the modified CI configuration file, and select View Change in Tracked File Content.
        The Tracked Configuration File Comparison tab opens, displaying the most recent and the previous versions of the configuration file.
      5. Continue with 3.
    2. To compare any two versions of the CI configuration file from the list of versions from Discovery:
      • Navigate to All > Discovery > Tracked Configuration Files and sort or filter the list by criteria such as Related CI or Host.
      • Open a CI record from the Configuration module for the CI type to which the configuration file belongs. For example, to find a Tomcat server, navigate to All > Configuration > Applications Servers > Tomcat, then select the specific Tomcat server. The list of configuration files appear in the Tracked Configuration files related list.
      1. Select the configuration file from the list.
        The tracked configuration file record shows:
        Field Description
        File Name The name and file path of the file.
        File Size The file size.
        Last Modified The date the file was last modified.
        File Content The contents of the file, if you selected the option to save the contents on the file tracking definition.
      2. In the Content Versions related list, click one of the versions in the Update time related list.
        The same information about the configuration file appears along with the update time.
      3. Click Compare.
        The Tracked Configuration File Comparison tab opens, displaying the configuration file versions you selected.
    3. Review actual changes.

      Highlight colors indicate the type of change:

      • Purple — Updated line
      • Pink — New line
      • Gray — Deleted line
    4. Navigate between the changes using the arrows in the upper right corner.