Network inventory models

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 6 minutes to read
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    Summary of Network inventory models

    The Telecommunications Network Inventory application in ServiceNow enables you to define inventory models that track detailed technical information about network assets such as telecom equipment and network interfaces. These models capture metadata directly from manufacturers, including specifications like dimensions, configurations, and compatible interface cards. Using these models, you can instantiate inventory records that maintain consistent manufacturer data, facilitating accurate tracking and management of your telecommunications infrastructure.

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    Types of Inventory Models

    You can create various inventory models to represent different network components and their metadata:

    • Equipment Models: Represent vendor-provided metadata for equipment, standardizing characteristics across instances deployed at sites or data centers.
    • Equipment Holder Models: Capture metadata for containers such as bays, cabinets, racks, and slots, supporting customization per telecom provider guidelines.
    • Interface Card Models: Define consistent attributes for interface cards instantiated within equipment.
    • Network Interface Models: Capture physical and behavioral characteristics of network interfaces as specified by manufacturers.
    • Physical and Logical Connection Models: Represent metadata for physical and logical network connections respectively.
    • Cable and Strand Models: Capture metadata related to cables and strands within the network.
    • Network Topology Models: Define metadata describing network topology structure.

    Network Model Relationships

    To accurately reflect infrastructure compatibility and connectivity, you define relationships between these inventory models. These relationships clarify compatibility, capacity, and hierarchical organization among assets. Relationship types include, but are not limited to:

    • Rack to Slot
    • Equipment to Slot
    • Equipment to Network Interface
    • Slot to Interface Card
    • Interface Card to Network Interface
    • Physical Connection to Logical Connection
    • Logical Connection to Network Interface
    • Rack to Equipment and Cabinet to Equipment
    • Logical Connection to Channel

    Each relationship links parent and child product models to define compatibility and structural hierarchy clearly. For example, an equipment model can be related to compatible slot models, or interface card models can be related to network interfaces they support.

    Accessing Inventory Models

    Inventory model forms are accessible within the Network Inventory Workspace under the Inventory Models node, allowing you to create, view, and manage your network inventory metadata and relationships efficiently.

    You define an inventory model in the Telecommunications Network Inventory application so that you can track the technical information from the manufacturer about a network asset such as the telco equipment or a network interface.

    Network inventory models overview

    A network inventory model contains the assets, services, and the relationships that define the infrastructure of your telecommunications networks. An inventory model contains the metadata for the name, number, dimensions, compatible interface cards, and configurations from the manufacturer. When you instantiate an inventory record by using the design and assign function, your inventory record contains this standard manufacturer information. To learn more about how to create an inventory model record, see Creating your inventory models.

    After you create the inventory models, you can then define the relationships between the various network model entities. You can also define the compatibility between these entities. To learn more about model relationships, see Network model relationships.

    Types of inventory models

    You can create the following types of inventory models:

    Equipment Models
    An equipment model represents the metadata that is provided by a vendor or manufacturer for the equipment. It defines the consistent characteristics across the various instances that are created for the equipment. An instance is an individual occurrence of a network asset at a site or datacenter. To learn more, see Create an equipment model.
    Equipment holder models
    An equipment holder model represents the metadata for the representation of containers, including the bays, cabinets, cages, line ups, relay racks, and slots. To learn more, see Create an equipment holder model.

    The modeling guidelines for the slots vary according to the telecommunications service provider. The individual slot models are represented by the types of slots. Examples are a route processor slot, power slot, fan slot, or a generic slot model.. To learn more, see Create an equipment holder model.

    Interface card models
    A card model defines the card's metadata, which are the attributes that are consistent across the various instantiated cards of that model.. To learn more, see Create a card model.
    Network interface models
    A network interface model captures the physical characteristics and data about the behavior of a network interface, as designated by the product manufacturer. To learn more, see Create a network interface model.
    Physical connection model
    A physical connection model captures the metadata for the physical connection. To learn more, see Create a physical connection model.
    Logical connection model
    A logical connection model captures the metadata for the logical connections. To learn more, see Create a logical connection model.
    Cable model
    A cable model captures the metadata for the cable. To learn more, see Create a cable model.
    Strand model
    A strand model captures the metadata for the strand. To learn more, see Create a strand model.
    Network topology model
    A network topology model captures the metadata for the topology. To learn more, see Create a network topology model.

    Network model relationships

    A model relationship captures the relationships between the inventory models. By defining the relationships between the various network model entities, you can also define the compatibility between these entities.

    When setting up model relationships, you select one of the following options in the Relationship Type field:
    --None--
    No network model relationship exists.
    Rack to Slot
    Relationship between a rack model and a slot model. This relationship indicates that the rack and the slot models are compatible with the equipment model.
    Equipment to Slot
    Relationship between an equipment model and a slot model. This relationship indicates that the number of slots and the slot models are compatible with the equipment model.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows a list of all the equipment models related to the Telecommunications Network Inventory application.
    • The Child product model field shows only the slot models.
    Equipment to Network interface
    Relationship between an equipment model and a network interface model. This relationship indicates the interface model and the number of interfaces that are compatible and supported with the equipment model.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows a list of all the equipment models related to the Telecommunications Network Inventory application.
    • The Child product model field shows a list of all the network interface models related to the Telecommunications Network Inventory application.
    Slot to Interface Card
    Relationship between a slot model and an interface card model. This relationship enforces the Root product model field where an equipment model or a card model should be selected.
    Note:
    • The Root product model field shows a list of all the equipment models related to the Telecommunications Network Inventory application.
    • The Parent product model field shows the models of both the slots and subslots.
    • The Child product model field shows a list of all the interface card models.
    Interface card to Slot
    Relationship between an interface card model and a slot model. This relationship indicates that the slot model is compatible with the interface card model.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows a list of all the interface card models.
    • The Child product model field shows only the models of the subslots.
    Interface Card to Network interface
    Relationship between an interface card model and a network interface model. This relationship indicates that the number of interfaces in the network interface model are compatible with the interface card model.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows a list of all the interface card models.
    • The Child product model field shows a list of all the network interface models.
    Physical Connection to Logical Connection
    Relationship between the models of a physical connection to a logical connection.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows a list of all the physical connection models.
    • The Child product model field shows a list of all the logical connection models.
    Logical Connection to Logical Connection
    Relationship between one logical connection model to another logical connection model.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows a list of all the logical connection models.
    • The Child product model field shows a list of all the logical connection models.
    Physical Connection to Network Interface
    Relationship between a physical connection to a network interface.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows a list of all the physical connection models.
    • The Child product model field shows a list of all the network interface models.
    Logical Connection to Network Interface
    Relationship between a logical connection to a network interface.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows a list of all the logical connection models.
    • The Child product model field shows a list of all the network interface models.
    Rack to Equipment
    Relationship between a rack and the equipment.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows all equipment holders that have Container type as Rack.
    • The Child product model field shows all equipment models related to the Telecommunications Network Inventory application.
    Cabinet to Equipment
    Relationship between a cabinet and the equipment.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows all equipment holders that have Container type as Cabinet.
    • The Child product model field shows all equipment models related to the Telecommunications Network Inventory application.
    Logical Connection to Channel
    Relationship between a logical connection and the channel.
    Note:
    • The Parent product model field shows a list of all the logical connection models.
    • The Child product model field shows a list of all the channel models that have Behaviour as Channel.

    To learn more about how to model your network inventory relationships, see Modeling your network inventory relationships.

    Accessing Inventory Model forms

    You can access the inventory model forms in the Inventory Models node in the Network Inventory Workspace List view.