Configuration item ci a ci is the registration of an object service or product. Cis may vary widely in complexity, size and type, from an aircraft, electronic or ship system to a test meter or round of ammunition. The definition rules of a version number are the following. Configuration item article about configuration item by. Lets look at how configuration items cis are defined by some leading itsm sources. Examples of configuration items include software and applications, locations and. Use configuration items and configuration management. Configuration items can overlap and exist at many levels of granularity. Computer software configuration item article about. These requirements vary depending on the role an organisation plays for example. Per iec 62304, are dhf documents configuration items.
Configuration items software configuration items are not only program code segments but all type of documents according to development, e. To define and control the performance of a system or ci, does not mean that all of its hardware and software components must be designated as cis, nor does it. Hardware or software, or an aggregate of both, which is designated by the project configuration manager for configuration management explanation of configuration item configuration item article about configuration item by the free dictionary. Software configuration management scm is a software engineering discipline consisting of standard processes and techniques often used by organizations to manage the changes introduced to its software products.
Scm is the process of identifying and defining the items in the system, controlling the change of these items. Configuration management data base cmdb a cmdb is a database where the cis. Software development technical data, reports the software development size, context, and technical information. The manufacturer shall establish a scheme for the unique identification of configuration items and. This document provides a practical guide for integrating software configuration management disciplines into the management of software engineering projects.
Software configuration management is a process to systematically manage, organize, and control the changes in the documents, codes, and other entities during the software development life cycle. A computer software configuration item csci also referred to as a software item or software configuration item is under some software development standards, an aggregation of software that is designated for configuration management cm and treated as a single entity in the cm process. Find out information about computer software configuration item. Simple useful rules for defining configuration items the. Computer software configuration item the it law wiki. There are quite a few different types of cis, including. An aggregation of hardware software, or any of its discrete portions, which satisfies an end use function and is designated by the government for configuration management. Department of energy quality managers software quality. A configuration item, or ci, is anything uniquely identifiable that can be changed independently. Configuration items a configuration item ci is any service component, infrastructure element, or other item that needs to be managed in order to ensure the successful delivery of services.
In information technology, a configuration item is a component of a system that can be identified as a selfcontained unit for purposes of change control and identification. A configuration item is a product hardware andor software that has an enduser purpose. How to use configuration management in context of cmmi. Software configuration management scm is the the overall management of a software design project as it evolves into a software product or system. Prior to software deployment, the software configuration items must be subjected. The definition of the pbs is expanded throughout the early software definition. Click add to add a new configuration item or configuration baseline to the list. Simple useful rules for defining configuration items. A classification, or type, which indicates what kind of item it is. The term configuration item ci refers to the fundamental structural unit of a configuration management system.
Where we do not know which one is the right version and which document is compatible with the other. Configuration identification is the process of identifying the attributes that define every aspect of a configuration item. Software configuration management scm a practical guide. This standard offers a wide range of advice on how to deal with this important, but often neglected, aspect of software engineering. The configuration management database cmdb schema model is a series of connected tables that contain all the assets and business services controlled by a company and its configurations. It consists of release level and computer software configuration item csci level sections.
The goal of scm is to improve the speed of and quality by catching errors early and enabling quick fixes when they occur. A configuration item ci is an infrastructure component provided by an organization to its customers. Scm helps in identifying individual elements and configurations, tracking changes, and version selection, control, and baselining. Examples of cis include individual requirements documents, software, models, and plans. A collection of information used to describe a hardware or software item c. A configuration item ci is an it asset or a combination of it assets that may depend on andor have relationships with other it processes. This includes technical aspects of the project, all level of communications, organization, and the control of modifications changes to the project plan by the programmers during the development phase. It describes the configuration items and their documentation that make up each baseline. An asset, service component or other item that is, or will be, under the control of configuration management. Cis are the basic units of configuration management. Definition a computer software unit csu is references under some software standards, the smallest subdivision of a computer software configuration item csci for the purposes of engineering management. Software configuration management scm is a set of processes, policies, and tools that organize the development process. Sap, expense account, payroll software or a corporate service e. Configuration management manages configurable items.
A ci will have attributes which may be hierarchical and relationships that will be assigned by the configuration manager in the cm database. Configuration items can be any individual, location or device connected to your. The primary goal is to increase productivity with minimal mistakes. A ci is used to index related process records in the cmdb. When synchronization has finished successfully, wsus synchronization manager creates status message 6702. One should define the ci at a level such that an individual involved with product marketing and an individual responsible for. They are used in service management, change management, configuration management, incident management and a variety of other processes related to directing and controlling change. Configuration items cis are the focal point of a cmdb. Common configuration types include software, hardware, communications, location and documentation. An item of hardware or software registered in the asset database b.
To summarize, the entire configuration management process can be viewed as. Configuration management involves identification of cis configuration items, control of cis, status accounting, and conducting audits for configuration. Configuration item ci a configuration item is an entity in. Software configuration item an overview sciencedirect topics.
Software configuration management scm is the process of identifying and defining the scis in the system and coordinating the changes made to these items a formal definition. The configuration data list displays all configuration items or configuration baselines that are included in this configuration baseline. Another configuration item could be the inventory of various automobile parts, as this would be configured early on in the development process. Devops code software configuration items best read on itpedia. These attributes are recorded in configuration documentation and baselined. Devops code software configuration items best read on. The configuration item may be seen as a class and the versions as instantiations of the class, as shown in figure 12. Csci is the lowest level of software development at which configuration management is performed by the developer.
It is abbreviated as the scm process in software engineering. Its all about ensuring that we do not get into the pile of documents. Simply put, a ci is an instance of an entity that is part of your environment and has configurable attributes specific to that instance. Which is the best definition of a configuration item ci. Configuration identification is the process of defining each baseline to be established during the hardware, software, or system life cycle. This article puts in reference the configuration management function and the iso 9001 standard. In other words, version numbers and configuration item registration codes help in uniquely identifying configuration items. Selected items of system hardware or software or combinations of hardware and software, in which the government or acquiring activity has configuration management concern, are designated as configuration items cis. Examples of cis include individual requirements documents, software. Without a clear definition of what qualifies as a ci, you will constantly struggle with deciding whether to put certain kinds of data into the cmdb. The thing that a change control request is requesting to be changed explanation of computer software configuration item computer software configuration item article about computer software configuration item by the free dictionary. Create configuration baselines configuration manager. A configuration item ci is any service component, infrastructure element, or other.
A ci is a software model that contains the attributes of the represented entity. The purpose of cm is to establish and maintain the integrity accurate, complete, and protected from unauthorized modification of work products. Software configuration management in software engineering. In itil, configuration items cis are those service assets which are configurable and can be managed through change management. In software development and management, configuration management refers to the items that need to be configured and managed in order for the project to be successful. The representations of these entities in the cmdb are configuration items cis. Have you heard about a computer certification program but cant figure out if its. Introduction to software updates configuration manager. The software updates configuration items are sent to child sites by using database replication. Definition an aggregation of hardware, software, or both, that is designated for configuration management and treated as a single entity in the.
Explaining configuration item ci, cmdb, cms and dml. The classifications, or types, of actual configuration items are defined in the. Software configuration management is the process of identifying and defining the software configuration items in a system, controlling the release and change of these items throughout. Software configuration management is the process of identifying and defining the software configuration items in a system, controlling the release and change of these items throughout the system lifecycle, recording and reporting the. What are hardware configuration items and how are they. Official definition of csci computer software configuration item im looking for the most official definition of csci configuration item not just what it is but what we have to deliver can expect when a contract defines subsystems which shall be developed as configuration items. Itil v3 describes configuration item ci as a subset of service asset that has a direct impact on service delivery and needs to be managed in order to deliver an it service. Configuration management guidelines 3 june 3, 2003 draft computer software component csc a functionally or logically distinct part of a computer software configuration item csci, typically an aggregate of two or more computer software units csu. Configuration management is about managing change of the multiple items composing an information system. Csus are typically separately compilable pieces of code. The software updates metadata is stored in the site database as a configuration item. Version chains of configuration items that is, versions 1, 2, 3, and so onmay be formed by indicating which configuration item a given configuration item is derived from or based on. Cmdb tables contain information about computers and devices on the network, software contracts and licenses, business services, and so on.
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