Providing assistance in making change decisions in a configurable managed environment

• US 9,026,996 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2013
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ramachandran, Puthukode G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Ziaul A
• Application Number:
  US13/925,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20130282659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

In a configurable managed system having an associated configuration management database (CMDB), a Change Manager makes changes affecting configuration items (CIs), wherein different types of changes require different levels of confidence in the integrity of data in the CMDB. In response to a proposed change, weights assigned to system CIs affected by the change are used to compute a confidence level regarding accuracy of CMDB data pertinent to the change. The weight for a given CI is derived from the most recent synchronization thereof, and the numbers of reads, writes, and relationships the given CI has with other CIs. The confidence level is then used by the Change Manager in deciding whether or not to make the change. The proposed change is then allowed if the confidence level is no less than a pre-specified minimum value.

Claims

1. In association with a configuration management database (CMDB) containing information that relates to configuration items (CIs) in a configurable managed system, wherein a change station is provided to make respective changes, a method executable by a data processing system for determining whether to allow a particular change that would affect at least a given one of the CIs, said method comprising the steps of:

acquiring information from said CMDB pertaining to the given CI that would be affected by said particular change;

selectively processing said acquired information to compute a confidence level indicating a probability that said acquired information is correct based on a time of most recent synchronization of the given CI and a number of reads and writes of the given CI in the CMDB; and

allowing said particular change to be made in said configurable system only if said confidence level is no less than a pre-specified minimum value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said acquiring step includes identifying CIs that would be affected by said particular change.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

said method includes assigning weights to respective identified CIs, wherein the weight assigned to a given CI represents a probable accuracy of said information acquired from said CMDB that pertains to said given CI.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said assigned CI weights are respectively processed to compute said confidence level.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the weight of said given CI is derived at least in part from the number of relationships said given CI has with other CIs in said system.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the weight of said given CI is derived at least in part from the number of reads made from said given CI by other CIs, from the number of writes made to said given CI from other CIs, or from the time of the most recent synchronization of said given CI with said CMDB, selectively.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said confidence level is determined by averaging said weights.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said confidence level is determined by selecting data associated with the CI having the highest assigned weight.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said method includes generating a table that lists a number of specified changes that could be made to said system, and that further lists the minimum confidence level values that are needed to allow respective specified changes to be made.

10. In association with a configuration management database (CMDB) containing information that relates to configuration items (CIs) in a configurable managed system, wherein a change station is provided to make respective changes, a computer program product comprising program code stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for determining whether to allow a particular change that would affect at least a given one of the CIs, said program code comprising:

first instructions for acquiring information from said CMDB pertaining to the given CI that would be affected by said particular change;

second instructions for selectively processing said acquired information to compute a confidence level indicating a probability that said acquired information is correct based on a time of most recent synchronization of the given CI and a number of reads and writes of the given CI in the CMDB; and

third instructions for allowing said particular change to be made in said configurable system only if said confidential level is no less than a pre-specified minimum value.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein:

fourth instructions are provided for identifying CIs that would be affected by said particular change.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein:

fifth instructions are provided for assigning weights to respective identified CIs, wherein the weight assigned to a given CI represents a probable accuracy of said information acquired from said CMDB that pertains to said given CI.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

the product is transmitted over a communications link.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

the weight of said given CI is derived at least in part from the number of relationships said given CI has with other CIs in said configurable system, from the number of writes made to said given CI from other CIs, and from the number of reads made from said given CI by other CIs, selectively.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

the weight of said given CI is derived at least in part from the time of the most recent synchronization of said given CI with said CMDB.

16. In a configurable managed system, provided with configuration items (CI) and with a change station adapted to make respective changes, an apparatus for determining whether to allow a particular change that would affect at least a given one of the CIs, said apparatus comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a configuration management database (CMDB) containing information that relates to configuration items (CIs);

a device for acquiring information from said CMDB pertaining to the given CI that would be affected by said particular change;

a device for selectively processing said acquired information to compute a confidence level indicating a probability that said acquired information is correct based on a time of most recent synchronization of the given CI and a number of reads and writes of the given CI in the CMDB; and

a comparator device for allowing said particular change to be made in said configurable system only if said confidential level is no less than a pre-specified minimum value.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

said acquiring device is adapted to identify CIs that would be affected by said particular change.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

said processing device assigns weights to respective identified CIs, wherein the weight assigned to a given CI represents a probable accuracy of said information acquired from said CMDB that pertains to said given CI.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

said processing device processes respective assigned weights to compute said confidence level.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a table that lists a number of specified changes that could be made to said system, and that further lists the minimum confidence level values that are needed to allow respective specified changes to be made.