CI Relationships
Role required: cmdb_admin, cmdb_manager, admin.
A CI Relationship (sys_cmdb_relationship) describes a connection between two configuration items by determining the attributes of their relationship. CI relationships are represented with single-directional and bi-directional arrows connecting CIs on the dependency map.
You can determine an impact direction of CI relationships when specifying the Source CI and Recipient CI. According to the established relationship, if any of the source CIs degrades or becomes unavailable, the recipient CI is affected.
Add a new CI relationship
To establish a new CI Relationship, complete the following steps:
- Navigate to CMDB → CI Relationships.
- Click New and fill in the form.
- Click Save or Save and exit to apply the changes.
CI Relationship form fields
| Field | Mandatory | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Source CI | Y | Specify a CI from the list to make a relationship outcoming from it. A pair Source CI – Recipient CI must be unique. You can create only one relationship between two CIs. |
| Recipient CI | Y | Specify a CI from the list to specify a relationship as incoming. A pair Source CI – Recipient CI must be unique. You can create only one relationship between two CIs. |
| Bilateral relation | N | Select the checkbox so both source and recipient CIs have impact on each other. |
| Operational state transfer type | N | Select one of the possible values describing the type of operational impact:
|
| Relationship weight | N | An automatically calculated decimal number, equal to or less than 1. It defines a CI Relationship impact. |
| Weight on change | N | An automatically calculated decimal number, equal to or less than 1. It defines the CI Relationship actual weight depending on the Operational state change. If the source CI is not available, the CI Relationship carries the 0 value within the Weight on change field. If the source CI is degraded, the relationship transfers a half weight. Thus, the weight of conditional relationship or the sum weight of unconditional relationship provides the operational state of a recipient CI with the following value:
|
| Connector label | N | Specify a label to be displayed on the dependency map when the pointer moves over the relationship. |
Configuration item dependency map
The CI dependency map is a service model represented by a hierarchical structure of the CIs. Hierarchical levels are determined by the CI types or CMDB classes, depending on the simple.ci.dependency_map.display_mode system property value. Custom configuration through a script is also possible.
- If the property value is type, creating a new CI Type results in adding the next lower level to the model.
- If the property value is class, creating a new CMDB Class may result in adding a new lower level to a model that includes this class.
- If the property value is custom, the dependecy map is built based on the getCustomDependencyMapData script include available at the
\{your instance URL\}/record/sys_script_include/174792342812873874address. With this script, you can define a criterion for the differentiation of levels on the dependency map, as well as other settings of the map.
The CI dependency map visualizes CI relationships with simple-directional or bi-directional arrows depending on an impact direction and with color-coded frames denoting the CI current operational state.
There are two ways to open a CI dependency map:
- Click next to the Source CI or the Recipient CI field on the CI Relationship form to see the hierarchical place of your CI on the map.
- Navigate to CMDB → Service Model and in the URL
https://instance.example.com/visual/dependency?sys_id=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX&essence=sys_cmdb_ci&script=CI, replace the X's with the CI's ID.
Correlation of color-coded frames and CI operational states
| Frame color | Operational state |
|---|---|
| Green | Available |
| Yellow | Degraded |
| Red | Unavailable, Maintenance |
The arrows with a label specified are blue on the map. Move the pointer over an arrow to see the Connector label. Arrows with no label are black.
You can drag the CIs on the dependency map by right-clicking and holding a CI on the map. This will help you arrange complex maps. The maps returns to its initial state when the page is refreshed.
Configure the CI operational states colors
You can change the colors assigned to the CI operational states on the depednecy map by changing the getNodeColor script include located at the \{your instance URL\}/record/sys_script_include/174860835712745495 address.
Correlation of operational states in the script
| Opertational states | Designation in the script |
|---|---|
| Available | 0 |
| Unavailable | 1 |
| Degraded | 2 |
| Maintenance | 3 |
You can configure the color rules for custom operational states in this script. To achieve this, in the script specify the Value of the new operational state option with its color.
Available colors
- red
- orange
- blue
- green
- gray
The colors are specified as a string. If you specify another value, the CI frame becomes black on the dependency map.
Create a CI Relationship
To add a new CI Relationship from the Dependency Map view, follow the steps below:
- Right-click the required CI and click Create relationship in the context menu.
- Select one of the options:
- Incoming – to create an incoming connection to your CI
- Outgoing – to create an outgoing connection from your CI.
- Fill in the form.
- Click Save or Save and exit to apply the changes.
Change the CI operational state
To change a CI Relationship operational state from the Dependency Map view, complete the steps below:
- Right-click the required CI and click Change operational state to in the context menu.
- Select one of the CI operational states. For more information, see Configuration Management Database.
CI Type and Position
The position of a configuration item on the dependency map is determined by records of the CI Position (sys_cmdb_ci_position) table. Use this table to configure the location of the CIs on the dependency map by changing the value of the Order field.
A CI position is assigned to a CI Type (cmdb_class_type) and is applied to all configuration items that belong to that type.
Create a CI Type
To create a CI type, complete the following steps:
- Navigate to CMDB → CI Types.
- Click New and specify the type Name.
- Click Save or Save and exit to apply the changes.
After saving the CI type, a related CI position will automatically be added. Each type may only have one related position.
Configure a CI Position
To create a new CI Position, complete the following steps:
- Navigate to CMDB → CI Types.
- From the list, select the CI Type the required CI belongs to.
- In the Related Lists area, select the CI Positions tab and open the position's form. Edit the values of the required fields.
- Click Save or Save and exit to apply the changes.
CI Position form fields
| Field | Mandatory | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CI type | N | The CI Type this CI position is assigned to. Only one position can be created for each CI type. |
| Order | N | Set the vertical position of the CI on the dependency map. The higher this value, the lower the CI is displayed on the dependency map. At the automatic creation of the record, the default value of the field is calculated according to the formula: The highest value among existing CI positions + 150. |
| Icon | N | Set the icon that represents the CI on the dependency map when the simple.ci.dependency_map.display_mode system property is set to type. If the field is empty, the CI is represented on the dependency map by an empty frame. Available icon options:
|