Software configuration items definition

Every configuration item must have a category and possibly subcategories that define what type of item it is. Administrators, technicians, and software developers can use configuration management tools to verify the effect a change to one configuration item has on other systems. Note that this function is usually performed by a source code control system, however a manual record may have to be kept of the documents that describe various versions of hardware and software configuration items. Configuration identification is the process of identifying configuration items and their attributes. 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 primary goal is to increase productivity with minimal mistakes. Configuration items can overlap and exist at many levels of. Googling the words configuration items or the acronym ci will result in approximately 26,300,000 results. You can also change the column order of the display and refresh. Software a bank implements a process whereby development teams document system configuration items as part of release handover to support teams. 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 can have many child cis, such as an operating system, application software, and hardware components. 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 in itil, configuration items cis are those service assets which are configurable and can be managed through change management. Scm is the process of identifying and defining the items in the system, controlling the change of these items throughout their life cycle. The definition of a configuration item isnt based on size or whether it is the smallest component of a larger entity. Lets look at how configuration items cis are defined by some leading itsm sources. Csci abbreviation stands for computer software configuration item. Configuration items help in identifying the components of a system.

Software configuration management scm process and procedure. Software configuration management linkedin slideshare. Dec 27, 2016 configuration items can overlap and exist at many levels of granularity. Documentation can include requirements specifications and interface documents. What is the abbreviation for computer software configuration item. In software engineering, software configuration management scm or sw cm is the task of tracking and controlling changes in the software, part of the larger crossdisciplinary field of configuration management. Understand how to define scm and discuss how to accomplish it. Verify cscitocsci and cscitohardware configuration item hwci interface requirements identification and definition. Configuration management cm is an information technology infrastructure library version 2 and an it service management process that tracks all of the individual configuration items ci in an it system which may be as simple as a single server, or as complex as the entire it department. May 04, 2019 configuration management database cmdb is an integral part of it service management itsm. Cscis are selected based on tradeoffs among software function, size, host or target computers, developer, support concept, plans for reuse, criticality, interface considerations, need to be separately. A definition of configuration item with several examples.

Cis may be a single module such as a monitor or tape drive, or more complex items, such as a complete system. Configuration items can overlap and exist at many levels. Csci stands for computer software configuration item also computer systems center incorporated and 53 more what is the abbreviation for computer software configuration item. Scm is the process of identifying and defining the items in the system, controlling the change of these items. 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 status of configuration items and change requests, and verifying the completeness and correctness of. Explaining configuration item ci, cmdb, cms and dml itil itsm. Configuration item article about configuration item by the. On the home tab, in the settings group, click configure site components, and then click software update point on the classifications tab, specify the software update.

Console asset extensions software configuration items use the software configuration items node to build a list of software assets. A toplevel configuration item is a ci used as the starting point for organizing and promoting a set of related configuration items. Sometimes, people specifically point to hardware arrangement as hardware configuration and to software components as software configuration. Other documents that serve to identify the configuration of the product or service, such as test results, may also be included. Configure classifications and products configuration.

Computer software configuration item the it law wiki. Each configuration item s listing and definition should act as a common vocabulary across all groups connected to the product. Each element in the it environment is an individual entity requiring accurate capture of its attributes. It involves interaction among government and contractor program functions such as systems. Computer software configuration item article about computer. Jan 25, 2018 software configuration management scm is a set of processes, policies, and tools that organize the development process. Software project plan software requirements specification models, prototypes, requirements design document protocols, hierarchy graphs source code modules test suite software tools e. They are used in service management, change management, configuration management, incident management and a variety of other processes related to directing and controlling change. The following are illustrative examples of configuration items. Verify that an adequate and compatible set of tools are in place to capture multilevel requirements systems down through software and design evolution. Explaining configuration item ci, cmdb, cms and dml. Configuration items cis are the focal point of a cmdb.

Csci an aggregation of software that satisfies an end use function and is designated for separate. The configuration management system oversees the life of the cis through a combination of processes and tools by implementing and enabling the fundamental elements of identification, change. Jan 05, 2017 common configuration types include software, hardware, communications, location and documentation. Information that is created as part of the software engineering process. Software configuration management scm a practical guide.

What are hardware configuration items and how are they. Official definition of csci computer software configuration. Software configuration management is defined as a process to systematically manage, organize, and control the changes in the documents, codes, and other entities during the software development life cycle. Software configuration management scm is a set of processes, policies, and tools that organize the development process. 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. 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. Lists include software products, libraries and infrastructure that must be maintained to support services. Cm is the application of sound program practices to establish and maintain consistency of a products or systems attributes with its requirements and evolving technical baseline over its life. In this context, it is very important to remember that all cis are service assets. Details about these components are stored in the cmdb which you can use to monitor the infrastructure, helping ensure integrity, stability, and continuous service operation.

Feb 27, 2019 software configuration management involves identifying configuration items for the software project, controlling these configuration items and changes to them, and recording and reporting status. To configure classifications and products to synchronize. The complete definition of the pbs is extracted from the software product physical architecture and reflects the work effort to design, code, and test software units and the integration of these units into software components and configuration items. Department of energy quality managers software quality. Configuration items can include hardware, equipment, and tangible assets as well as software and documentation. All configuration items cis are uniquely identified by ci registration codes and version numbers. Sap, expense account, payroll software or a corporate service e. May 02, 2015 software configuration items scis definition.

Computer software configuration item a group of software treated as a single entity by a configuration management cm system. Defining asset extension fields for software configuration items. Definition an aggregation of hardware, software, or both, that is designated for configuration management and treated as a single entity in the configuration management process. Examples of cis include individual requirements documents, software.

Find out information about computer software configuration item. It is abbreviated as the scm process in software engineering. The technical baseline is one of these and includes user requirements, program and product information, and related documentation for all configuration items. The figure only shows a partial decomposition for one configuration item. The manufacturer shall establish a scheme for the unique identification of configuration items and. Use the software configuration items node to add, edit, or delete fields that appear as columns within the vcmmxa console view. This document provides a practical guide for integrating software configuration management disciplines into the management of software engineering projects. Definition an aggregation of hardware, software, or both, that is designated for configuration management and treated as a single entity in the. If something goes wrong, scm can determine what was. The configuration management system oversees the life of the cis through a combination of processes and tools by implementing and enabling the. Configuration item article about configuration item by. A toplevel configuration item is a ci used as the starting point for organizing and promoting a set of related configuration items an example of a toplevel ci is a computer system.

On a typical project, software is organized into large subsystems called computer software configuration items. Software configuration item how is software configuration item abbreviated. The thing that a change control request is requesting to be changed explanation of computer software configuration item. In itil terminology, configuration items ci are components of an infrastructure that currently is, or soon will be under configuration management. Scm practices include revision control and the establishment of baselines. Computer software configuration item article about. In this standard, computer software configuration item csci and software configuration item sci are identical. Configuration items vary widely, but include anything related to your account that you want to track. As far as i can tell, csci was defined in the same logic as hwci hardware configuration item in dodstd2167a which simply defined csci as a configuration item.

Simply put, a ci is an instance of an entity that is part of your environment and has configurable attributes specific to that instance. More clear definition is in milstd498 which superseded dodstd2167a. The term configuration item ci refers to the fundamental structural unit of a configuration management system. Simple useful rules for defining configuration items the. Software configuration management in software engineering. A configuration item ci is any service component, infrastructure element, or other. A software system, then, is composed of one or more software items, and each software item is composed of one or more software units or decomposable software items. Within this view, you can add values to the inventory and manage other aspects of software, such as license counts, license expiration dates, or even custom fields that support your business processes. A configuration item ci is an infrastructure component provided by an organization to its customers. It was agreed that the ieee definition for computer software configuration item shall be used. What is configuration management and how does it work. Use configuration items and configuration management. Configuration items have specific attributes as well as relationships that are often unique for configuration items underneath them in the particular system.

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. This guide defines and explains what software configuration management is, provides guidelines on how to do it, and defines in detail what a software configuration management plan should contain. In large organizations a configuration manager may be appointed to oversee and manage the cm process. As described in itil, cmdb is the fundamental component of the itil. This chapter summarises the principles of software configuration management described in esa pss050 and then discusses the application of these principles first to documents and then to code.

The representations of these entities in the cmdb are configuration items cis. There has been much discussion regarding configuration management and the use of configuration items in online forums and other online articles recently. It is a repository that stores information about configuration items cis throughout the service lifecycle. Csci an aggregation of software that satisfies an end use function and is designated for separate configuration management by the acquirer. Examples of configuration items include software and. Software configuration item an overview sciencedirect topics. Keep a configuration item register that describes the evolution of the software product. A configuration item, or ci, is anything uniquely identifiable that can be changed independently.

The definition of the pbs is expanded throughout the early software definition activity. Multiple choices 1 scm is the art of identifying, organizing and controlling modifications to the software being built by programming team. Understanding of computer configuration is important as for certain hardware or software applications, a minimum configuration are required. The configuration management process seeks to identify and track individual configuration items cis, documenting functional capabilities, and interdependencies. Instead, its the level that makes the most sense for an organization to treat as a single entity. 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. Software configuration management scm is the the overall management of a software design project as it evolves into a software product or system. The goal of scm is to improve the speed of and quality by catching errors early and enabling quick fixes when they occur. Configuration management this is the technical surveillance over the life cycle of items to identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of configuration items. In the configuration manager console, navigate to administration site configuration sites select the central administration site or the standalone primary site. Examples of cis include individual requirements documents, software, models, and plans. Per iec 62304, are dhf documents configuration items.

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 scm practices include vision controls in the establishment. The list of the most popular software configuration management tools top scm tools in 2020 in software engineering software configuration management is the task of tracking and controlling changes in the software part of the larger disciplinary field of configuration management. It services are typically made up of a bunch of individual components things like servers, software and middleware, and unique configuration information. The responsibility is left to the manufacturer to provide the definition and granularity of the software items and software units. Configuration item configuration management systems. Cmdb tables contain information about computers and devices on the network, software contracts and licenses, business services, and so on. Their definition is intentionally broad so that a wide number of industries can model things they change with the same set of tools. A definition of configuration identification with a few examples.

Configuration identification configuration management. Jan 05, 2017 configuration consists of both hardware and software components. The classifications, or types, of actual configuration items are defined in the. Administration settings asset extensions settings software configuration items. The program manager pm is responsible configuration management cm on their project or program. There are different types of configuration baselines depending on the context such as software, hardware and others. They can be physical things, information technology elements or concepts. Common configuration types include software, hardware, communications, location and documentation. A ci is a software model that contains the attributes of the represented entity.

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