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. The figure only shows a partial decomposition for one configuration item. In fact, each new version of a configuration item is a new configuration item in its own right. Identify all items to define the software configuration. How is computer software configurable items abbreviated.
If something goes wrong, scm can determine what was. But, there are a few important points of difference between configuration management vs change management. 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. Configurable definition of configurable by the free dictionary.
Configuration item configuration management systems. Definition an aggregation of hardware, software, or both, that is designated for configuration management and treated as a single entity in the. The primary goal is to increase productivity with minimal mistakes. All agents have the ability to link configuration items to incidents, problems, changes, releases and knowledge articles, regardless of their configuration permissions. Jan 05, 2017 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. There are many items that will be non configurable items, some of them dependent on your methodology. The benefits of a configurable offtheshelf lims cots. It needs to be managed in order to deliver it service. Other documents that serve to identify the configuration of the product or service, such as test results, may also be included. The configurationmanagement system oversees the life of the cis through a combination of processes and tools by implementing and enabling the. A toplevel configuration item is a ci used as the starting point for organizing and promoting a set of related configuration items. The following application configuration item instance example determines whether the configuration manager client is installed on the system by using microsoft windows installerbased detection. Csci an aggregation of software that satisfies an end use function and is designated for separate. Simply put, a ci is an instance of an entity that is part of your environment and has configurable attributes specific to that instance.
Configurable items legal definition of configurable items. The definition of the pbs is expanded throughout the early software definition activity. Examples of cis include individual requirements documents, software. Software configuration management in software engineering. Metadata for a configuration item may include its name, the name of the person who produced the item, the production date, and references to other related configuration items. At its core, highly configurable software moves threshold values or logic structures out of the code into key configuration points such as xml, json, or namevalue pairs. An item that is set up to use the infor cpq interface.
Cis may be a single module such as a monitor or tape drive, or more complex items, such as a complete system. Csci is defined as computer software configurable items very frequently. A configuration item, or ci, is anything uniquely identifiable that can be changed independently. They are used in service management, change management, configuration management, incident management and a variety of other processes related to directing and controlling change. Software designed to be configurable works exceptionally well in architectures that use existing industry standards like design pattern and enterprise integration patterns. Ci may be a single module such as a monitor or a tape drive, or a more complex item, such as a complete system. Producing software from a specification is like walking on water its easier if its frozen. A software configuration item sci is a software entity that has been established as a configuration item 1. 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. The scm typically controls a variety of items in addition to the code itself. A commercial configurable off the shelf cots lims is better than a custom or inhouse developed lims. Ultimately a business decision has to be made based on the wellworn trade off of benefit vs.
As it organizations around the world continue to look for more efficient operating models, laboratories must decide where to apply their resources. Configuration testing is defined as a software testing type, that checks an application with multiple combinations of software and hardware to find out the optimal configurations that the system can work without any flaws or bugs. It identifies and records the physical and functional characteristics of the configurable items. The importance of writing highly configurable software sofiac. This information is required for processes such as maintenance, support, safety, incident management, problem management, change management, audits and planning. During the item definition process, you want to define default values for many item attributes so that these values can be applied to your business transactions. 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. So metadata in this context describes the configuration items. Difference between configuration management and change management. Crossplant variants can be used in purchasing, but are not supported in sales. Application configuration item example 1 configuration. Configurable article about configurable by the free dictionary.
Configurable items or cis means any device, including but not limited to any computer, switch, firewall or router, whose function and or operational characteristics can be modified, and any item referred to in paragraph 3. The planes are being configured to hold more passengers in each row. The thing that a change control request is requesting to be changed explanation of computer software configuration item. This system aims to avoid the introduction of errors related to lack of. Configuration item ci is an asset, service component or item that is, or will be under the control of configuration management. In everyday language, configuration item is often used to refer to an item, which is then said to be produced in several versions. Use configuration items and configuration management. If something goes wrong, scm can determine what was changed and who changed it. Computer software configuration item article about computer. Find out information about computer software configuration item. All configuration items cis are uniquely identified by ci registration codes and version numbers. The term configuration item refers to the fundamental structural unit of a configuration management system.
This occurs when software requirements are analyzed, design alternatives are investigated, and a design approach is chosen. As discussed above, configuration testing is a software testing where the application under test has to be tested. Understanding configurable item templates setting up new items is a critical implementation task for any supply chain management system. In this article, well define cis and look at realworld examples. Baseline configuration management software engineering. 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. Creation,usage in sales order for replacing configurable material part 1. The term configuration item ci refers to the fundamental structural unit of a configuration management system. In other words, version numbers and configuration item registration codes help in uniquely identifying configuration items. Examples of configuration items include software and applications, locations and offices, employees and customers, documentation, hardware and companies, and even your incidents, changes and customers. Have you heard about a computer certification program but cant figure out if its. Hardware configuration references the details and system resource settings allotted for a specific device. 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.
A configuration item ci is an item or aggregation of hardware or software or both that is designed to be managed as a single entity. Account administrators can also choose to grant configuration management access on a peruser basis at configure users select user. Metadata is a database concept that means data about the data stored in the database. Once identified, it helps to control changes to the characteristics of configurable item.
Many computer specialists improve hardware performance by adjusting configurations, which may also include settings for the motherboard and the bios, as well as the bus speeds. Dec 27, 2016 a definition of configuration item with several examples. Examples of configuration items include software and applications, locations and offices, employees and customers, documentation, hardware and companies. Official definition of csci computer software configuration. Configuration management is the practice of tracking the state, design and characteristics of complex systems. It is abbreviated as the scm process in software engineering. It cannot be an item already defined as configurable by the product configurator. An item which has been put under configuration management and will not change in future called as non configurable item. Complete listing of all changes since the last baseline. Devops code software configuration items best read on itpedia. Csci stands for computer software configurable items. 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 item an overview sciencedirect topics.
This is not strictly correct, but its acceptable as long as the reference is clearly understood by all involved. Ci a component of a system that is treated as a self contained unit for the purposes of identification and change control. There are many items that will be nonconfigurable items, some of them dependent on your methodology. 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.
Sep 14, 2012 to manufacture the material variant inhouse, you must maintain the variant at plant level, so that boms, routings, and so on can be determined. Jun 28, 2016 all configurable items may not follow a formal change management process. Documentation can include requirements specifications and interface documents. Configuration items cis are the focal point of a cmdb. Barry boehm a baseline is a reference point in the software development life cycle marked by the completion and formal approval of a set of predefined work products. Common configuration types include software, hardware, communications, location and documentation. Jan 30, 2015 in discussions with many different endusers and vendors, this move, along with the adoption of new mobile solutions and a mashup internet of things iot enabled applications has reopened the debate as to what constitutes outofthebox vs. Configurable definition, to design or adapt to form a specific configuration or for some specific purpose. Cis typically include it services, hardware, software, buildings.
It can have many child cis, such as an operating system, application software, and hardware components. Csci computer software configurable items acronymattic. A program by richard stallman to discover properties of the current platform and to set up make to compile and install gcc. Scm practices include revision control and the establishment of baselines.