Freeze Statuses

You can define the freeze status types which Analysts can select when freezing or unfreezing a CMDB item.

Freezing a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) item is a valuable feature within an ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) IT Service Management (ITSM) system for several reasons:

• Change Control: By freezing a CMDB item, organizations can manage and control changes more efficiently. It prevents unauthorized modifications during critical times, ensuring system stability and reliability.

• Audit and Compliance: It helps in maintaining audit trails and compliance by providing a clear record of when an item was frozen, why it was frozen, and when it was unfrozen. This is crucial for audits and adhering to various compliance standards.

• Configuration Integrity: Freezing CMDB items protects the integrity of the configuration by ensuring that only approved changes are made. This reduces the risk of configuration drift and potential system outages or performance issues.

• Change Impact Analysis: When an item is frozen, it simplifies the assessment of potential impacts due to changes in other parts of the IT environment. This is essential for evaluating the implications of changes and planning them accordingly.

Creating a Freeze Status entry

Before you start

You must have CMDB Setup enabled within your General Access security role in order to configure any CMDB administration settings. Depending on if or how your system is partitioned, ensure that you are working in the correct partition.

A freeze status with the Frozen checkbox selected will be available as a reason for freezing a CMDB item, and a freeze status with its Frozen checkbox cleared will be available as a reason for unfreezing a CMDB item.

1. Select the Menu button , then Admin, and then select System Administration. The System Administration window is displayed.

2. In the Explorer pane expand CMDB.

3. Select Freeze Status to open the window.

4. Select the new icon. A new row is added to the browse table.

5. In the Name column, type the name or description of the new freeze status you want to create.

6. In the Frozen column, select the checkbox if you want to enable this status as a reason for freezing the CMDB item. Clear the checkbox if you want to the status to be available as a reason for unfreezing the CMDB item.

7. Repeat for each freeze status you want to create.

8. Save the changes.

9. Provide the Change Reasons if prompted to do so.

Once you select Save, the browse table displays the entries in alphabetical order.

Updating a Freeze Status

1. Select the Menu button, then Admin, and then select System Administration. The System Administration window is displayed.

2. In the Explorer pane expand CMDB.

3. Select Freeze Status to open the window.

4. Select the freeze status entry you want to edit.

   • To rename a status, type the name you want to assign for the selected status.

   • To enable a status to be available as a reason for freezing a CMDB item, select the checkbox in the Frozen list.

   • To enable a status to be available as a reason for unfreezing a CMDB item, clear the checkbox in the Frozen list.

5. Save the changes.

6. Provide the Change Reasons if prompted to do so.

Deleting a Freeze Status

You cannot reverse this procedure. If you delete a freeze status by mistake, you have to re-create the entry by creating a new freeze status.

1. Select the Menu button, then Admin, and then select System Administration. The System Administration window is displayed.

2. In the Explorer pane expand CMDB.

3. Select Freeze Status to open the window.

4. Select the freeze status entry you want to delete.

5. Select the delete icon. If you attempt to delete the system default, you will receive a warning message.

6. Save the changes.

7. Provide the Change Reasons if prompted to do so.