CMDB Linking Diagram
The Linking Diagram provides you with a graphical view of a specific CMDB item and the links to other CMDB items that have been defined.
Only the CMDB items linked through the Linked Items tab in the CMDB Item Details window appear on the linking diagram. Items linked through an extension field that has been added to the CMDB Item Details window in ASM Designer will not appear.
Uses for the Linking Diagram
There is a range of scenarios in which the linking diagram can be used to plan and project manage. Here are a few:
You want to carry out an upgrade to a server. You can simulate an outage on the Linking Diagram to visually represent the impact of taking down the server, and can contact those impacted to arrange a suitable time for the outage.
A User calls the service desk to report that their SAP system is not working. You can use the Linking Diagram to see if there are any current outages that may be causing the issue. If not, you can use the Find Causes feature to visually track where the problem may be originating, or to perform more formal Fault Tree Analysis.
As part of a Continuous Service Improvement program, you want to perform Component Failure Impact Analysis to identify critical CIs and fragile services, with multiple single points of failure (SPOFs). The linking diagram shows you all you need to know regarding inter-CI impact and alternative CIs to complete the CFIA grid.
A Project Manager wants to view all of the related projects and Programs.
Viewing the Linking Diagram
Display the linking diagram in either of the following ways:
Search for the CMDB item. When the results are displayed in the browse table, select the item and then select the Action icon from the toolbar.
Select the Linking explorer option from the <Entity> Details window.
The linking diagram appears.
Container-component links are not displayed on the linking diagram. Components can be viewed through the Components explorer option or by right-clicking on a container item.
Summarized links are displayed on the Summarized tab in the Information panel.
With the linking diagram on screen, you can do any of the following:
You may also want to filter the information displayed, find the cause of an outage or simulate an outage.
You can also select from a range of Explorer options to carry out further tasks.
Filtering the Linking Diagram
To filter the items included in the linking diagram, select Filters in the top left hand corner of the linking diagram to see the drop down filter menu. Then select your filter options as follows.
Select Ok to refresh the linking diagram and close the Filter menu. Select Reset to revert to the default system settings for the linking diagram.
Finding the Cause of an Outage on the Linking Diagram
The linking diagram displays any outages on linked CMDB items that may be causing the outage on the selected CMDB item. The number of levels displayed depends on the value selected for the Range drop-down.
The Find Causes button on the linking diagram displays the potential causes for an outage on a selected CMDB item.
The ‘find cause’ analysis does not pick up deleted links or linked items.
Display the linking diagram
Select a CMDB item on the linking diagram for which you wish to view the outage cause analysis.
Select Find Causes in the top right corner of the diagram.
The linking diagram is redisplayed with circles through the affected items, and a Potential Causes Analysis panel appears below the Info tab. This panel displays services and configuration items that may have caused the outage on the selected CMDB item.
Select Find Causes to end the cause analysis and return to the linking diagram.
Simulating an Outage on the Linking Diagram
You can simulate an outage against a selected CMDB item, to assess the impact of different “what-if” scenarios. The Simulate Outage functionality also takes into consideration any existing outages on linked items.
Display the linking diagram
Select a CMDB item on the linking diagram for which you wish to view the impact of an outage.
Select Simulate Outage in the top right hand corner of the linking diagram.
The number of levels that are displayed in the diagram can be set using the filter options. The default number of levels displayed in the CMDB linking diagram is 1.
The diagram is redisplayed with only the affected items, shown with circles indicating that they would be adversely affected. The Info tab in the Information panel displays a Full Impact Analysis section which lists the services and configuration items impacted by the outage on the selected CMDB item.
To return to the linking diagram, select End Simulation in the top right hand corner of the linking diagram.
The Information Panel on the Linking Diagram
The information panel to the right of the linking diagram displays information for CMDB item or link type currently selected on the diagram. If you are conducting a simulated outage, the full impact analysis is also displayed.
The information panel has the following tabs:
The Info Tab
The Info tab on the linking diagram Information Panel displays information about the item or link currently selected on the linking diagram. These details will depend on the type of CMDB item or type of link.
A selected CMDB item can be identified on the diagram as the image has a visible border and the item name is highlighted. If you select a link, the name of the link is shown at the top of the Information Panel.
For an item, the following information appears.
Title
Status
Criticality
Availability Tracked
Org
Location
User
Service Level
Version
Class
CMDB Item Type
Last Checked (Date)
Last Updated (Date)
Created (Date)
Partition
The following information appears for a selected link.
Link Name
Category
CMDB Item A
Role A
CMDB Item B
Role B
A Impacts B
B Impacts A
The Stakeholders Tab
The Stakeholders tab on the linking diagram Information Panel displays information about all stakeholders that are defined for the CMDB item currently selected in the linking diagram.
Each section in this tab has a heading that defines the stakeholder type, that is, Person, Organization, IPK Group, or Workflow Group. The heading shows the icon that represents the stakeholder type.
To show or hide the linked items for each section, simply select the + or – icons in front of the item type. Vertical and horizontal scroll bars will appear when required to view the complete data set.
The Impact Tab
The Impact tab on the linking diagram Information Panel displays all linked CMDB entities that are dependent on the selected CMDB item. This applies to any CMDB item selected on the linking diagram, including a service, service action, service bundle, or configuration item.
The information in the Impact tab is the same information that appears in the Impact Search window, accessed by selecting Impact from the drop-down menu on a CMDB item Q/D field.
The tab includes a tree with nodes for all the CMDB items that have been linked to the selected CMDB item. Agreements and Locations are shown if you are viewing a service item.
To show or hide the linked items for each node, simply select the + or – icons in front of the item type. Vertical and horizontal scroll bars will appear when required to view the complete data set.
The Summarized Tab
The Summarized tab on the linking diagram Information Panel shows CMDB items that are linked to the selected item by a Summary CMDB link type.
Select an item that is linked to another by a Summary link. Depending on the selections made in the Filter menu, the icon will be shown next to the item. (The tab is unavailable if you select a link type or a CMDB item that is not linked to other items using a Summary link.)
On the information panel, select the Summarized tab.
The tab lists the items linked by a summary link, and you can select any of them to view the details.
Use to scroll left and right in the information panel to view the different tabs.