Configuration item
1979336
214994949
2008-05-26T06:40:23Z
Persian Poet Gal
538346
rv test edit
'''Configuration items''' or '''CI'''s form the basis of [[configuration management]] solutions. Typically a CI is a collection of objects related to the specific functionality of a larger system. Examples of these objects may be requirements, code, documentation, models and other files. Configuration Management systems oversee the life of the CIs through a combination of process and tools. The objective of these systems is to avoid the introduction of errors related to lack of testing or incompatibilities with other CIs.
==Role in configuration management==
From the perspective of the implementor of a [[change request|change]], the configuration item is the "what" of the change. Altering a specific [[baseline (configuration management)|baseline]] version of a configuration item creates a new version of the same configuration item, itself a baseline. In examining the effect of a change, we first ask:
# What configuration items are affected? and
# How have the configuration items been affected?
A [[release]] (itself a versioned entity) may consist of several configuration items. The set of changes to each configuration item will appear in the [[release notes]], and the notes may contain specific headings for each configuration item.
As well as participating in the implementation of a change and in the management of a change, the listing and definition of each configuration item may act as a common vocabulary across all groups connected to the product. It should be defined at a level such that an individual involved with product marketing and an individual at the coal face of implementation can agree to a common definition when they use the name of the configuration item. Selection and identification of configuration items for a particular project can be seen as the first step in developing an overall [[architecture#See_also|architecture]] from the top down.
Configuration items, their versions and their changes form the basis of any configuration [[audit]].
==References==
* [http://www.cmcommunity.com Configuration Management Community]
* [http://cs.wwc.edu/~aabyan/435/Configuration.html Software Configuration Management]
* [http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=31451 What is configuration management?]
* [http://www.getahead-direct.com/gwpm32-configuration-management-explained.htm Configuration management]
* [http://www.chambers.com.au/glossary/configit.htm Configuration item definition]
* [http://www.chambers.com.au/glossary/physical.htm Physical configuration audit]
* [http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sites/cmnav/CMNav/Functional-Configuration-Audit.asp Functional configuration audit]
* [http://www.chambers.com.au/glossary/functaud.htm Functional configuration audit]
* [http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1995/01/Terms.asp Software configuration management terminology]
* [http://www.esa.int/home-ind/ESA-Article-fullArticle_par-05_1050493978529.html Configuration management training material]
[[Category:Configuration management]]
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