CMDB Name Reconciliation via Master Alias Priority
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Solution Overview
Problem
Configuration Management Databases (CMDBs) face challenges in correlating multiple aliases for the same managed resource, as existing solutions only determine how names are formed but not how to formally correlate multiple aliases, leading to issues in name reconciliation and duplicate detection.
Innovation Solution
A method is implemented in a CMDB to generate a list of valid names for resources with multiple naming rules, prioritize them, and designate one as the master name while others as aliases, ensuring accurate correlation and reconciliation by updating the Master/Alias table and cleaning up duplicate entries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple naming rules are supported for resources, then adaptability to different management products is improved, but complexity of name reconciliation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the name reconciliation process by introducing a Master/Alias table that separates the master name from alias names. This segmentation allows the system to handle multiple naming rules independently, where each rule generates names that can be correlated through the structured table format, reducing the complexity of reconciling multiple naming conventions.
Solution Approach 2:
The Master/Alias table acts as an intermediary structure between multiple naming rules and the underlying resource identification. Instead of directly reconciling multiple naming rules against each other, the system uses this intermediate table to map all variant names (from different rules) to a canonical representation, simplifying the correlation process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple aliases for the same resource are allowed, then flexibility in resource identification is improved, but difficulty of detecting and measuring duplicates increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing the Master/Alias table structure before duplicate detection is needed. The table is designed with predefined columns for master_name, alias_name, and naming_rule, which allows the system to efficiently correlate names and detect duplicates by simply querying this prepared structure rather than performing complex comparisons at detection time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of comparing multiple naming rules against each other with a database-based solution. The Master/Alias table stores all name variations and their correlations, allowing the system to substitute complex comparison logic with efficient database queries that leverage indexing and structured data retrieval.
3Measurement precision
If a superior context is added to naming rules for unique identification, then measurement precision of resource identification is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies another dimension by introducing the concept of naming contexts as an additional dimension in the identification space. Instead of relying solely on attribute combinations, the system adds a contextual dimension (e.g., organizational unit, environment) that disambiguates names across different scopes. This dimensional addition is captured in the Master/Alias table through structured fields that record the context associated with each name.
Data Source
AI summary
A Configuration Management DataBase (CMDB) is utilized to reconcile names of enterprise computer resources in a Configuration Management Database (CMDB). Steps taken include creating a resource that belongs to a class that has multiple naming rules; in response to determining that more than one set of naming attributes is provided by the multiple naming rules, generating a set of valid names, in a priority order, for the resource; and correlating different names for the resource by, in accordance with the priority order, assigning one name for the resource to be a master name and assigning all other names for the resource to be alias names.