Revision, operationalization, and decommission of a Configuration Item

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Revision, operationalization, and decommission of a Configuration Item

    Revision of a Configuration Item (CI) in ServiceNow’s Telecommunications Network Inventory application allows you to safely update network attributes, connection elements, and relations of logical and physical connection CIs. This process supports efficient network infrastructure updates by enabling modifications to operational CIs without disrupting existing network services.

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    Process Flow

    • Initiate Revision Request: Creating a revision request clones the selected CI along with all related tables such as attributes, connection elements, and relations.
    • Customize Cloning: You can configure which related tables are included during cloning to tailor the revision process to your needs.
    • Modify Cloned CI: Make necessary changes on the cloned CI record safely without affecting the live network.
    • Operationalize and Finalize: Merge and finalize changes using the operationalization process to integrate updates into the original CI.
    • Decommission Cloned CI: After operationalization, the cloned CI is automatically decommissioned to maintain clean inventory management.

    Practical Use Cases

    • Logical Connection Update: For example, to add an ENET member to a logical connection (LAG) to increase capacity, revise the CI to clone the LAG and its connections, add the ENET to the cloned CI, and operationalize the changes. This ensures the original CI is updated without network disruption.
    • Router IP Address Change: For safely updating a router’s IP address within a complex network, clone the router CI, modify the IP address on the clone, and operationalize the changes back to the original CI to apply updates without impacting the network.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This capability enables you to manage network changes safely and efficiently by working on cloned CIs, avoiding direct changes to live configurations. It supports controlled, auditable updates and clean decommissioning of temporary revisions, helping maintain network stability and accurate configuration records.

    Revision of Configuration Item (CI) enables you to update the network attributes of a Configuration Item, such as attributes, connection elements, and relations using the Telecommunications Network Inventory application. You can make a safe and efficient update to your network infrastructure by using the CI revision.

    CI revision overview

    CI revisions enable you to modify network-configured attributes and connection elements of an operational Configuration Item. The CI revision is applicable only to logical connection and physical connection CIs. So, you can update all configuration items of a connection, as required with the help of revise CI and its subflows.

    CI revisions enable you to modify network-configured attributes and connection elements of an operational Configuration Item. The CI revision is applicable only to logical connection and physical connection CIs. So, after a logical connection or a physical connection Configuration Item is created, you can update it as required with the help of revise CI and its subflows.

    Operationalization and decommission flow

    Infographic showing the flow diagram of operationalization and decommission. See the following steps for more information.
    The following process guides you through the flow for a Configuration Item (CI) record after a request is created.
    1. Initiate Revision Request: Once you create a revision request, the selected CI is automatically cloned. This cloned CI includes all its related tables such as, attributes, connection elements, and relations.
    2. Customize Cloning Process: You can customize the cloning process and specify which related tables are included. To learn more, see ../task/clone-and-revise-a-ci.html.
    3. Modify cloned CI: After successful cloning, you can perform changes on the cloned Configuration Item record, as required.
    4. Finalize and apply changes: Using operationalization process merge and finalize the changes. This process integrates the revisions into the original CI record. To learn more, see Revise a configuration item.
    5. Decommission: After operationalization, the cloned CI record is automatically decommissioned, ensuring an efficient workflow. To learn more, see Decommission an inventory record.
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    Use case

    Let's say, for a logical connection having two ENETs, you want to add another ENET to increase the LAG capacity. So, in this scenario, for a safe LAG update, use the CI revision.

    With the help of revise CI, the LAG and all of its connections are cloned. Then, in the cloned LAG Configuration Item, add the desired ENET member and merge it back into the original CI with the help of operationalize CI. After successful operationalization, all three ENETs are added to the original CI without disrupting the network. To learn more, see Revise a configuration item, Operationalize a configuration item. Here, the cloned CI is decommissioned automatically. To learn more, see Decommission an inventory record.

    Let's say, you must update the IP address of a router in your network. This router is part of a complex network, and you aren’t sure how changing the IP address affects the rest of the network. So, in this scenario, for a safe update of the router's IP address, use the CI revision.

    With the help of revise CI, you firstly, duplicate the router CI and all of its related data. Then, you change the IP address of the duplicated router and merge it back into the original CI with the help of operationalize CI. As a result, the changes are applied to the original router without disrupting the network. To learn more, see Revise a configuration item and Operationalize a configuration item.