Bi-directional communication between change management tool and implementation tools
Task implementation tools are registered to interface with a change management tool. The change management tool configures a plurality of tasks to implement a change to an information technology infrastructure's configuration, and sends a plurality of task instructions to the plurality of task implementation tools for performing the plurality of tasks. Each task instruction is directed to a targeted task implementation tool for performing a particular task and includes task-related information for the targeted implementation tool to perform the particular task. Registering the plurality of task implementation tools to interface with the change management tool includes registering each the plurality of task implementation tools to accept the task instruction for the particular task directed to it from the change management tool, to know what to do with the task instruction and to know how to respond to the task instruction.
1. A change management system for an information technology infrastructure, the change management system implemented by one or more processors executing instructions stored in a computer memory, the change management system comprising:
a configuration management database (CMDB) storing configuration information related to the information technology infrastructure;
a management tool in communication with the CMDB, the management tool including a graphical user interface (GUI) to create workflows, each workflow including a sequence of tasks for carrying out one of a plurality of related change requests, each of the plurality of related change requests specifying a change to the information technology infrastructure's configuration, wherein the management tool is configured to link task inputs and task outputs of the sequences of tasks; and
a plurality of bi-directional interfaces between the management tool and a corresponding plurality of implementation tools through which the management tool communicates one or more task instructions to implement the sequences of tasks for carrying out the plurality of related change requests, wherein the plurality of bi-directional interfaces are configured to map input results from the implementation tools to the management tool,
wherein at least one task instruction includes task-related information for a targeted implementation tool to implement a task for carrying out the one of the plurality of related change requests, the task-related information including authentication information for accessing the targeted implementation tool, the task-related information including a unique identification of the task and a unique identification of the one change request,
wherein the targeted implementation tool determines a response using the authentication information, and registers a response including an indication of whether the implementation of the task was successful or not, and returns a result including the unique identification of the task implemented and the unique identification of the one change request, and
wherein the results are used to execute the sequences of tasks using each of the plurality of targeted implementation tools, including the linking of the task inputs and the task outputs and the mapping of the input results to the management tool.
2. The change management system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the sequence of tasks are automatically launched.
3. The change management system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the sequence of tasks require manual activation.
4. The change management system of claim 1 , wherein the results include one or more of success, failure, completion, error, and pending statuses.
5. The change management system of claim 1 , wherein a result from a first task is used as a variable in a second task of the change request.
6. The change management system of claim 1 , wherein each task includes one or more of a command line, log-in information, authentication information, information to access another component of the infrastructure, information to notify a discovery tool, and an automatic action to be performed.
7. The change management system of claim 1 , wherein the management tool is configured to generate a plurality of tags including the task instructions, and further wherein the targeted implementation tool is configured to return the results in a result tag.
8. The change management system of claim 1 , wherein the authentication information is encrypted.
9. A computer program product embodied in non-transitory computer-readable media that includes executable code, which when executed by one or more processors implement a change management system for an information technology infrastructure, the change management system comprising:
a configuration management database (CMDB) storing configuration information related to the information technology infrastructure;
a management tool in communication with the CMDB, the management tool including a graphical user interface (GUI) to create workflows, each workflow including a sequence of tasks for carrying out a one of a plurality of change requests specifying a change to the information technology infrastructure's configuration, wherein the management tool is configured to link task inputs and task outputs of the sequences of tasks; and
a plurality of bi-directional interfaces between the management tool and a corresponding plurality implementation tools through which the management tool communicates one or more task instructions to implement the sequences of tasks for carrying out the plurality of change requests, wherein the plurality of bi-directional interfaces are configured to map input results from the implementation tools to the management tool,
wherein at least one task instruction includes task-related information for a targeted implementation tool to implement a task for carrying out the one of the plurality of related change requests, the task-related information including authentication information for accessing the targeted implementation tool, the task-related information including a unique identification of the task and a unique identification of the one change request,
wherein the targeted implementation tool determines a response using the authentication information, and registers a response including an indication of whether the implementation of the task was successful or not, and returns a result including the unique identification of the task implemented and the unique identification of the one change request, and
wherein the results are used by the management tool to execute the sequences of tasks using each of the plurality of targeted implementation tools, including the linking of the task inputs and the task outputs and the mapping of the input results to the management tool.
10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein at least some of the sequence of tasks are automatically launched.
11. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein at least some of the sequence of tasks require manual activation.
12. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the results include one or more of success, failure, completion, error, and pending statuses.
13. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein a result from a first task is used as a variable in a second task of the change request.
14. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein each task includes one or more of a command line, log-in information, authentication information, information to access another component of the infrastructure, information to notify a discovery tool, and an automatic action to be performed.
15. A method for implementing change operations across a plurality of servers in an information technology infrastructure, the method performed by a processor executing instructions stored in a memory, the method comprising:
retrieving configuration information related to the information technology infrastructure from a configuration management database (CMDB);
creating workflows on a graphical user interface (GUI) of a management tool in communication with the CMDB, each workflow including a sequence of tasks for carrying out one of a plurality of related change requests, each of the plurality of related change requests specifying a change to the information technology infrastructure's configuration, wherein the management tool is configured to link task inputs and task outputs of the sequences of tasks; and
communicating one or more task instructions from the management tool to a plurality of implementation tools to implement the sequences of tasks for carrying out the plurality of related change requests, the one or more task instructions being communicated via a plurality of bi-directional interfaces between the management tool and a corresponding plurality of implementation tools, wherein the plurality of bi-directional interfaces are configured to map input results from the implementation tools to the management tool,
wherein at least one task instruction includes task-related information for a targeted implementation tool to implement a task for carrying out one of the plurality of related change requests, the task-related information including authentication information for accessing the targeted implementation tool, the task-related information including a unique identification of the task and a unique identification of the one change request,
wherein the targeted implementation tool determines a response using the authentication information, and registers a response including an indication of whether the implementation of the task was successful or not, and returns a result including the unique identification of the task implemented and the unique identification of the one change request, and
wherein the results are used by the management tool to execute the sequences of tasks using each of the plurality of targeted implementation tools, including the linking of the task inputs and the task outputs and the mapping of the input results to the management tool.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising, automatically launching at least some of the sequence of tasks automatically.
17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising, launching at least some of the sequence of tasks upon user activation.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein communicating one or more task instructions from the management tool to a plurality of implementation tools to implement the sequence of tasks for carrying out the change request includes tracking one or more of success, failure, completion, error, and pending statuses of the plurality of implementation tools.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein implementing the sequence of tasks for carrying out the change request includes using a result from a first task as a variable in a second task of the change request.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein implementing the sequence of tasks for carrying out the change request includes implementing a task which includes one or more of a command line, log-in information, authentication information, information to access another component of the infrastructure, information to notify a discovery tool, and an automatic action to be performed.