CMDB Lifecycle Management

Every CMDB item goes through lifecycle phases from deployment to removal.

Lifecycle phases

1. Procurement: Equipment purchased, awaiting installation
2. Deployment: Installation and production setup
3. Operation: Active use in production
4. Maintenance: Planned or reactive maintenance periods
5. Decommissioning: Gradual withdrawal from service
6. Disposal: Physical removal, resale or destruction

Benefits of tracking

• Visibility: Know each item's state
• Planning: Anticipate replacements
• Compliance: Trace equipment end-of-life
• Budget: Plan renewal investments

Available statuses

Typical transitions

Active → Maintenance → Active (return to service)
Active → Retired → Disposed (end of life)
Active → Maintenance → Retired (post-failure decommissioning)

Changing status

1. Open the item detail page
2. Click "Edit"
3. Change the status
4. Save

The change is recorded in the history.

The replaced_by field tracks equipment replacement.

Why document replacements?

• Traceability: Know which item replaced which
• History: Maintain the replacement chain
• Analysis: Identify failure patterns

Setting up a replacement

1. Open the item being replaced
2. Click "Edit"
3. In the "Replaced by" field, select the new item
4. Change status to "Retired" or "Disposed"
5. Save

Impact

Once the replacement is documented:

• The old item shows which item replaced it
• The new item can be found from the old one
• ITSM history is preserved on both items

Applicable entities

Replacement tracking is available for:

• Assets
• Applications
• Contracts

On the item detail page

The detail page shows:

• Replaced by: The item that took over (if applicable)
• Replaces: The item this one replaced (if applicable)

Replacement chain

For items replaced multiple times:

• The complete chain is browsable
• Each link maintains its own history
• You can trace back to the original item

In search and filters

Filters allow:

• Finding all retired items
• Listing unreplaced items (to document)
• Identifying items with replacement pending

Before decommissioning an item, analyze the impact on your infrastructure.

Using the dependency map

1. Open the item to decommission
2. Click "Dependency Map"
3. Identify all dependent entities
4. Plan migrations or replacements

Questions to answer

• Applications: Which applications run on this asset?
• Services: Which services will be impacted?
• Users: Who uses these services?
• Contracts: Which contracts cover this item?

Recommended actions

1. Migrate dependent applications
2. Update associated contracts
3. Notify impacted users
4. Document the replacement in CMDB
5. Create a change to track the operation

Regular maintenance

• Monthly review: Check items in "Maintenance" status
• Quarterly review: Identify items to retire
• Annual audit: Validate the entire inventory

Documentation

• Always fill in the replaced_by field
• Add notes explaining the reason for status change
• Keep contracts updated with current assets

Anticipation

• Monitor warranty end dates
• Plan replacements before failures
• Budget for renewals

CMDB health rules

Enable rules to detect:

• Items stuck in "Maintenance" for too long
• "Retired" items without replacement
• Expired contracts on active items