Configuration management

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Top level Configuration Management Activity Model
Top level Configuration Management Activity Model

Configuration management (CM) is a field of management, that focuses on establishing and maintaining consistency of a product's performance and its functional and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life.[1] For information assurance, CM can be defined as the management of security features and assurances through control of changes made to hardware, software, firmware, documentation, test, test fixtures, and test documentation throughout the life cycle of an information system.[2]

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[edit] History

Configuration management was first developed by the United States Department of Defense in the 1950s as a technical management discipline. The concepts have been widely adopted by numerous technical management models, including systems engineering, integrated logistics support, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), ISO 9000, Prince2 project management methodology, COBIT, Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), product lifecycle management, and application lifecycle management. Many of these models have redefined configuration management from its traditional holistic approach to technical management. Some treat configuration management as being similar to a librarian activity, and break out change control and change management as separate areas of discipline (as Prince 2); some break out the traditional elements of revision control and engineering release into separate management disciplines; others treat CM as an overarching management discipline.

[edit] Traditional configuration management

Traditionally configuration management has four elements:

  1. Configuration identification
  2. Configuration change control (or change management)
  3. Configuration status accounting
  4. Configuration verification and auditing

These terms and definitions change from standard to standard, but are essentially the same.

  • Configuration identification is the process of identifying the attributes that define every aspect of a configuration item. A configuration item is a product (hardware and/or software) that has an end-user purpose. These attributes are recorded in configuration documentation and baselined. Baselining an attribute forces formal configuration change control processes to be effected in the event that these attributes are changed.
  • Configuration change control is a set of processes and approval stages required to change a configuration item's attributes and to re-baseline them.
  • Configuration status accounting is the ability to record and report on the configuration baselines associated with each configuration item at any moment of time.
  • Configuration audits are broken into functional and physical configuration audits. They occur either at delivery or at the moment of effecting the change. A functional configuration audit ensures that functional and performance attributes of a configuration item are achieved, while a physical configuration audit ensures that a configuration item is installed in accordance with the requirements of its detailed design documentation.

Configuration management is widely used by many military organizations to manage the technical aspects of any complex systems, such as weapon systems, vehicles, and information systems. The discipline combines the capability aspects that these systems provide an organization with the issues of management of change to these systems over time.

Outside of the military, CM is equally appropriate to a wide range of fields and industry and commercial sectors.[3]

[edit] Standards

  • ANSI/EIA-649-1998 National Consensus Standard for Configuration Management
  • Federal Standard 1037C
  • GEIA Standard 836-2002 Configuration Management Data Exchange and Interoperability
  • IEEE Std. 828-1998 IEEE Standard for Software Configuration Management Plans
  • MIL-STD-973 Configuration Management (canceled, but still good reference)
  • STANAG 4159 NATO Material Configuration Management Policy and Procedures for Multinational Joint Projects
  • STANAG 4427 Introduction of Allied Configuration Management Publications (ACMPs)

[edit] Guidelines

  • IEEE Std. 1042-1987 IEEE Guide to Software Configuration Management
  • MIL-HDBK-61A CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE 7 February 2001
  • ISO 10007 Quality management - Guidelines for configuration management
  • GEIA-HB-649 - Implementation Guide for Configuration Management
  • ANSI/EIA-649-1998 National Consensus Standard for Configuration Management
  • EIA-836 Consensus Standard for Configuration Management Data Exchange and Interoperability
  • ANSI/EIA-632-1998 Processes for Engineering a System

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ MIL-HDBK-61A CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE 7 February 2001[1]
  2. ^ National Information Systems Security Glossary
  3. ^ ANSI/EIA-649-1998 National Consensus Standard for Configuration Management