HP Universal CMDB 9.00 What's New

for the Windows and Linux operating systems

Software version: 9.00 / June 2010

This file provides information about new features and enhancements to HP Universal CMDB (HP UCMDB) 9.00.

Release Highlights

Support

Legal Notices

Release Highlights

BTO Data Model

User Interface

Modeling and Reporting

Data Flow Management

Discovery and Dependency Mapping

Product Deployment

Name Changes Between Version 8.0x and 9.00

Product Feature Movies

BTO Data Model

BTO Data Model (BDM) is the native data model of UCMDB and the core data model for all integrations between BTO products

Data Flow Probe (formerly the Discovery Probe) translates the old classes and attribute names to the new data model at run time

Version 8.0x discovery patterns can be deployed and run on version 9.0 systems after running the package upgrade.

Improved Conceptual Data Model

Preservation of IDs—after an upgrade, the original CI/relation IDs are preserved, even where the class name or key attributes were changed

User Interface

New Look and Feel

Single module, instead of two modules (Java applets) in version 8.0x, providing immediate access to all functions

ITU (IT Universe Manager) Facelift

Improved Get Related CIs capability

Enhanced search mechanism

Ability to save search criteria

Selector and Search available from most dialog boxes

Modeling and Reporting

Consolidated administrator and user interface containing:

TQL (Topology Query Language) Manager

View Manager, represented by a tree with advanced folding definitions

Report Manager

Pattern-based model functionality

Improved Query Editor with the following capabilities:

Undo and redo

Copy and paste

Relationships cardinality indicator

Support for multiple documents

Preview Window

Full functionality of ITU (IT Universe Manager)

No longer limited to 900 CIs (Configuration Items)

Calculation of results

Text-mode support

Ability to define multiple perspectives, perspectives over perspectives, and display them in a tree hierarchy

Report Creation

Simplified user interface to create reports

Unified interface for views and reports, avoiding the need to replicate the topology query for creating a report

A single point from where to create all reports—the Modeling studio

Ability to define report layouts and chart properties

Report Consumption

Consolidated Reports module for reports consumption, including Topology and Custom reports

Improved exports to CSV and Excel files

New export to XML

Data Flow Management

Integration Studio

Consolidated UI for configuring integration data

Federation

Data Population

Data Push

Ability to define which CITs (Configuration Item Types) or attributes to federate

Ability to set reconciliation priority, the priority used during population/federation

Ability to schedule population and push jobs

Ability to select queries for data population or data push jobs

Edit Integration Properties dialog box for setting integration and connection properties

Improved Integration Infrastructure

Data population and data push flows (which are based on the generic push adapter) are performed by the Data Flow Probe

Data Federation and data push flows (which are based on Java adapters) are performed by the server

Any Discovery adapter (previously known as a Discovery pattern) can be used to set up integration via the Integration Studio

Reconciliation Improvements

Reconciliation engine is more generic and flexible

Fully configurable node (also called Host) reconciliation rules

The system no longer relies on the lowest MAC address to be populated into the dedicated host_key attribute. Instead it consults a configurable set of attributes to determine which hosts are actually different representations of the same Host CI.

Reconciliation priority:

Ability to assign priorities to all data sources associated with the UCMDB

Ability to set reconciliation priority down to the attribute level

Federation Improvements

Ability to select data sources for each query node

Ability to create federated TQLs (Topology Query Language) where the federated node can be a parent type of a federated CI Type—not only its child as implemented in earlier versions.

Multiple Configuration Management Databases (CMDBs)

Integration between multiple UCMDB instances now defined in the Integration Studio

Supports data separation into chunks (for large amounts of data)

Ability to only synchronize the changes

Configuration Management System (CMS) instance generates a global ID to be used by BTO products when referring to a specific CI (Configuration Item)

Discovery and Dependency Mapping

New Discovery SDK (Software Development Kit)

Improved error management—errors are grouped for easier tracking, enabling a better understanding of the discovery problem

Significant improvements in Data Flow Probe performance

Discovery Enhancements

Discovers candidates for deletion

Support for Imprecise Attributes to reduce false-changes in the database

Discovery control panel with hierarchical Discovery modules

Improved application signature capabilities and user interface

Improved Discovery Adapter Management user interface

HP LiveNetwork

A central point for publishing new Content Packs (CPs) and sharing DDM knowledge

Repository containing the latest content packs and documentation

Open user-discussion forums

Platform for sharing knowledge and experience

Product Deployment

New management application for multi-tenancy

Improved performance and stability:

Improved data population rate

Improved query response time

Improved transaction and data consistency

Interactive upgrade process, with ability to transform to new data model prior to upgrade process

Enhanced Java SDK (Software Development Kit) over queries and views

Ability to define virtual queries

Backward compatibility for version 8.0x

Simplified Deployment:

Single process running a CMDB instance

Improved management for logs

Improved CPU and memory consumption

BTO Confidential Manager allows safe storage of user credentials across BTO products

Support for a variety of virtual environments, browsers, and languages, such as 2008 Enterprise and Internet Explorer 8. For the complete list of hardware and software requirements, see "Hardware and Software Requirements" in the HP Universal CMDB Deployment Guide PDF.

Name Changes Between Version 8.0x and 9.00

Version 9.0 introduces Data Flow Management which consolidates discovery and UCMDB integrations (population, federation, and data push). This design results in the following terminology changes:


Version 8.0x	Version 9.00
Discovery Probe	Data Flow Probe covering both discovery and integrations
Discovery Patterns, Federation Adapter	Adapter, which can be written in Jython, Java, or ORM mapping files. The adapters can be used for setting up integrations (through the Integration Studio) or performing discovery (through the Discovery Control Panel).
Data Flow Content	Discovery

Product Feature Movies

The product installation includes a collection of movies located under the root/ Product_Feature_Movies folder, demonstrating some of the major features available in this release.

Support

Visit the HP Software Support web site at http://www.hp.com/go/hpsoftwaresupport

This web site provides contact information and details about the products, services, and support that HP Software offers.

HP Software online support provides customer self-solve capabilities. It provides a fast and efficient way to access interactive technical support tools needed to manage your business. As a valued support customer, you can benefit by using the support web site to:

Search for knowledge documents of interest

Submit and track support cases and enhancement requests

Download software patches

Manage support contracts

Look up HP support contacts

Review information about available services

Enter into discussions with other software customers

Research and register for software training

Most of the support areas require that you register as an HP Passport user and sign in. Many also require a support contract. To register for an HP Passport ID, go to http://h20229.www2.hp.com/passport-registration.html

To find more information about access levels, go to http://h20230.www2.hp.com/new_access_levels.jsp

Legal Notices

Confidential computer software. Valid license from HP required for possession, use or copying. Consistent with FAR 12.211 and 12.212, Commercial Computer Software, Computer Software Documentation, and Technical Data for Commercial Items are licensed to the U.S. Government under vendor's standard commercial license.

The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.

For information about third-party license agreements, see the Third_Party_Agreements directory on the product installation media.

Adobe® and Acrobat® are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Intel®, Pentium®, and Intel® Xeon™ are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

Java™ is a US trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Microsoft®, Windows®, Windows NT®, and Windows® XP are U.S registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Oracle® is a registered US trademark of Oracle Corporation, Redwood City, California.

Unix® is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this document, please send them by e-mail to SW-Doc@hp.com.