Inventory Management System

Release Date: March 18, 2012

Prepared by:

Thomas Bronack
Standards and Procedures Manual

Section Table of Contents

1. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT................................................................................................... 4
1.1. INTRODUCTION TO INVENTORY MANAGEMENT.............................................................................................4
1.1.1. DEFINITION..................................................................................................................................................................4
1.1.2. SCOPE............................................................................................................................................................................6
1.1.3. MISSION........................................................................................................................................................................7
1.1.4. OBJECTIVES.................................................................................................................................................................8
1.1.5. FUNCTIONAL AREAS................................................................................................................................................9
1.1.6. INTEGRATED INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM....................................................................................10
1.1.7. SMC DISCIPLINE INTERFACES...........................................................................................................................11
1.1.8. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT DISCIPLINES AND INTERFACES....................................................................13

1.2. PROCESS DESCRIPTION...................................................................................................................................14

1.2.1. NETWORK..................................................................................................................................................................14
1.2.2. SYSTEM......................................................................................................................................................................14
1.2.3. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT PROCESS.............................................................................................................15
1.2.4. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT FLOW...................................................................................................................16

1.3. PROCESS FLOW.................................................................................................................................................17

1.3.1. 1. NON-CONTROLLED ACR ENTRY.................................................................................................................17
1.3.2. 2. CONTROLLED ACR ENTRY............................................................................................................................17
1.3.3. IMPLEMENTATION OF INVENTORY MANAGEMENT.....................................................................................18
1.3.4. SYSTEM ENVIRONMENT.......................................................................................................................................18
1.3.5. NETWORK ENVIRONMENT...................................................................................................................................19
1.3.6. DATA REQUIREMENTS FOR INVENTORY MANAGEMENT..........................................................................20
1.3.7. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT DATA MODEL...................................................................................................21
1.3.8. COLLECTING, MONITORING AND REPORTING DATA.................................................................................25
1.3.9. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT RECORD HIERARCHY..................................................................................26

1.4. DISCIPLINE RELATIONSHIPS...........................................................................................................................27

1.4.1. BUSINESS FUNCTION INTERFACES....................................................................................................................27
1.4.2. SYSTEM MANAGEMENT INTERFACES..............................................................................................................29

1.5. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT TOOLS................................................................................................................30

1.5.1. ASSET MANAGEMENT AT THE SYSTEM TO SERVER LEVEL.....................................................................30
1.5.2. INDUSTRY STANDARDS.......................................................................................................................................32
1.5.3. DOWNSTREAM NETWORK SERVER CONFIGURATION AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT...............34

1.6. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES......................................................................................................................36

1.6.1. INVENTORY MANAGER.........................................................................................................................................36
1.6.2. INVENTORY CLERKS..............................................................................................................................................36

1.7. PROCESS EVALUATION....................................................................................................................................37

1.7.1. PRESENT SYSTEM WEAKNESSES.......................................................................................................................37
1.7.2. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT......................................................................................................37

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Section List of Figures

FIGURE 1: OVERVIEW OF INVENTORY MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONAL AREAS...................................................................9

FIGURE 2: OVERVIEW OF AN INTEGRATED INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.......................................................10
FIGURE 3: SMC DISCIPLINE INTERFACES.................................................................................................................................11
FIGURE 4: INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - OVERVIEW OF PROCESS.............................................................15
FIGURE 5: INVENTORY SYSTEM FLOW DIAGRAM...............................................................................................................16
FIGURE 6: INVENTORY MANAGEMENT DATA MODEL.......................................................................................................21
FIGURE 7: INVENTORY MANAGEMENT RECORD HIERARCHY.........................................................................................26
FIGURE 8: ASSET MANAGEMENT AT THE SYSTEM TO SERVER LEVEL.....................................................................31
FIGURE 9: DOWNSTREAM NETWORK SERVER AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT...................................................34

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1. Inventory Management

1.1. Introduction to Inventory Management

1.1.1. Definition

Inventory Management is an enterprise-wide discipline concerned with the

identification and tracking of Information Services (IS) hardware and software assets.
Its three main areas of concern are:

Acquisition.
Redeployment.
Termination.

Acquisition procedures are established to assist personnel in procurement of

software and hardware products. Its main purpose is to ensure that proper
justifications are performed and that financial guidelines are followed.

Redeployment procedures are responsible for ensuring that assets are tracked when
moved from one location to another and that budgetary considerations are adjusted as
needed. Should a product be moved in conjunction with its original owner then the
Inventory System is updated to reflect the new location. Should a product location and
owner change, then the Inventory System must be updated to reflect the new owner
and their location. In this case, the old product is deleted from the original owner's
budget and added to the new owner's budget.

Termination is responsible for deleting the asset from the inventory when it is
discontinued, or replaced. The owner's budget will be updated to reflect the asset
termination and the asset will no longer be listed when location reports are
generated.

The Inventory System is maintained within a database that ties an asset to its owner and
defines the location where the asset resides. The relative importance of the asset is added
to the inventory record (i.e., Criticality = 1-5, where 1 is "Most Critical"). Based on this
information the contingency planning specialist can plan asset recoveries needed to
support critical business operations.

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Like all databases, the Inventory System will only be effective if its information is
kept current. To ensure the accuracy of the Inventory System, while not adding too
great a burden to company personnel, every effort must be taken to implement
processes that maintain inventory data with a minimum work effort from personnel

Inventory Management provides:

Up-to-date information about data processing resources through the creation

and archiving of records in a centralized repository.

Financial records specific to a single component, or groups of components.

Service records for all components in the inventory.

Data used to support configuration diagrams of the hardware and software

components contained within specific locations, or the entire data
processing environment.

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1.1.2. Scope

The Inventory Management discipline encompasses all system and data network
elements from the mainframe through the server level to the PC or end component
throughout the enterprise.

All mainframe and data network based hardware and software assets must be
identified and entered into the Inventory System. Any changes to these environments
must be reflected in the Inventory System.

Financial and technical product information must be available through the

Inventory System, as needed to support the functional responsibilities of personnel
within the finance and contracts management departments.

Asset criticality must be included with asset descriptive and financial information, so
that the Recovery Management department is supplied with the information it requires.
Recovery actions must be implemented to safeguard critical assets.

The Standards and Procedures Manual section relating to Inventory Management must
be created and published. This section must describe the process by which assets are
identified, entered into the Inventory Management System, tracked, and finally deleted.
All information needed by personnel to perform Inventory Management functions
must be clearly described within this S&P Manual section.

Finally, personnel responsible for implementing, supporting, and maintaining assets must
have access to the Inventory Management System to identify asset information needed by
them to perform their functional responsibilities. This process includes logging the
availability or assets, their support history, and any maintenance activity performed on
the asset.

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1.1.3. Mission

The mission of an Inventory System is to provide a Central Asset Repository of

information used to define assets and relate the asset to its owner, location, and relative
importance. This information will provide personnel with data needed to support their
job functions, for example:

Facilities Management will be able to plan Heating, Ventilation and Air

Conditioning (HVAC) requirements, as well as power and floor space
needed to support equipment listed in the Asset Repository for a specific
location.

Financial Services will be able to budget for asset procurement,

depreciate assets over time, and prepare complete tax documents.

Contracts Management will be able to negotiate vendor discounts

and enterprise agreements.

Contingency Planning personnel will be able to develop recovery plans for

mainframe and office assets contained within the Inventory System based
on the assets relative importance (as stated within the Criticality field).

Technical personnel will be able to resolve problems more quickly with the
information contained within the Inventory System, because they will have
a listing of the assets contained within a location and any support or
maintenance activities associated on the asset.

The Inventory System should be integrated within the everyday functions performed by
personnel associated with entering and maintaining asset information. The system will
reduce the effort devoted to asset management, while supplying many personnel with
the information they need to perform their functional responsibilities.

Every effort should be made to develop a central Asset Repository that covers the
entire enterprise, rather than having separate Asset Repositories for mainframe,
network, and distributed environments. Having a single repository will simplify
accounting and asset management, while allowing for the implementation of enterprise-
wide asset management standards and procedures.

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1.1.4. Objectives

The objective of Inventory Management is to manage the physical and logical properties
of I/S resources and their relationship, while ensuring that service level commitments
are achieved. This process will:

Ensure efficient and timely identification of vital corporate assets.

Assist in managing the enterprise-wide inventory.

Provide a common repository for asset protection.

Plan and control the proliferation of assets across the enterprise.

The objectives of Inventory Management are:

To identify and track all data processing assets in an Inventory

System Repository.

To define the process by which assets are identified and maintained in the
Inventory System.

To provide Inventory System access to all necessary personnel (data

entry, view, update and deletion).

To provide a full range of reports that will satisfy informational requirements.

To document the Inventory Management System within the Standards and

Procedures Manual.

To provide training to personnel responsible for supporting the

Inventory Management System.

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1.1.5. Functional Areas.

The functional areas that interface with an Inventory Management System are:

Figure 1: Overview of Inventory Management functional areas.

“ Inventory Management is divided into many separate areas of respon

Inventory Management Departments

Finance

Inventory Management
Contracts

Mainframe Mid-Range PC / LAN Communications Fixed Assets

Voice Data Network

Hardware
Software Facilities

Common areas of concern

faced by each department
Vendor

Financial

All of the functional areas listed above can utilize the information contained within the
Inventory Management System's Central Asset Repository of information. Additionally,
the Recovery Management area could utilize inventory information to identify an assets
criticality (especially when the asset's location and owner are identified within the
Inventory Management System). Through the use of reports generated from the
Inventory Management System's Repository, it would be possible to obtain a listing of all
"Most Critical" resources, by location and group. This report would then serve as the
basis of a Business Recovery Plan.

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1.1.6. Integrated Inventory Management System

To successfully implement an Inventory Management System, it is necessary to integrate

it within the everyday functions performed by company personnel. That is, when a user
wants to order equipment or software, they would call up the Inventory Management
System screen associated with Acquisition. The same types of processes should be
available for Redeployment and Termination of assets. Should a user request the
acquisition of a specific type of asset then it would be possible for the inventory system
to determine if the asset is already in surplus, or if it should be purchased under an
existing Volume Purchase Agreement with a vendor.

Figure 2: Overview of an integrated Inventory Management System.

Inventory Management
Process Flow User’ s make requests for re source s (either hardware, software, or fixed ass

USER USER

Inventory Management

Inventory Control Financial Management

Management Financial profile of inventory is provided to Financial Management, wh
tory of asse ts is controlled by the Inventory Control Manager. Enterprise design agreements are validated by will result in discounts (i.e., Volume Purchase Agreements, or specific ve
person, who also ensure s that all asset guideline s are adhered to.

Reports
Repository

Hardware,
Software, Fixed Assets, by Location and Criticality
All reports deemed
necessary to support system and informational requests.

The utilization of Inventory Management Systems to control the purchase and

installation of assets can aid in the control of the business environment, while assisting in
the assignment of personnel to perform asset related work functions. This methodology
will result in a workflow and asset management system that is optimized to the
enterprise.

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1.1.7. SMC Discipline Interfaces

The Systems Management and Control (SMC) disciplines that will interface with
the Inventory Management System are illustrated within the diagram listed below.

Figure 3: SMC Discipline Interfaces .

SMC Organization
Systems Management
and Controls (SMC)

Batch Management Service Level ManagementRecovery Management Change Management

Inventory Management
On-Line Management EDP Security Problem
Management Management

Configuration
Management Vital Records
Management

Capacity
Management

Performance
Management

The disciplines interfacing directly with Inventory Management and their

functional responsibilities are:

Capacity Management (i.e., PC memory and speed, DASD size, etc.).

Performance Management (speed and usage information).

Change Management (version and release information, benchmark,

testing, etc.).

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Recovery Management (recovery planning for critical assets and

sizing requirements for recovery facilities).

Service Level Management (Service Level Agreements - SLA's and

Service Level Reporting - SLR of user processing and service requirements).

Problem Management (Change History, Problem History,

troubleshooting, pathway, version and release information, etc.).

Configuration Management (hardware, software, location,

HVAC requirements, power, water, floor space, fixed assets, etc.).

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1.1.8. Inventory Management disciplines and interfaces

The Inventory Management function is responsible for tracking all assets, from
Mainframe based to Data Network based, that are connected to the data center or
data network. In each case, the Inventory Management Systems must be able to:

Identify the asset and its serial number;

Associate the asset with its owner and location;
Relate the asset to its vendor;
Track the maintenance level of the asset; and,
Provide the asset’s Problem and Change history.

The ideal Inventory Management System should also:

Provide financial information related to an asset;

Define the criticality of the asset; and,
Supply history information for the asset.

The Inventory Management System interfaces with the following departments:

Finance;
Contracts;
Systems Software;
Technical Support;
Change Management;
Production Services;
Facilities Management; and,
Enterprise Management personnel.

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1.2. Process Description

The Inventory Management System process starts with the acquisition of an asset, then
continues with the redeployment of assets, and ends when an asset is terminated. It
interfaces with many personnel performing a variety of Systems Management Control
(SMC) disciplines associated with asset implementation, support, and maintenance
functions within the I/S organization as well as finance and corporate management
areas throughout the enterprise.

The vehicle used to control the Inventory Management discipline is Change

Management. Without adequate Change Management the integrity of the Inventory
Management process cannot be ensured. These SMC disciplines and functions
encompass both system and data network elements and feed the Configuration
Management discipline.

Inventory Management inputs can come from either the Network or Systems area and
can include a variety of input methods:

1.2.1. Network

The Network area must account for new acquisitions installed as a configuration
in a specific location. Because the complexity of today’s networks makes
tracking new acquisitions difficult, it is advisable that tracking be accomplished
through the use of discovery type applications, which monitor and interrogate
asset changes automatically. This type of tracking would capture vital product
data (VPD), or perform product identification, which is generally imbedded on
PC-type products by the manufacturer. This information should include product
type, serial number, maintenance level, features, and othe asset information
which can be inputted to the asset database record as a foundation element.

1.2.2. System

System level assets can be identified through automated tools used to extract
asset information like: asset type, serial number, features, maintenance level, etc.
Within the system area changes to the physical environment are systematically
reported through the integrated change process. This discipline incorporates all
hardware and software reconfigurations or updates. All inputs to the
centralized database will be subject to the change process.

The following page contains an overview of the Inventory Management process.

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1.2.3. Inventory Management Process

Figure 4: Inventory Management System - Overview of Process

PROCESS INPUTS:

Service Level Management, Capacity and Performance Management, Change Management, Problem Management, Batch

New Acquisition Asset Asset Termination Network Alert System

Re-Deployment Re-Configuration

Data Center Record, System Record, Hardware Record, Software Record, Assurance
Service Record, Financial Record.
System Management Process
Inventory Repository Data Base To Configuration Management

Reports
R/O R/W

Hard Copy, or
On-Line Viewing Add / Delete / Edit via on-line Display

The above provides an Overview Diagram of the Inventory Management process,

while the following illustration provides a Flow Diagram of the Inventory Process.

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1.2.4. Inventory Management Flow

Figure 5: Inventory System Flow Diagram

SMC
No Create
Disciplines Data Center RecordData FinancialsNo Generate
? ?Physical
Yes Center Record Inventory
Non-Controlled Entry Reports
Yes
Controlled Entry

System Record No Create System Record

? Financial Record No Create Financial Record
Unformatted Asset Request Yes
Generate Change Record ?
Yes

Create Hardware Software Record

Validate Data Elements Generate Financial Reports
Validate Data Elements

Create
Yes
No Yes Features Features Close Change Record
Accepted No
? Record
? Formatted? Authorized?
No

Yes

Does Config.Yes Change

Update Configuration Data Base ?Generate
NoPhysical Configuration
Reports

The inventory process starts with Non-Controlled Entry, or Controlled Entry of an

asset, then proceeds by generating an Asset Database Record, including: asset
information, location, and financial information.

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1.3. Process Flow.

The process is entered as a Controlled or Non-Controlled Asset Change

Request (ACR) as follows:

1.3.1. 1. Non-Controlled ACR Entry:

ACR received by any method other than the Change Control process.

- Confirm all necessary information is available about the asset.

- Request is reviewed locally for acceptance.
- Problems documented and returned for resolution.
- ACR accepted and authorized.
- Request forwarded to Change Control process for input as a Controlled
ACR.

1.3.2. 2. Controlled ACR Entry:

Validate all data elements are present in the Change Record.

Reviewed by all I/S organizations accountable for asset
control. Problems documented and returned for resolution.
ACR accepted and authorized.
Update Inventory Repository database.
Create data center record associated with the
asset. Create system record associated with the
asset.
Create component record associated with the
asset. Create feature records associated with the
asset.
Generate physical configuration reports and
distribute. Create financial records if appropriate.
Generate financial reports if appropriate.
Generate physical inventory reports and
distribute. Close the change record.

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1.3.3. Implementation of Inventory Management

Efficient processing and operations management starts with an integrated

approach that links all facets of system management together. Inventory
Management is just one of the disciplines. Each augments the other, and
provides the ability to effectively manage a large systems environment.

Accurate inventory data is vital. A lack of accurate asset data affects the other
disciplines ability to function. The automated element of inventory management
monitors the enterprise-wide data network processing environment for change,
while the system environment relies on the change process (which may or may
not be fully automated) for accurate input.

The products and tools that comprise the Inventory Management System use data
network definition information, Vital Product Data, local configuration
definitions and in some cases, discovery applications to arrive at inventory
information.

This process must embrace the following areas to be effective:

1.3.4. System Environment

Today the system programmer can define hardware configurations for multiple
MVS/ESA operating systems through Hardware Configuration Definition
(HCD). HCD reduces complexity and shortens the time required to successfully
define an I/O configuration by providing a panel-driven interface, panel defaults,
and data entry validity checking.

Dynamic reconfiguration management allows the support organization to

implement system configuration changes without interrupting system service.
The system’s availability is not interrupted by an Initial Program Load (IPL) to
change the hardware configuration, or an IPL to change the software definition
for devices, control units, and channel paths. This ability to dynamically
reconfigure works in conjunction with HCD and allows the new system
configuration to be implemented without interruption.

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Enterprise Systems Connection (ESCON) Manager enhances user control and

manageability in an ESCON architecture environment when changing
ESCON Director (ESCD) configurations. The changes are entered at a host
processor rather than at the local ESCD consoles in the mainframe
environment.

HCD and ECSON are highly dynamic tools, which can effect configuration
changes easily and swiftly. However, there are no automation techniques
currently in use that directly update the inventory database. Updates to the
inventory database require manual data entry, therefore it is important that
these interfaces to HCD and ESCON be constantly monitored and proper
change control exercised to maintain asset integrity.

1.3.5. Network Environment

The complexity of the network environment requires an integrated set of

facilities to store and display network configuration data for all network
resources. This includes OSI, TCP/IP, SNA, Ethernet, and any other network
resources. These facilities are tailored for network operational use and contain
information that is pertinent to hardware and software inventories (e.g., Vital
Product Information).

When dealing with large networks the immediate problems associated with the
collection of asset information is enormous and therefore subject to significant
errors. If the configurations are too complex, they become impossible to manage
or understand. The typical network is composed of many nodes extending to
many different topologies. The technique commonly used to manage networks is
to break up the larger networks into smaller, manageable units. Once the
management of these clusters is underway, you can proceed to manage several
clusters from a higher node in the configuration hierarchy. This allows for
greater control and accuracy.

On the other hand, if the configurations are too granular, the system can become a
collection of small configurations with no relationships established between each
other. For example, when defining a large 3745 network, we first define the
lines, along with their drops, as separate configurations. We then connect these
lines to the 3745 in another configuration. This logic can be applied to other
layouts as well, including the client/server arena.

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Although the industry direction is to automate network asset control as much as

possible, managing the entire configuration does not necessarily have to be
automated from the start, especially within the enterprise. It is our primary
purpose to reduce the amount of manual work and the possible human errors
typically found in current network configuration and asset management
processes. Therefore, the technique presented here does not provide the Company
with the complete automation process for the entire enterprise configuration.
Rather, we recommend that you begin the initial steps for replacing much of the
tedious work of entering and updating configuration data manually.

1.3.6. Data Requirements for Inventory Management

To ensure a consistent, centralized and integrated control, as described in the

previous section, a common data model must be built. This will ensure a
consistent reporting process to the inventory database regardless of where the
data is stored.

In the event of incomplete record information, the inventory management area

must re-solicit, or advise the responsible asset area of the missing data
elements. This reentrant approach provides a disciplined strategy to build a
reliable inventory.

The structure illustrated in the next diagram allows the description of hierarchical
relationships among data centers, systems, components, service organizations,
and financial data. By entering descriptions of the hardware and software system
components, along with information about their status and support data, a
database can be built which supports parent/child relationships.

The figure on the next page shows the interrelationship between

component records:

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1.3.7. Inventory Management Data Model

Figure 6: Inventory Management Data Model

Inventory Management Data Model

Data Center Record

System Record

Hardware Component Service Record Software Component

Features Features

Hardware Financial Record Software Financial Record

The following items are required from asset sources to support an

integrated Configuration Management approach.

1. Data Center Record.

This record contains on-line information about the data processing centers, the
system name, location codes, emergency phone numbers, managers, and contact
names. The software and hardware components, and system records will refer
to this record.

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2. System Record

This record contains information relative to each processing system within

the processing center. This record should contain the system names by LPAR,
location codes, operator names, and support numbers. Software and hardware
components can refer to this record.

3. Service Record

This record contains the service organization’s data. Maintaining service

organization records is advantageous when a user is displaying a record of a
failing component. This record should contain the name, location, prime-shift
phone number, off-shift phone number, hardware and software
representative’s name, contact phone numbers, and a description of the service
organization.
Hardware and software components can refer to this record.

4. Financial Record

Helpful information in this record assists in warranty and service incidents.

Hardware financial records contain a user financial id, a financial type, and a
description. For software records the same information is required in addition to a
license type record entry.

5. Hardware Components

For hardware component records a consensus must be reached on the hardware

types to be managed. A hardware model record for each hardware type will be
created and all common hardware components will be entered using this
template. This record should contain the following information:

Component ID,
Serial Number,
Generic device
type, Model,
Manufacturer,
Owner,
Install Date,
Location,

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Maintenance Vendor,
Contract type,
Component status,
Component description.

In some instances a hardware subcomponent record must be entered. A

subcomponent can be thought of as a feature that can be a stand-alone component
and has mobility in the inventory (for example, 3726, 3727, external hard disks).
This will allow subcomponents to be removed or moved from their hardware
component or attached to another component. This record should contain a
subcomponent status code and a description.

6. Software Components

For software component records a consensus must be reached as to what level of

installed software will be within the scope of the asset database. For example, is
the workstation (PC-based) software to be managed? If so, are we to account
for all application software or just operating system software?

The answers to these questions are linked to what kind of information the user
support groups require to provide service to the client. In a centralized Help
Desk environment, all user application software, including maintenance levels,
are maintained. This provides up-to-date information to the Help Desk personnel
about the user environment and adds greatly to their productivity.

A software model record for each component contains an ID, maintenance

level, program type, status and a description. A typical software record should
contain the following information:

System (application runs

on), Name,
Model,
Vendor,
Serial Number,
Renewal Date,
License Type,
Contract Type,
Maintenance Level,
Description.

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7. Feature Components Record

This record identifies associated features and relates these features back to
other records.

8. Model Component Record

The industry uses this type record as a productivity tool to greatly enhance
the ability to build large data bases quickly with minimum data entry errors.

Model records themselves do not hold configuration data, but they make the
entry of data easier by allowing the creation of component records from models
that hold information common to a number of components (or subcomponents)
of the same type.

The model capability also provides the ability to build one or many relationships
between model features and hardware or software components. Features that are
common to many components can be contained in a single model feature record
that is referred to by many component records.

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1.3.8. Collecting, Monitoring and Reporting Data

1. Monitoring and Reporting Data

Once the inventory database has been built it will be used to satisfy the
following requirements

Determine bypass and recovery procedures when a failing component

has been identified.

Determine the level of a component, and also other components that

are affected when a problem occurs.

Establish relationships between a component and any problem or

change record in the database.

Search for any components meeting specific characteristics, such as

all terminals in a network and the locations to which they are
assigned.

Generate reports on specific configuration information, including but

not limited to the following:

- Hardware or software components with related features,

- Physical inventory by location,
- Hardware and software configuration maps, and
- Service reporting for maintenance contracts, warranty, and
invoice tracking.

2. Collecting Data

The Record Hierarchy in the following diagram indicates that component records
refer to data center, system, service, and financial records. These four records
are informational components. This means they must be created prior to creating
the component records (hardware, software). It saves time because these records
must be defined before they can be referenced in component records, which
allows you to establish connections as you create the records.

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1.3.9. Inventory Management Record Hierarchy

Figure 7: Inventory Management Record Hierarchy

Inventory Management Record Hierarchy

Center, System, Service and Financial records must be created before you can reference them
Center System Service Financial

Hardware / Software Hardware / Software

Component Model Component Direct

You can create

a component from a Model record
Hardware Subcomponent

Model Component Record link relationship to hardware component record.

Component

Hardware / SoftwareHardware / Software

Parent / Child Relationship Parent / Child Relationship

Model Subcomponent Feature Modeletc. Feature Hardware / Software Connection Hardware / Software
Parent / Child Relationship

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1.4. Discipline Relationships

To ensure the integrity of the process, Inventory Management must interface

with multiple business and I/S system management functions. The interface to
these functions provides the foundation for strong Inventory Management
practices.

1.4.1. Business Function Interfaces

Some of the more common business functions that interface with

Inventory Management include:

Purchasing

This resource manages all information systems requirement identification

through the procurement process. Inventory Management provides input to
Purchasing in terms of system and network standard asset information.

Accounts Receivable / Payable Department

This function collects usage data and bills information System (I/S) expenses to
the appropriate users. It supports accounting, budget planning, tracking of
project costs, and other activities. Inventory Management provides financial
records as input to the Accounts Receivable / Payable process and vice versa.
This two-way interface occurs with the approval and submittal of billings for
payment.

I/S Management Committees

These groups investigate tools and services to provide policy information and
translate that data into recommendations for I/S productivity improvements
and services. Inventory Management will provide input to these groups in
terms of product standards and technology strategies.

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Strategic Planning Committees

These groups deal with long-range planning and the integration of I/S objectives
with the business objectives of the enterprise. Inventory Management provides
an interface to Strategic Planning by providing insight into device migration
patterns, trends, and direction, and the Strategic Planning Committees provide
information back to the disciplines as well.

Security Department

This function manages the registration or enrollment of people and programs

to access controlled I/S resources. Inventory Management provides input about
device configurations and security interfaces to this functional area.

User Support Groups

Since these groups are responsible for their equipment acquisition, they must
be compliant with the inventory process. Tracking the acquisition of network
and computer equipment at the local level can be difficult without their full
participation. To ensure accountability of such purchases, provisions should be
made for a periodic physical inventory of such groups to ensure a level of
inventory integrity.

Client Support Services

These groups define the services that will be needed to support the I/S
clients within the enterprise. Within Services Management are two key
areas:

1. Help Desk - This area provides a single point of contact for clients to
request services and obtain resolutions for problems.

2. Service Level Planning - This area identifies the agreement between the
I/S organization and the user community that defines the level of service.
The service level agreement is also used to define policies for operations
and performance management.

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1.4.2. System Management Interfaces

The Inventory Management discipline is dependent upon various disciplines

and functions within the enterprise in achieving its objectives. These
disciplines and functions and the assumptions related to their tasks are listed
below:

Change Management

Coordinates the various tasks performed in configuration change and testing across the
data processing environment. Any changes to the I/S environment that affect Inventory
Management will be inputted from this discipline.

Problem Management

Assists the I/S organization in locating, identifying, and resolving inventory

problems. The Problem Management discipline will provide input to Inventory
Management as problems arise that require changes to resolve conflicts.

Facilities Planning

Required to participate in the Problem or Change process as they pertain to the physical
environment and is accountable for any actions needed to adhere with the inventory
management process. It is essential that the Facilities Planning group provides input to
Inventory Management and vice versa, to ensure changes in physical asset
configurations are noted.

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1.5. Inventory Management Tools

Inventory Management uses network definition information, Vital Product Data (VPD),
local configuration databases and, in some cases, discovery applications in order to
arrive at inventory information.

The following list of Inventory Management tools was accumulated after conducting a
general survey of large corporations in the area. The participants represented large
corporations with an annual I/S budget of over $100M. The survey solicited
information about how they performed Problem, Change, and Inventory Management
and what techniques and tools were used to accomplish tasks in the two areas that
follow.

Products specifically mentioned, were approved by the vast majority of participants.

We also list major Inventory Management functions that can be fulfilled by any number
of products, but do not specifically mention a product by name.

1.5.1. Asset Management at the System to Server Level

The major components that provide the collection and reporting vehicles for
Inventory Management from the system level out to the network server level include:

VTAM and NetView

VTAM and some specialized features of NetView are responsible for

maintaining the necessary linkages to the physical asset, whether it is within the
system complex or out to the server level on the network.

Centralized Data Bases

All assets and their associated information are stored in a centralized

database. Editing and browsing capability are available through an on-line
menu driven, front-end that provides restricted security access, if necessary.
This security is provided through any number of host-based security
packages.

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Network Configuration Application (NCA) / MVS

NCA/MVS is a useful tool for migrating existing stand-alone (PC-based)

inventory control databases to host-based formats. It should be noted that in some
cases conversion utilities have been written to convert these stand-alone
environments into a data base file structure.

Enterprise Physical Connection Tool (EPCT)

EPCT is a useful product for building configuration databases and producing

physical and logical diagrams. The figure below illustrates the usage of these
tools within the process.

Figure 8: Asset Management at the System to Server Level

Asset Management at the System to Server Level

Creates Configuration Drawings

NCS / MVS
Creates Configuration Drawings
EPCT

Data Base Repository for

all Assets (Mainframe through Data Network) Centralized Asset Data Bases

VPD CMDS Collect Data NetView

Status Monitor - VTAMLST

VTAM

NETVIEW AUTOBRIDGE

* Alert / Problem Reporting

Remote Controller 3174 * Automated / Manual Bridge to Info/Man
Serial Number Remote Controller
Type / Model

P - Primary Connection
P S
S - Secondary Connection
Remote Terminal
Serial Number
Type / Model

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1.5.2. Industry Standards

Centralized Inventory Data Base Repository

The industry uses any number of system management products that integrate the
entry of Problem, Change, and Inventory Management into a common,
centralized data base repository. However, these integrated products must
interface to the tools listed below to facilitate the automation ad centralization of
an asset management data base repository.

VTAM Version 3.4 (Planning and Reference Guide - SC31-6124)

VTAM Version 3.4 is a telecommunication access method that works in

conjunction with MVS/ESA Version 4 to support non-disruptive addition of
channel-connected communications controllers and SNA cluster
controllers.

NetView Ver. 2 Rel. 3 (User’s Customization Guide - SC34-4336)

Network Manager, which will provide:

1. NetView Bridge Adapter (NetView Bridge Adapter Reference - SC34-4336)

A component that provides a set of application-to-application interfaces that

will provide an effective means of connecting NetView to external databases.

2. Status Monitor Function

Collects status information about SNA resources such as hardware data

(from VTAMLST) and reports to a centralized database.

3. NetView Autobridge Version 1 (User’s Guide - SC34-4318)

NetView Autobridge will allow the flow of configuration and change data
from NetView to a centralized Data Base Repository.

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4. RODM - Resource Object Data Manager

The Resource Object Data Manager will provide services that enable systems
and network management. The facility is used by NetView’s multi-vendor
graphic enhancement and automation platform. These services will be used to
create configuration drawings of the asset database.

5. Network Configuration Application/MVS (NCA/MVS) Version 1 (User’s

Guide - SC31-6149)

Network Configuration Application/MVS is a configuration application for use on

an MVS platform. It provides for collection of information about equipment,
circuits and software; has the ability to create configuration representations for
components in all types of network topologies; and allows for creation of
abstracts to represent relationships of components. A utility function transforms
this data into the format required by the Resource Object Data Manager Facility
in NetView Version 2 Release 3 for graphic views.

6. Enterprise Physical Connection Tool (EPCT) (User’s Guide - SC23-0546)

This DB2-based asset collection and physical drawing product will provide the
capability to draw physical and logical topologies of system and network
complexes. EPCT is a locally developed application written by the ISSC
Corporation in C Language and provides browsing an editing capability on-
line. This product can be ordered as a PRPQ through the IBM Corporation.

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1.5.3. Downstream Network Server Configuration and Inventory

Management

The following figure illustrates a downstream view of Network Configuration

and Inventory Management.

Figure 9: Downstream Network Server and Inventory Management

Downstream Network Server and inventory Management

Data Base Repository Centralized Configuration Data Base INDUSTRY PENETRATION

PVCS - INTERSOLV
VPD DMDS Collect Data NETVIEW LANFOCUS - IBM

VTAM
Status Monitor - VTAMLST

Machine Serial Number Model / Type WAN SERVER

Automation Stops at the Server Level

AUTOMATED

MANUAL

This Layer Requires Additional Software To Support Configuration Managemen

Asset management below the server level has not been widely implemented throughout
the industry today. WAN environments have their own unique challenges. Most host-
based products require an additional layer to bridge beyond the server level. The
products listed below are seeing some industry penetration and promise to be viable tools
in the coming months ahead.

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PVCS Configuration Builder Series (Product of INTERSOLV Corporation)

The PVCS series covers all key functional areas for configuration management:

Version Management,
Build Management,
Release Management,
and Report Generation.

These functional areas are available across all types of files including source
code, text, or documentation files, graphic or binary files. With PVCS Series
development teams can:

Recreate a system, or component of a system at any time and

prevent inadvertent errors and code changes with version
management.

Rebuild an entire system when any component is changed without

having to remember complete relationships about elements of the
system.

LANFocus Management / 2 (Product of the IBM Corporation)

This family of products provides System Management principles to LAN

attached workstations having OS/2 and DOS installed. The products provide a
platform that includes a programming interface for the creation of system
management applications. This includes applications that address the disciplines
of problem management, performance management, and configuration
management.

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1.6. Roles and Responsibilities

1.6.1. Inventory Manager

The Inventory Manager is responsible for maintaining the Inventory in a current

and accurate state. Role is responsible for both mainframe and network
resident devices and software components. The Inventory Manager interfaces
with Systems Management disciplines and the Financial Department.

1.6.2. Inventory Clerks

Inventory Clerks are responsible for maintaining the Inventory Data Base
Repository and for guarantying the information contained within the Repository
is accurate and in a current state. Information is data entered, or entered via
automated tools. If automated tools are used, then clerks must be knowledgeable
in program products used as a tool.

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1.7. Process Evaluation

1.7.1. Present System Weaknesses

A Centralized Repository for asset information does not presently exist.

Inventory Management is presently being performed by many various groups (i.e.,
mainframe, communications, data network, etc.) and a consolidation of these
databases into a Centralized Inventory Repository should be planned.

When migrating to a centralized repository, automated tools and interfaces

should be developed, so that any acquisition, redeployment, or termination of
assets will have to be performed through the automated system. This will reduce
the effort presently performed by personnel and guaranty the accuracy of the
Inventory repository.

1.7.2. Recommendations for Improvement

Create Centralized Repository of Inventory information.

Utilize Automated Tools and a Front-end to the Inventory Repository.

Integrate the Inventory Repository with the everyday asset functions performed
by personnel, such as:

Asset Acquisition,
Asset Redeployment,
Asset Termination,
Lease and Contract Maintenance,
Volume Purchase Agreements,
etc.

Utilize a “Criticality” indicator to relate assets and their criticality for disaster
recovery purposes. This will allow for reports that list all most critical
resources for a specific location, by type and costs.

Formulate a committee to investigate methods for improving Inventory

Management and implement the most rewarding suggestions from the
committee.

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