Bi-directional communication between change management tool and implementation tools

摘要

An automated change management method and system has a change tool that associates a first identifier with each request to change the configuration of an Information Technology infrastructure. Tasks are configured to implement the change, and the change tool associates a second identifier with each of the tasks. The change tool sends task instructions to implementation tools to perform the tasks where each of the task instructions includes the first and second identifiers. The change tool receives responses to the task instructions where each response includes the first and second identifiers and an implementation result. The change tool maps/associates each of the implementation results to the associated change request and task based on the first and second identifiers. The associated results can be made available to a user for review, interpretation, etc. and can be used to drive subsequent processing by other task in the change process.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, at a change management tool, a change request specifying a change to an information technology infrastructure's configuration; associating a unique change identifier (“unique Change ID”) with the change request; configuring a plurality of tasks to implement the changes; associating each of the plurality of tasks with an unique individual task identifier (“unique Task ID”); sending a plurality of task instructions to one or more task implementation tools for performing the plurality of tasks, each task instruction being directed to a targeted task implementation tool for performing a particular task of the plurality of tasks to implement the change to the information technology infrastructure's configuration specified by the change request, each task instruction including task-related information for the targeted implementation tool to perform the particular task, the unique Change ID associated with the change request and the unique Task ID associated with the particular task; receiving, at the change management tool, in response to each task instruction sent, a result from the targeted tool indicating an implementation status of the particular task, the result further including a return of the unique Change ID and the unique Task ID sent by the change management tool in the task instruction for the particular task; and using the unique Change ID and the unique Task IDs for the plurality of tasks in the received results, at the change management tool, to match and track implementation of the change request and each of the plurality of tasks associated with the change request across the information technology infrastructure.