Q) Is easyCMDB just a CMDB?
A) No. Since its original inception easyCMDB has grown to include Change, Incident/Problem, Service/SLA, Release and Document management. We are continuing to build on these areas to provide a fully integrated ITSM solution.
Q) What technologies does easyCMDB use?
A) The application is written in PHP, plus we use Perl for integration. Database is MySQL. Web Server is Apache or IIS. easyCMDB will run on Linux, Solaris or Windows.
Q) Does it integrate with Microsoft Active Directory?
A) Yes. You can import and synchronise users and computers from Active Directory as well as implement Single Sign-On (SSO) between AD and easyCMDB
Q) Can I link easyCMDB with documentation in Microsoft Sharepoint?
A) Yes. You can create Document CIs as URLs to Sharepoint, or UNC File Paths to shared folders.
Q) Will easyCMDB run in a Microsoft SQL Server database?
A) This is planned for delivery late 2009.
Q) Will easyCMDB run behind Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)?
A) Yes easyCMDB will run under IIS (requires PHP ISAPI configuration)
Q) What is the recommended platform for easyCMDB?
A) Our preference is Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, but it runs fine on Windows too.
Q) Is database expertise required?
A) Not unless you require advanced integration. All database functions are accessed via the easyCMDB interface, which is included.
Q) Is a separate MySQL license required.
A) Only if you want direct support from the MySQL vendor. However we can deal with the majority of issues (if not all) under our support contract.
Q) Does easyCMDB include discovery capability?
A) easyCMDB comes with WMI discovery capability, plus can integrate with a number of discovery tools including OpenNMS, NEWT, NeDi and nmap.
Q) Can easyCMDB integrate with other ITSM products?
A) Yes. easyCMDB includes a SOAP/XML based web service that can be used to synchronize with other applications. We are also planning tight integration with a number of specific products in future versions.
Q) Can I deploy easyCMDB in-house?
A) Yes, and this is what most companies prefer. However you are welcome to start with our managed service and bring it in-house when ready. We can have your hosted database ready within 48 hours!
Q) Does easyCMDB scale?
A) Yes. easyCMDB has been designed to cope with large databases containing 100,000+ CIs and concurrent user access.
Q) Can I import my spreadsheet data into easyCMDB?
A) Yes, we have designed easyCMDB specifically with that in mind. The Data Import Wizard provides a very flexible mechanism for importing CIs including relationships and custom fields.
Q) Does easyCMDB require any client-side software?
A) No, easyCMDB is completely web-based and is accessed using a standard web browser.
Q) Can easyCMDB track software licensing?
A) Yes, easyCMDB will automatically keep a count of installations for software products whose license type is 'Per Install' and a count of links for those whose license type is 'Named user'. This can the be easily compared with available licenses and reported on.
Q) Can I upload and store documentation in easyCMDB?
A) Yes, you can upload any type of file into easyCMDB and link it to one or more CIs. You can also link to external documentation via UNC path or URL.
Q) Do I have to use easyCMDB for change and incident management?
A) No. You can continue to use your existing incident and change management systems if necessary and either synchronise with easyCMDB using the web service interface or just store a reference in easyCMDB to the external system. A URL can be specified for incident and change records to link user interfaces as an option. But obviously there are huge advantages in having an all-in-one system.
Q) Can I define my own relationships in easyCMDB?
A) Yes. Bi-directional relationships can be defined for any CI type.
Q) Can I store any type of hardware in easyCMDB?
A) Yes. There is no restriction on the Device types you can define and minimal restriction on attributes you must specify, allowing you to decide what CI types to store. You can modify the underlying database tables to store only the CI attributes you're interested in, and configure different data definitions according to the CI sub-type.
Q) Can easyCMDB produce reports?
A) Yes. A number of pre-defined PDF reports are available, plus you can generate your own reports by selecting the required attributes and building a query to capture the data you want.
Q) Can I submit raw SQL statements against the database?
A) Yes. A guest account is automatically created which has read access to the easyCMDB tables via ODBC. We do prefer however for you to use the SOAP interface in the first instance.
Q) How much does it cost?
A) It depends how many Configuration Items you have. But we have made the product affordable and can assure you it's less expensive than developing your own! Click here to see more info about our licensing and pricing structure.
Q) Is easyCMDB multi-lingual?
A) Although easyCMDB has been written for English speaking users there is the capability to define other languages and a translation table. This allows you to enter your own translations and have different languages per user. As time goes on we will be providing translations for other languages.
Q) Can I extend the schema and define my own attributes?
A) Yes (Enterprise Edition only). easyCMDB comes with tools to define your own attributes for storing CI information, plus you can configure unique attribute sets for different CI subtypes. For example, you may want to capture different attributes for a Device of type 'Switch' than for a Device of type 'PDA'.
Q) Can I partition the CMDB for managing my customers infrastructure?
A) Yes! A multi-company version is available which enables you to define separate CI data and perform incident management across all customers. You can even provide them with logins with restricted access to see their own incident and change progress.
Q) Is there an end-user interface for easyCMDB?
A) Yes. End Users see a personal view of their own Change, Incidents and Tasks. It can also be used by managers for viewing their staff workload. In addition, there is a 'Customer Portal' interface which can be customised to fit in with your own applications.
Q) Can I change the graphic images & colours in easyCMDB?
A) Yes, we make available a Customisation Guide that explains how to do this.
If your question has not been answered by this FAQ or web site then please ask us.