Lesson 1Config Management Database (CMDB) concepts and mapping to inventory fieldsThis part introduces CMDB ideas and how inventory details connect to configuration items, links, and service setups, helping smooth data sharing between daily inventory and wider IT service handling in our local setups.
Configuration items and CI classesMapping inventory hosts to CIsModelling relationships and dependenciesSynchronising CMDB and inventory dataGovernance and data quality controlsLesson 2Integration patterns: linking inventory to ticketing, monitoring, and backup systemsThis part demonstrates connecting inventory info with ticketing, monitoring, and backup tools, making sure IDs match, updates happen automatically, and there's good context for problems, warnings, and recovery in the whole setup.
Linking inventory records to ticketsSharing inventory with monitoring toolsAligning backup jobs with inventory dataUsing inventory IDs across all systemsAPIs and webhooks for data synchronisationLesson 3Concise summary of the on-premises and cloud infrastructureThis part explains how to sum up local and cloud setups, making simple overviews of capacity, platforms, and key services based on detailed inventory but easy for managers to understand in our context.
Building environment overview dashboardsAggregating by site, platform, and tierHighlighting critical and shared servicesReporting capacity and utilisation trendsPresenting summaries to stakeholdersLesson 4Inventory attributes: hostname, FQDN, IP addresses, MAC, OS/version, kernel, roles, services, installed packages, virtualization hostThis part outlines main technical details every system entry needs, like IDs, network info, OS facts, and job roles, to make each inventory item easy to track and support in Ugandan networks.
Hostnames and FQDN naming standardsIP and MAC address tracking practicesRecording OS, kernel, and build versionsDocumenting system roles and key servicesTracking installed packages and softwareFlagging virtualization hosts and clustersLesson 5Routine inventory updates: automated schedules, change hooks from config management, and audit checksThis part covers keeping inventory up to date with timed scans, links from config tools on changes, and regular checks, focusing on matching data, handling odd cases, and reporting on how fresh the info is.
Scheduled discovery and refresh cyclesHooks from deployment and config toolsDetecting drift and orphaned recordsAudit procedures and sampling methodsData freshness and completeness metricsLesson 6Methods to build inventory: automated discovery using SSH/WMI/agents and example queriesThis part looks at auto-discovery ways using SSH, WMI, and agents, with tips on credentials, security, and sample queries to gather reliable inventory data with little hands-on work in local setups.
Agentless discovery with SSH and WMIUsing configuration management factsDesigning lightweight inventory agentsExample queries for OS and hardwareCredential management and securityLesson 7Inventory attributes: physical location, rack, datacenter, cloud region, subnet, VLANThis part stresses location and network details, like datacenter, rack, cloud area, subnet, and VLAN, so teams can fix connection issues, plan space, and grasp physical and logical spots in Ugandan sites.
Datacenter, room, and rack identifiersCloud regions, zones, and placementsSubnets, VLANs, and segment mappingDocumenting cross-site dependenciesUsing location data for incident impactLesson 8Inventory attributes: dependencies, upstream/downstream services, backup policy, monitoring groups, last patch dateThis part covers links and life cycle details, like upstream/downstream services, backup rules, monitoring groups, and last patch dates, for checking impacts, following rules, and assessing risks in operations.
Documenting upstream and downstream flowsAssigning backup tiers and retentionGrouping systems into monitoring setsTracking last patch and update datesUsing data for risk and impact analysisLesson 9Inventory attributes: ownership, business owner, application owner, SLAs, contact info, maintenance windowThis part details business and owner info, including service owners, SLAs, contacts, and maintenance times, guiding approvals, problem escalations, and planning work that might disrupt services.
Identifying business and application ownersCapturing SLAs and service tiersPrimary and on-call contact detailsDefining maintenance windows and freezesOwnership changes and review cadenceLesson 10List of system types to track: Linux distributions, Windows Server, hypervisor VMs, cloud VMs, network devicesThis part groups main system types to follow, noting differences in details, life cycles, and tools for Linux, Windows, hypervisors, cloud jobs, and network gear in a single inventory for Ugandan use.
Linux distribution families and variantsWindows Server editions and rolesHypervisor hosts and guest VM recordsCloud VM instances and managed servicesNetwork devices, firewalls, and appliancesLesson 11Methods to build inventory: manual spreadsheet templates and recommended column schemasThis part handles manual inventory making with spreadsheet templates, suggesting column setups, checks, and flows to cut errors and ease moving to auto or CMDB systems later.
Designing standard spreadsheet layoutsRecommended identification columnsCapturing technical and business fieldsData validation and dropdown controlsPreparing data for CMDB import
