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CMDBuild READY2USE Logo

Application already configured for the IT Governance management, ITIL compliant


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Application already configured for the Property and Facility Management and Maintenance Processes

CMDBuild Newsletter n. 62

CMDBuild

July 2017

Summary

New features in version 2.5

New requirements for CMDBuild 3.0

CMDBuild Reference & Case Study

CMDBuild and IT security in the Public Administration

openMAINT Reference & Testimonial

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New features in version 2.5

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In the forthcoming release of CMDBuild, version 2.5, there will be also two new implementations, recently introduced in the project development roadmap.

The first will make available for those who use the BIM functionality (3D models viewer based on the IFC files) the possibility to upgrade to IFC4. This will allow not only to be compatible with the files exported from the latest design tools (Revit 2017, Archicad 20 and 21), but also to work with better performance and lower RAM memory resources.

The second implementation will be structural and will optimize retrieval policies of JavaScript files from the browser, in order to reduce login waiting times.

The other features, previously anticipated in our last newsletter and that are under development, are confirmed, including the ability to configure CMDBuild in "cluster" mode, plus other functionalities.

In particular, the clustering solution will ensure overall system operation even in the event of a failure in one of Tomcat instances (availability) and will allow to deploy workload on multiple servers (scalability), increasing overall performances.

The release remains scheduled for the end of September.

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New requirements for CMDBuild 3.0

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For the next 18 months, many of Tecnoteca's R&D resources will be dedicated to the creation of CMDBuild 3.0.

So far, the work has focused on defining macro requisites, both at “client area”, with the full rewriting of the GUI, and at “server area”, with the identification of many new features that will be included in the 3.0 and 3.x later releases.

After extensive and deep evaluations, the choice of ExtJs, currently in version 6, was confirmed for the implementation of the GUI.

The tools and test methods (Cucumber + Selenium), as described in the previous newsletter, have also been selected for the GUI.

We have now started the implementation of a "pilot", to be implemented with the methodologies identified, which, following some iteration, will then be the first nucleus of the new application. We are defining subsystem detail requirements, and then the test project will be written.

Concerning the GUI, we will start from a small functional subsystem of the GUI (login, menus and grid base functions) for which we will implement the test code, design the new interface and the new interaction modes and verify automatically that it is working properly.

Regarding the server code, we will design and implement the new REST methods that will replace the JSON-RPC procedures, at this stage only for the subset required for the pilot project, and we will test them by writing "unit test" and "integration test".

We believe to complete this first activity, which will give us very important indications for the continuation of the project, by the end of October.

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openMAINT Reference & Testimonial: Technical University of Crete (TUC)

The Technical University of Crete (TUC) is a public University, founded in 1977 in Crete, Greece and comprises five Engineering Schools.

Currently, at TUC we have more than five thousand undergraduate and postgraduate students, hundreds of permanent and adjunct faculty members or laboratory staff members, and hundreds of administrative staff members.

The campus is located northeast of Chania and covers an area of 3 km2, with about 30 buildings.

The Directorate of Telecommunications, Networking and Computing Infrastructure of TUC designs, implements and operates the main IT & Communication services of the University, as well as the necessary infrastructure.

The increasing number, the diversity and the geographical distribution of the ΙΤ assets and systems (PCs, monitors, printers, servers, storage, switches, routers, networking sockets, wireless access points, etc.) under the directorate’s responsibility has suggested the adoption of a solution to manage them in a centralized manner.

Furthermore, aiming to improve the helpdesk services provided to the University end-users, we needed a solution that could smoothly extend our existing ticketing system towards a more asset-based approach.

We examined several software solutions that could be interconnected to our existing systems (i.e., AD/LDAP, ticketing system, building and rooms data sources, personnel data sources).

A few months ago, openMAINT was recognized as a flexible and interoperable open-source application and was chosen to be customized for the unique needs of our University, mainly focusing on its “Space & Asset Inventory” feature. Particularly, new asset classes were included, supplementary relations were created, more JasperReports were added, dashboards were modified, and localization to the Greek language was prepared. We used the openMAINT REST services to implement the interconnection to our existing systems and data sources.

The project is still under development, but is already being used in production to manage the assets of the Directorate of Telecommunications, Networking and Computing Infrastructure.

Dimitris Maniadakis, TUC Technical Manager

CMDBuild Reference & Case Study: Cassa Depositi e Presiti

CdP

One of the most prestigious Companies we are working with is Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.

Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), founded in 1850, is an Italian Company controlled by the Ministry of the Economy and Finance.

With the role of the National Institute of Promotion, its goal is the development of the Italian economy, pursued by funding both investment projects of Public Administrations and private Companies throughout their lifecycle.

Last fall, CDP, with the aim of cost containment and of consolidating choices towards the "open source" world, started an assessment phase, which ended with the choice of CMDBuild, in the READY2USE version, as the tool for asset management and for IT services for their internal staff.

In the past few days the start-up phase of the project was completed, leading to the installation of the SSO (Single Sign On) authentication system on Active Directory, to the activation of the VMware VCenter connector, to the loading of the Service Catalog related to the servers that provide services and to users profiling.

A second phase of activity, focused on Change Management processes and on the CMDB population with other types of Configuration Items, has been now launched, and will continue in the second half of the year.

CMDBuild and IT security in the Public Administration

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A government document has been published last March in Italy containing the "Minimum ICT Security Measures for Public Administrations".

The measures outlined in the document are based on the international standard SANS20 (latest version 6.0 of 2015).

The "minimum core" of security measures, made up of the first 5 of the 20 control areas identified, addresses the need to have an inventory of IT devices and software used, to protect hardware and software configurations on mobile devices, laptops, workstations and servers, to control and resolve any vulnerabilities, to use properly the administrator privileges.

Control areas are then transposed into operational activities, such as implementing an inventory of active resource (point 1.1.1), doing so through an automatic tool (1.1.2), making a discovery of devices connected to the network with alarms in case of anomalies (1.1.3), updating the inventory when new approved devices are connected to the network (1.3.1), etc.

It's obvious that a tool such as CMDBuild, which includes both control of inventory and of configuration of items (CMDB), as well as its management processes and integration with discovery systems, can be very helpful in activating the measures required.

Useful links

CMDBuild

SourceForge Project

Twitter @cmdbuild

Twitter @openmaint_org

LinkedIn Group

CMDBuild READY2USE

openMAINT

Tecnoteca

 

CMDBuild and openMAINT are open source software developed and maintained by Tecnoteca and released with AGPL license.