CI Relationships

CI relationships map dependencies between configuration items. When a server hosts a database that an application depends on, those relationships are documented so you can instantly assess the blast radius of any failure.

Relationship Types

CMDB supports 10 relationship types:

Type	Description	Example
depends_on	CI requires another to function	Application depends on database server
hosts	CI physically hosts another	Hypervisor hosts virtual machine
connects_to	Network or connectivity link	Workstation connects to switch
manages	Management or monitoring relationship	Management server manages network devices
backs_up	Backup target relationship	Backup server backs up file server
monitors	Monitoring relationship	Monitoring agent monitors application server
runs_on	Software runs on hardware	ERP application runs on app server
virtualizes	Hypervisor to VM relationship	ESXi virtualizes Windows Server VM
contained_by	Asset containment	Server contained by rack cabinet
member_of	Group membership	Node member of database cluster

Creating a Relationship

1. Navigate to Relationships in the sidebar, or open a CI's detail page
2. Click Add Relationship
3. Select the Source CI — the CI on the left side of the relationship
4. Select the Relationship Type
5. Select the Target CI — the CI on the right side
6. Optionally add a Description for additional context
7. Click Save

Relationships are directional. "Server A hosts Application B" is different from "Application B runs_on Server A" — though both convey similar information, they read differently in the topology map.

Impact Analysis

When a CI is in maintenance or decommissioned status, use the relationship graph to answer: what else is affected?

1. Open the CI's detail page
2. Review the Relationships section
3. Click View on Topology Map to see the full dependency chain
4. Follow depends_on and runs_on edges downstream to identify all impacted services

💡

Before scheduling maintenance on a critical server, check the topology map to identify all dependent CIs. This prevents unexpected outages in services you didn't know were connected.

Topology Map

The topology map provides an interactive graph visualization of CI relationships.

Viewing the Map

1. Navigate to Topology Map in the sidebar
2. Select a Company to scope the view
3. Optionally select a Root CI to center the graph on a specific asset
4. Set the Depth (1-5 hops) to control how many relationship levels to display

Reading the Map

• Node size reflects criticality — critical CIs appear largest, low-criticality CIs smallest
• Node color reflects status:
  • Green = active
  • Yellow = maintenance
  • Gray = inactive
  • Red = decommissioned
  • Blue = planned
• Edge labels show the relationship type
• Click any node to see its details and connections

Deleting Relationships

1. Navigate to Relationships or open a CI's detail page
2. Find the relationship to remove
3. Click Delete
4. Confirm the deletion

Deleting a relationship removes the link between CIs — it does not delete either CI.

Next Steps

• Asset Criticality — How criticality affects topology map display and Defend alerts
• Configuration Items — Managing the CIs that relationships connect
• Integrations — How relationships surface in PSA and Defend