IDG Contributor Network: Who’s afraid of the CMDB?

In the Star Trek universe, a master systems display (MSD) is the screen that appears behind Worf in “The Next Generation,” in the table in main engineering where Geordi La Forge hangs out, and in many other places in the ship. It also appears in other series and movies. (For instance, Kirk and Spock go over the damages to the ship after Khan attacks the Enterprise in the second, and best, movie.) It’s conveniently used as a device where characters would gather around and discu