From fd8b5c47c08c203037484e5ad3df9a9be549d481 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nico Schottelius Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 18:58:00 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] cm1 Signed-off-by: Nico Schottelius --- blog/what-is-configuration-management.mdwn | 80 ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 80 insertions(+) create mode 100644 blog/what-is-configuration-management.mdwn diff --git a/blog/what-is-configuration-management.mdwn b/blog/what-is-configuration-management.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 00000000..3c9881fd --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/what-is-configuration-management.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,80 @@ +[[!meta title="What is configuration management?"]] + +As I'm currently thinking about writing a configuration management tool, +I'm sitting in the train and philosophise about +the general question: ***What is configuration management (CM)?*** + +## View 1: The System + +Let's imagine I am a computer system. +What happens to me, if I am put it under version control? +Somebody (**a process**) which is running on me, changes +stuff on me, so that she (the process) is happy afterwards. + +I recognise that some files are added, changed or deleted. +Some processes are being run, some killed. + +That's probably it, because I don't own anything else, she +can change. + +## View 2: The Sysadmin + +I'm one of those guys, who are told to do world domination, +but got bored. I'm a sysadmin. I am very, very lazy. + +I installed a lot of systems, just for fun. +Now somebody (probably even a user!) tells me, he wants +something to be changed, because he wants to actually +use the system (pretty awkward idea, but heard about +those situations). + +As my boss told me that we cannot exist without users, +I even consider doing the change, though I'm afraid: + + * What happens if the user requests more changes? + * What if the machine crashes? + * What if another sysadmin needs to add changes? + * What if two system should look very identical, though not completly? + +This leads to some easy objectives: + + * CM must be easy to read and understand, so I can understand tomorrow what I did today. + * CM must be able to redo the work + * CM must provide a way to have multiple commiters + * Having a way to reuse already defined stuff is helpful + +Oh, there's another interesting point: +To be able to communicate with a user and to understand him, +it would be very helpful, if I can tell my CM **this is what +the user wants** instead of **do x, y and z**, which neither +the user understand, nor do I know why I did it. + + +## View 3: The manager + +Yes, it can get even worse, there may be managers or bosses +around, who pay the poor sysadmin. The sysadmin claims to do +her best job, but as a manager, I don't understand what he's +doing. Nor do I really care. I care about the users +(which could be customers as well!) and that their demands. +And about how many users and how many demands my sysadmin +fullfilled. And I want fancy graphics, 24 bit coloured pie +charts in 3D and whatever comes to my crazy manager mind. +And numbers. Many numbers. + +## View 4: Merging the views + +Assuming these are the players in my first round of CM +brainstorming, there are some outcomes: + + * CM must be easy to use, so the lazy sysadmin will use it + * CM includes ideas from users + * The implementation is done by the sysadmin + * Your managers are happy, if the CM outputs "manager readable data" + +## More stuff + +I'll add more ideas about CM here soon. If you (dis|)agree with me, +just [let me know|about] so I can include your critics in the next article. + +[[!tag config eth unix]]