Software Configuration Management Patterns


Book Description

Stereotypes portray software engineers as a reckless lot, and stereotypes paint software configuration management (SCM) devotees as inflexible. Based on these impressions, it is no wonder that projects can be riddled with tension! The truth probably lies somewhere in between these stereotypes, and this book shows how proven SCM practices can foster a healthy team-oriented culture that produces better software. The authors show that workflow, when properly managed, can avert delays, morale problems, and cost overruns. A patterns approach (proven solutions to recurring problems) is outlined so that SCM can be easily applied and successfully leveraged in small to medium sized organizations. The patterns are presented with an emphasis on practicality. The results speak for themselves: improved processes and a motivated workforce that synergize to produce better quality software.




Configuration Management


Book Description

Configuration Management: Theory, Practice, and Application details a comprehensive approach to configuration management from a variety of product development perspectives, including embedded and IT. It provides authoritative advice on how to extend products for a variety of markets due to configuration options.The book also describes the importanc




Learning Chef


Book Description

Get a hands-on introduction to the Chef, the configuration management tool for solving operations issues in enterprises large and small. Ideal for developers and sysadmins new to configuration management, this guide shows you to automate the packaging and delivery of applications in your infrastructure. You’ll be able to build (or rebuild) your infrastructure’s application stack in minutes or hours, rather than days or weeks. After teaching you how to write Ruby-based Chef code, this book walks you through different Chef tools and configuration management concepts in each chapter, using detailed examples throughout. All you need to get started is command-line experience and familiarity with basic system administration. Configure your Chef development environment and start writing recipes Create Chef cookbooks with recipes for each part of your infrastructure Use Test Kitchen to manage sandbox testing environments Manage single nodes with Chef client, and multiple nodes with Chef Server Use data bags for storing shared global data between nodes Simulate production Chef Server environments with Chef Zero Classify different types of services in your infrastructure with roles Model life stages of your application, including development, testing, staging, and production




Configuration Management, Second Edition


Book Description

The book provides a comprehensive approach to configuration management from a variety of product development perspectives, including embedded and IT. It provides authoritative advice on how to extend products for a variety of markets due to configuration options. The book also describes the importance of configuration management to other parts of the organization. It supplies an overview of configuration management and its process elements to provide readers with a contextual understanding of the theory, practice, and application of CM. The book illustrates the interplay of configuration and data management with all enterprise resources during each phase of a product lifecycle.




Ansible for DevOps


Book Description

Ansible is a simple, but powerful, server and configuration management tool. Learn to use Ansible effectively, whether you manage one server--or thousands.




Learning Puppet 4


Book Description

If you're a system administrator, developer, or site reliability engineer responsible for handling hundreds or even thousands of nodes in your network, the Puppet configuration management tool will make your job a whole lot easier. This practical guide shows you what Puppet does, how it works, and how it can provide significant value to your organization. Through hands-on tutorials, DevOps engineer Jo Rhett demonstrates how Puppet manages complex and distributed components to ensure service availability. You’ll learn how to secure configuration consistency across servers, clients, your router, and even that computer in your pocket by setting up your own testing environment. Learn exactly what Puppet is, why it was created, and what problems it solves Tailor Puppet to your infrastructure with a design that meets your specific needs Write declarative Puppet policies to produce consistency in your systems Build, test, and publish your own Puppet modules Manage network devices such as routers and switches with puppet device and integrated Puppet agents Scale Puppet servers for high availability and performance Explore web dashboards and orchestration tools that supplement and complement Puppet




Ansible: Up and Running


Book Description

Among the many configuration management tools available, Ansible has some distinct advantages—it’s minimal in nature, you don’t need to install anything on your nodes, and it has an easy learning curve. This practical guide shows you how to be productive with this tool quickly, whether you’re a developer deploying code to production or a system administrator looking for a better automation solution. Author Lorin Hochstein shows you how to write playbooks (Ansible’s configuration management scripts), manage remote servers, and explore the tool’s real power: built-in declarative modules. You’ll discover that Ansible has the functionality you need and the simplicity you desire. Understand how Ansible differs from other configuration management systems Use the YAML file format to write your own playbooks Learn Ansible’s support for variables and facts Work with a complete example to deploy a non-trivial application Use roles to simplify and reuse playbooks Make playbooks run faster with ssh multiplexing, pipelining, and parallelism Deploy applications to Amazon EC2 and other cloud platforms Use Ansible to create Docker images and deploy Docker containers




System Center Configuration Manager Reporting Unleashed


Book Description

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager’s SQL Server database contains valuable information about your users, computers, hardware, operating systems, applications, compliance status, and much more. Microsoft has provided excellent tools for extracting this information in meaningful ways, including SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) and SQL Server Data Tools Business Intelligence (SSDT-BI). System Center Configuration Manager Reporting Unleashed shows you how to make the most of these tools. World-renowned System Center reporting guru Garth Jones and his expert coauthors guide you through all facets of custom reporting with System Center. You’ll walk through installing and configuring SSRS, using SQL views to find the data you need, writing SQL queries, creating basic and advanced reports, and using role-based administration to securely deliver those reports to the correct individuals. Jones brings together reliable, comprehensive, and up-to-date System Center reporting techniques you’ll find in no other book or website. Using this guide, you can consistently retrieve the right information to solve immediate problems and quickly respond to management concerns. Detailed information on how to... • Install and configure SQL SSRS for optimal System Center reporting and easier troubleshooting • Understand the data stored in the ConfigMgr site database • Efficiently retrieve ConfigMgr data by writing SQL queries in SQL Server Management Studio • Learn best practices for developing and designing System Center reports • Create report templates, customize content with report parameters, and embed charts • Customize logos, color palettes, and other report elements for your own organization • Construct advanced drillthroughs to provide deeper understanding • Strengthen report security by integrating ConfigMgr role-based administration into SQL queries • Leverage reporting to measure KPIs and gain a better understanding of your environment • Tailor your reports to the needs of end-users or management • Foreword by Wally Mead, Principal Program Manager, Cireson The only book entirely dedicated to Configuration Manager reporting, this guide complements Meyler's System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Unleashed, offering far more in-depth coverage of reporting than the single chapter in that book. Most of the content in this new guide will be equally valuable in both System Center 2016 and 2012 environments.




The Complete Guide for CISA Examination Preparation


Book Description

The Complete Guide for CISA Examination Preparation delivers complete coverage of every topic on the latest release of the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) exam. The author is an IT security and auditing expert and the book covers all five exam domains. This effective self-study system features chapter learning objectives, in-depth explanations of each topic, and accurate practice questions. Each chapter includes exam tips that highlight key exam information, hands-on exercises, a summary that serves as a quick review, and end-of-chapter questions that simulate those on the actual exam. Designed to help candidates pass the CISA exam easily, it also serves as an ideal on-the-job reference. Richard E. Cascarino, MBA, CIA, CISM, CFE, CRMA, is well known in international auditing. Richard is a principal of Richard Cascarino & Associates. He has over 31 years’ experience in audit training and consulting. He is a regular speaker at national and international conferences and has presented courses throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the USA. Richard is a Past President of the Institute of Internal Auditors in South Africa, was the founding Regional Director of the Southern African Region of the IIA-Inc. and is a member of ISACA, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, where he is a member of the Board of Regents for Higher Education. Richard was Chairman of the Audit Committee of Gauteng cluster 2 (Premier's office, Shared Services and Health) in Johannesburg and is currently the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Department of Public Enterprises in South Africa. Richard is also a visiting Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, author of the book Internal Auditing: An Integrated Approach, now in its third edition. This book is extensively used as a university textbook worldwide. In addition, he is the author of the Auditor's Guide to IT Auditing, Second Edition and the book Corporate Fraud and Internal Control: A Framework for Prevention. He is also a contributor to all four editions of QFINANCE, the Ultimate Resource.




Deploying ACI


Book Description

Use ACI fabrics to drive unprecedented value from your data center environment With the Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) software-defined networking platform, you can achieve dramatic improvements in data center performance, redundancy, security, visibility, efficiency, and agility. In Deploying ACI, three leading Cisco experts introduce this breakthrough platform, and walk network professionals through all facets of design, deployment, and operation. The authors demonstrate how ACI changes data center networking, security, and management; and offer multiple field-proven configurations. Deploying ACI is organized to follow the key decision points associated with implementing data center network fabrics. After a practical introduction to ACI concepts and design, the authors show how to bring your fabric online, integrate virtualization and external connections, and efficiently manage your ACI network. You’ll master new techniques for improving visibility, control, and availability; managing multitenancy; and seamlessly inserting service devices into application data flows. The authors conclude with expert advice for troubleshooting and automation, helping you deliver data center services with unprecedented efficiency. Understand the problems ACI solves,and how it solves them Design your ACI fabric, build it, and interface with devices to bring it to life Integrate virtualization technologieswith your ACI fabric Perform networking within an ACI fabric (and understand how ACI changes data center networking) Connect external networks and devices at Layer 2/Layer 3 levels Coherently manage unified ACI networks with tenants and application policies Migrate to granular policies based on applications and their functions Establish multitenancy, and evolve networking, security, and services to support it Integrate L4–7 services: device types, design scenarios, and implementation Use multisite designs to meet rigorous requirements for redundancy and business continuity Troubleshoot and monitor ACI fabrics Improve operational efficiency through automation and programmability