Configuration Management and DevOps
The configuration management resource center provides IT professionals with information about how configuration management tools work, how to deploy them for more IT automation, and how to assess IT infrastructure needs and changes in a rapidly moving DevOps environment.
Top Stories
-
Tutorial
17 Mar 2023
How to transfer FSMO roles with PowerShell
You might need to shift Active Directory FSMO roles for a few reasons. If you need to do it more than once, there's a way to automate the procedure with PowerShell. Continue Reading
-
Tip
10 Feb 2023
The role of automation in SD-WAN
API integration, machine learning and AIOps are vital to achieve the benefits of SD-WAN automation, which include better network performance and faster operations. Continue Reading
-
Tip
12 Jan 2023
Testing infrastructure as code: A complete guide
IaC, when implemented correctly, can benefit enterprises' CD pipelines. But, when the code isn't tested before deployment, things can go awry. Follow these strategies for success. Continue Reading
-
Tip
03 Mar 2022
Business benefits of an Agile networking approach
Enterprises that embed an Agile approach in their networking strategies could see benefits like better network performance, enhanced data security and faster rollouts of network services. Continue Reading
-
Tip
24 Feb 2022
Compare Azure Bicep vs. Terraform to provision infrastructure
In comparing Azure Bicep vs Terraform, Azure cloud admins can make an informed decision on which IaC service they want to use to automate deployment of their cloud. Continue Reading
-
Tip
16 Feb 2022
What it means to do 'everything as code' in IT operations
If the concept of 'everything as code' sounds overwhelming, don't worry. Learn what it means, how to get started and ways you might already be using it. Continue Reading
-
Tip
14 Feb 2022
Develop an interactive DevOps runbook
Runbooks are important for DevOps processes -- simple or complex -- but they can be a beast to write. Use this expansive guide for best practices and arrangement. Continue Reading
-
Tip
03 Feb 2022
CI/CD tutorial: How to set up a pipeline
A CI/CD pipeline saves time and ensures software quality during development. Follow this tutorial to level up your project and reduce developer workload with automation. Continue Reading
-
Opinion
31 Jan 2022
IaC security options help reduce software development risk
The use of infrastructure as code is increasing among developers, but security teams can take advantage of a growing number of tools to make sure IaC doesn't increase risk. Continue Reading
-
Tip
30 Dec 2021
Threat modeling and DevOps: A partnership in the making
Proactive threat modeling is a perfect fit for DevOps' iterative nature. Follow DevOps principles of collaboration, automation and feedback for a successful pairing. Continue Reading
-
Feature
15 Dec 2021
8 key DevOps roles and responsibilities for team success
More than most IT initiatives, DevOps is built around people. Involve the right professionals, and get those people primed to work in concerted ways. Continue Reading
-
Tip
06 Dec 2021
10 DevSecOps metrics that actually measure success
Knowing which metrics to monitor is a good place to start when measuring success. Here are the ones to collect, and what to do once you have them. Continue Reading
-
Tip
26 Oct 2021
Managed DevOps services or in-house DevOps: Which is best?
A successful DevOps adoption requires significant time and resources. That is why organizations use managed DevOps services to streamline the process -- but is it still DevOps? Continue Reading
-
Feature
04 Oct 2021
Adopt GitOps best practices and tools for your organization
In his book 'Repeatability, Reliability, Scalability through GitOps,' Bryan Feuling provides an in-depth analysis of GitOps to help companies find best practices and tools. Continue Reading
-
News
30 Sep 2021
Ansible overhaul promotes IT automation expansion
Ansible Automation Platform 2 makes it easier to centrally manage IT automation at scale, but enterprises must also contend with technical debt as they grow. Continue Reading
-
Tip
24 Sep 2021
Automate network validation for smoother changes
Teams can verify network state before and after network changes to ensure smooth deployment of the changes. Automating those pre- and post-change checks can reduce errors and outages. Continue Reading
-
Tip
09 Sep 2021
Blockchain: An immutable ledger to replace the database
Blockchains create a secure encryption beneficial to many businesses. This article offers use cases, benefits and limitations of the electronic database. Continue Reading
-
Tip
19 Jul 2021
Terraform cheat sheet: Notable commands, HCL and more
Terraform has a lot going on. This cheat sheet rounds up the essentials, from configuration settings to the key commands for managing the Terraform directory. Continue Reading
-
Feature
28 Jun 2021
Familiarize yourself with these 7 key SRE terms
Want to understand site reliability engineering? Check out this primer of SRE terminology that explains some of its fundamentals, from the job role to SLAs and issue resolution. Continue Reading
-
Tip
28 Jun 2021
Compare ARM templates vs. Terraform for infrastructure as code
ARM templates and Terraform are popular infrastructure-as-code options. Check out an Ubuntu Server VM example in each approach and learn the pros and cons of these tools. Continue Reading
-
Feature
23 Jun 2021
7 infrastructure as code books for IT pros to dig into
Need some reading material? Check out these books on infrastructure as code -- and popular IaC tools -- to pick up some new skills on the IT management practice. Continue Reading
-
Opinion
21 Jun 2021
Will DevOps spell the death of the CMDB?
While CMDBs still have value, they no longer dominate IT management. See what CMDB integration options remain and why IT admins should look beyond the repository software. Continue Reading
-
Tip
21 May 2021
Use AWS Glue workflows to convert semistructured data
New to AWS Glue? Learn about the tool and how to incorporate it into DevOps workflows with examples that look at data transformation and machine learning. Continue Reading
-
Guest Post
20 May 2021
The role of DevOps practices in application design
Fancy architecture diagrams and aesthetically pleasing code are nice things to have. But they don't mean much without the support of DevOps-centric design practices. Continue Reading
-
Tip
28 Apr 2021
The CMDB-cloud pairing isn't as irrelevant as it seems
CMDBs have made IT admins' lives easier through their store of information. Learn why CMDBs are still a reliable tool for service management, despite the surge in cloud adoption. Continue Reading
-
Tip
26 Apr 2021
Ansible vs. Terraform vs. Vagrant: What's the difference?
Ansible, Terraform and Vagrant are common infrastructure automation platforms with specific use cases, benefits and drawbacks. But choosing a platform doesn't need to be confusing. Continue Reading
-
Tutorial
09 Apr 2021
Kubernetes basics: A step-by-step implementation tutorial
This Kubernetes implementation example demonstrates how to create a single-node cluster on Windows 10 to get a containerized application up and running. Continue Reading
-
News
06 Apr 2021
Puppet Relay links event-driven IT automation to Enterprise
Puppet's Relay event-driven automation framework ships this week, with Puppet Enterprise integration that can link cloud-native workflows with on-premises infrastructure and apps. Continue Reading
-
Tip
30 Mar 2021
How Puppet works: Using the configuration management tool
With Puppet, enterprises can manage configurations and simplify the DevOps process as a whole. Grasp how it works, and see if it's the right choice for your organization. Continue Reading
-
Tip
29 Mar 2021
Understand IT change management vs. configuration management
When examining change management vs. configuration management, it's easy to confuse them. These examples illustrate how they intertwine, but still address different areas. Continue Reading
-
Answer
25 Mar 2021
How to roll back Git code to a previous commit
Mistakes happen. Thankfully, in Git, admins have two command options to roll back to a previous commit. Learn more about both here. Continue Reading
-
News
24 Mar 2021
ServiceNow enters RPA market with Intellibot acquisition
Taking its cue from corporate users focused on both low- code and automation, ServiceNow has acquired Intellibot for its robotic process automation (RPA) products. Continue Reading
-
News
11 Mar 2021
ServiceNow Quebec platform goes after the low-code market
ServiceNow has released a new version of its Now Platform that caters to inexperienced developers looking to build customized applications and workflows quickly. Continue Reading
-
Tip
26 Feb 2021
3 DevSecOps trends to keep an eye on
The future of DevSecOps isn't set, but these trends are shaping its course. Learn what changes -- and risks -- your IT organization should prepare for. Continue Reading
-
Tip
24 Feb 2021
Compare Azure DevOps vs. GitHub for CI/CD pipelines
GitHub is a more recognized name in the development community than Azure DevOps, but now that Microsoft owns both tools, developers need to see how they differ and work together. Continue Reading
-
Answer
29 Jan 2021
Kubernetes deployments vs. pods: What's the difference?
Pods and deployments are both important to using Kubernetes in production, but they're not the same. Learn the role each one plays in building and managing containerized applications. Continue Reading
-
Feature
25 Jan 2021
IaC tools comparison shows benefits of automated deployments
Learn how these infrastructure as code tools can help streamline application development and deployment by reducing many of the headaches associated with manual processes. Continue Reading
-
Tip
15 Jan 2021
5 AIOps skills to add to your DevOps resume
Organizations use AIOps to address complexity, but these tools don't exist in a vacuum. See the top skills needed to successfully implement them. Continue Reading
-
Tip
29 Dec 2020
What is SRE in DevOps and how do they work together?
Site reliability engineering and DevOps share a close relationship -- but it's not always clear what, exactly, that relationship is. Walk through the basics of SRE, and its place in DevOps methodologies. Continue Reading
-
Feature
18 Dec 2020
ITSM and DevOps don't have to be at odds
Is it possible for ITSM and DevOps to coexist within the same organization? It is, but it raises plenty of questions about how and whether they are a good fit. Continue Reading
-
Tip
15 Dec 2020
An overview of Apache Airflow for workflow management
This introductory look at Apache Airflow walks through some of the basics of the workflow management tool -- from installation steps to its various GUI options. Continue Reading
-
Feature
02 Dec 2020
Configuration management vs. asset management simplified
Configuration management and asset management are terms that are sometimes used interchangeably. While similar in certain ways, they are not the same thing. Continue Reading
-
Feature
30 Nov 2020
Review the top configuration management tools in DevOps
Configuration management tools ease the IT burden. And if you're implementing DevOps practices, be sure to consider that during the tool evaluation process. Continue Reading
-
Feature
30 Nov 2020
Ansible vs. Chef vs. Puppet vs. SaltStack: A comparison
For teams that oversee ecosystems and software packages, configuration management tools have the power to boost operational consistency. But which products deserve attention? Continue Reading
-
Tip
25 Nov 2020
Building an infrastructure-as-code pipeline in the cloud
Understand the stages to manage infrastructure as code, from source control to activation deployment -- and how these functions can be accomplished through cloud services. Continue Reading
-
Tip
24 Nov 2020
Infrastructure as code principles: How IaC works and how to use it
What are the most important things to know about infrastructure as code if you're going to implement it? Follow these guidelines to build a solid IaC foundation. Continue Reading
-
Feature
20 Nov 2020
The evolution and history of software configuration management
IT and software configuration management challenge tech professionals. It's been that way for decades, and best practices continue to evolve. Continue Reading
-
Tip
20 Nov 2020
These IT automation scripts take little effort and save a lot of work
Doing some IT tasks by hand is doing them wrong. Whether to provision components, research an issue or report on performance, IT automation scripts are powerful and easy to write. Continue Reading
-
News
17 Nov 2020
Puppet sets sights on unified IT automation platform, IPO
An integrated Puppet IT automation platform that runs on Kubernetes will accompany an IPO for Puppet Labs in 2021, as the company aims to update its image for the cloud-native era. Continue Reading
-
Tip
10 Nov 2020
Automate these DevOps tasks for maximum productivity
DevOps is hard work, but only upfront. The goal -- once teams build a pipeline and set up automation -- is to stand aside and watch the builds flow through. Continue Reading
-
Feature
09 Nov 2020
Infrastructure as code benefits and DevOps use cases
Code flexibility, automation and security top the list of reasons to use IaC for DevOps use cases. But without careful management, they can quickly present problems. Continue Reading
-
Tip
06 Nov 2020
How to use ChatOps to automate network tasks
Integrating team collaboration chat systems with network automation results in the ability to automate tedious workflows, enabling faster problem resolution and streamlined operations. Continue Reading
-
News
30 Oct 2020
Cisco dashboard simplifies access to multiple NetOps tools
Cisco's Nexus Dashboard will offer a single location for several NetOps tools designed for networks serving cloud-centric applications. The software is set for release this year. Continue Reading
-
Tip
23 Oct 2020
Manage Kubernetes pods and nodes with these native features
In Kubernetes, pod management requires familiarity with the platform's native features. From Services and Jobs to taints and tolerations, learn how they help direct deployments. Continue Reading
-
Tip
20 Oct 2020
Infrastructure as code examples for DevOps, cloud deployments
Administrators can use infrastructure as code to consistently manage a distributed set of resources. Follow these four examples to get started, and explore common IaC tool choices. Continue Reading
-
News
15 Oct 2020
HashiCorp wades into continuous delivery with Waypoint
HashiCorp launched another new open source project this week, this time a continuous delivery utility called Waypoint, which IT pros hope will simplify DevOps deployments. Continue Reading
-
Tip
12 Oct 2020
Compare runbooks vs. playbooks for IT process documentation
Despite some contextual differences, runbooks and playbooks serve a similar purpose in the enterprise: to document critical processes. Continue Reading
-
Tip
06 Oct 2020
How to start DevOps: A step-by-step guide
DevOps can be a grand departure from an IT organization's status quo. Follow these seven basic steps for a phased transition that staff will champion. Continue Reading
-
Tip
30 Sep 2020
Manage containerized microservices with a service registry
It's easier than ever to spin up a containerized app, but that ease has created a problem: How to keep track of containerized microservices. Turn to service registries and orchestrators. Continue Reading
-
Tip
30 Sep 2020
How to build a network automation architecture in 5 phases
The implementation of a network automation architecture involves several elements, including a core orchestration engine, assorted databases and proper network testing. Continue Reading
-
News
29 Sep 2020
VMware buys SaltStack for security, configuration management
The acquisition of SaltStack will help VMware build event-driven security automation and configuration management into vRealize Automation, as open source Salt gains VMware's backing. Continue Reading
-
Tip
21 Sep 2020
Ways to use feature flags in DevOps
What's in a name? Whether you call them feature flags or toggles, this approach benefits enterprise IT all the same. Learn the basics and see how to apply them to DevOps. Continue Reading
-
Feature
11 Sep 2020
16 DevOps books to level up your skills
Is your organization and IT staff ready to tackle DevOps, from culture to strategies and toolchains? Start with these 16 books from learning DevOps basics to fine-tuning specific DevOps skills and practices. Continue Reading
-
Feature
27 Aug 2020
Composable benefits from infrastructure-as-code techniques
Learn why composable infrastructure is an effective infrastructure as code delivery model and can serve as a foundation for orchestrating and automating IT resource provisioning. Continue Reading
-
Feature
24 Aug 2020
Overcome these 5 DevOps challenges
DevOps adoption isn't easy, but the results are worth it. Learn how to collaborate, cooperate and coordinate with better organization and DevOps tooling. Continue Reading
-
Tutorial
19 Aug 2020
Use Pulumi and Azure DevOps to deploy infrastructure as code
Follow this tutorial for an overview of Pulumi, an IaC tool, within the Azure DevOps toolchain, and how to use them together to define, build, test and deploy infrastructure. Continue Reading
-
Tip
06 Aug 2020
How Kubernetes enhances DevOps practices
Kubernetes isn't necessary for DevOps, and you don't need a DevOps team to adopt Kubernetes container management. But, here are all the ways that these two are better together. Continue Reading
-
Tip
05 Aug 2020
The benefits of building a network automation lab
Network teams can build network automation labs to create a safe environment to test and validate automation tasks before running them in production networks. Continue Reading
-
Tip
08 Jul 2020
Choose the best programming language for DevOps workflows
DevOps is a rapidly evolving set of technologies and practices; choosing the right programming language -- or languages -- makes a big difference in terms of functionality, efficiency and speed. Continue Reading
-
News
25 Jun 2020
Puppet unveils event-driven IT automation plans
Puppet's IT automation system Relay, now in beta, offers an event-driven take on IT workflows, but the vendor must clearly establish the product's value over competing DevOps systems. Continue Reading
-
News
24 Jun 2020
HashiCorp Terraform beta brings long-awaited features
Terraform 0.13, recently released to public beta, includes support for complex infrastructure deployments that users have eagerly awaited. Continue Reading
-
Tip
22 Jun 2020
4 steps to implement an IT configuration management process
Configuration management tools go a long way in effective IT system maintenance. However, admins still need to take certain steps of their own to ensure desired outcomes. Continue Reading
-
Tip
09 Jun 2020
Prepare for the rise of the IT automation architect
As IT infrastructures become more complex, and development cycles more rapid, organizations increasingly lean on automation -- and those with the skills to oversee it. Continue Reading
-
News
05 Jun 2020
New ServiceNow workflows extend into more markets
ServiceNow continues to direct its workflows toward vertical markets with new offerings for telecommunications, financial services and healthcare markets. Continue Reading
-
Feature
02 Jun 2020
MLB uses NetBox automation for network configuration backup
Major League Baseball used NetBox in tandem with its network automation project to streamline its configuration backup process and keep its infrastructure systems in sync. Continue Reading
-
News
02 Jun 2020
Chef software broadens scope amid IT automation disruption
Chef seeks a new niche as IT automation shifts toward Kubernetes and cloud-native tools, but IT pros have many options, with some more appealing than Chef in high-scale scenarios. Continue Reading
-
Tip
27 May 2020
How declarative DevOps enables self-service, flexible delivery
DevOps teams can achieve automated delivery via a lot of custom code, or they can implement declarative tools and templates. Declarative DevOps has many advantages to offer. Continue Reading
-
Video
26 May 2020
Implement compliance-as-code with this Chef InSpec tutorial
Rather than rely on manual compliance checks, IT admins can use Chef InSpec to automate the process. Watch this brief video to learn essential InSpec commands and run some practice scans. Continue Reading
-
Photo Story
22 May 2020
5 IT automation examples that ops teams should implement today
IT automation use cases are plentiful and highly variegated -- but organizations should emphasize these five examples in their roadmaps. Continue Reading
-
Tutorial
13 May 2020
A Terraform Registry tutorial to build and share modules
Before IT teams share Terraform modules through the tool's public registry, they must familiarize themselves with these prerequisites and technical steps. Continue Reading
-
Tutorial
11 May 2020
A Kubernetes namespaces tutorial to manage cluster resources
Namespaces in Kubernetes serve several purposes -- from allowing teams to share a single cluster to enforcing resource quotas. Use this tutorial to get started with this important Kubernetes feature. Continue Reading
-
News
08 May 2020
Puppet Labs CTO eyes IT automation amid COVID-19
An entirely new executive leadership team is the latest of several upheavals at Puppet Labs over the last four years, but CTO Abby Kearns says there's a clearer path ahead in 2020. Continue Reading
-
Tutorial
08 May 2020
Create an AKS cluster with this Ansible and Kubernetes tutorial
IT admins familiar with Ansible can use the configuration management tool, alongside Azure Cloud Shell, to spin up a Kubernetes cluster in AKS. Continue Reading
-
News
05 May 2020
IBM's Watson AIOps aims to help networks run smoothly
Launched during IBM Think 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, IBM's Watson AIOps aims to use AI to help CIOs more quickly and efficiently keep their networks running. Continue Reading
-
Feature
29 Apr 2020
Lean on these core Ansible features for IT automation success
These six articles break down Ansible playbooks, roles and other key concepts for IT pros who are new to the tool -- or could benefit from a refresher. Continue Reading
-
Tip
22 Apr 2020
Outsourced DevOps brings benefits, and risks, to IT shops
Lack certain DevOps skills? Consider outsourcing as a way to fill the gaps, but be sure to understand the potential risks, which vary with each DevOps pipeline stage. Continue Reading
-
Tip
20 Apr 2020
How zero-touch IT operations can be a burden, not a benefit
In their pursuits of end-to-end automation, IT operations teams should be careful not to downplay the importance of human staff. Continue Reading
-
Tip
14 Apr 2020
Why configuration management is important for networks
Configuration management is essential to keep accurate network configuration records and to help organizations avoid potential challenges or problems within their networks. Continue Reading
-
Tip
08 Apr 2020
4 components of a disaster recovery plan to prepare for a crisis
IT teams must take a proactive approach to crisis management and disaster recovery. Use these four guidelines around communication, monitoring and more to build a plan that works. Continue Reading
-
Tip
30 Mar 2020
What to expect as AI for DevOps advances in the enterprise
While still an emerging practice, the use of artificial intelligence in DevOps shops will have major implications on monitoring, cost optimization and more. Continue Reading
-
Video
11 Mar 2020
Follow this Ansible Vault example for encryption best practices
IT admins can choose between two types of encryption methods when they use Ansible Vault: file-level and variable-level. Walk through each model with this brief video. Continue Reading
-
Tip
03 Mar 2020
Build a SaaS disaster recovery plan for IT automation tools
While cloud-based IT automation software offers speed and flexibility, it poses the same potential risk of other hosted tools: a loss of availability during an outage. Continue Reading
-
Tip
02 Mar 2020
Ansible limitations for network automation
Ansible can be a powerful tool for network automation, but users should be aware of its limitations with debugging, performance, complex data structures and control flow. Continue Reading
-
Answer
28 Feb 2020
How does DevOps in networking change network requirements?
As more organizations embrace DevOps in networking, the approach can transform network requirements, such as visibility and security policies, which network teams should consider. Continue Reading
-
Feature
25 Feb 2020
Put these Terraform best practices into action
Terraform enables IT teams to complete a range of tasks, from deployment to multi-cloud management. Apply this collection of best practices to get started with, or optimize your use of, the IaC tool. Continue Reading
-
Tip
24 Feb 2020
IT tool selection criteria to guide emerging tech navigation
The IT industry is almost always in flux. For organizations to keep up, they must invest in the right tools, which takes asking the right questions. Continue Reading
-
Tip
17 Feb 2020
An introduction to network automation with Ansible
Ansible is one of the most popular open source network automation tools. Network pros can use it to perform basic network automation tasks, like collecting ARP table data. Continue Reading
-
News
14 Feb 2020
Chef IT automation invigorates legacy apps amid cloud surge
Chef Software's Habitat tool carved out a niche as it matured, among enterprise IT pros tasked with modernizing legacy data center apps. Continue Reading
-
Tip
31 Jan 2020
Modernize ops practices to manage hybrid IT infrastructure
Hybrid IT management requires ops teams to rethink everything from networking to the way they oversee system configurations. Third-party tools, including those for IaC, can help. Continue Reading
-
Feature
23 Jan 2020
Build a source of truth into your network automation strategy
Many network automation approaches rely on a source of truth repository to provide data on network behavior. But building this automation database isn't always easy. Continue Reading
-
Tutorial
17 Jan 2020
Walk through common use cases for built-in Terraform functions
Follow along with this Terraform tutorial to learn and apply various types of built-in functions -- including Numeric, String, and Date and Time -- within the IaC tool. Continue Reading
-
Tip
16 Jan 2020
Compare Paramiko, Netmiko and NAPALM network automation
Python is a useful language, but it can't do everything. Explore some basic network automation scripts that use Python with three automation libraries: Paramiko, Netmiko and NAPALM. Continue Reading