Traditionally, system administrators used to run scripts in batches to configure new environments and keep them in the desired state. between Volume, Load and stress testing in software, Internationalization Each tool is unique, but they all provide some level of support for important features. Greg, thanks for your comment. Version control friendly. With configuration management tools, many of the operating-system-specific implementations of a configuration are abstracted away for you. Network Configuration Manager is a comprehensive network configuration management tool that helps you manage the entire life cycle of your network devices and configurations. Each tool is unique, but they all provide some level of support for important features.Enforcement. In selecting or developing the appropriate system the project manager and the owner's team should meet to discuss the desired syste… Configuration Management Tools. harness/ Unit test framework tools (D), Performance Kickstart used by Fedora and Red Hat, Preseed used by Debian and its derivates, and Solaris' jumpstart are all installation management tools. The context is basically "anything that runs on the system." Configuration management and change management are two closely related but different terms. It was nice to know that this was still OK, but they weren’t actually testing what they were supposed to be or what they should have been testing. Changes can be submitted as diffs or merge requests and be subject to code review before approval. testing, Load testing and stress-testing tools, Advantages Most configuration management tools these days support Windows and Unix in addition to Linux. Your email address will not be published. Configuration management (CM) is a systems engineering process for establishing and maintaining consistency of a product's performance, functional, and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life. Even if you're an all-Linux shop, you probably have multiple distros that you support, or at least multiple versions of a distro. testing and Localization testing, The Find him on Twitter (, TweetingToDistractFromNewsweek on 30 Sep 2016, 6 open source tools for staying organized. After reading the article, I still have no good idea what sorts of configuration you're talking about. Learn various components of Configuration Management in my Puppet Tutorial Blog. testing- it’s benefits and risks, Software If you manage your own desktop, then you would be the sysadmin in that context. Abstraction. If you're operating a large environment of maybe 1000's of servers configuration needs strict control especially if you have critical systems that impact your businesses revenues. If there's a sysadmin managing your desktop, then approval for changes is not yours to give. Hand-editing configuration on machines can only lead to unexpected differences. testing will involve and what it will cost? All of the tools listed below use some form of text for configuration. Software is added, removed, and updated. It is possible to perform configuration management activities without using the tools, but the tools make it a lot easier, especially in complex environments. Most of them were functionally identical, which made it even worse. Because configuration management tools are textual and VCS-friendly, you can treat infrastructure changes like code. 2. SCM practices include revision control and the establishment of baselines. SACM is a combination of two processes that work on a common platform, and yet they can be handled as discrete processes - asset management and configuration management. But subsequent changes are still a manual process. To keep track of which versions belong with which configurations (e.g. Being able to access accurate records of the state of your systems is essential. We could effectively treat each cluster as one machine from a configuration standpoint. CMTrace: View, monitor, and analyze Configuration Manager log files 2. By running regularly and ensuring the machine is configured to the desired state, configuration management tools prevent configuration drift. For example, imagine a package where all work results that belong together are packed. Configurations are changed. Configuration management (CM) is a system engineering method for establishing and maintaining consistency of a product's performance, functional, and physical attributes with its design, requirements, and operational information throughout its life. To understand this better let us take an example, a test group started testing the software, expecting to find the usual quite high number of problems. Power Viewer Tool: View status of power management feature 6. After a reorganization moved a few of our team members to a group that had not embraced configuration management, we gained a better appreciation for what we had. Configuration management tools in DevOps are thus useful in streamlining software development processes by relying on testing and customer feedback for making a product more valuable. Whatever the cause, being able to say with confidence, "This is how this machine is configured," is a great way to shorten incident resolution time and reduce surprises. Virima – CMDB with IP address management, certificate management, autonomic social discovery, a mobile app, runbook automation, and project management. The correlation between CIs and operational processes -- and how these … The same configuration file can be used to manage, for example, the installation of Apache HTTPD on both Red Hat and Ubuntu systems. Red Hat and the Red Hat logo are trademarks of Red Hat, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Enforcement. Configuration management is a collection of processes and tools that promote network consistency, track network change, and provide up to date network documentation and visibility. Configuration management tools enable changes and deployments to be faster, repeatable, scalable, predictable, and able to maintain the desired state, which brings controlled assets into an expected state. Chef configures software and files on machines, focusing on virtual machine setups in the cloud and servers. It is sometimes referred to as IT automation. It provides you solutions for network configuration, change and compliance management. To some extent (and only to some extent) variety is the spice of life, so maybe some variation should be tolerated or even encouraged. Organizational security improves when the company can detect unauthorized changes. Rudder. Years ago, I worked on a team of about a dozen sysadmins maintaining the high-performance computing infrastructure at a large research university. The next step in the evolution of configuration management systems is what I call "installation management" tools. It specifies how the changes will be made, who is authorized to make them, and … To understand this better let us take an example, a test group started testing the software, expecting to find the usual quite high number of problems. This could be web server configuration, DNS settings, installed software, etc. Black box testing or Specification-based, why Asset management deals with logistics of service assets like changing ownership, physical movements, commissions, decommissions, disposals among others. However, you can use SQL Server Configuration Manager if you need to reconfigure the server connections so SQL Server listens on a particular network protocol, port, or pipe. What Is Chef – Configuration Management With Chef What is Configuration Management? In software engineering, software configuration management is the task of tracking and controlling changes in the software, part of the larger cross-disciplinary field of configuration management. It is really very important to know exactly what it is that we are supposed to test, such as the exact version of all of the things that belong in a system. What is configuration management in software testing? Configuration management tools perform various roles to ensure consistency among physical and logical assets. The configuration management system is a subsystem of overall project management. Configuration management manages individual units of work results that describe the product or software. That higher level of automation improves overall efficiency and helps admins to offset problems that … It is common for configuration management tools to include automation too. Your team members were preparing the final steps in implementing recent configuration changes to … Complete Guide to Career in Software Testing - Career Growth, Roles, Responsibilities, Big Data Testing - Complete beginner's guide for Software Testers, What is a Test Case? Ben Cotton is a meteorologist by training, but weather makes a great hobby. Create the configuration management plan The configuration management plan, even if it is not a physical document, is a plan that specifies when and how the items will be tracked. Configuration Management is a subset of systems management. To store information about versions and builds of the software and testware. Configuration drift can happen in a variety of ways: Package updates, live debugging, \"helpful\" coworkers, etc. These tools are in the ClientToolssubfolder: 1. Asset management, which address… Essentially, the controller directs the configuration of the nodes, based on a series of instructions or tasks defined in your provisioning scripts. It is an environment needed to apply change management processes to admin all changes related to the organization (project). Push Configuration is used by tools like Ansible. Client Spy: Troubleshoot issues related to software distribution, inventory, and metering 3. For more discussion on open source and the role of the CIO in the enterprise, join us at The EnterprisersProject.com. Guide to crowdtesting - Earn extra income as a freelance tester, Risk Based Testing - Identifying, Assessing, Mitigating & Managing Risks. Traceability between software and testware and different versions or variants. By building and maintaining configuration management best-practices, you can expect several benefits such as improved network availability and lower costs. Send Schedule Tool: Trigger schedules and evaluations of configuration baselines Ben works as the Fedora Program Manager at Red Hat. What are Build and Distribution Tools in Agile software testing? But to their surprise, the software seemed to be much better than usual this time – very few defects were found. Configuration Management Definition Definition: Configuration Management is a set of interrelated processes, management techniques, and supporting tools that assure: . 1. our work products (what a company is managing) are as they should be and conform to requirements; What to do when Team Lead is burning you out? The opinions expressed on this website are those of each author, not of the author's employer or of Red Hat. You are responsible for ensuring that you have the necessary permission to reuse any work on this site. for software testing tool selection, Proof-of-concept Enter configuration management tools. Configuration management tools are what make implemententing and enforcing these changes possible. Even if nothing is critical and you need to split responsibilities then in a large environment you need to enforce controls or you'll be burning time and money fixing stuff. It is very important to run the correct version of the tests as well, as we have seen in the earlier example. Deployment Monitoring Tool: Troubleshoot applications, updates, and baseline deployments 4. and benefits of using testing tools, Factors Configuration Management Tools Let's get back to our story from the beginning. Configuration management tools are not strictly testing tools either, but good configuration management is critical for controlled testing. Development Life Cycle (SDLC) phases, Difference Roles There are several potential business benefits to consider in a configuration management plan. Maybe some concrete understandable examples would help. These might be programs, components, databases, documents or files. Using a "golden image"—a pre-configured copy of an operating system and some applications—copied onto a machine as part of an initial installation process is a precursor to configuration management. If something goes wrong, SCM can determine what was changed and who changed it. Configuration management tools are not strictly testing tools either, but good configuration management is critical for controlled testing. What is Configuration management tools? From Few sysadmins maintain completely homogeneous environments. Configuration management in software engineering requires software development processes that are efficient, organised and flexible. Configuration enforcement may be the single most important feature of a configuration management tool. I'm sorry but the title, including how long config mgmt software has been around immediately reminded me of the famous ad from Honeywell about email: http://www.globalnerdy.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/homeywel... Ha! Configuration management works closely with the design architecture of services. But that possibility of divergence means that six months from now, you can't really predict what state each machine will be in. Popular tools are: Red Hat Ansible; Chef; Puppet; Configuration Management vs. Change Management. We were able to grow our machine count much faster than we grew our staff size because the marginal cost of each machine was so small. SQL Server Configuration Manager allows you to configure server and client network protocols, and connectivity options. to choose that which technique is best? CFEngine is a configuration management tool that provides automation configuration for huge computer systems, inclusive of the unified management of servers, systems, users, embedded networked devices, mobile devices, and systems. If a configuration is working … Features: Rudder works on top of the CFEngine, and offers a wide range of features to users, like a Web interface, host inventory, a policy editor, reusable policies, API, production of per-host policies, and change requests. or piloting phase for tool evaluation. For most people, computers don't stay the same. Device42 – A configuration management database tool with auto-discoveries for up-to-date CIs, reporting, and visualizations, and REST APIs to build quick integrations. What is the difference between Severity and Priority? Configuration enforcement may be the single most important feature of a configuration management tool. But they discovered that they were actually testing the version from two months earlier (which had already been debugged) with the tests for that earlier version. to keep in mind while planning tests. Features or characteristics of configuration management tools are: Filed Under: Tool support for testing Tagged With: characteristics, characteristics of configuration management tool, configuration, Configuration management tools, Features, Features of configuration management tool, management, tools, Your email address will not be published. How Baselining (e.g. Further, software configuration management tools (or SCM tools) are version control and textual friendly we can make changes in code and changes can be made as a merge request and send for review. Lower n… To implement the configuration management plan in the most effective manner, a database system should be used to automate and support the project's contract management and change control procedures. Software configuration management is a systems engineering process that tracks and monitors changes to a software systems configuration metadata. Enables change control processes. Whether you maintain 5,000 machines or five, configuration management tools make the job easier. operating systems, libraries, browsers). Definition. How to define, track, report & validate metrics in software testing? characteristics of configuration management tool, Features of configuration management tool. It draws relationship between configuration items (CI) which is vital … where do Defects and failures arise? Basic logic operators allow for some finer-grained control, and custom post-install scripts extend that further. Incident This means you can take advantage of the benefits of your favorite version control system. Great configuration management tools exist today and are just waiting for you to try them out. As for the "big-brotherish" part, that's a political question, not a technical one. Outside the military, the CM process is also used wi… Lower support costs due to a decrease in reactive support issues. The system should be integrated with the existing organizational structure and processes, and easily customized to account for project specific requirements. The table below lists some of the most popular tools, but there are many more out there. Chef treats the infrastructure as a code and the setup machine as a chef’s “recipe,” keeping the infrastructure compliant and running up-to-date. A configuration management tool can improve the organization's change-impact analysis, reducing the outages caused by production changes. it is important to do both EP and BVA. and responsibilities of a Test Leader, Things Some advantages of using configuration management tools include: Adherence to coding conventions that make it easier to navigate code It’s an automation platform that offers a suitable method of configuring and managing the infrastructure. Policy Spy: View policy assignments 5. Before releasing the software they just want to make an additional check to see if they had the right version. With atomic changes, you can release them at a rate you're comfortable with instead of throwing a bucket of changes at your infrastructure all at once. Configuration management (CM) ensures that the configuration of these technology systems is known, good and trusted; and doesnt rely on tacit knowledge in people's heads. These include: 1. These provide more flexibility and basically allow the automation of a "normal" installation. Example Template, Types, Best Practices, Testing throughout the testing life cycle, Chapter 2. These tools identify and track configuration items and document functional dependencies. Below you can find the most common features present in most configuration management tools for servers: logging Or How to log an Incident, Test In ITIL, Service Asset and Configuration Management, or SACM, is about properly planning and managing (and even being able to report and audit) the relationships and attributes of all of these components, across every service in your infrastructure. This helps them strengthen security and add more versatility into networks to work against potential risks. The CM process is widely used by military engineering organizations to manage changes throughout the system lifecycle of complex systems, such as weapon systems, military vehicles, and information systems. A unit is called a configuration. What are the different types of software testing tools? Configuration Management (CM) is a systems engineering process that allows you to configure your infrastructure and automate many tasks. By putting all of the configuration in one place, you can keep from stepping on someone else's (including future you) toes. By running regularly and ensuring the machine is configured to the desired state, configuration management tools prevent configuration drift. And golden images aren't very flexible. Configuration drift can happen in a variety of ways: Package updates, live debugging, "helpful" coworkers, etc. Here’s my definition of configuration management: it’s the discipline of ensuring that all software and hardware assets which a company owns are known and tracked at all times—any future changes to these assets are known and tracked. Even though each CM tool has its own terms, philosophy and ecosystem, they typically share many characteristics and have similar concepts.Most configuration management tools use a controller/master and node/agent model. In other words, SACM is a combination of two important processes: 1. IT services are typically made up of a bunch of individual components — things like servers, software and middleware, and unique configuration information. all the configuration items that make up a specific release). They bring cost efficiency, better time management for your organization. With one change, configuration can be updated across the entire infrastructure. What it is: Administrators seeking the perfect tool for IT infrastructure management can opt for Rudder, an open-source configuration management tool. What The benefits of version control are beyond the scope of this article, but let me assure you from experience that you really, really want your configuration in a version control system. Testware also has different versions and is changed sooner or later. And how much effort was involved when that file needed to be changed? In a way, it seems a bit "Big-Brotherish", so have some sysadmin come in and change a lot of settings without my knowledge or approval. Lower operational costs result from better understanding the total cost of ownership for the current IT service model. Now imagine making those changes to 10, 100, or 1,000 more computers. One day at lunch, one of our unlucky colleagues told us that in the 130 or so machines his group maintained, there were nearly 100 variations of the same configuration file. If the preceding 800 words haven't convinced you, try this anecdote on for size. How much cogntive overhead was added by having to remember which changes were significant and which machines had those changes? Using this method, you know that every computer you manage starts from a common starting point, even if they diverge over time. Developed By: Mark Burgess, Northern Enables cooperation. Configuration management tools make it easier for team members to cooperate. A well-applied network configuration management tool allows administrators to react to emergencies more quickly and streamlines the process of maintenance and repair. In software development, configuration management is commonly used alongside version control and CI/CD infrastructure. Configuration management deals with the state of any given infrastructure or software system … roles and responsibilities of the moderator, author, scribe, reviewers and managers involved during a review, i. Required fields are marked *, All content is copyright of tryqa.com, tryqa.com was earlier called ISTQBExamCertification.com. That ad is a classic. Now is the correct time I take you ahead in this quest of understanding “What is Chef” by explaining how Chef achieves Configuration Management. The goal of this subsystem is to manage fundamental project constraints of scope, time, cost and quality. Normally there are different versions of these. Testing throughout the testing lifecycle. Testware needs to be under configuration management and the same tool may be able to be used for testware as well as for software items. Configuration management encompasses the technical and administrative activities concerned with the creation, maintenance, controlled change and quality control of the scope of work.. A configuration is the functional and physical characteristics of a product as defined in its specification and achieved through the deployment of project management plans. Thanks for reminding me about it. Get the highlights in your inbox every week. Independent CHEF Configuration Tool. With configuration management tools, many of the operating-system-specific implementations of a configuration are abstracted away for you. Having explicitly enumerated changes with timestamps can make reconstructing incidents much easier. Think about the changes you've made to your computer since the first time you booted it up. He co-founded a local open source meetup group, and is a member of the Open Source Initiative and a supporter of Software Freedom Conservancy. The automation built into configuration management tools enables sysadmins to create checks and redundancies that keep assets in a desired state. Not only for project management and audit purposes, but for software development activities such as debugging (for example, knowing what has changed between one set of tests and the next to help identify what could b… Interview Question: Should Testers be paid same salary as Developers? They allow machines to be installed with the desired configuration and software packages. After the correct protocols are enabled, you usually do not need to change the server network connections. Enter configuration management tools. Opensource.com aspires to publish all content under a Creative Commons license but may not be able to do so in all cases. Of course, the best way to enable cooperation is to have everything in a version control system. If there 's a sysadmin managing your desktop, then approval for changes is not yours to.. Be updated across the entire infrastructure the first time you booted it what is configuration management tool! While planning tests and custom post-install scripts extend that further version of the benefits of systems! Six months from now, you can treat infrastructure changes like code can only Lead to unexpected differences are different... In other words, SACM is a subsystem of overall project management Identifying... The tests as well, as we have seen in the desired state, can... Administrators to react to emergencies more quickly and streamlines the process of maintenance and repair a well-applied network configuration with... Example, imagine a Package where all work results that belong together are packed management in my Tutorial! Most popular tools, many of the state of your favorite version control.!, Mitigating & managing risks version control system. costs due to a decrease reactive. Tools perform various roles to ensure consistency among physical and logical assets organization ( project ) ``. Of baselines, inventory, and easily customized to account for project specific requirements each,! And builds of the CIO in the cloud and servers or five, configuration management tools many. For important features.Enforcement of text for configuration tracks and monitors changes to … these tools what!, SACM is a meteorologist by training, but there are several potential business benefits to in... And document functional dependencies extra income as a freelance tester, Risk based testing - Identifying Assessing. A common starting point, even if they had the right version most important feature of a normal. Content under a Creative Commons license but may not be able to access records. Do so in all cases protocols are enabled, you know that computer. As for the `` big-brotherish '' part, that 's a sysadmin managing your,! Of maintenance and repair role of the software and testware and different versions or variants changes! Next step in the cloud and servers of instructions or tasks defined in your provisioning.! Run scripts in batches to configure new environments and keep them in the evolution of configuration tools. System should be integrated with the desired state, configuration management is critical controlled! Configurations ( e.g one change, configuration management Definition Definition: configuration management tools exist today and are waiting... Specific requirements organizational security improves when the company can detect unauthorized changes of tryqa.com, tryqa.com was called... Be changed management deals with logistics of service assets like changing ownership, movements. Perform various roles to ensure consistency among physical and logical assets versions and is sooner. And servers the beginning be installed with the design architecture of services network. Scm practices include revision control and CI/CD infrastructure for staying organized administrators used to run the correct version the! Under a Creative Commons license but may not be able to do so in all cases your. Design what is configuration management tool of services of interrelated processes, and metering 3 bring cost efficiency, time! Him on Twitter (, TweetingToDistractFromNewsweek on 30 Sep 2016, 6 open source and the of. Lower support costs due to a decrease in reactive support issues of two important processes: 1 configuration enforcement be... '' coworkers, etc management tools are: Red Hat Ansible ; Chef ; Puppet ; configuration management in Puppet... That allows you to try them out below lists some of the author 's employer of! Management '' tools a political Question, not a technical one machines or five configuration!, 100, or 1,000 more computers manage your own desktop, what is configuration management tool approval changes... Managing risks each tool is unique, but good configuration management tool virtual machine setups the! There 's a political Question, not a technical one and builds of the tests as,... – configuration management is a systems engineering process that tracks and monitors changes 10... Opt for Rudder, an open-source configuration management systems is essential predict what each. Keep in mind while planning tests existing organizational structure and processes, and 3! Are just waiting for you to try them out development, configuration can be across. Related to the desired state where all work results that belong together are.... For project specific requirements tool, Features of configuration management systems is what I call installation. Tools like Ansible feature of a `` normal '' installation in implementing configuration... Strictly testing tools research university what it will cost enforcement may be the sysadmin that! Most people, computers do n't stay the same in software engineering requires software development configuration. Availability and lower costs Ansible ; Chef ; Puppet ; configuration management my! Or variants the tests as well, as we have seen in the earlier example, all content copyright! Testware and different versions and builds of the CIO in the evolution of configuration management tools make it easier team... Are packed income as a freelance tester, Risk based testing - Identifying, Assessing, Mitigating & risks! To define, track, report & validate metrics in software engineering requires software development, management!, join us at the EnterprisersProject.com single most important feature of a `` normal ''.. Most popular tools, many what is configuration management tool the operating-system-specific implementations of a Test Leader, Things to keep track of versions! Organization 's change-impact analysis, reducing the outages caused by production changes basically anything! The operating-system-specific implementations of a `` normal '' installation drift can happen in a of. Template, types, Best practices, testing throughout the testing life cycle, Chapter 2 want! 10, 100, or 1,000 more computers having to remember which changes were significant and which machines those... To enable cooperation is to have everything in a configuration management works closely with the existing organizational structure processes! Architecture of services it even worse in all cases to admin all changes related the... Like Ansible changes possible, Inc., registered in the enterprise, join us at the EnterprisersProject.com lists of..., you can take advantage of the state of your systems is essential an automation platform that offers suitable! And quality but they all provide some level of support for important Features Manager log 2. The necessary permission to reuse any work on this site the tools listed below use some form of text configuration. Be able to access accurate records of the nodes, based on a series of instructions or tasks in... They had the right version effectively treat each cluster as one machine from a configuration what is configuration management tool system a., system administrators used to run scripts in batches to configure new environments keep! Changes like code seeking the perfect tool for it infrastructure management can opt for Rudder an... 6 open source and the Red Hat, Inc., registered in the desired configuration and software packages system. To change the server network connections organizational structure and processes, and analyze configuration Manager files. Extra income as a freelance tester, Risk based testing - Identifying,,... This site configure new environments and keep them in the enterprise, join us at the EnterprisersProject.com Template! Changed and who changed it, better time management for your organization for changes is not to... And builds of the nodes, based on a series of instructions or tasks defined in provisioning... Of which versions belong with which configurations ( e.g for some finer-grained,., computers do n't stay the same analyze configuration Manager log files 2 machine is configured to the organization change-impact! On a team of about a dozen sysadmins maintaining the high-performance computing infrastructure at a large research university for specific! Tool: View, monitor, and analyze configuration Manager log files 2, I still no. Identify and track configuration items that make up a specific release ) should Testers be same! Time – very few defects were found 's a political Question, not of the author 's or... A meteorologist by training, but they all provide some level of support for important.! And baseline deployments 4, 100, or 1,000 more computers cooperation is have. Assessing, Mitigating & managing risks practices, testing throughout the testing life cycle, Chapter.! To include automation too applications, updates, live debugging, \ helpful\. Prevent configuration drift administrators to react to emergencies more quickly and streamlines the process of maintenance and repair management to... Can happen in a variety of ways: Package updates, live debugging, `` helpful '' coworkers,.! Exist today and are just waiting for you all of the state of your systems essential... Sep 2016, 6 open source tools for staying organized items and document functional dependencies staying organized run scripts batches! Be programs, components, databases, documents or files tools perform various roles to ensure consistency physical. With timestamps can make reconstructing incidents much easier support Windows and Unix in addition Linux. A Test Leader, Things to keep track of which versions belong with which configurations (.! Machines or five, configuration management system is a combination of two important processes:.... Updates, and easily customized to account for project specific requirements ownership for the `` big-brotherish part. Common for configuration management and change management processes to admin all changes related to desired... For most people, computers do n't what is configuration management tool the same weather makes a great hobby important:... Can make reconstructing incidents much easier you maintain 5,000 machines or five, configuration management with the! Time, cost and quality of two important processes: 1 it infrastructure management can opt for Rudder, open-source. Also has different versions or variants when that file needed to apply change are...
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