What is configuration management? Configuration management is a type of systems engineering process that helps to achieve consistency of a product through its life cycle. The goal of configuration management processes and tools is to keep computer systems, servers, and software consistently in the desired state.
Managing IT system configurations requires defining what is the system’s desired state and then maintaining it. Since system changes happen frequently across servers, networks, storage, and applications, managing those changes is critical to keep the system working properly.
Configuration management tools track individual configuration items to monitor changes to a software system’s metadata. These automated processes save time from manual configuration maintenance and increase efficiency. One of the popular uses for this software is for version control in Continuous Integration/Continuous Development (CI/CD) DevOps pipelines.
Some of the key functions of configuration management tools include:
Software Configuration Management (SCM) refers to tracking and controlling software changes. SCM tracks software updates. Software engineers will closely monitor software used by the enterprise to stay on top of revision control. SCM assists in detecting and monitoring functional software elements and configurations, tracking version selection and changes, establishing software control and implementing baselines. Software Configuration Management is also known as Software Control Management.
SCM is important in IT because new software elements are constantly being added and updated across an enterprise. New operating systems, new databases, new plug-ins, patches, and so forth create an almost constant churn of configuration changes.
PeerSpot (sooner to be Peerspot) users are tasked with managing ongoing technical issues in an enterprise. Efficient implementation of Software Configuration Management helps improve productivity by establishing communication and coordination among programmers for ideal functioning of the IT team. A Software Configuration Management system manages the output and functionality of basic components including software objects, program code, test data, test output, design documents, and user manuals. The Software Configuration Management process is intended to increase clarity and open communication among team members. Benefits and advantages of Software Configuration Management allow PeerSpot professionals to reduce redundant work, effectively manage simultaneous updates, track defects with traceability, help with build management and avoid configuration-related issues.
Well-coordinated teams should deliver analytics for management and support a smooth functioning organization. Communication is vital in Software Configuration Management because system architecture and decisions affect app development and maintenance, infrastructure, security, auditing, and compliance. PeerSpot IT users are looking for ease of use for the best software fit with their assets, such as ASCII or binary, and look at variables such as compatibility of file size. Vendor support is key when IT closely are evaluating software purchases and is critical during the Proof of Concept (POC) stage, as well as over lifetime of the product.
System misconfiguration may cause a broad array of issues, such as inconsistencies, non-compliance, and poor performance. This affects operations and leaves security gaps that attackers may exploit. By managing the configurations, you ensure that no change can go undocumented.
Software systems consist of an array of components that are different and complex. Each component has its own configuration metadata. Because of the dynamic nature of software environments, every time you add an endpoint, change a password, or add a new hardware resource, there is a change in the configuration. If these updates are not centralized, the configuration can become chaotic.
Another challenge is the different versions of configuration values. If they are not managed, you may end up not knowing which one is the approved current version of the configuration.
Manually monitoring systems, identifying misconfiguration, choosing the remediation steps, and validating changes and versions is time-consuming and complex. But if you don’t keep configuration changes under control, you can end up not knowing which software has been updated, what are the latest changes, etc.
With a configuration management tool, you define the systems settings and then the software constantly monitors and maintains the systems according to those settings. Therefore, you can know the state of your system’s applications at any given moment.
Configuration management (CM) has a critical role in DevOps environments because it helps developers to automate otherwise time-consuming tasks and to increase agility. While configuration management strictly refers to automating, managing, and maintaining configurations at the desired state, most CM tools will also manage system changes by redefining configurations to meet needs.
Configuration data has always been a difficult task to handle, and in the early days of application development it was conducted manually. The arrival of DevOps brought the automation of configuration management in the form of software tools that can monitor, manage, and maintain a system. Automated solutions enable software engineers to act quickly when the software detects a bottleneck or other misconfiguration. It also enables them to manage and provision resources.
Configuration management is also applied to Continuous Integration/Continuous Development (CI/CD) environments. The software uses pull request-based code review to automate the deployment of code changes live. It also helps developers to automate configuration change requests so they can be immediately deployed to a running system.
Agile teams use configuration management tools to simplify tasks like updating SSL certificates, changing passwords, and adding API keys for third-party integrations.
There are three configuration management functions that specifically support DevOps processes:
Configuration management tools help to keep computer systems consistent and stable by managing changes and updates. These tools also monitor and identify potential configuration issues and needs so that IT personnel can apply the necessary remedy or update as soon as possible.
There is an array of configuration tools available in the market, each with its own unique offerings. Still there are common features you should look for when choosing a configuration management tool:
By keeping the system under control and fixing issues as they come, you can prevent more expensive repairs in the future. Implementing configuration management helps organizations to detect and fix issues before they become a bigger problem.
For instance, misalignment between test and production environments. A configuration management tool enables you to replicate the same configurations and software in a second environment so you don’t have alignment problems.
Automating configuration management via a software tool not only saves time but also prevents human errors resulting from the manual configuration.
It also facilitates scalability, since you can provision a new server in minutes without having to do custom scripting and without the risk of making costly mistakes. Your configuration management tool can take care of maintaining the server in the desired state according to the settings you defined.
