An Introduction to Configuration Management

Introduction

As a broader subject, configuration management (CM) refers to the process of systematically handling changes to a system in a way that it maintains integrity over time. Even though this process was not originated in the IT industry, the term is broadly used to refer to server configuration management.

Automation plays an essential role in server configuration management. It’s the mechanism used to make the server reach a desirable state, previously defined by provisioning scripts using a tool’s specific language and features. Automation is, in fact, the heart of configuration management for servers, and that’s why it’s common to also refer to configuration management tools as Automation Tools or IT Automation Tools.

Another common term used to describe the automation features implemented by configuration management tools is Server Orchestration or IT Orchestration, since these tools are typically capable of managing one to hundreds of servers from a central controller machine.

There are a number of configuration management tools available in the market. Puppet, Ansible, Chef and Salt are popular choices. Although each tool will have its own characteristics and work in slightly different ways, they are all driven by the same purpose: to make sure the system’s state matches the state described by your provisioning scripts.