A lot of people new to automation are very nervous about letting a script or program like Chef change a production system. That fear can really slow the advance of a DevOps movement. But ignoring those people's fears is not the answer. So here are some tips and tricks to get everyone, including yourself, to be more confident about writing world changing scripts.
Whenever possible create virtual environments. The use of virtual machines or cloud servers gives you considerably more options and abilities than bare metal hardware. Simply the ability to snapshot a server and revert back to it in minutes is a game changing concept. It let's you run any automation from beginning to end virtually without fear. I say virtually only because you occasionally run scripts that affect systems that cannot easily be virtualized. This is now more the exception than the rule. If you take a snapshot of the server, run the automation, find a mistake/error/bug you simply revert the server back to the starting point, fix the problem and try again. The only thing you have lost is the time it takes to run the script. This might be a lot of time but still less than having to rebuild the environment between each test run. If you have the luxury of multiple environments to use you can and should follow the same procedure used in the development of the script for future deployments. So you just take the script that worked in Dev and run it in Test after taking a snapshot there. Then rinse and repeat what you did all the way to production.
Test it over and over and over again. It sounds crazy but I now run the completely new scripts I am ready to bless for migration to the next environment multiple times in each environment. This gives me the confidence that they really are working. I want to know I didn't do something weird that made the script work when I fixed the bug. Once the script runs cleanly multiple times I am all ready to go and I move it to the next tier.
Ask someone to do a peer review of the script. This is just a good practice in general. When possible I suggest walking the person through the script and letting them ask questions the first time through. This has often turned up bugs and other issues all on it's own. Having to explain something uses a different part of your brain and opens your mind up to see the problems or possible problems.
Ask someone else to run the scripts for you. I normally do this in a Dev/Test environment. I do this for two reasons 1) Validate my documentation 2) validate the procedure I am doing. Often my teammates have asked questions that point out things I forgot to account for or code in. They also tend to be less stressed than if they are deploying to a production environment. Doing this earlier is better. Repeating it when you have to make a change makes you a better programer/scripter. Your teammate finding that one thing that would have driven you nuts during a deploy is, in a word, priceless.
Communicate what it is you are trying to automate. Be as specific as possible in the communications. Making everyone involved aware of what it is you are doing goes a long way towards building their trust. It is the most basic way to be inclusive in your process. Do your best not to make it sound like you are asking for permission to do the automation. You are doing this to make the environment better and no one should ever question that. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't be open to feedback. You should actually be ready for it because it will happen. While everyone in any given IT organization may not be expert communicators you need to take all feedback without feeling persecuted. Remember this is just as scary for them as it is for you at the beginning. So they may need time to adjust and gain confidence also. The worst thing you can do is start or continue a flame war about your automation process. Respond respectfully and with clarifications about thing
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A lot of people new to automation are very nervous about letting a script or program like Chef change a production system. That fear can really slow the advance of a DevOps movement. But ignoring those people's fears is not the answer. So here are some tips and tricks to get everyone, including yourself, to be more confident about writing world changing scripts.
Whenever possible create virtual environments. The use of virtual machines or cloud servers gives you considerably more options and abilities than bare metal hardware. Simply the ability to snapshot a server and revert back to it in minutes is a game changing concept. It let's you run any automation from beginning to end virtually without fear. I say virtually only because you occasionally run scripts that affect systems that cannot easily be virtualized. This is now more the exception than the rule. If you take a snapshot of the server, run the automation, find a mistake/error/bug you simply revert the server back to the starting point, fix the problem and try again. The only thing you have lost is the time it takes to run the script. This might be a lot of time but still less than having to rebuild the environment between each test run. If you have the luxury of multiple environments to use you can and should follow the same procedure used in the development of the script for future deployments. So you just take the script that worked in Dev and run it in Test after taking a snapshot there. Then rinse and repeat what you did all the way to production.
Test it over and over and over again. It sounds crazy but I now run the completely new scripts I am ready to bless for migration to the next environment multiple times in each environment. This gives me the confidence that they really are working. I want to know I didn't do something weird that made the script work when I fixed the bug. Once the script runs cleanly multiple times I am all ready to go and I move it to the next tier.
Ask someone to do a peer review of the script. This is just a good practice in general. When possible I suggest walking the person through the script and letting them ask questions the first time through. This has often turned up bugs and other issues all on it's own. Having to explain something uses a different part of your brain and opens your mind up to see the problems or possible problems.
Ask someone else to run the scripts for you. I normally do this in a Dev/Test environment. I do this for two reasons 1) Validate my documentation 2) validate the procedure I am doing. Often my teammates have asked questions that point out things I forgot to account for or code in. They also tend to be less stressed than if they are deploying to a production environment. Doing this earlier is better. Repeating it when you have to make a change makes you a better programer/scripter. Your teammate finding that one thing that would have driven you nuts during a deploy is, in a word, priceless.
Communicate what it is you are trying to automate. Be as specific as possible in the communications. Making everyone involved aware of what it is you are doing goes a long way towards building their trust. It is the most basic way to be inclusive in your process. Do your best not to make it sound like you are asking for permission to do the automation. You are doing this to make the environment better and no one should ever question that. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't be open to feedback. You should actually be ready for it because it will happen. While everyone in any given IT organization may not be expert communicators you need to take all feedback without feeling persecuted. Remember this is just as scary for them as it is for you at the beginning. So they may need time to adjust and gain confidence also. The worst thing you can do is start or continue a flame war about your automation process. Respond respectfully and with clarifications about thing
Before we begin this discussion remember this one thing while you read this; what you use to manage code is less important than making sure you manage it. Management in this context means version tracking, an ability to roll back changes in code, and being able to compare two versions of the code in question. The time people spend trying to track which is the latest version of a backed up file far exceeds the time it takes to learn any repository management tool. Wasting time arguing the merits of the tools is just that a waste of time. While I am not a fan of certain tools in this class they all can handle the basics I have outlined above. I believe so strongly in this that I am not going to share my personal choice or make a recommendation in this article.
This tool set has been the domain of developers in most organizations since the dawn of computing. With the focus on software defined infrastructure operation teams need to use these tools. They need to become as adept at using repository management tools as they are with configuring an interface or building out a database.
The older systems all worked and did the basics with varying degrees of ease and success. More modern tools like the FLOSS worlds favorite GIT try to advance the tools. That doesn't mean that GIT doesn't have it's issues or drawbacks.
These tools generally fall into two sets. The first is a centrally managed system where a server is required to do the basic commands like checking in code. The second is a distributed system which allows everyone to manage locally without a server. This second type then allows you to push the local copy up to a central server for distribution to others. The modern approach and trend is towards distributed systems. They give the people writing the code the most control and flexibility over what they are working on by not requiring a network connection to the central server. I can be completely disconnected from any network and still get all the benefits of the code management system. If I write a new piece of code on a flight from Cleveland to Dallas I can test it locally and then check it in. Then when I get a connection back to the central server I can pass the code off to other people and complete integration testing and other tasks.
So how do you decide which one to use?
In most cases people in a company will have experience with a tool set. It may sound like a cope out but using the one the majority of people are familiar with in this case is the best place to start. Other things to consider are:
* Cost of the tool - Free, cost per user, cost per X floating/concurrent users
* Operation system requirements of the tool - Is enough of the functionality available to all the OS platforms in your company
* Consistent functionality across operating systems
* Integration with other tools in the environment
* Compatibility with other tools - Support or Plug-in availability with development, Continuous Integration/Deployment systems and testing suites
* How large a learning curve is there for your entire team?
How many different tools in this class should you choose?
Normally a company standard is chosen. This does not always work. Most notably if your company is split between Windows and Linux development. Tools like Microsoft's Team Foundation Server(TFS) work great for .net developers. Linux developers are left with less than optimal tool sets to interact with the Server. Microsoft and other tool providers have recognized this issue and implemented ways to use different tools in a single management interface. In Microsoft's case, this gives people the option to use native TFS and GIT for instance. This may not work for everyone. So having more than one option may make sense. Going beyond two options normally costs exponentially more from an on-boarding and employee training perspective. So one is optimal but two is tolerable.
Who should own this class of tools?
Ever
Devops Mastery
A lot of people new to automation are very nervous about letting a script or program like Chef change a production system. That fear can really slow the advance of a DevOps movement. But ignoring those people's fears is not the answer. So here are some tips and tricks to get everyone, including yourself, to be more confident about writing world changing scripts.
Whenever possible create virtual environments. The use of virtual machines or cloud servers gives you considerably more options and abilities than bare metal hardware. Simply the ability to snapshot a server and revert back to it in minutes is a game changing concept. It let's you run any automation from beginning to end virtually without fear. I say virtually only because you occasionally run scripts that affect systems that cannot easily be virtualized. This is now more the exception than the rule. If you take a snapshot of the server, run the automation, find a mistake/error/bug you simply revert the server back to the starting point, fix the problem and try again. The only thing you have lost is the time it takes to run the script. This might be a lot of time but still less than having to rebuild the environment between each test run. If you have the luxury of multiple environments to use you can and should follow the same procedure used in the development of the script for future deployments. So you just take the script that worked in Dev and run it in Test after taking a snapshot there. Then rinse and repeat what you did all the way to production.
Test it over and over and over again. It sounds crazy but I now run the completely new scripts I am ready to bless for migration to the next environment multiple times in each environment. This gives me the confidence that they really are working. I want to know I didn't do something weird that made the script work when I fixed the bug. Once the script runs cleanly multiple times I am all ready to go and I move it to the next tier.
Ask someone to do a peer review of the script. This is just a good practice in general. When possible I suggest walking the person through the script and letting them ask questions the first time through. This has often turned up bugs and other issues all on it's own. Having to explain something uses a different part of your brain and opens your mind up to see the problems or possible problems.
Ask someone else to run the scripts for you. I normally do this in a Dev/Test environment. I do this for two reasons 1) Validate my documentation 2) validate the procedure I am doing. Often my teammates have asked questions that point out things I forgot to account for or code in. They also tend to be less stressed than if they are deploying to a production environment. Doing this earlier is better. Repeating it when you have to make a change makes you a better programer/scripter. Your teammate finding that one thing that would have driven you nuts during a deploy is, in a word, priceless.
Communicate what it is you are trying to automate. Be as specific as possible in the communications. Making everyone involved aware of what it is you are doing goes a long way towards building their trust. It is the most basic way to be inclusive in your process. Do your best not to make it sound like you are asking for permission to do the automation. You are doing this to make the environment better and no one should ever question that. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't be open to feedback. You should actually be ready for it because it will happen. While everyone in any given IT organization may not be expert communicators you need to take all feedback without feeling persecuted. Remember this is just as scary for them as it is for you at the beginning. So they may need time to adjust and gain confidence also. The worst thing you can do is start or continue a flame war about your automation process. Respond respectfully and with clarifications about thing
