Diff for "HgSysTrac"

Computer System Configuration Change Management

Every computer systems got deployed has a life similar to software source codes, they need to face changes. Once the system is built and delivered into production by OS CD or netinstall server, it assume its decentralized life in an IT system or your home. Processes and procedures are not executed all the time. Configuration changes over time without proper tracking often make the system unmanageable.

Changes are done by system administrators daily and those configuration changes are hardly recorded or documented. It is a costly process to dig out what got changed without a SCM solution.

There are many solutions exists to tackle this area of challenge(see references).

This howto is an attempt to use hg and Trac to tackle group system administration.

Model of IT Systems administration

• GSA (group system administration) : A group of system administrators administration a group of machines.
• CSA (centralized system administration): One or two administrators administrate a group of machines.

Requirements

1. We want to have a check in/out mechanism on every computer system without dependency of central SCM server online.
2. We want to have a SCM server to push the change to when SA feel guilty.
3. We want to be able to find out a machine's configuration got changed by web browser.

Bill of Materials

1. hg client/server on every system.
   • hg is a distributed SCM solution that fit very well with current IT GSA model. TBC
   • python interpretor.
2. Trac server.
   • The use of Trac in this case is not to track source codes changes on a computer system. it is used to track system configuration files like NIS maps,/etc/hosts,/etc/nodes,/etc/mail/aliases etc. files to got changed by system administrator or software program.

References

1. cfinge