Server Change Control

Here is a great idea that I just came across this evening. Use Subversion version control to manage server configuration changes.

Subversion

When you have almost 200 Unix, Linux, and Mac OS X servers, you must know who, when, and what has changed in that file in /etc on server #153. Subversion is perfect for this. All of our sysadmins use Subversion when they create or modify configuration files, so we have a central repository of changes to our systems.

We can roll back configs, compare files in two similar (but not identical) systems, create "system skeletons" for fast system reconfiguration, and keep a vigilant eye out for changes in a centralized way. Subversion is not for developers only!

Brilliant! If your latest change in configuration breaks one of your servers, your safe.

Tags: Subversion server management