Continuous configuration automation (CCA) is the methodology or process of automating the deployment and configuration of settings and software for both physical and virtual
data center equipment.
Overview
Continuous configuration automation is marketed for
data center and application
configuration management. CCA tools use a programmable framework for configuration and orchestration through coding, planning, and incrementally adopting policies.
Relationship to DevOps
CCA tools are used for what is called
DevOps
DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development (''Dev'') and IT operations (''Ops''). It aims to shorten the systems development life cycle and provide continuous delivery with high software quality. DevOps is complementary to ...
, and are often included as part of a
DevOps toolchain
A DevOps toolchain is a set or combination of tools that aid in the delivery, development, and management of software applications throughout the systems development life cycle, as coordinated by an organisation that uses DevOps practices.
Gen ...
. CCA grew out of a push to develop more reliable software faster.
Gartner describes CCA as “Embodying
lean
Lean, leaning or LEAN may refer to:
Business practices
* Lean thinking, a business methodology adopted in various fields
** Lean construction, an adaption of lean manufacturing principles to the design and construction process
** Lean governm ...
,
agile and collaborative concepts core to DevOps initiatives, CCA tools bring a newly found level of precision, efficiency and flexibility to the challenges of infrastructure and application configuration management.”
Tools
CCA tools support administrators and developers to automate the configuration and Orchestration of physical and virtual infrastructure in a systematic way that give visibility to state of infrastructure within an enterprise. Generally thought of as an extension of
infrastructure as code
Infrastructure as code (IaC) is the process of managing and provisioning computer data centers through machine-readable definition files, rather than physical hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools.
The IT infrastructure managed ...
(IaC) frameworks.
CCA tools include
Ansible
An ansible is a category of fictional devices or technology capable of near-instantaneous or faster-than-light communication. It can send and receive messages to and from a corresponding device over any distance or obstacle whatsoever with no d ...
,
Chef software,
Otter,
Puppet (software)
In computing, Puppet is a software configuration management tool which includes its own declarative language to describe system configuration. It is a model-driven solution that requires limited programming knowledge to use.
Puppet is produc ...
,
Rudder (software) and
SaltStack.
Each tool has a different method of interacting with the system some are agent-based, push or pull, through an interactive UI. Similar to adopting any DevOps tools, there are barriers to bring on CCA tools and factors that hinder and accelerate adoption.
Notable CCA tools include:
Evaluation factors
Evaluations of CCA tools may consider the following:
*Skills, training, and cost required to implement and maintain tool
*Content and support of the Platform and Infrastructure – tool specified for Windows or Linux etc.
*Delivery method and likening flexibility – important for scalability
*Method of interacting with managing system
*Support and training availability and cost
*Incorporation of orchestration with
configuration management
*Security and compliance reporting
See also
*
Agile software development
*
Continuous delivery
Continuous delivery (CD) is a software engineering approach in which teams produce software in short cycles, ensuring that the software can be reliably released at any time and, following a pipeline through a "production-like environment", withou ...
*
Continuous integration
*
Software configuration management
In software engineering, software configuration management (SCM or S/W CM) is the task of tracking and controlling changes in the software, part of the larger cross-disciplinary field of configuration management. SCM practices include revision ...
*
WinOps WinOps (a portmanteau of "Windows" and "DevOps") is a term used referring to the cultural movement of DevOps practices for a Microsoft-centric view. It emphasizes the use of the cloud, automation and integrating development and IT operations into o ...
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Agile software development
Software development process
Configuration management
Systems engineering
Orchestration software