In a computer system or network, a runbook is a compilation of routine procedures and operations that the system administrator or

operator Operator may refer to: Mathematics * A symbol indicating a mathematical operation * Logical operator or logical connective in mathematical logic * Operator (mathematics), mapping that acts on elements of a space to produce elements of another ...

carries out. System administrators in IT departments and NOCs use runbooks as a reference. Runbooks can be in either electronic or in physical book form. Typically, a runbook contains procedures to begin, stop, supervise, and debug the system. It may also describe procedures for handling special requests and contingencies. An effective runbook allows other operators, with prerequisite expertise, to effectively manage and troubleshoot a system. Through runbook automation, these processes can be carried out using software tools in a predetermined manner. In addition to automating IT specific processes, the results of the runbook can be presented on-screen back to the user or Service Desk engineer. Multiple runbooks can be linked together using a

Decision Tree A decision tree is a decision support tool that uses a tree-like model of decisions and their possible consequences, including chance event outcomes, resource costs, and utility. It is one way to display an algorithm that only contains condit ...

to provide users with interactive troubleshooting and guided procedures.

Runbook applied to operations

Operational runbooks may be tied to ITIL incidents to allow repeatable processes supporting specific aspects of the

service catalog A service catalog (or catalogue), is an organized and curated collection of any and all business and information technology related services that can be performed by, for, or within an enterprise. Service catalogs act as knowledge management tools ...

. The runbook is typically divided into routine automated processes and routine manual processes. The runbook catalog begins with an index of processes covered and may be broken down in outline form to align the processes to the major elements they support in the service catalog. A runbook is a compilation of routine procedures and operations that the system administrator or operator carries out.

Computer operator documentation

The documentation for running a task, whether in electronic or paper form, is called a runbook. Sometimes written as "run book," it may supplement bullet-pointed steps with error messages (and what to do) and

flowchart A flowchart is a type of diagram that represents a workflow or process. A flowchart can also be defined as a diagrammatic representation of an algorithm, a step-by-step approach to solving a task. The flowchart shows the steps as boxes of va ...

Runbook automation

Runbook automation (RBA) is the ability to define, build, orchestrate, manage, and report on workflows that support system and network operational processes. Areas of a business ideal for IT automation are Operations Teams, Service Desk, Network Operations Center's (NOC's), Cloud Operations, Integrations, and Automation Center of Excellence (CoE). A runbook workflow can potentially interact with all types of infrastructure elements, such as applications,

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases spa ...

s, and hardware - using a variety of communication methods such as command-line interfaces (CLI), HTTP REST and SOAP API's, SSH sessions,

scripts Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of ha ...

, utilities, and code libraries. According to Gartner, the growth of RBA has coincided with the need for IT operations executives to enhance IT operations efficiency measures—including reducing mean time to repair (MTTR), increasing mean time between failures (MTBF), and automating the provisioning of IT resources. In addition, it is necessary to have the mechanisms to implement best practices (for example, implement and manage IT operations processes in line with the ITIL), increase the effectiveness of IT personnel (for example, automate repetitive tasks associated with IT operations processes), and have the tools to report on how well the processes are executed in line with established policies and service levels. Patents have been granted for various aspects of producing, improving, and using runbooks. Some tools can incorporate a front-end or presentation layer (to the runbook) so that the results of the automated tasks are presented on-screen, sometimes even with red/amber/green traffic lights to visualise if a specific task completed successfully, or failed to execute correctly.

References

* ''IT Operations Run Book Automation'', by David Williams, Gartner. May 4, 2007.

Runbook applied to operations

Computer operator documentation

Runbook automation

See also

References

Further reading