Learning CFEngine 3 Automated system administration for sites of any size 155

Get up to speed on CFEngine 3, the open source configuration management software that enables you to automate everything from one-server to shops enterprise computer networks. This hands-on introduction shows you how to use CFEngine 3 to implement and and manage your IT infrastructure in a sustainable, scalable, and efficient manner. Through numerous examples, you'll learn how to use CFEngine to perform tasks such as user management software installation, and security. You'll also learn how to focus on higher level issues of design, implementation and maintenance, knowing that CFEngine is handling the lower level details for you automatically. Discover how far you can go with automation system, using CFEngine Become familiar with the software's principles, components and policy structure Configure CFEngine step-by-step to perform routine tasks on your system Specify custom machine configuration without making changes by hand Get tricks and patterns that you can use in your own CFEngine policies Maintain separate CFEngine environments for development, testing, production, or other uses

Chapter 1: Introduction
How to Achieve Automation
Why CFEngine?
A Brief History of CFEngine
Versions of CFEngine
Chapter 2: Getting Started with CFEngine
Installing CFEngine
Finishing the Installation and Bootstrapping
Auxiliary Files
Your First CFEngine Policy
Chapter 3: CFEngine Basics
Basic Principles
CFEngine Components
A First Example
CFEngine Policy Structure
Clients and Servers
CFEngine Information Resources
Chapter 4: Using CFEngine
Initial System Configuration
User Management
Software Installation
Using CFEngine for Security
Additional CFEngine Features and Information
Chapter 5: The CFEngine Design Center
Getting Started with the Design Center
Contributing to the Design Center
Learning More About the Design Center
Chapter 6: CFEngine Tips, Tricks, and Patterns
Hierarchical Copying
Passing Name Value Pairs to Bundles
Setting Default Values for Bundle Parameters
Using Classes as Configuration Mechanisms
Generic Tasks Using Lists and Array Indices
Defining Classes for Groups of Hosts
Controlling Promise Order Execution
Dynamic Loading and Execution
Chapter 7: Advanced Topics
Setting Up Multiple CFEngine Environments
CFEngine Testing
Using Vagrant with CFEngine
Service Management Using CFEngine
Where to from Here?
Appendix : Editing CFEngine 3 Configurations in Emacs
Setting Up
Using the cfengine Mode
Customizing Indentation in cfengine-mode
Appendix : Editing CFEngine 3 Configurations in Vim
Setting Up
Getting Help
Using the Plugin
Hacking the vim_cf3 Plugin
Installing vim_cf3 Using CFEngine
Appendix : CFEngine 3.5.2 Agent Promise Attributes
Attributes of Promises Common to All CFEngine Components
Attributes of Promises Specific to the Agent
Control