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On Taking a Configuration Management Position?

Posted by Cliff on from the from-sysadmin-to-management dept.

Bravo_Two_Zero asks: "I've recently been offered a Configuration Management position as a lateral (with a slight incline) move. I'm darn happy as an admin, and my heart really lies with system engineering rather than the more mundane operational concerns. But, the position is new, so I would have a chance to define many parameters. Also, it could lead to a management opportunity (if I'm interested) much faster than my current admin slot. It's a hideously complex environment, but I already live through that as an admin. Mileage will vary widely, I know, but I was hoping there might be a school of thought or two from some devoted Slashdot readers who perform or have performed the position. What did you do, and what would you change? And, to the broader audience, is this something you think of as a growth field, or is this just another layer of administrivia foisted on us by an unrealistic development model? Is there a book or other resource that professional Configuration Managers consider a must-read?"

2 of 28 comments (clear)

  1. Proliferation of Options by jfdawes · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There's so many different development environments, servers, languages, libraries, protocols and file formats out there (and more every day) that any project is likely to run into several new ones.

    A huge problem with most of the newer ones is that they are half baked. When you run into a problem you can take days to sort it out: There's little documentation and what there is does not go into any depth, no-one is talking about it and if they are they most likely saying "I've got this problem no-one knows anything about, help"

    In this sort of environment, a good configuration manager could be priceless.

    (Come to think of it, I keep running into this Java configuration problem with WebSphere: log4j and struts want to use different, incompatible versions of commons-logging. Any ideas?)

  2. I was in the same position, I took the job. by Kevin+Stevens · · Score: 5, Informative

    About a year ago I struggled with this same question, but my question was to move from a "real" development position at a small company with an uncertain future, to taking a configuration management type position at a large firm (lots more money, lots more opportunities, but in my eyes a demotion).

    I am happy I took it. My hours are normal now, im no longer held to killer unreasonable deadlines. I have my foot in the door to management as I manage and "own" many resources and get to make (and enforce) real policy decisions that affect a group of about 50 developers. Im still involved in development, but am generally not neck deep in the coding trenches. If I see a build failed for a reason I can fix, I just fix it. I also get to do those projects that as a developer you were just dying to do if only you had the time- essentially refactoring code on a mass scale- ripping libraries out and putting them in a central organized repository, and things of that nature.

    Must Reads:
    Configuration Management Principles and Practice (addison wesley)- Do everything in this book. EVERYTHING. Absolute must read.
    Software Configuration Management - Wayne Babich
    A bit dated, but short and worth a read.
    Mythical Man Month - Fred Brooks
    A good conf. mgr. needs to understand project management issues on software projects. This book is a classic.

    Other advice (if you take the job):
    Like any manager, you can be the developer's best friend or their worst nightmare. Processes are indeed important, but you must not make them burdensome. Red tape sucks for everyone, as well as unneeded, redundant and conflicting procedures.

    I am very happy with my decision. The only downside I really have is that even people in the tech industry do not know what configuration management is, and often picture you writing ini files or admining. I often just describe myself as a developer, which is somewhat annoying since its not entirely accurate. Organizations that employ configuration managers are recognizing that they cant just rely on developers pulling workflows out of their ass or software solutions to ensure that their builds remain consistent. I would think that as Software Engineering processes evolve, you will see more Configuration Managers in the future.