How do you use version control and change management tools to document system administration changes?

1 Why use version control and change management tools?

Version control and change management tools are software applications that help you manage the history, status, and approval of changes to your system. They allow you to store, compare, and revert your changes, as well as to create branches, tags, and workflows. By using these tools, you can document your changes in a consistent, transparent, and auditable way. You can also avoid conflicts, errors, and data loss that may arise from manual or uncontrolled changes.

2 How to choose version control and change management tools?

There are many version control and change management tools available, each with its own features, benefits, and drawbacks. Some of the most popular ones are Git, Subversion, Ansible, Puppet, Chef, and Terraform. When choosing a tool, you should consider your system requirements, your team size and skills, your budget and resources, and your preferences and goals. You should also evaluate the tool's functionality, compatibility, scalability, security, and support.

3 How to set up version control and change management tools?

Before you start using version control and change management tools, you need to set up your environment and your workflow. This involves installing and configuring the tools, creating or cloning repositories, defining roles and permissions, and establishing rules and standards. You also need to decide how to organize your files and folders, how to name and structure your branches and tags, and how to handle merges and conflicts. You should document your setup and workflow in a readme file or a wiki page.

4 How to use version control and change management tools?

Once you have set up your version control and change management tools, you can begin utilizing them to document your system administration changes. This process involves making your changes locally or on a development or staging server, testing and verifying them, committing your changes to your local or remote repository with a descriptive message, pushing them to a central or shared repository or requesting a pull or merge request, reviewing and approving your changes or requesting feedback and revisions, and finally deploying your changes to the production server or triggering an automated deployment.

5 How to monitor and audit version control and change management tools?

Using version control and change management tools does not mean that you can forget about your changes once they are deployed. You still need to monitor and audit your system performance, security, and compliance. You can use the tools' built-in features or integrate them with other tools to track and analyze your changes. You can also use the tools' logs, reports, and notifications to identify and resolve issues, as well as to generate and share documentation.

6 How to improve your version control and change management skills?

Using version control and change management tools is a valuable skill for any system administrator, but it is not enough to just know how to use them. You should read and follow best practices and guidelines from the tool developers and the system administration community. Additionally, you can take online courses, tutorials, and certifications on version control and change management tools. It is also beneficial to join forums, groups, and events where you can ask questions, share experiences, and learn from other system administrators. Further, experimenting with different tools, features, and workflows can help evaluate their results and feedback.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?