Intro - a call to action
In recent years, I’ve enjoyed following the latest theories and techniques in software development, many of which have been rolled up in to the Agile development methodologies. There have been very deliberate attempts to push the boundaries, with the result that some of the recommendations are controversial - but at the very least they form a basis for debate, which hopefully leads to improved understanding of the development process, not just in academia but among practitioners in general.
However, I’ve observed that while there is a mountain of research and literature about the development process, here is very little equivalent for system administration. As a proud systems administrator, I’m sure there is plenty of worthwhile debate to be had in my own speciality – so why do we get so much less attention?
Think for one moment – think how many books are published, not about specific languages or frameworks, but about “how to be a better programmer”. Think how many well-known gurus there are who spend their time lecturing, writing, and consulting on these topics; and how many buzzword methodologies, Scrum & XP to name just two, aim to revolutionise development. Now think of the SysAdmin equivalents…
Hence this set of “Agile SysAdmin” articles. Some are simply based on my own observations from nearly 20 years in the industry; others are more directly inspired by the Agile recommendations for developers. I find development practices don’t all map directly to SysAdmin practices, but they may have parallels, or just be enough to start you thinking.
So, the main point of all this is to look at SysAdmin practices as they stand, and as they should be. What can we cut out? What are the shibboleths that were once helpful but now are just obstacles? What new practices should we introduce, and what old ones should we push further than ever before, in order to enable a more responsive infrastructure for our business?
I am suggesting some ideas for SysAdmin practices that I believe would help in many organisations. I don’t yet see whether they all align in some philosophical way, or whether it’s just a collection of unrelated ideas – that may become clearer as I write. I’m certainly not insisting on an all-or-nothing approach – some of these practices will work best in conjunction with the others, but hopefully they will all have some value by themselves.
Feel free to argue, to suggest modifications or to disagree entirely, but let’s at least start the debate!
Two small notes:I’m not sure if Agile SysAdmin is the right name for this, given that “Agile” is so strongly suggestive of the development practices under that name - but it indicates the directions I’m looking and my sources of inspiration. I believe that the Agile organisation has a wider (but similar) meaning in manufacturing and management science, so it’s not like the developers have exclusive use of the term!Apologies – if you care – for the use of the abbreviation “SysAdmin” for System Administration (or Administrator) throughout this site. Life’s too short though…