Puppet is an open source IT automation tool that allows organizations to encode the configuration of services as a policy, which the framework then audits and enforces.

At first glance, a battle-hardened system administrator might dismiss a new configuration management tool as unnecessary. She can do the same thing with machine images and some shell scripts. This is equivalent to a lumberjack who has just heard about chainsaws and doesn’t see why anyone would ever want more than an ax.

Puppet was first released in 2005, and it now manages systems at Google, Twitter, Red Hat, Digg, and Harvard and Stanford universities. IT operations from the enterprise to Web 2.0 startups use the tool to get more work done. These organizations have recognized that Secure Shell in a loop is not a solution.

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ITSM basics: Implementing change management processes

What are the benefits of implementing change management? And what are the common problems that arise when an IT organization implements change management processes?

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New Windows Server 2008 R2 features reduce power consumption

Improving the efficiency of your server’s power usage is good for the environment — and the bottom line. Learn how you can go green and save money with Windows Server 2008 R2.

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AMD augments six-core Opteron chip line: News in brief

In today’s news in brief, AMD adds new versions to its six-core x86 Opteron server processor line; Emerson Network Power boosts capacity of a Liebert UPS unit; and more.

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