Learning Puppet 4

Preface

Twenty years ago, it was common for a single server to provide services for hundreds of users. A system administrator was often responsible for as few as 10 servers. Most people used only one computer.

In 2015, it is common for a normal, everyday person to own and utilize more than five highly advanced and capable computers. Think about the devices you use on a daily basis: every one of them—the phone on your desk, the cell phone on your hip, the tablet you read from, your laptop, and even the car you drive—is thousands of times more powerful and capable than the large, room-sized servers used a few generations ago.

We live today in the midst of an information revolution. Systems capable of powerful computation that once required server rooms to contain are now able to be held in your hands. Explosive growth in the adoption and capabilities of modern technology has created a world full of computers. More and more devices every day contain powerful small computers that participate in the Internet of Things.

When I started my career, it was difficult to convince managers that every worker needed his or her own computer. Today, the workers are outnumbered by computers almost 20:1, and in certain industries by as much as 100:1. Advanced computing capability combined with cheap memory have revolutionized what businesses can accomplish with data. Even small teams of people utilize and depend upon thousands of computers. Every one of these devices needs to be managed. It’s simply ...