what we can learn about devops from science fiction: ignite format
DESCRIPTION
One of the important ideas behind DevOps is that people from development and operations should work together, just like the Doctor (a Time Lord) and his human companions work together to solve the problems of the universe. We're moving away from a model where control was centralized in the hands of a few, like the way the spice was tightly controlled in Dune, and we're sharing more of the responsibilities, like how the Stargate SG-1 team collaborates with the Tok'ra, the Asgard and others. We also work to automate processes and manage configurations, not unlike how Asimov created his 3 laws to make sure that robots, like our servers, were well-behaved and performing according to some standard rules. This is a fun session, but it focuses on real lessons from DevOps as told through science fiction.TRANSCRIPT
WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT DEVOPS FROM
SCIENCE FICTIONDawn M. Foster
Community Lead at Puppet Labs@geekygirldawn
WHOAMI
• Geek, traveler, reader
• Recovered sys admin, community & open source
• Read 73 books last year, mostly sci-fi / fantasy
• I keep a list:http://fastwonderblog.com/about/reading/
Photos by Josh Bancroft, Don Park
ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE
The Doctor and companions
work together
like Ops and Devs
CONTROL ISSUES
Work together as equals,
give up control and
share responsibility
DISTRIBUTE RESPONSIBILITIES
More people having access helps
avoid single points of failure,
but still limit potential for destruction
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Understand changes and
take one step at a time
AUTOMATE ALL THE THINGS
Automate the tedious tasks
and have time for the fun stuff
MANAGE GROWTH
Use automation and
configuration management tools to
easily spin up large numbers of systems
MONITOR AND MEASURE
Monitor and measure
as much as possible to track progress
for performance, processes and people
DON’T CREATE MONSTERS
Create a culture where
developers and ops
both avoid short cuts that
create new infrastructure monsters
DELEGATE TO MINIONS
Delegate the grunt work
to automation tools
(if you don’t have minions)
Thanks to Dave Zwieback aka @mindweather for suggesting a Gru and the minions reference.
LAWS OF ROBOTICS
Use configuration management systems
with rules to control
infrastructure behavior
REDSHIRTS ARE EXPENDABLE
Treat your servers
like redshirts
Side note: read John Scalzi’s ‘Redshirts’
BORG COLLECTIVES
Each component is
just one part of a
complete system
“EVERYTHING WE DO OUT HERE IS A RISK!”
Everything has risk
find ways to manage risk
while still getting shit done
Thanks to Mike M aka @xyntrix for suggesting this SGU risk quote, 'Everything we do out here is a risk!'
SHARE USEFUL SKILLS
Learn and share new ideas
with the rest of the team
MENTORING
Train the next generation
and help others succeed
STRONG WOMEN
Encourage women in our field
and get more women
speaking at our events
DON’T PANIC
Things will go wrong
keep things in perspective
calmly recover
THANK YOUContact info: Dawn Foster
Some of my favorite modern sci-fi / fantasy authors:Hugh Howey
Lois McMaster BujoldBrandon Sanderson
Connie Willis