Re: [SAGE] Strategies for taking ownership of existinginfrastructure?

[Brad Knowles <brad@stop.mail-abuse.org>]

At 8:28 PM +0100 2006-01-05, Jesús Couto wrote:

>  I guess people here have found themselves in the same situation... I'm
>  trying to organize my ideas at all levels (technical, practices &
>  procedures, organization, "office politics") about how to get to own
>  the place. So any tip or advice you can come up with is welcome.

	In my experience, you can get a certain amount of information by 
installing systems profiling tools (e.g., MagniComp SysInfo), network 
profiling tools (e.g., nmap and Nessus), systems/network monitoring 
tools (e.g., Munin and rrdtool).  You can even gather a certain 
amount of additional information by watching who screams when a 
system crashes.  But you're never going to get complete information 
on the existing systems.

	IMO, the only way you can get complete information is by 
re-installing every system, consolidating services (when and where 
that makes technical and political sense), and basically rebuilding 
everything.  And make sure that you document everything you do, so 
that whomever comes after you doesn't have the same problem.

-- 
Brad Knowles, <brad@stop.mail-abuse.org>

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania
     Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755

  LOPSA member since December 2005.  See <http://www.lopsa.org/>.