Originating Author: Aaron Bowers
One way to install, configure, and deploy a number of servers is to script part or all of the install and configuration. This approach allows you to set many configuration parameters up front, which saves a considerable amount of time, but since you must have some prior knowledge of an applicable scripting language or learn it as you go, this method can take considerable time, at least initially.
Scripted installs
Advantages
- Less hands-on -- Start it up and walk away
- Less time consuming overall for a moderate number of systems than building by hand
Disadvantages
- Portability of configuration scripts from one deployment project to the next is variable
- Initial time investment in script development can be considerable
- Scripted solutions don’t always do what you want them to do out of the box
- Requires knowledge of scripting languages for supplemental configurations (i.e. PERL, Shell)
