January 2013 Meeting: An Intro to Server Configuration and Remote Management with Salt

Everyone, we’re going to start off the 2013 year with a great presentation from Dave Boucha. It will be this Thursday (January 17th, 2013) at 7:00 PM. We will also be changing venues! So please check the details below! 

An Intro to Server Configuration and Remote Management with Salt

Are you tired of repeatedly configuring each new server by hand? Is your current configuration management system driving you nuts and making you feel like you’re in a straight jacket? Are you scared because that 5 year old mission critical server could have a hardware failure at any moment, yet nobody still working at your company has any idea what’s on it or how to configure it?

Salt is designed to solve these problems and much much more.  Manage one or two servers in a clean simple manner.  Control 20,000 to 30,000 servers like a Sith Master!  Duplicate your web server in a matter of minutes on the cloud of your choice.   Query available disk space on 100′s of servers in a matter of a few seconds right from your CLI.

Easily create your own Salt modules to add functionality specific to your infrastructure and needs. Salt bends to your will! Use Salt’s python api or rest api to give the power of Salt to your custom application.

And best of all, join Salt’s huge and passionate community of users on the mailing list and #salt on irc.freenode.net.  Salt was the project with the 8th most unique code contributors on Github in 2012! (https://github.com/blog/1359-the-octoverse-in-2012)  Salt has a very welcoming and helpful community and is designed to make it very simple to contribute and participate.

New Venue: Vivint Offices in Thanksgiving Point

We’d like to thank C7 for hosting us for this last year & excited to see their growth! Unfortunately, this means the conference room area we used for meetings is being converted into office spaces to handle their growth.

So the new venue will be at the Thanksgiving Point Vivint Offices, which is just one more exit south than C7. Here is the address:

2500 Executive Pkwy #200, Lehi, Utah 84043

Here is a link in Google Maps:

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2500+West+Executive+Parkway+Suite+300,+Lehi,+UT+84043&aq=&sll=39.499761,-111.547028&sspn=8.839041,10.579834&vpsrc=0&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2500+Executive+Pkwy+%23200,+Lehi,+Utah+84043&t=m&z=17

Here are the directions given by our very own Mac Newbold:

Easiest way: get off I-15 at Timpanogos Highway (SR-92) and head west (right if you’re coming from Draper, left if you came north through Lehi)

the next light in about a block is Ashton Blvd/Maple Loop – turn left and about 3-4 blocks later, after the in-construction building, there’s a road on the left right before the thanksgiving point complex starts,

that’s executive parkway

you’ll turn left there and we’re the building on the left that is finished

come on in, 2nd floor

Look forward to seeing everyone Thursday night at 7:00 PM! Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions!