So something that has been annoying me within markdown is the default for a html reference ( <a href=... ) is to use the same window/tab. My preference for giving out links to other sites is to have them open in a new window/tab, so as a result I…

So I came across the following error the other day while trying to run the find command on my Mac: bash: pipe error: Too many open files in system I also then went into one of those 'must close all the things' scenarios where all the applications started screwing up…

So a long time ago (even as far back as last year!) I used Microsoft Windows on my workstations exclusively. I still do have a windows machine, but mainly just for games - I have however moved over to Mac OSx for my work computer. As a result the tools…

Before I start on some examples, a quick note on security on accounts and a reason why I've chosen some of the tools I use: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a big deal. Use it. All accounts that I use that can have a MFA, have one. This is something I…

So the engineers have written a bunch of code. Now what? We have to build it so it can be deployed! This brings me on to a very important sub-topic - namely 'do you need humans to test most code?'. The best software engineers I have worked with always…

Another 'not in the series' post... So I came across an interesting error with AWS S3 and an open source nodejs module where every time we tried to save a file into a S3 bucket we would get an error with the key word SignatureDoesNotMatch. After a lot of trolling…

So since I have a decision on how I am going to deploy code (Ansible), and know how I am going to manage that deployment (Rundeck), it is time to look at how we can receive code from the engineers. There are many options out there for source control, and…

Random post that isn't part of the 'series' as such... I did say I might! You would think sending or monitoring file changes to Loggly via rsyslog over TLS would be the default. Sadly as I write this, it isn't and I'm guessing won't be any time soon given I've…

So what do you use when you want a management system as a layer over your deployment system? There are a number of options, but the best place to start (as always) is with a list of requirements. Here are mine: Must have a secure authentication system (SSL if web…

To make a good automated deployment system, you need to use something that has a good base to start with, and hopefully something with a bit of community behind it as well. As I write this post in 2014, there are 4 main contenders for the throne of 'best automation…