On Sun, March 3, 2013 18:57, Eddie G. O'Connor Jr. wrote:

If / when I get the guts to build my own Apache web server...I would think that the ONLY way to do it would be to document EVERYTHING....sort of as a "Just-In-Case" policy?....or is it only after you've built it?...and when you make CHANGES to your server....THAT'S when you document everything?....

The workflow I have adopted with respect to system administration is to use a project management application, such as Trac (originally) or Redmine/ChileProject (currently), and to open an issue for each activity that I perform on any of my servers. Therein I record the motivation for the activity, the desired and intended result, and log my time.

I also record each problem that is encountered, solutions as they are found, and insights as they are revealed. I attach configuration files, copies of related email messages, and make any notes right on the issue. As Redmine allows full-text case-insensitive searches I can usually find in fairly short order the details about anything I have done that I can at least dimly recall doing.

I add subsequent maintenance events either directly to the original issue or create a new issue and link that to the original.

While hardly perfect this practice has saved my behind on several occasions. In fact I would recommend that one document each package install from the initial selection of the software and go on from there. I have had occasion where the question asked of me was "why was this package selected instead of that package?" Having the answer to hand along with the evidence has short-circuited the blame-game on at least one occasion.