[CentOS] Disappearing Network Manager config scripts

[Lamar Owen]

On 04/29/2014 03:05 PM, Les Mikesell wrote:
> There are two sides to this. On the one hand you want to be able to 
> nail down server configurations - and probably anything that is going 
> to stay wired. 

Ok, I'll bite on this one.

*Why* do we want a server configuration to be nailed down?  Is it due to 
a real need, or is it due to the inadequacies in the tools to allow 
fully dynamic and potentially transparently load-balanced dynamic 
configuration?  Or is it due to the perceived need to control things 
manually instead of using effective automation?  I do say 'effective' 
automation, yes, since ineffective or partially effective automation is 
worse than no automation.  But one of the cornerstones of good sysadmin 
practice is to automate those things that should be automated.

Dynamic DNS and/or mDNS with associated addresses deals with the need 
for a static IP;  SRV records in the DNS can deal with the need for a 
static name, as long as you have a domain; and something like (but 
different from!) Universal PnP can deal with that.

NetworkManager (and similar automation) has application in cloud-based 
things, where the server needs to be as dynamic as the device accessing 
the server.  It also has application in embedded things, where you want 
to plug in an appliance to a network and have its services available 
regardless of the network environment (maybe no DHCP, maybe no DNS, 
maybe dynamic addresses, and maybe static; it really shouldn't matter).