Guide

Table of Contents

CFEngine is a configuration management system that provides a framework for automated management of IT infrastructure.

CFEngine is decentralized and highly scalable. It is powered by autonomous agents that can continuously monitor, self-repair, and update or restore an entire IT system, with negligible impact on system resources or performance.

See Also: Introduction and System Overview

CFEngine Features

  • Defines the configuration of an entire IT system, including: Devices, Users, Applications, and Services.
  • Helps maintain that system over time.
  • Checks the system state at any given moment.
  • Ensures compliance with a desired system state.
  • Propagates real-time modifications or updates across the system.

Choose a CFEngine Version

CFEngine Enterprise is a licensed edition for enterprises that plan to use the tool in production environments. The Enterprise edition comes in several variants, including one that can be evaluated for free (up to 25 servers).

CFEngine Community, a free GPL v3 open source edition.

See also:

Install It

There are several steps to bring up a CFEngine installation within an organization:

  1. Prepare all appropriate machines for installation.
  2. Configure your network and security.
  3. Download the CFEngine software.
  4. Install CFEngine on the Policy Server(s).
  5. Bootstrap the Policy Server to itself.
  6. Initiate post-install configuration on the Policy Server.
  7. Install CFEngine on the Host machine(s).
  8. Bootstrap the Host(s) to a Policy Server.

See Installation and Configuration for a more detailed guide on how to get CFEngine up and running for various environments.

Try It

Walk through the examples, tutorials and how to guides to get a better feel for the power and value of CFEngine:

Learn More

Take a look at the CFEngine Guide to learn more about CFEngine's architecture and components, as well as how to write policy that can help manage IT systems.

Check out External resources, for more guides, demos, and other resources from our CFEngine staff and our special CFEngine contributors.

Use our Help

Support and Community We provide a number of ways to connect you to CFEngine experts if you need more help. Contact us!

CFEngine Guide