This document discusses the importance of having a production-like sandbox environment for testing changes to a Confluence installation before implementing them in the actual production environment. It outlines some common ways that sandboxes are created, but notes that they are often not very useful because they do not accurately mimic production. Using a virtual machine approach can create an exact copy of the production environment that allows changes to be tested and rolled back if needed, and provides benefits like being able to rehearse upgrades, measure timing of steps, and gain confidence before implementing changes in the real production system.

1. Monday, June 18, 12

2. Disposable testing
environments
There's nothing like production, except production
Jay Ballinger
Architect, Eyefinity
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3. What does your
sandbox look like?
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4. The path to a production sandbox
Evaluate your current sandbox
A sandbox scenario
Benefits of a disposable production sandbox
Gotchas with using a production copy
Suggestions for successful sandboxes
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5. How sandboxes are born
Your testing/staging attempt.
The first install before doing it for real.
A private just for us admins.
Restored from a backup.
Leftover instance by another team.
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6. How useful is your non-production sandbox?
Useful
• Testing new plugins
• Playing with permissions
• Thinking about themes
• Wondering "what if"
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7. How useful is your non-production sandbox?
Useful Not Useful
• Testing new plugins • Undo a mistake
• Playing with permissions • Investigate a problem
• Thinking about themes • Understanding upgrades
• Wondering "what if" • What to expect when you
make a change 'for real'
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8. A real-life scenario...
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9. Moving a Space...
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10. Moving a Space...
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11. Moving a Space...not exactly easy
There is no safe,
first-class way to copy
a space.
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12. It gets worse...
We should upgrade at the
same time we import the
'other' Confluence.
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13. Two risky operations.
Perfect need for a sandbox.
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14. Only production can answer these
How much downtime is needed for this maintenance?
In what order should this be done?
?
What to do if it all goes wrong?
What will it look like when all done?
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15. There's nothing is like production, except production.
#summit12
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16. Production provides...
Production-sized database
Production-sized attachments
Production-sized complexity
Production-sized problems
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17. Elements of the sandbox
Servlet Container Database home
& webapp indexes & attachments
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18. Simple setup
One server instance
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19. Virtual Machine to the rescue
Confluence can run in a VM
Copy entire 'machine'
Make an exact copy
for rollback/undo after a mistake
Take snapshots
might even be your backup strategy, eh?
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20. Virtual Machine gotchas
IP address and ports
Plugins - like email checker as an example
Base URLs
Trusted applications
File space for images of the VM
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21. Suggestions for sandbox
Very different url / name / port
Announcement banner screaming
THIS IS NOT REAL
Try to match production performance
Automate the VM copy action
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22. Benefits of disposable VMs
Snapshots and Rollbacks
Write cookbook for repeatable steps
Rehearse upgrade
Record timing on steps
Answer production questions
Confidence
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23. Thank you!
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