The document discusses Google's SRE (Site Reliability Engineering) approach to release management, emphasizing a self-service model and the importance of an automated release system called 'rapid.' It outlines the essential steps of the release process and the need for close collaboration between release engineers and SREs for effective configuration management. The document advocates for starting release engineering at the beginning of the product development cycle to avoid future retrofitting and highlights the significance of integrating good practices early on.

1. SRE Demystified
Release Management - 2
ganesh@ganeshniyer.com
ganesh.vigneswara@gmail.com,
http://ganeshniyer.com
Dr Ganesh Neelakanta Iyer

2. SRE
•
2https://image.slidesharecdn.com/devopssreatgooglescale-190121123035/95/devops-sre-at-google-scale-30-638.jpg?cb=1548074257

3. Google’s Philosophy
3
Self-Service Model High Velocity
Hermetic Builds
Enforcement of Policies
and Procedures
https://landing.google.com/sre/sre-book/chapters/release-engineering/

4. Continuous Build and Deployment
• Google has developed an automated release system
called Rapid
• Rapid is a system that leverages a number of Google
technologies to provide a framework that delivers
scalable, hermetic, and reliable releases
4
https://landing.google.com/sre/sre-book/chapters/release-engineering/

5. Rapid - steps
5
Building Branching Testing
PackagingDeployment
https://landing.google.com/sre/sre-book/chapters/release-engineering/

6. 6
Rapid
https://landing.google.com/sre/sre-book/chapters/release-engineering/

7. Configuration Management
• Configuration management is one area of particularly
close collaboration between release engineers and SREs
• Although configuration management may initially seem a
deceptively simple problem, configuration changes are a
potential source of instability
7
https://landing.google.com/sre/sre-book/chapters/release-engineering/

8. Several models for distributing configuration
files
• Use the mainline for configuration
• Include configuration files and binaries in the same MPM
package
• Package configuration files into MPM "configuration
packages.”
• Read configuration files from an external store
8
https://landing.google.com/sre/sre-book/chapters/release-engineering/

9. Start Release Engineering at the Beginning
• Release engineering has often been an afterthought, and this way of thinking
must change as platforms and services continue to grow in size and
complexity.
• Teams should budget for release engineering resources at the beginning of the
product development cycle
• It’s cheaper to put good practices and process in place early, rather than have
to retrofit your system later.
• It is essential that the developers, SREs, and release engineers work together.
9
https://landing.google.com/sre/sre-book/chapters/release-engineering/

10. References
10

11. Dr Ganesh Neelakanta Iyer
ganesh@ganeshniyer.com
ganesh.vigneswara@gmail.com