Template:Conform intro

For over twenty years the configuration of CSE's servers and lab computers has been managed by a home-grown product called conform. conform micromanaged the entire filesystem of each computer and handled the copying in of all configuration files, binaries, scripts, libraries, data files, etc, from a central repository called "the conformary" (and NFS server). conform is very powerful, but is also very labour intensive in regards to maintaining the conformary and the thousands of specification files which determine conform's actions. Also, being so old conform lacks many newer ideas such as pre- and post-install scripts. conform is part of the Old World.