> I think config-mgmt tools can be extremely useful if your running a widely-ranged environment. But, you probably shouldn't be running a widely-ranged environment. If you keep things simple, and run as homogeneous as possible, you probably don't need all the added complexity.

This applies to small environments. If the environment is large the situation almost reverses.

Deploying automation throughout a large homogenous environment is where config-management tools really shine. They make it easy to ensure homogeneity is maintained (even if that just means ensuring all machines have the same set of shell scripts) and allow grouping for staggered updates.

If the environment is widely-ranged and large, the utopia starts to break down. Their configuration explodes in complexity and (if you're not careful) you end up with mostly the same amount of work as if they were managed as small independent environments. With the added risk that there is now a single place from where you can break everything at once.

And this happens... Usually from wrong assumptions of what's common between all machines in the environment. In homogeneous environments almost everything is common, but in widely-ranged environments you sometimes add some configuration that wasn't there before and you think applies to the whole set and all hell breaks loose. If you're lucky this will happen suddenly, if you're not, breakage will spread slowly and you'll spend quite a lot of time scratching your head on why.