AUTOMATION OF OPERATING SYSTEM DEPLOYMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN CLOUD AND HYBRID ENVIRONMENTS USING SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION TOOLS

Abstract

The article addresses the current challenge of automating the deployment and management processes of operating systems (OS) within modern IT infrastructures, which are characterized by growing complexity due to the adoption of cloud and hybrid models. It analyzes the drawbacks of traditional manual approaches to OS administration, including low speed, scaling difficulties, the risks of configuration inconsistencies (configuration drift), and human errors, which negatively impact the stability, security, and flexibility of the IT environment. The critical need to transition to automated solutions based on modern system administration tools is substantiated.The paper discusses key automation technologies and methodologies: Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for declarative description and versioning of infrastructure (with examples of tools like Terraform); Configuration management systems (Ansible, Puppet) for ensuring the desired state of OS and software; automated creation of optimized OS images («image baking» using Packer); as well as the role of containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) in the context of managing OS-level dependencies.The comprehensive benefits of automation are described, including significant improvement in operational efficiency, risk reduction, acceleration of development and deployment cycles (DevOps), improved manageability, and compliance with security standards. Typical stages and components of the automated OS lifecycle in heterogeneous environments are identified.It is concluded that automation is a fundamental element of effective system administration in cloud and hybrid environments, allowing companies to respond more quickly to business requirements and maintain a reliable and secure infrastructure.