Ruby for System Administrators Course

Course Summary

The Ruby for System Administrators is designed to demonstrate how to install, configure, and maintain Ruby and Rails for production systems.

The course begins by describing how to install and configure Ruby and Rails (including the required dependencies). Next, it analyzes how to cover connect Ruby to a data source. The course concludes with an exploration of how to work with Ruby gems.

Purpose

Learn how to install, configure, and maintain Ruby and Rails for production systems.

Audience

System administrators (preferably UNIX) with command-line scripting expertise needing to maintain enterprise applications written in Ruby.

Role

System Administrator

Skill Level

Intermediate

Style

Workshops

Duration

3 Days

Related Technologies

Ruby on Rails

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Productivity Objectives:

Identify the required dependencies to install Ruby
Install and configure Ruby on Rails
Connect Ruby/Rails applications to a data source
Install and configure Gems

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Real-World Content

Project-focused demos and labs using your tool stack and environment, not some canned "training room" lab.
Expert Practitioners

Industry experts with 15+ years of industry experience that bring their battle scars into the classroom.
Experiential Learning

More coding than lecture, coupled with architectural and design discussions.
Fully Customized

One-size-fits-all doesn't apply to training teams. That's where we come in!

What You'll Learn

In the Ruby for System Administrators training course, you'll learn:

Introduction
- Version history of Ruby and platform variances
- Version history of Rails
- The Rails platform and ecosystem
Installing Ruby
- Locating and installing Ruby binaries on Windows, Mac, and Linux for Development environment
- Installing Ruby by compiling from source
  - Why and when to do it
  - Identifying pre-requisites and resolving version differences
  - Working with package management tools
  - Installing dependency packages
- Locating core and standard libraries, and requiring modules
- Installing using RVM (Ruby Version Manger)
  - Running multiple versions of Ruby
  - Updating the RVM system: HEAD vs. STABLE
  - Using Homebrew, exploring Cellar structure, and creating formulas for Mac installs
  - Using apt-get, dkpg, portage, rpm, rug, synaptic, up2date, or yum
  - Best practices for local against system-wide installation
  - Resolving openssl and clang / gcc compile errors
Introduction to Ruby command-line tools
Criteria for and testing successful Ruby installation
Installing Ruby’s help system
- Installing RI documentation
- Installing RDoc or YARD
  - Building local ruby documentation per development installation
  - Building a local or shared documentation server
- Building HTML or ri documentation from custom Ruby code
Introduction to Ruby Gems
- Installing and removing Ruby gems
  - Resolving or skipping errors (commonly rdoc)
- The Gem specification
- Maintaining local gems
- Creating .gemspec files and exploring attributes
Ruby Introspection for System Administrators
- Introduction to IRB (Interactive Ruby Shell)
- Common Ruby commands
  - Requiring v. loading modules
  - Asking Ruby about its environment
Installing database servers
- Installing database servers for development, test, and production
  - Why SQLite matters for agile Rails development
  - Planning the switch from SQLite to production database servers
- Locating database drivers for Ruby and installing them using custom switches
  - Drivers for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, and FireBird
- Different install strategies for user $HOME, usr/local, usr/bin, and .rvm
Installing Rails
- Installing Rails as a gem
- Criteria for and testing a successful Rails installation
- Creating a new application
- Understanding Rails top-level directory structure
- Building local Rails documentation per development installation
- Building a local or shared documentation server
- Starting the Rails HTTP server
  - WEBrick vs. Apache (or other installed server)
  - Setting the port and other parameters
  - Logging and monitoring server activity
  - Locating and killing the Rails HTTP process
- Upgrading Rails
Git
- Why GIT matters for Ruby and/or Rails development
  - Git’s easy branching and merging encourages experimentation
  - GitHub is social networking for coders and hosts both Ruby and Rails repositories
  - Using Git with Rails works well with Subversion repositories
- Installing Git from binaries
- Creating a Git repository in Rails directory structure
- Configuring Git for Rails development
  - Controversies on what to include in .gitignore
  - Hooks for pre-commit and post-checkout
- Analyzing Git’s logging mechanism
- Altering commits
  - Best practices reset, cherry-pick, and revert
  - Rebasing commits
- Cloning remote repositories
Rails Convention vs. Configuration
- Effect of different versions when creating Rails apps
- The Gemfile
- Tracking dependencies with Bundler
- Automating tasks using Rake
- Creating, running, and rolling back migrations
- Setting database parameters
- Setting environments for development, test, and production
- Working with routing
- Using the Rails console to examine running development, test, or production applications
- Installing Rails plugins
- Upgrading a Rails app
Deploying Rails
- Switching from SQLite3 and WEBrick to Apache, MySQL, and Passenger
- Using Git, Bundler, and Capistrano for remote deployment
- Troubleshooting common deployment problems
- Managing log files: planning rollover, archival, and even deletion