Things change in a network: new operating systems, patches, updates, network modifications, applications, etc.

We want to identify and document hardware and software settings

"Production Configuration": Most current working configuration for a device

• Hardware devices, firmware versions
• Driver and app versions
• Usually tested before installation

"Backup Configuration": A config we can roll back to if a new configuration doesn't work

• A backup should be made before any changes

"Golden/Baseline Configuration": Includes everything required for a new application instance to run

• OS configuration, firewall settings, the application itself
• Certifies that the application will work if all these things are done
• Integrity checks ensure that an instance is operating near the baseline