Organisational Dysfunction of the Day

DORA, the wrong way round

Context: The DORA metrics have become the gold standard for measuring engineering performance. Deployment frequency, lead time for changes, change failure rate, and time to restore service. The four key metrics. Teams build dashboards around them, set quarterly targets, and run improvement initiatives to move the numbers in the right direction. Some teams genuinely improve, while others find the numbers are stubborn or that improvements one quarter quietly reverse the next. Leadership concludes that the teams need more discipline, better tooling, or another round of training. What gets called cargo culting (for lack of a better term) in the industry, copying the visible practices without the underlying conditions, is exactly this pattern.

OST explains: DORA was designed as a research instrument, not as a target system. The metrics are downstream signals of healthy delivery, not the drivers of it. Healthy delivery is when self-managing teams own the whole product, make decisions without escalation, and have tight feedback loops with the people they serve. Take those structural conditions away, and the numbers regress, no matter how many dashboards you build. Treating DORA as a goal in DP1 (bureaucratic) is exactly the goal displacement Goodhart warned about: the moment a measure becomes a target, it stops being a good measure. In DP2, the self-managing-group structure, the same numbers emerge naturally as side effects of work well done. You do not need to chase them. You need to build the conditions that produce them.

#OpenSystemsTheory #SocioTechnical #OrgDesign #DevOps

Let's Encrypt just stopped the issuance of certificates after an (so far not publicly disclosed) incident:

https://letsencrypt.status.io/pages/incident/55957a99e800baa4470002da/69fe2d6698ca07050eb4b1b3

If anyone encounters issues today with failed certificate renewals: It's probably not your setup.

#letsencrypt #itsec #devops #linux #security #tls

The Kubernetes Course by Nigel Poulton is the featured course 🎓 on Leanpub!

Link: https://leanpub.com/courses/leanpub/thekubernetescourse

#cloud_computing #kubernetes #docker #devops #computer_programming

Dew Drop Weekly Newsletter 482 - Week Ending May 8, 2026

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Globally-Distributed Applications with Microsoft Azure by Christos Sakellarios is free with a Leanpub Reader membership! Or you can buy it for $7.99! https://leanpub.com/globally-distributed-applications-with-microsoft-azure #aspnet #azure_documentdb #devops #powershell

A Simple Path to Python Success by Finxter, Lukas Rieger, and Shubham Sayon is the featured track of online courses 🛤️ on Leanpub!

Link: https://leanpub.com/set/leanpub/asimplepathtopythonsuccess

#computer_programming #devops

“Works on my laptop” is a configuration problem, not bad luck.

Execution Environments make your Ansible control node a versioned, reproducible container image. Same artifact locally, in CI, and in AAP/AWX.

I wrote a practical walkthrough of ansible-builder + ansible-navigator, with real-world gotchas:

https://blog.hofstede.it/reproducible-ansible-with-execution-environments/

#ansible #automation #devops #linux

hey so. looking for a job (NZ or fully remote willing to hire a kiwi) in SRE, security, or linux/Unix system administration. 15 years experience administering Linux and Unix boxes, intermediate level of experience working with docker compose and containerisation and container security. No prior job experience unfortunately, all those 15 years were mostly personal projects and small-scale stuff for friends. I'm also 26, so I started when I was 11, explaining the no jobs so far. Currently running an entire multi-machine personal cloud infrastructure with a demonstration of all the services I have running at https://status.highenergymagic.net. Three machines, 72 docker containers. One running most of them, one running Mastodon+glitchsocial, one running the uptime monitor. encrypted root on ZFS, alpine linux, gVisor on supported containers, plan to move to Kata. Entirely willing to accept entry-level job placements, no expectation of being paid a lot or anything, just want to be doing something and move the needle a little on my current "being broke" status. Currently using gVisor, docker compose, and kata containers in production, experience with Linux, docker, Net/Open/FreeBSD, Cisco IOS, Juniper Junos, Mikrotik and UniFi, configuring and administering Asterisk, plus extensive experience with IBM AIX and Sun Solaris. #fedihired #infosec #cybersecurity #linux #unix #docker #sre #DevOps #GetFediHired

Please boost for reach, any job offers please DM me.

PowerShell 101 by Mike F. Robbins is free with a Leanpub Reader membership! Or you can buy it for $7.99! https://leanpub.com/powershell101 #powershell #devops

Dew Drop Weekly Newsletter 481 - Week Ending May 1, 2026

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#dewdrop #newsletter #aspnetcore #css #azure #javascript #xaml #cpp #windowsdev #dotnet #csharp #mcp #ai #agile #devops #gamedev #appdev #dotnetmaui #podcasts #m365 #data #sqlserver #powershell #devtools

PowerShell 101 by Mike F. Robbins is free with a Leanpub Reader membership! Or you can buy it for $7.99! https://leanpub.com/powershell101 #powershell #devops

The Kubernetes Course by Nigel Poulton is the featured course 🎓 on Leanpub!

This course is based on the 2025 edition of the best-selling Kubernetes book, that has been fully updated for the latest versions of Kubernetes and the latest industry trends. You won't find a better and more up-to-date book-based course on Kubernetes. Hand-crafted over the past 8 years by best-selling author Nigel Poulton.

Link: https://leanpub.com/courses/leanpub/thekubernetescourse

#cloud_computing #kubernetes #docker #devops

A Simple Path to Python Success by Finxter, Lukas Rieger, and Shubham Sayon is the featured track of online courses 🛤️ on Leanpub!

Link: https://leanpub.com/set/leanpub/asimplepathtopythonsuccess

#computer_programming #devops

Ansible for DevOps by Jeff Geerling is on sale on Leanpub! Its suggested price is $9.99; get it for $6.99 with this coupon: https://leanpub.com/ansible-for-devops/c/LeanPublishingDaily20260423 #agile #software #startups #ansible #devops #cloud_computing

System Administration: Week 12: System Security

These slides revisit multi-user fundamentals, authentication, authorization, raising privileges and briefly captures the impact of the rapid developments around AI on system security.

https://stevens.netmeister.org/615/12-2026.pdf

#sysadmin #devops #sre #infosec

7 Course-Bundle: Shut Up and Code Python + PyCharm + Coding Interview + Machine Learning + One-Liners + Regex + Lambdas by Finxter, Lukas Rieger, and Shubham Sayon is the featured track of online courses 🛤️ on Leanpub!

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#computer_programming #devops

🚀 Last call: BED-Con 2026 Call for Papers!

Only 2 days left ⏳
📍 Berlin (FU Berlin)
📅 September 23–24, 2026

We’re looking for talks on:
#SoftwareEngineering #Cloud #DevOps #Data #AI #TechAndSociety

👉 Submit your talk now:
https://sessionize.com/bed-con-2026/

Deadline: April 26, 2026

#BEDCon #CallForPapers #BerlinTech

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Promotional graphic for Berlin Expert Days 2026 (BED-Con). Call for Papers is open. Event takes place September 23–24, 2026 in Berlin. Submission deadline April 26, 2026.

Dew Drop Weekly Newsletter 480 - Week Ending April 24, 2026

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#dewdrop #newsletter #javascript #azure #aspnetcore #css #xaml #windowsdev #cpp #dotnet #csharp #ai #mcp #gamedev #appdev #devops #agile #agents #podcasts #m365 #powershell #data #sqlserver

The Pester Book (Pester Book (Forever Edition)) by Adam Bertram is on sale on Leanpub! Its suggested price is $50.00; get it for $25.50 with this coupon: https://leanpub.com/pesterbook/c/LeanpubAuthorUpdate20260417 #devops #powershell #testing

We’ve landed at #AWSSummitLondon 🇬🇧

📍 AWS Zone North — booth S25 (between Athena & Apollo Partner Theatres)

We’re also sponsoring the photo booth 📸 and yes, we’ve got swag. Come find us and tell us what you’re working on, we’re all ears. See you there 👀

#AWSSummit #AWS #VPN #SecureNetworking #LondonTech #DevOps

System Administration: Week 12: System Security IV: Crypto means Cryptography

In this video, we discuss the three areas cryptography can provide threat mitigations in -- confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity -- and what some common pitfalls are with each.

https://youtu.be/zLH2jwzgFfw

#sysadmin #devops #sre #infosec

Linux DevOps eBook Bundle by Bobby Iliev is the featured bundle of ebooks 📚 on Leanpub!

Link: https://leanpub.com/b/linux-devops-ebook-bundle

#databases #mysql #postgresql #computer_programming #devops #cloud_computing #git #version_control #computer_security #programming_cookbooks #software_engineering #terraform

Ansible for DevOps by Jeff Geerling is on sale on Leanpub! Its suggested price is $9.99; get it for $6.99 with this coupon: https://leanpub.com/ansible-for-devops/c/LeanPublishingDaily20260417 #Agile #Software #Startups #Ansible #Devops #CloudComputing

System Administration: Week 12: System Security II: From the Attack Life Cycle to Zero Trust

In this video, we continue approaching System Security from an attacker's point of view by understanding their common processes, following the Attack Life Cycle and then identifying how our defenses, supported by the Zero Trust model, can interrupt each stage.

Older related post: https://www.netmeister.org/blog/attack-life-cycle.html

https://youtu.be/mNxHw5XzxJw

#sysadmin #devops #sre #infosec

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Defense in Depth Security is like an onion: the more layers you peel away, the more it stinks. Never assume any one protection mechanism is sufficient. Always assume the other protections you deployed can be circumvented or broken.

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Zero Trust Core concept: the simple assumption of a compromised or hostile environment. -> transport encryption -> mutual authentication -> explicit authorization -> time limited grants -> identity based

Shipped two releases of ansible-jailexec today. An Ansible connection plugin that runs tasks inside FreeBSD jails via jexec over SSH, without needing direct SSH into the jail.

v1.1.0: ground-up refactor. Now subclasses the built-in ssh plugin and merges its options at import time, so ControlPersist, jump hosts, private keys, password_mechanism. About a quarter of the old code.

v1.2.0: adds ansible_jail_root to override the jls probe for nested / VNET jail setups.

https://github.com/chofstede/ansible_jailexec

#Ansible #FreeBSD #Jails #DevOps #SysAdmin #OpenSource

System Administration: Week 12: System Security II: Defining a Threat Model

In this video, we look at the concept of a Threat Model and how the attack economics may shift based on your adversaries capabilities and motives. We introduce the STRIDE and DREAD models and draw a few circles, of course.

https://youtu.be/nZQboq3gjgg

Obligatory James Mickens "This World of Ours" citation here:
https://www.usenix.org/system/files/1401_08-12_mickens.pdf

#sysadmin #devops #sre #infosec

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Threat Model 101 By James Mickens Threat: Ex-girlfriend/boyfriend breaking into your email account and publicly releasing your correspondence with the My Little Pony fan club Solution: Strong passwords Threat: Organized criminals breaking into your email account and sending spam using your identity Solution: Strong passwords + common sense (don’t click on unsolicited herbal Viagra ads that result in keyloggers and sorrow) Threat: The Mossad doing Mossad things with your email account Solution: ◆ Magical amulets? ◆ Fake your own death, move into a submarine? ◆ YOU’RE STILL GONNA BE MOSSAD’ED UPON

The Kubernetes Course by Nigel Poulton is the featured course 🎓 on Leanpub!

Link: https://leanpub.com/courses/leanpub/thekubernetescourse

#cloud_computing #kubernetes #docker #devops #computer_programming

System Administration: Week 12: System Security I: Risk Assessment

In this video, we begin our dedicated discussion of System Security with a look back at how we've talked about security relevant aspects in previous videos and then moving forward to defining how we can begin to assess risk rather than attempt to "secure" a system.

https://youtu.be/KZi9ZWF6vWI

#sysadmin #devops #sre #infosec

Dew Drop Weekly Newsletter 479 - Week Ending April 17, 2026

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A Simple Path to Python Success by Finxter, Lukas Rieger, and Shubham Sayon is the featured track of online courses 🛤️ on Leanpub!

Link: https://leanpub.com/set/leanpub/asimplepathtopythonsuccess

#computer_programming #devops

Érase una vez Kubernetes by Manuel Morejón is free with a Leanpub Reader membership! Or you can buy it for $1.99! https://leanpub.com/erase-una-vez-kubernetes #Devops #CloudComputing #Docker

A Practical Guide to Testing in DevOps Japanese Edition by Katrina Clokie、Yuya Kazama、そして Masanori Kawarada is free with a Leanpub Reader membership! Or you can buy it for $7.99! https://leanpub.com/testingindevops-japanese-edition #Testing #Devops

The BSDCan 2026 schedule has been published, https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/timetable/timetable-all.html

You can register for the conference, which runs June 17 - 20, 2026 at https://www.bsdcan.org/2026/registration.html @bsdcan #bsdcan #ottawa #freebsd #netbsd #openbsd #development #sysadmin #devops #libresoftware #freesoftware

System Administration: Week 11: Configuration Management, Part II

In this video, we continue our discussion of configuration management systems. We talk about state assertion, what states of a host we might care about, the CAP theorem and other fallacies of distributed systems, idempotence, eventual consistency and convergence, and the overlap of CM systems with other infrastructure components, yielding, eventually, infrastructure as a service.

https://youtu.be/FJSpmBPv1J4

#sysadmin #devops #sre