Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cfengine VS SUSE Manager

Compare Cfengine VS SUSE Manager and see what are their differences

Cfengine logo Cfengine

CFEngine is a configuration management and automation framework that lets you securely manage your...

SUSE Manager logo SUSE Manager

SUSE Manager is a tool to manage Linux systems. It automates provisioning, patching and configuration for server deployment. Automatically monitors, audits and reports status of your systems.
  • Cfengine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-12
  • SUSE Manager Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-06

Cfengine features and specs

  • Scalability
    Cfengine is designed to handle large-scale environments efficiently, making it suitable for managing a vast number of systems.
  • Lightweight Agent
    It employs a lightweight agent that consumes minimal system resources, reducing the overhead on managed systems.
  • Security
    Cfengine has a strong focus on security, using encrypted communication between the nodes and server, ensuring integrity and confidentiality.
  • Model-based Configuration
    The tool uses a model-based approach for configuration management, which makes it easy to understand and predict the outcomes of applied policies.
  • Mature and Stable
    With a long history dating back to the 1990s, Cfengine is mature and known for its stability and reliability in production environments.

Possible disadvantages of Cfengine

  • Steeper Learning Curve
    The learning curve can be relatively steep for new users due to its unique policy language and declarative syntax.
  • Complex Debugging
    Debugging configurations might be complex due to intricate policies and a lack of straightforward error messages.
  • Limited Community Support
    Compared to other configuration management tools, Cfengine has a smaller community, which can limit access to third-party modules and assistance.
  • Less Extensible
    While powerful, Cfengine may not offer as much extensibility as some competitors, potentially limiting custom integrations.
  • UI and Usability
    The user interface and overall usability could be less intuitive compared to other modern configuration management tools.

SUSE Manager features and specs

  • Comprehensive Linux Support
    SUSE Manager offers support for multiple Linux distributions, allowing you to manage SUSE, Red Hat, CentOS, and more from a single platform, which simplifies operations for diverse IT environments.
  • Automated Provisioning
    The tool provides automated provisioning and configuration management, enabling faster deployment and reduced manual intervention, leading to higher efficiency.
  • Security and Compliance
    It includes security monitoring and compliance management features, ensuring systems are up-to-date with patches and helping organizations meet regulatory requirements.
  • Scalability
    SUSE Manager is designed to scale efficiently, making it suitable for both small setups and large enterprise environments with thousands of systems.
  • Cost Management
    By streamlining system management and reducing downtime, SUSE Manager helps lower total cost of ownership, providing an economical solution for IT infrastructure management.

Possible disadvantages of SUSE Manager

  • Complexity
    The comprehensive features and capabilities can introduce complexity, requiring a steep learning curve for administrators unfamiliar with the platform.
  • Initial Setup Cost
    Setting up SUSE Manager may incur significant initial costs, especially for enterprises that require extensive customization and configuration.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Organizations heavily invested in SUSE Manager may face challenges when trying to switch to another management platform due to potential vendor lock-in.
  • Limited Support for Non-Linux Systems
    While SUSE Manager supports various Linux distributions, it offers limited or no support for systems outside the Linux ecosystem, which could be a constraint for heterogeneous environments.

Analysis of Cfengine

Overall verdict

  • Cfengine is a good choice for organizations that require a stable, scalable, and efficient configuration management solution. Its long history and proven track record make it a reliable tool for managing diverse and complex IT environments. However, its learning curve can be steep, and it might not have as active a community or as many user-friendly features compared to some of its newer counterparts like Puppet or Ansible.

Why this product is good

  • Cfengine is a powerful configuration management tool that's been around for a long time, providing stability and maturity to its users. It excels in automating infrastructure management and is known for its scalability, efficiency, and security features. Its lightweight agent and fast execution make it suitable for managing a large number of nodes without a significant performance impact. Additionally, Cfengine has a policy-based approach which ensures that system configurations are enforced consistently, and its declarative language makes it easier to define desired system states.

Recommended for

  • Large enterprises managing thousands of servers
  • Organizations needing a lightweight and fast performance solution
  • IT teams with a focus on security and consistent policy enforcement
  • Users comfortable with a steeper learning curve in exchange for stability and scalability benefits

Cfengine videos

Webinar: Presenting the new CFEngine Community 3.4.0

More videos:

  • Review - WEBINAR - Infrastructure Automation with CFEngine at LinkedIn
  • Review - Webinar - Unveiling CFEngine Enterprise 3.0

SUSE Manager videos

Introduction to SUSE Manager

More videos:

  • Review - SUSE Manager 4: Part 1 Installation
  • Review - SUSE Manager 4: Part 4 Packages and Patching

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cfengine and SUSE Manager)
DevOps Tools
71 71%
29% 29
Product Deployment
67 67%
33% 33
Build Tools
49 49%
51% 51
IT Automation
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cfengine and SUSE Manager

Cfengine Reviews

Best 8 Ansible Alternatives & equivalent in 2022
CFEngine is a DevOps tool for IT automation. It is an ideal tool for configuration management. It is one of the best Ansible competitors that helps teams to automate large-scale complex infrastructure.
Source: www.guru99.com
35+ Of The Best CI/CD Tools: Organized By Category
CFEngine is the most cut and dry configuration management software on this list. It was originally released in 1993 and has managed to keep up with software development trends. CFEngine features full CI/CD integration. You can automate infrastructure configurations and manage your patches. It also features compliance reporting and infrastructure hardening.

SUSE Manager Reviews

We have no reviews of SUSE Manager yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cfengine seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 5 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cfengine mentions (5)

SUSE Manager mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of SUSE Manager yet. Tracking of SUSE Manager recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cfengine and SUSE Manager, you can also consider the following products

Ansible - Radically simple configuration-management, application deployment, task-execution, and multi-node orchestration engine

Red Hat Satellite - Manage your software, subscriptions, provisioning, and configurations from one console. Red Hat Satellite is the easiest way to manage Red Hat systems. Learn more.

Rudder - Rudder is an easy to use, web-driven, role-based solution for Continuous Automation and Compliance.

Uyuni - A world-class solution for open source infrastructure management tailored for your software-defined infrastructure.

Chef - Automation for all of your technology. Overcome the complexity and rapidly ship your infrastructure and apps anywhere with automation.

SpaceWalk - Spacewalk is an open source Gnu/Linux systems management solution for RHEL and derivatives such as...