System environment

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In information technology (IT), a system environment is a platform with which an information technology system is operated. The partial term system is used here in a generalized way and in specific individual cases i. d. Usually replaced by a purpose-specific term, e.g. B. Test environment is created - or in English test environment . Every system environment belongs (type-related) to a specific system architecture . All system environments are defined in the IT architecture or system landscape and are operated according to their rules in planned coexistence.

A developer can develop a new version of software on the development environment, testers can test on the test environment in order to then install the software on the production environment ( release management ). In the event of errors, a state of the production environment can be mirrored in a test environment in order to be able to carry out investigations there without disturbing the production environment ( problem management ).

If computer systems with different system architectures are used in an organization , for example middleware and mainframe systems, then these are operated in parallel and, if necessary, also in different forms as mentioned below.

System environments from the perspective of release management

From the point of view of release management, a typical system has a three-level environment architecture :

  • Production or productive environment, operating environment: The environment in which the IT applications are operated that serve the business purpose of the company / IT user.
  • Test environment for testing new software versions. In the case of complex systems, the test environment is partly divided into a separate test environment for functional testing and an integration environment (also a consolidation environment), which, as similar as possible to the production environment , has external interfaces . If load tests are extensive, a load or performance test environment can also be set up, which maps the computing power of the production environment.
  • Development environment: The system environment on which developers develop new software versions and use programs for software development for this purpose - which are also referred to as "development environment" or the like in a different meaning .

Further system environments often used for special purposes can be demo, training or course environments. Here new functions are introduced and new users are trained . There are also other terms such as quality or pilot environment, which are special variants of test environments, possibly only for a limited period.

Configuration differences

The individual system environments can be configured differently ; z. For example, development tools only need to be available in the development environment, and processor and memory components designed for very high loads often only have to be available in the production environment. System environments designed twice or more are a typical feature of critical systems in companies or public administrations , because these systems, e.g. B. process control systems or enterprise resource planning systems, must function as uninterrupted as possible.

Real / virtual system environments

Not every system environment needs its own hardware ; virtual machines are increasingly being used for non-productive system environments . From the point of view of the system administration, the different system environments are given different names (e.g. TEST, QUSI, PROD1, PROD2); they or the applications and processes running in them are controlled by the respective intended users. It is not uncommon for the development and test environments to be operationally identical. Different system environments can be connected to one another via operating system-dependent coupling mechanisms. H. route orders to each other.

Other types of environments

In IT, the sub-term "environment" is also used in other contexts:

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