Can Quattor save the world?

Due to the wonders of planet, I've just seen this post by Andrew from Glasgow with the intriguing comment: "Are there any better tools? (is Quattor the savoiur for this type of problem)". This post was due to the frustrations of cobbling together fabric management from a collection of very good, but separate tools. So I thought I'd briefly describe some of the advantages of Quattor. I know many were burned in the early days of Quattor by its complexity and obscurity, but times really have changed and I suggest you revisit it. So here are just a few of the reasons I like it:

• It's got a real programming language: this gives you data structures (e.g. hashes), types (allowing validation of the values you type in -- i.e. it will recognise that "123.34.32.O7" (spot the deliberate mistake) isn't an IP address).
  
• The gLite configuration is up to date with YAIM (and often ahead of it): Michel Jouvin has led the way on a number of deployment issues in LCG (e.g. 64-bit WNs, space tokens, etc.) and all this stuff gets into Quattor before YAIM. (Also DNS-style VO-names, Xen configuration, etc., etc.) We have found that whenever we have to do something non-custom (e.g. publishing multiple different jobmanagers from one CE in GIP) it's a doddle in Quattor due to the availability of proper data structures (see above).
  
• The Quattor Working Group templates are effectively a complete Grid distribution in a way that gLite itself isn't. What I mean is that they provide all you need for going from bare metal to installation of a complete SL-based Grid site. This is ideal for new/small sites.
  
• It's a true community effort: having been involved in YAIM development for MPI, I have first-hand knowledge of the protracted process involved in getting anything fixed in gLite. In contrast, Quattor functions as a true OSS project: if there's a problem, you fix it and check it in. If it passes muster after a lightweight review, it's included in the core release. Problem solved.
  
• It provides integration with installation and monitoring: the contents of configuration profiles for a machine are directly used to generate Kickstart templates, and monitoring (using Lemon is also tightly integrated with a raft of sensors and alerts available.