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Environment Setup Automation Lab

Purpose: Turn your personal setup into a reproducible environment
Time Required: 2-3 hours
Output: One dotfiles folder or repository and one install script or checklist

Lab Goals​

By the end of this lab you should have:

  • a small dotfiles structure
  • at least one tracked config file
  • documented setup steps
  • one bootstrap script or equivalent checklist

Phase 1: Inventory​

List the tools you currently care about:

  • shell
  • editor
  • Git
  • SSH
  • tmux or terminal config

For each one, identify:

  • where the config lives
  • whether you understand it
  • whether it should be version-controlled

Phase 2: Centralize​

Create a structure such as:

dotfiles/
|-- shell/
|-- editor/
|-- git/
`-- install.sh

Phase 3: Install Strategy​

Choose one install method:

  • documented copy steps
  • symlink script
  • bootstrap shell script

Keep it simple and readable.

Phase 4: Verification​

Test at least one of these:

  • open a fresh shell and reload config
  • install into a temporary directory
  • apply your steps on a second machine or VM

Completion Standard​

  • Dotfiles structure exists
  • At least one real config file is tracked
  • Setup steps are documented
  • You tested the setup path at least once