Chances are high that you interact with multiple Linux distributions and keeping track of the them and their differences is no easy task. Even if you pick one flavor the variation between one version and the next may be abysmal.

A universal system description describes the content of a system. It can be stored, compared, analyzed and modified. You can also use it to replicate a system or even migrate it to a newer version or a different distribution.

This presentation will explain how this concept is being used inside Machinery in order to do something called "offline systems management" and the challenges that are faced when you want to reduce the gap between Linux distributions.