Re: installing Perl (and other software) on multiple identical machines

[perrin]

You'll find dozens of discussions on this subject if you search for it. The most common solutions are OS packages (rpms, debs) and tar balls.

[JavaFan]

Packages are only part of the solution. Packages don't distribute or install themselves. Nor do they figure out which box needs which package. Instead, you may want to use cfengine which will detect which packages are needed but not installed on a box, then uses yum to retrieve the package from a certral location, and then runs the appropriate package manager to install the package.