Large Scale Drupal Deployment Made Easier with Aegir

Deploying and upgrading Drupal has become much easier with the maturing of a key piece of software called Aegir. Built using Drupal, Aegir allows complex Drupal configurations to be easily deployed and migrated using a smart graphical interface, and also allows smart command line integration using Drush (Drupal Shell). An early demonstration of its capabilities can be seen in this video.

Other software packages such as Eclipse and Dreamweaver include profiles or plugins to speed development and ease management of Drupal packages.

Add in your favorite developer tools such as SVN, Eclipse, Git, and you'll be all set.