On Sat, Oct 11, 2008 at 05:32:32PM +0200, Alvaro Lopez Ortega wrote:
> On 11-oct-08, at 14:49, Jeremy Chadwick wrote:
>> On Sat, Oct 11, 2008 at 08:38:52PM +0800, Tim Post wrote:
>>> On Sat, 2008-10-11 at 04:31 -0700, Jeremy Chadwick wrote:
>>>> Is solving this problem *really* the job of a web server?  The  
>>>> answer to
>>>> this question should be: no it is not.
>>>
>>> Is that so?
>>>
>>>> The web server should handle web server "things".
>>>
>>> Updating a single text configuration file from a central point is  
>>> not a
>>> 'thing' for web servers to do ?
>>
>> No.  Web servers serve content; web servers do not distribute files to
>> other machines.
>
> You guys are both right.
>
> Web Server should not distribute content among cluster nodes. I think we 
> all agree on that.
>
> However, expanding cherokee-admin -or even developing a new tool- to  
> support multi-node set ups sounds quite interesting. Obviously, the web 
> servers should not to do it, but another higher level tool.

If someone wants to write a tool or script that distributes all of the
Cherokee-oriented "stuff" to multiple nodes/servers on a network, that
would be fine.

I just don't think that sort of functionality should be built in to the
web server itself.  I think you'll agree with me, since one of the
biggest focus-points of Cherokee is to "keep it slim".

>>>> What you're
>>>> describing is the need for either:
>>>>
>>>> 1) A series of administrative scripts that can distribute  
>>>> configuration
>>>> files to numerous servers when changes are made.  This is how a  
>>>> lot of
>>>> companies do it.  Have you looked at cfengine?  Please do.
>>>
>>> And years ago we made fire with sticks. Yes, I have looked at it.
>>
>> Administrative scripts are not something from the 70s.  They are a key
>> piece of problem-solving and administrative task completion on UNIX.
>> If you are a system administrator who does not know shell scripting or
>> how to use utilities like scp or rsync, you likely shouldn't be the  
>> sole
>> administrator of a system (you should be a junior SA and have someone
>> senior above you who can "show you the ropes").
>
> Again, both points are view are right IMO.
>
> An administration script is fair enough. It does its job, and usually  
> solves the problem.  But again, adding a central panel from which admins 
> could manage a whole web server cluster would be really convenient, don't 
> you think?

Yes, absolutely!  I just don't think the point of a control panel for
administrating servers should involve distribution of files on a
filesystem.  I think being able to mass-manage Cherokee across multiple
servers (functions like "restart Cherokee on the following nodes", "run
a status check on Cherokee on the following nodes") would be great.

>>>>
>> A web server's job is to serve content over HTTP, not to do things  
>> like
>> distribute configuration file changes to machines over a network.
>> Distributing files to multitudes of machine is not the job for a web
>> server.
>
> As I see it, it's more like putting tools in place to make Cherokee  
> clusters administration easier.  The content distribution is a complete 
> different matter.

I agree completely.  A centralised point for ease-of-management of the
web server(s) themselves would be just fine, and *highly* recommended.
I fully agree with making administrator's lives easier in that regard.
:-)

-- 
| Jeremy Chadwick                                jdc at parodius.com |
| Parodius Networking                       http://www.parodius.com/ |
| UNIX Systems Administrator                  Mountain View, CA, USA |
| Making life hard for others since 1977.              PGP: 4BD6C0CB |

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