Re: Easier administration (similar to Linuxconf)

2000-03-30 Thread I. Forbes
Hello All

On 29 Mar 00, at 16:20, Smoerk wrote:

  You know the web-enabled administration software used by Colbat servers?
  I was wondering if anything for Linux (and hopefully debanized) was
  similar?
 
 Maybe Webmin (www.webmin.com)?
 But why don't you write some scripts, which setup a default
 configuration? A config tool is not faster than doing the same in the
 config files. It's easier, but not faster.

I have also been thinking about this problem for a while. Specifically 
I would like an interface to allow the following.

Users to do things like:

- change passwords 
- change their .forward file settings.

And a semi privileged non-root administrator to: 

- add and delete users
- change other users passwords (but not root password)
- view other users's mail
- edit /etc/aliases 

I have looked at linux.conf and webmin.  Linux.conf seems to be an  
overkill and too experimental (especially on Debian) to let loose on 
semi-skilled admins.  Webmin seemed to climb in and edit files 
without any regard for standard system tools. I had a look at the 
coding of an early version and decided to leave it.  It may be better 
by now.

My idea was to find or write simple console based, but menu driven 
tools for doing these tasks.  These could be accessed from the 
linux console, telnet, xterm or from a web page via the java telnet 
client.

It has the major advantage over linux.conf and webmin in that 
everything that runs on the linux box runs under the users own uid 
which is much simpler to secure than anything that works off a www 
interface and runs suid root.

Has anybody got any console based, menu driven scripts to start 
with?

-
Ian Forbes ZSD
http://www.zsd.co.za
Office: +27 +21 683-1388  Fax: +27 +21 64-1106
Snail Mail: P.O. Box 46827, Glosderry, 7702, South Africa
-



Easier administration (similar to Linuxconf)

2000-03-29 Thread Mailing List
 Hi!

 You know the web-enabled administration software used by Colbat servers?
 I was wondering if anything for Linux (and hopefully debanized) was
 similar?

 It doesn't have to have a web interface, but something easy to use, fast
to
 distribute, would be great.

 I know about the Linuxconf effort, but it falls short of the full
 customization offered by the Colbat software.

 Specifically, the software should be able to do things like set up virtual
 hosting on apache, and at the same time set quotas, allocate IPs (or named
 based) for the domains, set up pop accounts, allow users to set up their
 own virtual forwarding lists (like .qmail-something, but with sendmail).
 Basically, make webhosting easier and less time consuming.

This is because while I do have time for administration, i'd like my time
to be used more productively doing other things as well :-)

 Oh.. and if you happen to know how i can easily make a bunch of servers
 have the same configuration, but still have machine-specific stuff (can't
 have 10 servers responding to the same IPs and such), please tell me :-)
I
 don't have huge requirements on this, just something simple and easy to
set
 up.

 Thanks in advance :-)

 Jason.




Re: Easier administration (similar to Linuxconf)

2000-03-29 Thread Dariush Pietrzak

  Specifically, the software should be able to do things like set up virtual
  hosting on apache, and at the same time set quotas, allocate IPs (or named
  based) for the domains, set up pop accounts, allow users to set up their
  own virtual forwarding lists (like .qmail-something, but with sendmail).
  Basically, make webhosting easier and less time consuming.
i don't use linuxconf, but i've seen all of above in debianized linuxconf,
dunno if it actually works and how..

problem is - cobalt can be fully customized, but how do you create such
tool for debian, when even someone using only packages can
use qmail,exim,sendmail, etc etc etc etc as his MTA,
apache, roxen, etc etc etc as his httpd, ..
so it boils down to creating more modules for linuxconf,
or - creating apache-webconfig, exim-webconfig, qmail-webconfig
and the like apps.
Which actually isn't bad idead afterall, anyone willing to start or help
with starting such project?
or maybe there are such tools which i don't know about?




Re: Easier administration (similar to Linuxconf)

2000-03-29 Thread Smoerk
 You know the web-enabled administration software used by Colbat servers?
 I was wondering if anything for Linux (and hopefully debanized) was
 similar?

Maybe Webmin (www.webmin.com)?
But why don't you write some scripts, which setup a default
configuration? A config tool is not faster than doing the same in the
config files. It's easier, but not faster.