Re: System Log Book?

[Bret Hughes]

Adam Goucher wrote:

> > BTW: I don't log rpm installs/updates, *if* I run them the default way:
> > this because I get info on them very quickly by simply doing a
> > 'rpm -qa --last' ... the lazy method :) ... oops: this just gives me the
> > idea of doing a 'rpm -qa --last > log file' next time .. just in case the
> > rpm database, or whatever produces this log, will break ... :)
>
> I think for a logbook you would want to do 'rpm -qa --last >> log' else
> you will only ever have your last --last. :)

Now you guys have me thinking, and that is always dangerous.  I have for
sometime wanted to track the actual filename and location where a particular
package was installed from and logging it never actually occurred to me.  What
would be the downside to writing a shell script wrapper that would concatenate
to a  log file some of that information and the output generated by rpm.

Some thing like:

#!/bin/sh
# usage:  logrpm [optionstorpm] path/to/rpmfile
outlog="/var/log/logrpm.log"
#send all stdout to file
exec > $outlog
echo $(date)" beginning installation using commandline args as follows:"
echo $*
echo "current working directory is $(pwd)"
if ( eval rpm $*) then
echo "rpm command completed sucessfully"
else
# print url of output log incase we run this in cron and wnat to get a
mail that willl point to the machine it is on
echo " rpm command failed.  see http://$HOSTNAME/$outlog for details " >
/dev/stderr
fi

This untested but something I wil probably work on given a little time I am
sure there are bugs there somewhere shell globbing might work but not sure and
the redirections might or might not be correct I can never remember


Hmm.  might be the start of something.

Bret



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Re: System Log Book?

[Adam Goucher]

> BTW: I don't log rpm installs/updates, *if* I run them the default way:
> this because I get info on them very quickly by simply doing a
> 'rpm -qa --last' ... the lazy method :) ... oops: this just gives me the
> idea of doing a 'rpm -qa --last > log file' next time .. just in case the
> rpm database, or whatever produces this log, will break ... :)

I think for a logbook you would want to do 'rpm -qa --last >> log' else 
you will only ever have your last --last. :)

-adam



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Re: System Log Book?

[Ronald W. Heiby]

-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-
Hash: SHA1

Monday, November 19, 2001, 2:37:39 AM, Thomas wrote:
> I have a question on my mind: What do ye folks out there use as a system
> logbook?

I carry my Palm Vx around everywhere. The program Quickword
 is a pretty decent Palm DOC file editor for
the Palm. I keep my system log there, so it is with me when I walk up
to another machine and need to remind myself what I did on the other
one. A file per system, perhaps all in a "System Logs" category, seems
to make sense. Downside is hand writing it all so the recognizer can
understand it. But, that's not much worse than the paper logs I kept
15+ years ago where I had to write it so that my colleagues could
understand it. (And, there are collapsable keyboards available for
most/all Palms.)

There are other editors for the Palm. I'd be sure that whichever one I
chose used a format I could read and print under Linux or Windows.

Ron.

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Re: System Log Book?

[Wolfgang Pfeiffer]

On Nov 20, 2001, 09:42 (-0500) Bob Staaf wrote:

[ ... ]

> > But I'm really looking for a method where my system does
> *all* the work
> > for logging the stuff I'm doing on it ...
> >
>
> Wouldn't Tripwire be good for this?

... thanks, Bob, I already downloaded it :)

Regards
Wolfgang

>
> Bob

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Re: System Log Book?

[Bob Staaf]

> > Hi all,
> >
> > I have a question on my mind: What do ye folks out there
use as a system
> > logbook? What I mean is something to keep notes of what
RPMs you installed/
> > upgraded/removed (and when), which configuration files
you changed, etc.pp.
> > - basically notes how you keep the system running.
>
[snip]
>
> BTW: I don't log rpm installs/updates, *if* I run them the
default way:
> this because I get info on them very quickly by simply
doing a
> 'rpm -qa --last' ... the lazy method :) ... oops: this
just gives me the
> idea of doing a 'rpm -qa --last > log file' next time ..
just in case the
> rpm database, or whatever produces this log, will break
... :)
>
> But I'm really looking for a method where my system does
*all* the work
> for logging the stuff I'm doing on it ...
>

Wouldn't Tripwire be good for this?

Bob



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Re: System Log Book?

[Wolfgang Pfeiffer]

On Nov 19, 2001, 09:37 (+0100) Thomas Ribbrock wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I have a question on my mind: What do ye folks out there use as a system
> logbook? What I mean is something to keep notes of what RPMs you installed/
> upgraded/removed (and when), which configuration files you changed, etc.pp.
> - basically notes how you keep the system running.
>
> I've been using hand-edited HTML pages for this task since RHL 4.2, which
  ^^

... tooo much work for me, lazy as I am :) ... I'm using a text editor
(pico/the last time mostly: emacs :)) to write down what I did ... often
just copying and pasting the command and its output from the shell into
this log file, adding the date (last point only if necessary: some
commands automatically give me the time they have been exectd., either
via the log file in /var/log/ running 'live' in a shell in 'tail -f'
mode, or, IIRC, in the shell where they've been exectd. )
... this method ('tho easy and very fast, as most of the time I have
a text editor lying about on my desktop) sometimes leaves me head
scratching when trying to read such a not so very verbose log file ...
but this 'lazy' method at least helps me to log nearly everything I
change on the system ...

BTW: I don't log rpm installs/updates, *if* I run them the default way:
this because I get info on them very quickly by simply doing a
'rpm -qa --last' ... the lazy method :) ... oops: this just gives me the
idea of doing a 'rpm -qa --last > log file' next time .. just in case the
rpm database, or whatever produces this log, will break ... :)

But I'm really looking for a method where my system does *all* the work
for logging the stuff I'm doing on it ...


Regards
Wolfgang

> have the advantage of being editable and readable in both text and GUI mode
> [ ... ]

> Thomas
>

-- 
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http://www.geocities.com/wolfgangpfeiffer


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Re: System Log Book?

[Harry Putnam]

Thomas Ribbrock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:

> I have a question on my mind: What do ye folks out there use as a system
> logbook? What I mean is something to keep notes of what RPMs you installed/
> upgraded/removed (and when), which configuration files you changed, etc.pp.
> - basically notes how you keep the system running.

I use two techniques, one home grown and the other makes use of a
complex tool called `cvs'

Home grown:  
Consists of homeboy scripting that allows me to easily
write short segments of info with special headers and footer to
several specific files.

Works like this:

My scripting allows me to type a command in an xterm
`keyw -i "Important words and identifying phrases" 

After pressing enter my script prompts me for the body of my comments
if needed.

>>> User In put here <<<
Here I type any information or changes I've made in summary.
Then press ^d.

When ^d is pressed an exit `trap' writes the special format around my
input.  So I end  up with a segment like this written to file:

   Keywords: Important words and indentifying phrases
   CURRENT_DATE
   "Any information I typed in gets positioned here
   on as many lines as necessary"
   &&
   
The segment is closed off with a double ampersand.
The above segment is written to specific log file in the format shown.
So that log file contains may such small segments.

My scripting also allows me to quickly search this file for keywords
in the keywords line  and returns any segments with that keyword
present.  Can also be searched by date.  The sripting makes heavy use
of the unix util awk.  And is suprisingly fast and efficient.

That technique handles my observation and personel notes about stuff.
I can make the basic script available on a web site if anyone is
interested.  But understand, it is not a polished professional piece,
more a homegrown working script.  It does some half assed built in
documentation. 

CVS technique:

IMPORTANT CAVEATE:
   Only try the following technique after extensive experimentation with
   `cvs' to ensure you understand how it works before applying this
   technique to important config files.

I use `cvs' (Concurrent Versions System) to keep track of important
config files.  `cvs' is a fully developed complex system designed to
keep track of changes to many files in one place. It requires some
study, but once you have the basic idea you can use it to keep track
of changes and allow referencing past settings in earlier versions.
It works like this for me:
(See `info cvs' for details)

I setup a local cvs repository on one machine, building an internal
file system in it that somewhat mirrors my install.  Just enough to
have similar directories to hold the base documents that resemble my
install.

Here, I mean a base (known as cvsroot) with subdirs resembling my
install: 
   cvsroot/machine_name/etc 
   cvsroot/machine_name/home/$USER
   cvsroot/machine_name/root/bin

And a misc directory to hold configs that are from unusual places (not /etc)
   cvsroot/machine_name/misc

In this repository I keep the actual config files under cvs control.
The details of doing this are lengthy but only need be done once or as
needed after that. (See `info cvs' for full instruction look for
`import' )

Then one `checks out' a working copy of the cvs structure and files.

`cvs checkout MODULE_NAME <==(machine_name in my setup)

This checked out module is then what houses the real config files.
I place symlinks in the OS file system pointing to files inside the
checked out module.
NOTE: Do not do the above unless you understand how cvs works

So things like /etc/fstab, /etc/profile or /etc/syslog.conf are really
symlinks to the checked out working config file in cvs.

lrwxrwxrwx [...] /etc/fstab -> /home/reader/t/209/etc/fstab
lrwxrwxrwx [...] /etc/profile -> /home/reader/t/209/etc/profile
lrwxrwxrwx [...] /etc/syslog.conf -> /home/reader/t/209/etc/syslog.conf

If I edit one of those I'm really editing the checked out cvs copy.
After a series of edits or important single edits one must commit the
changes by issuing a command like `cd MODULE_NAME;cvs commit', cvs then
presents you witn an interface that allows you to commit them to cvs
control, make comments to a log if you like etc.

Once commited cvs allows an easy and accurate way to view earlier
versions or quickly compare any earlier version with the current
version. Any version with any other version etc etc.

This adds some tedium to making config changes to be sure, but is one
very good way to have a really good record of what has been done or
changed.  One learns after while when it is important to `commit' and
when its ok to be lazy.

As I mentioned, cvs is a complex program and requires some study and
experimentation.  I don't recommend actually symlinking any thing as
described above until you fully understand how it works.

One can do the same thing and keep config files where they belong, it
just means an extra step of copying the config to your working cvs
m

Re: System Log Book?

[Jesus Ortega (a.k.a. Nitebirdz)]

On Mon, 19 Nov 2001, Thomas Ribbrock wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I have a question on my mind: What do ye folks out there use as a system
> logbook? What I mean is something to keep notes of what RPMs you installed/
> upgraded/removed (and when), which configuration files you changed, etc.pp.
> - basically notes how you keep the system running.
>
> I've been using hand-edited HTML pages for this task since RHL 4.2, which
> have the advantage of being editable and readable in both text and GUI mode
> and have the advantage over dead-tree docs of being easily searchable (of
> course I have to back them up every now and then, just in case). However,
> manually editing is sometimes too tedious for me to bother - with the
> negative side effect that some things don't get logged... :-}
> Hence, before I start reinventing the wheel: What kind of tools are other
> people using for this task?
>
> Cheerio,
>
> Thomas
>


Thomas,



I've always used a simple ASCII document.  It's really easy to edit from
your favorite editor (Emacs, vi...) and it can just as easily be viewed
from a web browser.




-- 
--
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--
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Mozilla: http://www.mozilla.org



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Re: System Log Book?

[Emmanuel Seyman]

On Mon, Nov 19, 2001 at 09:37:39AM +0100, Thomas Ribbrock wrote:
> 
> I have a question on my mind: What do ye folks out there use as a system
> logbook? What I mean is something to keep notes of what RPMs you installed/
> upgraded/removed (and when), which configuration files you changed, etc.pp.
> - basically notes how you keep the system running.

One of my friends uses RCS on his config file before he edits them.
You might want to try that route.
Actually, the same thing goes for me...

Emmanuel



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System Log Book?

[Thomas Ribbrock]

Hi all,

I have a question on my mind: What do ye folks out there use as a system
logbook? What I mean is something to keep notes of what RPMs you installed/
upgraded/removed (and when), which configuration files you changed, etc.pp.
- basically notes how you keep the system running.

I've been using hand-edited HTML pages for this task since RHL 4.2, which
have the advantage of being editable and readable in both text and GUI mode
and have the advantage over dead-tree docs of being easily searchable (of
course I have to back them up every now and then, just in case). However,
manually editing is sometimes too tedious for me to bother - with the
negative side effect that some things don't get logged... :-}
Hence, before I start reinventing the wheel: What kind of tools are other
people using for this task?

Cheerio,

Thomas
-- 
 http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html
  ...'cause only lusers quote signatures!
 Thomas Ribbrock | http://www.ribbrock.org | ICQ#: 15839919
   "You have to live on the edge of reality - to make your dreams come true!"



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