Date: Sat, 6 Jul 1996 01:18:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Jim Dennis <jim@starshine.org> To: terry@lambert.org (Terry Lambert) Cc: gpalmer@FreeBSD.ORG, ron@infi.net, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: SysAdmin Tools - ideas wanted Message-ID: <199607060818.BAA06119@starshine> In-Reply-To: <199607052057.NAA15501@phaeton.artisoft.com> from "Terry Lambert" at Jul 5, 96 01:57:49 pm
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> > Hrm. I have a bunch of mail sat in my mailbox on this subject. It's a > > very interesting subject to deal with properly. I think I can say now > > that you're heading down the wrong road. A tcl/tk front end, while > > nice, doesn't provide the facilities needed IMHO, unless you TOTALLY > > separate the tcl end out so that it can be run standalone from the > > command line, and in a batch operation mode (i.e. non-interactive). > > Yes yes yes. I'd prefer to see an implementation that provided the front-end and had that front end build a command line (or series of command lines). Then the interface could allow the admin to look at the command-line (did my menu selections translate to the sort of command I would have used?) allow verification or editing and it can log the commands that were issued. This has the advantage of allowing the new admin to use the friendly interface; while showing him or here what the correspondng commands are. It also allows good auditing (throught the log files) and allows the admin to cut and paste command sequences out (i.e. add one user through the interface and use the generate commands and some editing macros or text scripts to build a script that performs the other four hundred additions). This also has the considerable advantage of ensuring that no features creep into the UI/admin tool that have no corresponding commandline method and permitting exellent quality assurance (over *what **exactly** was done!*). > The GUI/text/sysadm/etc. front end should be totally seperate from > the database manipulation tools invoked to back-end the administration. Not separate -- build "in front of" (from which we get the term "front end"). > > I'd like to see one program for a front end, and multiple tools > that get invoked as a result of front end manipulation. > > Tcl/tk are OK for the fornt end tool, but not the backend implementation. Some parts of the back end might be implemented as 'expect' scripts. > > If you want to wait a few days, I can start up an e-mail dialogue with > > you on this ... I'm a bit busy working on the release of 2.1.5 at the > > minute. > > Jordan has some stuff to say on this as well (I assume he's busy too). > > Terry Lambert > terry@lambert.org > --- > Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present > or previous employers. I find this disclaimer amusing since you seem to be posting from your own domain. BTW: This is my new home (formerly of McAfee Associates). 'starshine.org' has been created for Heather (my fiancee) and I to indulge our hobby and advocation (which is coincidentally a profession for each of us). Over the next couple of weeks I'll be playing with the uucp configuration here (have mail working -- news and file xfers are next), creating some web pages (virtually hosted -- http://www.starshine.org, of course) and ftp site (ftp://ftp.starshine.org) doing some research and programming (specifically brushing up on my perl -- especially taint and suid perl techniques for cgi and administrative automation), and teaching myself some Java. After a couple of weeks I might be available for some contracting and consulting projects (I've already got some offers and I've been approach by some prospective full-time employers -- gosh I love living in the $ilicon Valley). Please note: If you have a project that I might find interesting -- drop me a line -- I'll be doing some projects for free (only requirements are that they be *interesting* and *worthy* -- i.e. beneficial to the common good). I think the first order of business is to get FreeBSD on this box, to replace this aging Slackware/Linux distribution. Jim Dennis, former System Administrator, McAfee Associates
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