On Wed, 11 Feb 1998, Tim Sailer wrote: > I guess I didn't explain real well the first time, although I enjoyed > the thread.. > > On this compute farm, they want to make changes to 1 machine, as in > adding a package, changing a config file, etc and having the resultant > changes reflected on the other 199 machines, without having to go > to each machine and tweak it. Installing the machines will be a > short, but intense process, but they are looking for long range admin > solutions.
isn't this sort of thing precisely what cfengine is for? cfengine is available as a debian package. rdist/rsync/ssh can also be useful for remote admin too... BTW, what makes them think that RH can do this any easier than debian? looks like cfengine is orphaned at the moment....it has been updated to libc6 already, though. /debian/dists/unstable/main/binary-i386$ dpkg -I admin/cfengine_1.3.19-2.deb new debian package, version 2.0. size 229684 bytes: control archive= 1078 bytes. 79 bytes, 3 lines * conffiles 818 bytes, 21 lines control 665 bytes, 21 lines * postinst #!/bin/sh 90 bytes, 7 lines * prerm #!/bin/sh Package: cfengine Version: 1.3.19-2 Section: admin Priority: optional Architecture: i386 Depends: libc6 Installed-Size: 428 Maintainer: (orphaned) Description: A tool for configuring and maintaining network machines The main purpose of cfengine is to allow the system administrator to create a single central file which will define how every host on a network should be configured. . cfengine is also useful as an interpreter for a general scripting language for ordinary users. It is handy for tidying up junk files and for maintaining `watchdog' scripts to manage access rights and permissions on files when collaborating with other users. . It takes a while to set up cfengine for a network (especially an already existing network), but once that is done you will wonder how you ever lived without it! craig -- Craig Sanders Systems Administrator VICNET- Victoria's Network http://www.vicnet.net.au Ph: +61 3 9669 9684 Fax: +61 3 9669 9805 ** nothing is true, everything is permitted ** -- TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] .