Re: System administration with GNOME.

[Lauris Kaplinski <lauris ariman ee>]

Steps, in my opinion:

1. Specify universal config file syntax (xml?). It should also specify
in-memory interface (DOM?), CORBA bindings etc.
2. Write real parsers for most existing config files.
3. Write output filters
4. Write GUI

To implement (1) does not mean moving to central registry - only unified
in-memory representation. But you can still dump meta-config-data into
separate (xml?) file - imagine what it means for people needing kickstart
installs etc.
Writing (2) is probably trickiest part (sendmail!) - but if we would have
well-designed (1), it is mostly mechanical work (read spec and write yacc)

Lauris

On 26 Mar 2000, Miguel de Icaza wrote:

> 
> >  -Please no central configuration files. I hate registries.
> 
> I think it is pretty obvious that we have to manipulate the existing
> system files or talk to the existing system services.  I am not
> suggesting we create a meta-Unix, but just that we provide nice
> configuration tools for the existing Unix system.
> 
> Ie, if you want to manipulate inetd services, you would have to be
> able to parse, and update the /etc/inetd.conf properly.  Not any other
> database.
> 
> 
> >  -Use existing configuration tools, since all OS's have their own 
> > usually text based stuff and in the worst case one can edit 
> > configuration files by hand.
> 
> When available, sure.
> 
> >  -Make a central tool that 'ships' with the correct set of plugins a 
> > la linuxconf. Allow plugins to be added. We could have plugins for 
> > firewall, protsentries, device settings, apache.
> 
> A plugin would be basically another set of scripts.  No big deal.
> 
> >  -Like linuxconf, plug yourself in the init sequence, preferably at 
> > the end so that we can reset stuff that might be misconfigured.
> 
> Worth considering, sure.
> 
> Miguel.
> 
> 
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