The network administration system Introduction 11.. PPuurrppoossee netadm is a module which offers advances capabilities to people who need to: · Administer other linux computers from their stations · Administer and synchronise a large amount of linux computers from a single master station. 22.. AAddmmiinn ggrroouupp ddeeffiinniittiioonn An admin group is a set of machines which are sharing some config files or some parts of some config files. In linuxconf parlance, they are sharing some sub-systems. The concept of sub-system is the same used for the "system profile versionning" feature. So you defined here which machines are sharing what and from where it comes. 33.. AAddmmiinn ttrreeeess mmaannaaggeemmeenntt An administration tree is a set of files and directories which form the configuration of a linux station. A configuration tree has a name. The name is use to create a sub-directory in /etc/linuxconf/admtrees Each tree is a replication of the layout in /etc, /var and friends. So for example, for a tree name "mynet", you have files like /etc/linuxconf/admtrees/mynet/etc/group /etc/linuxconf/admtrees/mynet/etc/passwd /etc/linuxconf/admtrees/mynet/etc/hosts /etc/linuxconf/admtrees/mynet/etc/ppp/pap-secrets . . Linuxconf has the ability to operate in this "sub" environnement in the same way it operates with the standard configuration files found on your station. The content of those file is the same, format wize, as the ones in /etc and friends. As such you can use linuxconf to update them or any other means (a text editor, a script). The administration tree has no operationnal role on your machine. Linuxconf access this tree only when · It is managing it. · It is publishing some parts of it to some administration groups. When you enter this menu 44.. MMaannaaggiinngg rreemmoottee hhoossttss (This function is only available while running linuxconf in graphical mode). Currently, it is fairly limited. It ask for the name (and domain if needed) of a host and connects to it using the GUI frontend. This will evolve to something nicer where one will be able to define a list of commonly accessed host. Also various encapsulating protocols will be available. Ideas for the future include · Browser to locate other linux host on the net · Direct access to one specific feature of linuxconf (the main menu is not shown) · Other support protocols. Comments are welcome. 55.. CCoommmmaanndd lliinnee uussaaggee The netadm module has its own set of command line options. You can enable command line usage by doing. ln -s /bin/linuxconf /bin/netadm Here are the various command line options 55..11.. nneettaaddmm ----hheellpp This presents a screen showing the available options 55..22.. nneettaaddmm ----iimmppoorrtt aaddmmiinn--ggrroouupp Install configuration files received from and administration workstation. Those files are stored in /etc/linuxconf/admgroups/"admin-group". 55..33.. nneettaaddmm ----rreemmaaddmm hhoosstt This is used for remote administration where you run the GUI frontend on your station, but talk to a linuxconf on a remote host. This triggers a menu presenting various hosts you are accessing. When specifying a an argument (a host name), a remote administration connection is established immediatly. See the section below on setting special accounts to do remote administration. >sect1>netadm (no argument) This starts the main menu of the module. 55..44.. AAlltteerrnnaattiivvee wwaayy ttoo ttrriiggggeerr nneettaaddmm ffrroomm tthhee ccoommmmaanndd lliinnee Linuxconf supports the ability to delegate command line parsing to modules. One way to achieve that is by setting up a symbolic link pointing to /bin/linuxconf . The other way is by using the special syntax linuxconf --modulemain netadm ...