[CentOS] system management - what do you use to manage your CentOS systems?

Lee W centos-list at unassemble.co.uk
Mon Apr 4 17:29:47 UTC 2005


Greg Knaddison wrote:

>Having never used RHN...what is the functionality you are looking for
>from a server based implementation of RHN?  It sounds like quite a bit
>of work and I think that cron and some shell scripting could get a
>similar task done.
>
>Something like:
>https://lists.dulug.duke.edu/pipermail/yum/2005-March/006188.html
>
>What would this "RHN-like" functionality get you beyond the nag emails
>from that cron script?  I tried reading about the functions of
>"current" but couldn't find them on the website.
>
>Greg
>_______________________________________________
>CentOS mailing list
>CentOS at centos.org
>http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
>
>  
>
The biggest advantage is from a glance being able to:-

1) See what systems has what software installed
2) See which systems need critical updates applied.
3) The ability to automatically update software/rollout software onto a 
number of machines from a central location.
4) See which systems have not checked in for a given time and notify the 
user to connect them to the network to receive new updates (e.g. Laptop 
Users).
5) And probably the biggest reason, is that it links in with the errate 
database so you immediate visability of what systems are affected by 
what vunerability.

Whilst I would agree with the that much of this could be done though 
cron scripts, the RHN and (less central ways such as) YUM is that they 
both get though Firewalls quite easily.

The main thing I hate about RHN (despite up2date's GUI buggyness) is 
that it is red hat who control it.  Even there highest level product 
(Satallite version) does not give the adaptabily the comes from most 
other open-source and freely available solutions.

Regards

Lee



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