On 06/25/2015 11:03 AM, James B. Byrne wrote: > On Wed, June 24, 2015 16:11, Chuck Campbell wrote: >> Is there an easy to follow "howto" for normal LVM administration >> tasks. I get tired of googling every-time I have to do something >> I don't remember how to do regarding LVM, so I usually just >> don't bother with it at all. >> >> I believe it has some benefit for my use cases, but I've been >> reticent to use it, since the last time I got LVM problems, I >> lost everything on the volume, and had to restore from backups >> anyway. I suspect I shot myself in the foot, but I >> still don't know for sure. >> > At the risk of some ridicule I suggest that you look at installing > Webmin. It is a web based system administration tool that I find > invaluable. The two most common complaints I encounter when I discuss > its merits are 'security' and 'transparency'. > > The security issue is trivially dealt with. Install Webmin and > configure it to listen on 127.0.0.1 using its standard port TCP10000. > Install Firefox on the same host and then run firefox from an 'ssh -Y' > session using the --noremote option. If you are totally paranoid then > firewall TCP10000 as well, configure Webmin to use https only, and > then only start the webmin service when you are performing > maintenance. > > There are less draconian measures that are in my opinion equally > secure from a practical standpoint but I am sure that you can figure > those out on your own. > > The transparency issue is really unanswerable. There exists a school > of thought that if you are going to administer a Linux system (or OS > of the proponent's choice) then you should learn the command syntax of > every command that you are called upon to use. This is the > one-and-only path to enlightenment. Like upholding motherhood and > promoting the wholesomeness of apple-pie this sort of moralizing > really brooks no answer. You can guess my opinion on that line of > puritanism. > > As you have painfully discovered, infrequently used utilities and > commands are difficult to deal with. The process of learning, or > relearning, the correct arcana is particularly noisome given the > notorious inconsistency of syntaxes across different utilities and the > spotty coverage of up-to-date documentation. Google can be a > dangerous guide given the wide variation of practice across differing > flavours of *nix and the widespread aversion to providing dates on > writings. In consequence I consign transparency arguments and their > proponents to the religious fanatic file. Nothing personal but there > is no point in arguing belief systems. > > If you want to get infrequently performed sysadmin tasks done reliably > and with a minimum of fuss use something like Webmin and get on with > the rest of your life. > > That is fine until suddenly you find yourself without your crutch. -- Stephen Clark *NetWolves Managed Services, LLC.* Director of Technology Phone: 813-579-3200 Fax: 813-882-0209 Email: steve.clark at netwolves.com http://www.netwolves.com