The network administration system Introduction 11.. PPuurrppoossee netadm is a module which offers advanced capabilities to people who need to: +o Administer other linux computers from their stations +o Administer and synchronize 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 versioning" feature. So you define 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 used 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 named "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" environment in the same way it operates with the standard configuration files found on your station. The content of those files is the same, format wise, as the ones in /etc and friends. As such you can use linuxconf or any other tool to update them (a text editor, a script). The administration tree has no operational role on your machine. Linuxconf access this tree only when +o It is managing it. +o It is publishing some parts of it to some administration groups. 44.. MMaannaaggiinngg rreemmoottee hhoossttss (This function is only available while running Linuxconf in graphical mode). Currently, it is fairly limited. It asks for the name (and domain if needed) of a host and connects to it using the GUI front-end. This will evolve into something nicer where one will be able to define a list of commonly accessed hosts. Also various encapsulating protocols will be available. Ideas for the future include +o Browser to locate other linux hosts on the net +o Direct access to one specific feature of linuxconf (the main menu is not shown) +o 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 Installs configuration files received from an 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 front-end on your station, but talk to a Linuxconf on a remote host. This triggers a menu presenting various hosts for acess. When specifying an argument (a host name), a remote administration connection is established immediately. See the section below on setting special accounts to do remote administration. 55..44.. nneettaaddmm ((nnoo aarrgguummeenntt)) This starts the main menu of the module. 55..55.. AAlltteerrnnaattiivvee wwaayyss ttoo ttrriiggggeerr nneettaaddmm ffrroomm tthhee ccoommmmaanndd lliinnee Linuxconf supports the ability to delegate command line parsing to modules. One way to achieve this is by setting up a symbolic link pointing to /bin/linuxconf . The other way is by using the special syntax linuxconf --modulemain netadm ...