MCslp

Using alternative methods to manage and monitor your Unix Servers

I have for a long time been using a number of non-typical solutions for the management of my internal servers and, up until recently, those of my clients. I mentioned this in one of my first posts at Computerworld (RSS as and administration tool), so it was only a matter of time before I shared the techniques with others.

You can now read my new tutorial are developerWorks on using alternative methods to manage and monitor your Unix servers. There are a number of key elements here:

• Using a blog to record changes and important events
• Using a Wiki to record configuration and setup information
• Using Subversion to record configuration history
• Some other, related, points such as security, onsite/offsite considerations and how to combine services to simplify the process even further.

Go and read the full article for more information: Use alternative methods to manage and monitor your UNIX servers.

Computerworld Podcast on the T1000

Computerworld’s podcast this week features a short interview with me on my aventures with the T1000.

The podcast Computerworld Input Output: The NYPD’s expanded data warehouse; testing out Sun’s T1000.

For the in-depth review of the T1000: T1000 in more detail

System Administrators Toolkit: Managing NIS services for authorizations

Managing your authentication service across your network can be achieved in many different ways, but there is a solution that has been available for years that provides synchronized authentication service, and that was designed to work with the Network File System (NFS) for identifying files and access.

The content of the article, as described by the intro:

Examine how to set up, configure, and update a Network Information System (NIS) installation for sharing information, and learn how NIS can be merged with other solutions, such as files and Domain Name System (DNS), to provide subnet, network, and worldwide data sharing facilities. In a large UNIX network, the ability to share information among the many systems helps to alleviate many problems, such as sharing permissions across different systems with Network File System (NFS), or simply providing a single login for the entire network.

Read System Administration Toolkit: Managing NIS services for authorizations.

System Administrators Toolkit: Backing up key information

Keeping a copy of the vital information that makes up your Unix environment could mean the difference between working again after a failure in hours compared to days. In the latest of my System Administrators Toolkit guide, I examine how best to identify and then back up the files that make up your system - not the data, but the configuration files, drivers and other elements that make you system unique.

In the article, I cover:

• How to identify the right files, and what to consider
• Simple script using tar to back up the files you want
• Script for deleting files by date or age
• Using rsync for backups

Read System Administration Toolkit: Backing up key information

Opening up comments (thanks Akismet)

For a long time I disabled comments on the site because I received a huge amount of comment spam. I’ve been running with Akismet now for months (and filtered over 11,000 items in the process), so I’m going to open up the site for comments.

You’re still going to need to register, but otherwise feel free to get involved!

Live Search Plugin

I’ve noticed that a larger number of people come to the site and start searching for a particular entry, so I’ve decided to add the excellent Wordpress Live Search Plugin to the site.

Now when you search, you’ll get a live list beneath the search panel of the matching posts, which you can click on to go straight to the post in question.

Installing the plugin itself is easy, download it, put it in your plug-in directory, and enable it. Providing you’ve used the standard search panel, the live component is enabled immediately.

The Live Search plugin has been enabled on the MCslp Coalface and Planet MCslp sites too.

System Administrators Toolkit: Standardizing your UNIX command-line tools

The latest article in my System Administration Toolkit series at IBM developerWorks has been released. This article on ways of simplifying and standardizing your environment and command-line tools within a heterogeneous environment.

As someone who regularly switches between Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris, to name but a few, I will often find myself using the wrong command on one host, but one which is perfectly valid on another. I’ve developed a number of different methods and solutions for that over the years, and this article covers the main solutions, including:

• Using aliases
• Using inline shell functions
• Using scripts
• Using a single source

Read System Administration Toolkit: Standardizing your UNIX command-line tools