Re: need some ideas concerning cfengine

I ´m using cfengine with CVS in order to detect file changes.

But it is not trivial to know when a change apply.

Can someone be more specific about CVS with cfengine, where can I get such paper ?

Thank you

Gustavo De la Cruz Tovar

Algorithmics Mexico

>From: "Hermann Biller"

>To: Mark.Burgess@iu.hio.no

>CC: help-cfengine@gnu.org

>Subject: Re: need some ideas concerning cfengine

>Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 11:05:22 +0200 (MES)

>Mark.Burgess@iu.hio.no wrote:

> >

> > On 3 Oct, Hermann Biller wrote:

> > > dear cfengine community,

> > >

> > > i'ld like to use cfengine for the following purpose:

> > >

> > > part 1: detect changes in defined files

> > > e.q.

> > > all_machines: ( all_suns all_hps all_linux )

> > > all_machines.checkfiles: ( /etc/hosts /etc/resolv.conf ... )

> > > all_suns.checkfiles: ( /etc/vfstab /etc/dfs/dfstab ... )

> > > on each host these files could be different.

> > > a change of content should be found out by checksum.

> > > a change of permissions should also be monitored.

> > > in case of a change a duty system administrator should be mailed.

> > >

> > > part 2: reconfigure defined files

> > > just do a cfengine job like append a line in /etc/services

> > > if a change was done by a cfengine script the system should recognize

> > > that it is a desired change and not inform the sysadmin about this change

> > >

> > > part 3: log all changes of cfengine scripts in a cvs database

> > > (trivial but neccessary)

> > >

> > > is this plan realizable with cfengine? any recommendations?

> > >

> > > thanks for help,

> > > hermann

> > >

> >

> > These are all trivially acoomplished except for the last one.

> > I'm not sure exactly what you mean, -- you mean your own changes

> > to the config or the changes to /etc/services etc..? If you

> > come to LISA2001 there is a paper about a front-end to cfengine

> > which uses a CVS repository / database things.

>even if i can i don't try to reinvent the wheel. cfengine is just a

>toolchest. but it'ld more powerful if it can be combined with organisation

>examples. it would be nice, to have a directory on the cfengine web-server

>containing examples for common admin tasks.

>even though i'm experienced with a cfengine version 2 years ago,

>to me the solution of my task is not trivial. e.q. to detect changes in

>a file can be solved by having a copy of each host and each file on a

>different place. it also can mean to save md5 checksums in a repository.

>having each configuration file of 100 hosts somewhere in a repository

>means a lot of redundance i'ld avoid if it's not neccessary.

>... so it would save quite a lot of time to have a solution or a

>similar solution nearby, which can be taken as a starting position.

> >

> > Recommendations - if you're starting up now, make sure you use

> > cfengine 2.0.a14 or later. It will save you lots of time

> > later.

>when do you expect the new version will be in a final state?

>i'ld like to finish this work in about 2 weeks

>the following informations would be nice to be part of the INSTALL document.

>(e.q. a new section prerequisites at the beginning of the document)

>it will save some hours of time for those doing installations:

>tools needed to compile cfengine 1.6:

>gcc 2.95 (solaris Workshop does not compile properly, and Irix C resp.)

>glibc

>gmake

>autoinst

>autoconf

>texinfo

>this parts needed to be installed on each host running cfengine:

>berkley db 3.x

>ssl

>(to be completed)

>regards, hermann

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From:	Gustavo De la Cruz Tovar
Subject:	Re: need some ideas concerning cfengine
Date:	Thu, 04 Oct 2001 16:00:13