SysAdmin - Tracking System Changes

JoeCotellese

Hello,

I am the system adminstrator of a small network (<30) mixed Windows/Gentoo systems. I'm looking for some advice about keeping track of system changes. The Windows boxes are all managed by the individual users (we don't have a very strict internal policy), the three gentoo boxes are managed by me. When I make changes to a system, I try to log the information into a book so I can remember what I've done. I have attempted to keep track of changes to configuration files in Perforce but that doesn't always happen. Has anyone implemented a good policy for managing multiple systems that they would like to share? What I would really love is an automated way to maintain a history of all changes to a system. Does anything like this exist?

ToeiRei · Veteran Joined: 03 Jan 2005 Posts: 1191 Location: Austria

You could use changetrack - it is not in the portage tree.
The system checks for changes in files and mails you the diff. If you use IMAP you could use a public folder for storing those mails just like a Changes-File

Rei
_________________
Please stand by - The mailer daemon is busy burning your messages in hell...

slam_head · Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 5:00 pm Post subject:

I would also be interested in apps for administering multiple gentoo boxes. Is there a tool you can use to build packages on one machine and then push them out to others on your network?

ToeiRei · Veteran Joined: 03 Jan 2005 Posts: 1191 Location: Austria

If your boxes outside are all the same it is no problem. You know, different use-Flags...

What you could do is using Buildpkg in your features and share your package-directory. With the binhost-variable (please look in make.conf manpage for the correct syntax) you could let your other boxes download the Packages and install them.

Rei
_________________
Please stand by - The mailer daemon is busy burning your messages in hell...