Re: Info about dtxtdb
Hi!
> > There is still the issue of people being able to use the
> > database themselves in case they decide to change settings
> > originally stored there, or a way for a pre/post script to
> > detect changes from the previous installation and fall back
> > to the current behavior (this may quickly render the
> > database useless though). I think this was the stickiest
IMO, making an application that would update the database after
the files are modified is not so difficult. Most config files
are in a parseable format. But the goal I was trying to achieve
is simpler.... Installing Debian is bored becouse answaring the
questions is bored. Sometimes it is usefull, but after the first
time, it is BORED. Just imagine installing debian on 100 computers.
I use rdist to copy the files here, at job. But I know this is not
THE Way. New users get scared of those questions whose answers they
don´t know... If we could distribute some preconfigured answers
for some situations (lets say... home machine, home machine with phone
conection to internet, office server, internet server...) then
installing the system would be pretty simple. The database that we
should build maybe just a text file with entries like...
apache_question1{"Load module foo?",Y,N}="Y"
apache_question2{"Activate Proxy?",Y,N}="N"
apache_question3{"Document root?"}="/var/www"
and let the maintainer supply a default configuration (never
repeating the tag for a concrete question). Then the debask
application should be given as parameter the package and the
tag (question1, question2...). Maybe the tags name should be
more explicative ;-)
If the sysadmin modifies the /etc/apache/httpd.conf file, and
we want the database to be sync with the configuration, the
an extra program should be made, that would parse the config
file and modify the database. Perhaps there is something I am
missing, but that will do the job for me.
A program to modify both the config and the database files could
be developed and documented, making life even easier for admins.
> > I'm glad someone is interested in getting something going
> > again. The prospect of waiting for Caldera to produce a
> > commercial product (with dependencies on another commercial
> > product, and a scripting language we've not yet adopted as
> > standard) doesn't thrill me.
I would love to see a fully working application that could be used
to configure machines over networks, with the ease of use of a
microwave ;-) If some day it arises to be possible, I would try
to adopt it. But while it is not a real product, I would want to
have some little helpers. :-)
C U!
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