Re: RANCID for server config

On Monday 26 April 2004 10:51 pm, joshua sahala wrote:
> On (26/04/04 13:33), Dashamir Hoxha wrote:
> > I think that RANCID can be used as well for keeping track
> > of the changes in the configuration files of a server.
> > Has anybody tried to modify RANCID for this purpose,
> > or do you know any tool that does a similiar job?
> > Because I don't want to reinvent the wheel.
>
> i would recommend tripwire (www.tripwire.org) for this

I know tripwire, but I think it is not what I need; I don't think
tripwire is integrated with CVS, is it?

What I need is this: I want to keep track of all the modifications=20
made in configuration files (by me or by any authorized person)=20
so that I can review them and revert them back if neccessary.

When I install a server, I usually do a standard installation.
Services and the other things have a default configuration
(which is made by RedHat or whoever prepared the distribution),
which is fine for me most of the times.  However, I need to
customize the configuration for some services, to install any
new packages etc.  Then, time after time, I make some modifications
to improve them, install new packages that are needed, etc.
(because I can't always do things right, in the first time).

I have to document all the changes that I make in the server,
when I did this, who did this and when, etc.  After all, I need
the final state of the modified config files, in case I have to
re-install the server from the scratch.  Not having them is
disastrous for me because I will have to spend the same time
that I spent in the beginning for installing them.  However,
I find a little bit hard to keep notes for all the changes that
I make in the server.  CVS would be ideal for this purpose, but
how?

When I saw RANCID+ViewCVS, I thought that this could be the solution.
The same idea used by RANCID can be employed to keep track of the
modifications of the config files: copy the config files that we need
to track in a CVS module then sincronize them with the CVS repository
(commit them); do this automatically time after time.  The e-mails
that are generated can keep informed all the server admins (if there
are more than one), all the modifications can be reviewed easily
from ViewCVS, and in case that something goes wrong, the changes can
be reverted back easily.  The same CVS repository can be used for the
configs of more than one server.

Tripwire may be good, but it is a security tool, it is a little bit
heavy, and it may not have integration with CVS.  What I need is
something different, which can keep people informed about the config
of the server(s), and which assumes that there are no deadly dangers
for them.

Sorry if this is a little bit off the topic of toolmakers.

Regards,
Dashamir