Date: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 12:00:42 -0700 From: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au> To: njs3@doc.ic.ac.uk (Niall Smart) Cc: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com>, "Matthew D. Fuller" <fullermd@futuresouth.com>, Peter van Heusden <pvh@leftside.wcape.school.za>, freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Adding a new user interface to FreeBSD administration Message-ID: <199806271900.MAA15753@antipodes.cdrom.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 24 Jun 1998 21:26:24 BST." <E0yow7c-0003A3-00@oak67.doc.ic.ac.uk>
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> On Jun 23, 9:48pm, "Jordan K. Hubbard" wrote: > } Subject: Re: Adding a new user interface to FreeBSD administration > > > So, the first step is to write scripts/programs to create/edit the > > > various config files: pppconfig, maybe some nice wrappers around pw, > > > syslogconf, even a profileconf and cshconf, heck, let's complicate things > > > more and make a rc.confconf. Just find every config file that people > > > > Eeek. I think this might have been a transitional approach of value > > some 4-5 years ago, but nowadays we have namespace pollution and the > > fact that front-ending things in this fashion is something which > > proved its limitations and went out of fashion almost a decade ago. > > If we're going to do something now, let's stick with 90's techniques > > at least. :-) > > What do you mean Jordan? A windows style registry? LDAP? Why do people insist on calling it "windows style"? We *definitely* need to dig up old Apollo machines and hand them around; preferably bouncing them off peoples' toes as we do. LDAP provides an access method for parametric information. It's open, working source is available, it supports everything we could want. If you want to play more with LDAP, Netscape have released their client API sources under the NPL; see http://www.mozilla.org. It builds shiny-clean under FreeBSD (which is a supported platform); this in conjunction with the UMich server gives us lots of infrastructure. If you're looking for a topic worth some serious discussion and perhaps debate, how about considering a naming scheme suitable for storing parametric attributes including, but not limited to: - system configuration data, both per-system and per-system-group (eg. netgroup) - application configuration, where the identifying tokens may include user, user-group, application, application-group, system, system-group. - user parametric information, per-user and per-user-group. Note that there are probably already RFCs covering some or all of these topics, with their own pros and cons. I'm inclined to hand the torch to Terry here, as this is more his domain than mine. -- \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
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