Summary

This page summarizes the evaluation of system administration frameworks. It uses SysAdminFrameworkEvaluationCriteria to guide the evaluation.

TBD means To Be Defined : don't hesitate to fill the gaps ! If you add a new product, copy the existing product evaluation and modify it.

Product evaluation

Ebox platform

EBox platform

Overview :
- In which language(s) is the product written ?
  - perl
- Which other components/products/packages are needed ?
  - openldap, samba, cups, openvpn
- Which platform is targeted ?
  - linux, especially debian derivatives.
- Which license is used ?
  - GPL.
Packaging :
- How does upstream distributes the product ?
  - Installation CD (debian package source available in SVN)
- Does upstream provide packages ?
  - Yes, for Debian stable.
Frontend :
- What type of frontend is provided ?
  - Web interface:
    - Is it possible to modify the look'n'feel of the interface ? How ?
      - While not being explicitly themable, eBox emits sensible looking html, so theming it should be a matter of simply dropping in a new .css.
  - Graphical UI:
    - No
  - Console UI:
    - No
  - Command line script:
    - No
- How is user management handled ?
  - What type of user authentication is supported ?
    - LDAP
  - Does it support access control ?
    - No.
Backend :
- Is there a clear separation of the backend and the frontend ? How ?
  - TBD
- Is it possible to have multiple frontend ?
  - TBD
- How does the framework handle configuration modification made by another component ?
  - TBD
- How is the configuration stored ?
  - gconf
- How are the local configuration files generated ?
  - Uses a template engine :mason.
Other features:
- Does the framework support multiple server management ?
  - Which protocol is used to communicate between servers ? A SOAP based method for managing multiple servers is in the works, but not anywhere near completion at this point.
- Does the framework support rollback of previous configuration ?
  - No
- Is it possible to view changes between two configurations ?
  - No
- Is it possible to view which modification are going to be applied before committing them ?
  - No
- Is there an auditing system (logs which actions have been done by who) ?
  - No
- How to add a new service to the framework ?
  - TBD

Puppet

Puppet is system administration — Automated.

Overview :
- In which language(s) is the product written ?
  - ruby
- Which other components/products/packages are needed ?
  - Ex: mysql, postgresql, ldap, an xml parser.
    TBD
- Which platform is targeted ?
  - Ex: linux, debian.
    TBD
- Which license is used ?
  - Ex: GPL, BSD, Commercial.
    TBD
Packaging :
- How does upstream distributes the product ?
  - Ex: a tar file.
    TBD
- Does upstream provide packages ?
  - Ex: package for debian, ubuntu.
    TBD
Frontend :
- What type of frontend is provided ?
  - Web interface:
    - Is it possible to modify the look'n'feel of the interface ? How ?
      - Ex: change the css file in the template directory.
        TBD
  - Graphical UI:
    - Which environment is used ?
      - Ex: gnome, kde, gtk, qt, Xlib.
        TBD
  - Console UI:
    - Which environment is used ?
      - Ex: ncurse.
        TBD
  - Command line script:
    - Ex: bash script, perl script.
      TBD
- How is user management handled ?
  - What type of user authentication is supported ?
    - Ex: ldap, password file.
      TBD
  - Does it support access control ?
    - Ex: Alice can configure service A and B. Bob can only configure B.
      TBD
Backend :
- Is there a clear separation of the backend and the frontend ? How ?
  - Ex: Uses a client/server model.
    TBD
- Is it possible to have multiple frontend ?
  - TBD
- How does the framework handle configuration modification made by another component ?
  - Ex: the dhcpd.conf file has been edited by hand. Will the framework overwrite it ? How will the framework react ?
    TBD
- How is the configuration stored ?
  - Ex: xml file, directly in the configuration files.
    TBD
- How are the local configuration files generated ?
  - Ex: template engine (which one).
    TBD
Other features:
- Does the framework support multiple server management ?
  - TBD
  - Which protocol is used to communicate between servers ?
- Does the framework support rollback of previous configuration ?
  - TBD
- Is it possible to view changes between two configurations ?
  - TBD
- Is it possible to view which modification are going to be applied before committing them ?
  - TBD
- Is there an auditing system (logs which actions have been done by who) ?
  - TBD
- How to add a new service to the framework ?
  - TBD

gadmintools

GADMINTOOLS consists of several easy to use C / GTK+ server administration tools.

Overview :
- In which language(s) is the product written ?
  - C
- Which other components/products/packages are needed ?
  - Ex: mysql, postgresql, ldap, an xml parser.
    TBD
- Which platform is targeted ?
  - Ex: linux, debian.
    TBD
- Which license is used ?
  - Ex: GPL, BSD, Commercial.
    TBD
Packaging :
- How does upstream distributes the product ?
  - Ex: a tar file.
    TBD
- Does upstream provide packages ?
  - Ex: package for debian, ubuntu.
    TBD
Frontend :
- What type of frontend is provided ?
  - Web interface:
    - Is it possible to modify the look'n'feel of the interface ? How ?
      - No
  - Graphical UI:
    - Which environment is used ?
      - gtk+
  - Console UI:
    - Which environment is used ?
      - No
  - Command line script:
    - Ex: bash script, perl script.
      TBD
- How is user management handled ?
  - What type of user authentication is supported ?
    - Ex: ldap, password file.
      TBD
  - Does it support access control ?
    - Ex: Alice can configure service A and B. Bob can only configure B.
      TBD
Backend :
- Is there a clear separation of the backend and the frontend ? How ?
  - Ex: Uses a client/server model.
    TBD
- Is it possible to have multiple frontend ?
  - TBD
- How does the framework handle configuration modification made by another component ?
  - Ex: the dhcpd.conf file has been edited by hand. Will the framework overwrite it ? How will the framework react ?
    TBD
- How is the configuration stored ?
  - Ex: xml file, directly in the configuration files.
    TBD
- How are the local configuration files generated ?
  - Ex: template engine (which one).
    TBD
Other features:
- Does the framework support multiple server management ?
  - TBD
  - Which protocol is used to communicate between servers ?
- Does the framework support rollback of previous configuration ?
  - TBD
- Is it possible to view changes between two configurations ?
  - TBD
- Is it possible to view which modification are going to be applied before committing them ?
  - TBD
- Is there an auditing system (logs which actions have been done by who) ?
  - TBD
- How to add a new service to the framework ?
  - TBD

Discussion

CategorySpec