Re: [tlug] server installation best practices/ worksheet

["Erin D. Hughes" <erin-hughes@example.com>]

Micheal Cooper wrote:
> While I know that there are no easy answers to questions like what is 
> the best way to set up a database or web server, it seems there should 
> be resources like worksheets for server installations.
Something like a check list sounds like what you are looking for. A 
quick google for "server installation checklists" got me results from 
HP, Dell and IBM, but like you said "no easy answers". It depends on the 
servers role.

At work we use Solaris and every single server is jumpstarted from our 
jumpstart server (who'd a thunk). This ensures a standard build, and 
reduces the amount of customization you need to get the server up and 
running.
From that it is mounted to a NetApp and you then navigate to the 
location in the /usr/local/src/ directory that has the install list of 
software for that server. IE; http, smtp vmx etc.... and finish your 
customization from there.

While it is not always perfect it is a good start or baseline to work 
with to get a server up and running quickly.

For other Distros REDHAT has kickstart
Ubuntu has system-config-kickstart
Debian has FAI
Also I saw some one do a pkg-info?? or dpkg?? command (in Debian) pipe 
it to a text file and then scp the text file to the new server and do a 
package install off of that which was very quick and cool. Unfortunately 
I cant remember all of the commands.
> Or would this be better handled with Webmin?
Webmin?ãI haven't used it in about 4 years so I am not sure what it can 
do now. Does it have some kind of baseline or pkg installation checking? 
If it does, there is a command you can run by hand or in your own script 
that will be 10 times easier and more exact. I remember waiting for it 
to load a page of information on a busy web server then finding out all 
I had to do was run one command that took about 1/2 a second.

E./


--
Erin D. Hughes 
GMO Internet,