Linuxconf features

User interface concern

There are four user interfaces for Linuxconf planned. Three are already done.

A text based interface
Linuxconf takes control pretty early at boot time when not much is enabled, especially not the X window system. A text based interface is required. Beside, this interface works everywhere, on the console, on a terminal, using a telnet session or logged in using a simple modem.
A web interface
Linuxconf may be operate with your favorite Web browser. Features of a web browser such as bookmarks, multiple pages and hotlinks make remote management a dream. You don't have to install an httpd server to get this features. Linuxconf handles the http protocol itself and is started from the inetd server.
A graphical interface (Available since 1.9r26-12)
Linuxconf has two GUI front end. One is done in Java and is expected to operated either standalone of from a browser. The other is done with the wxXT toolkit and is already operationnal. Click here and here to learn more.
Linuxconf is expected to evolved with some monitoring and diagnostic facilities and the graphical user interface will be best suited to implement those new features.
A command line interface
All too often, command line interface is just forgotten. In some OS, it does not exist. When facing special tasks, nothing can beat a shell script. A good example of this is the DNS management available in Linuxconf.
Linuxconf has a nice dialog to add and edit one host definition in a DNS. This is fine for day to day maintenance. But what about converting a large /etc/hosts file to DNS format. Entering each host one by one using any user interface is not fun. The following command will add one host. Building a script around it to add a thousand is easy.

/sbin/dnsconf --set host ip_number

Why is it "hot"

Linuxconf is both a configurator and an activator. It is the one which decide if ...

A daemon must be started.
A configuration command must be executed.
A daemon must be killed/restarted.
A daemon must be signaled (kill -HUP ...).
A network interface must be (re)configured.
A network route must be set/remove.
A volume must be (re)mount.
Firewalling rules must be updated.

Linuxconf acts based on configuration files. It knows about most Linux configuration files and can compare their status with what is running currently. Based on this query, Linuxconf can bring your system "current". Whether you use Linuxconf's user interface or edit the configuration files by hand is unimportant. The following command

linuxconf --status

will give you a report of what has to be done to bring the system "current".

linuxconf --update

will do it for you!

Rebooting is simply not an option anymore. This is really its main goal. Every time you quit Linuxconf (Or use the option "Activate configuration" of the linuxconf's control panel), it will probe all configuration files and make sure your workstation is "current". If it is not, it will tell you what have to be done and do it (you are allowed not to do it).

The above paragraphs show that there is indeed a command line way of doing things and a menu driven user interface also.

Linuxconf takes control very early

One component of linuxconf is called "askrunlevel". It takes control very early. A call to /sbin/askrunlevel must be placed at the end of your /etc/rc.d/rc.S file (or equivalent such as /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit on redhat systems). This utility allows you to select a proper runlevel (logical operation mode) or to completly reconfigured your system even before the boot sequence is finished. From this utility, you are allowed to ...

Start Linux in graphical mode (xdm) and fully activate the networking.
Go graphic, without networking.
Run as an X terminal.
Start in text mode, full networking.
Text mode, no network.
Configure the workstation.

Linuxconf allows you to configure the workstation even before it is fully booted. This is a winner as it saves you from false start boot (often with an invalid network configuration).

What Linuxconf knows so far

knows how to configure and managed the following things.

System time, time zone, CMOS clock.
LILO management.
Basic networking configuration (IP numbers and net mask) of the four network adaptors.
IPX interface setup.
Static routing. Default route.
Filesystems (/etc/fstab).
Routed daemon.
NIS client (ypbind).
NFS server.
PPP client configuration and activation.
User accounts and groups.
Shadow account policies.
The named daemon. Yes Linuxconf provides a friendly interface to configure and maintain a complete DNS. Check this out!
Sendmail, virtual email domain. Check this out!
Fire-walling (Packet filtering).
RARP setup.
DHCP
IP Alias setup.
UUCP management.
Disk quota management.

Further, Linuxconf provides a friendly interface to configure theses files and more.

/etc/fstab
/etc/host.conf
/etc/hosts
/etc/networks
/etc/resolv.conf

Command line mode

Linuxconf provide a command line mode allowing better integration with shell scripts. Here is a sample

netconf --runlevel local | client | server
netconf --status
netconf --update
netconf --connect pppaccount
dnsconf --set host ip-number ...
dnsconf --unset host

The dnsconf utility should be easily integrated with the DHCP daemon, allowing full synchronization with the DNS.

Web mode

You can point your favorite web browser to any linuxconf's managed linux station and fully configure it. This is a major feature for remote administration.

Translation system

Linuxconf is built with a sophisticated translation system allowing almost anyone to translate it for other language and track the the new releases without pain.

Click here to learn more about this.

If you want to contribute and jump into translation, read the two documents

Translating all the messages of the user interface should be done in few hours. Translating all the helps will take somewhat longer :-)

Documentation

Linuxconf has online help (context) for most screen. (49 out of 69 help screen are done). This represent a lot of work. Comments and some help are welcome.