Subject: [LON-CAPA-dev] webmin

From: Scott Harrison <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 12:20:25 -0500

Dear All:

I came across a pretty effective and thorough
web-based system administration tool:

http://www.webmin.com/webmin/screens.html
http://www.webmin.com/webmin/intro.html

This may just be a source of ideas to pick
from, or maybe some of the code is useful
(or maybe the package if suitably customized).

At least it shows web-based administration
is doable... I originally read quite a few
positive things about it on a mailing list.

(However, feature overload and security are
obviously factors in all of this.)

Regards,
Scott

-- 
Scott Harrison -- Graduate Student
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Mich. State. Univ., East Lansing, MI
[email-masked], 517-353-0998

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From: Felicia Berryman <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 12:34:18 -0500

Hi Scott,

> obviously factors in all of this.)

Looking at the screen shots, I think it might be nice to have a page
which gives some very common commands (i.e. update rpms) and then put a
link/button called advanced features to the other page.  That way,
system overload is controlled, but the accessibility is still there if
someone really loves using the web interface.

I'm truly not trying to be annoying, but "webmin" might be a great name
for the handhold idea that you were trying to communicate.  Especially
if you use the code from webmin, it will give credit to it.

Felicia
--
Felicia Berryman
LON-CAPA Coordinator
Michigan State University
  Email:  [email-masked]
  Phone:  (517)432-9866  
http://www.lon-capa.org

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From: Scott Harrison <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 12:53:34 -0500

Dear Felicia:

So, the user selects his/her role as "wb:Web-based System Management"
(which we refer to as webmin for short... and probably use some webmin
code--ideally use a )...

then what next?

Judging from the complexity of options, at some point we may want to
stay away from remote control-based browsing...

Though the remote control can be used as a launch point for common
tasks.  It could help to think of what these common tasks are...

RPM updating
Testing
Status Reports
Process handling
Unix user management
Cron job management
Printer configuration
Samba
NFS
Appletalk
Time synchronization
Disk usage monitoring

I'm not sure if I can come up with a total list (or veto things
like printer configuration) correctly.  Simpler the better of course....

Regards,
Scott

Felicia Berryman wrote:
> _______________________________________________
> LON-CAPA-dev mailing list
> [email-masked]
> http://mail.lon-capa.org/mailman/listinfo/lon-capa-dev

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From: Guy Albertelli II <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 13:13:31 -0500 (EST)

Hi Scott,

> stay away from remote control-based browsing...

I would aggree.

Do something like CSTR, or STAT does, provide buttons and actions not
on the Remote.
-- 
[email-masked]        BM: n^20 t20 z20 qS 
Guy Albertelli -7-9-8-  O-
    I would love to but . . . I prefer to remain an enigma.

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From: Felicia Berryman <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 14:18:32 -0500

Hi Scott,

> tasks.  It could help to think of what these common tasks are...

Let's say we had to stop supporting the High School servers and their
administrators had to take over and continue maintaining things just as
they are now.  IF this is the case, then I think the following tools
would be best:

RPM updating
Unix user management
Samba
Appletalk

The other tools can be put on some advanced page (or just leave them out
for now).  I think the four things above would be very successful and
they we can worry about adding the others if needed.  I think the less
the better.  Yes, we want to help users, but if easy tools exist, such
as prittool and userconf, then I'm guessing it would be easier to set up
the default desktop of the RedHat/LON-CAPA install with shortcuts to
more advanced features.  My feeling is the less software to support, the
better.  Of course, you want to encourage frequent updates.  In that
case, the RPM updating through webmin is a great idea for that feature.

Basically, I've been responding to most of your emails concerning the
administration interface because I see myself as taking over some of the
more tedious responsibilities, such as updating the software.  I'm
keeping in mind which things I access the most and which things I would
need help with to start out easily.  

The only other suggestion I can think of it to have nice way to control
backups and retrieving from backups.  I have the backup script for s10
and I have the instructions for retrieving a backup from s10 (I tested
it out a while back).  Actually, backing it up is much more important
than retrieval.  If a rare circumstance occurs and a backup needs to be
retrieved, it might work best by leaving this as an advanced feature on
the desktop.

Felicia

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From: Martin Siegert <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 19:05:13 -0800

On Thu, Feb 28, 2002 at 02:18:32PM -0500, Felicia Berryman wrote:

> On Thu, Feb 28, 2002 at 12:53:34PM -0500, Scott Harrison wrote:
>

Just my 0.02 cents (CDN):

I must admit that the thought alone to do system administration that requires
root access over the web makes me shudder.
You open up a huge can of worms. All of the sudden not only programs that
are suid root and daemons that run as root can results in a root exploit
but bugs in your web server (how many of you have fixed php already?)
and even more importantly in your web browser (IE?) become relevant as well.

There is nothing wrong with doing the diagnostics over the web (sufficiently
protected by .htpasswd, .htaccess - you don't wont to tell everybody
which version of what software you are running; they find a lot
of that information without your help anyway), e.g., list rpm packages 
that need to be upgraded. But then do the upgrade the old fashion way:
ssh into the box, sudo (or su), rpm -Fvh ...

Cheers,
Martin

========================================================================
Martin Siegert
Academic Computing Services                        phone: (604) 291-4691
Simon Fraser University                            fax:   (604) 291-4242
Burnaby, British Columbia                          email: [email-masked]
Canada  V5A 1S6
========================================================================

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From: Scott Harrison <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 22:21:08 -0500

Perhaps (in the spirit of the ultimate
configure-everything-in-the-universe)
webmin-istration can be:
* turned off
* only temporarily enabled when needed
* or launch/direct the webmin to do a ssh connection when
needed/applicable/sensitive

I lean toward the third option...
-Scott

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From: Behrouz Minaei <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 01 Mar 2002 21:05:25 -0500

Hi,

New version of "lonchart.pm" is commited.

Source file: loncapa/loncom/interface/lonchart.pm
Target: /home/httpd/lib/perl/Apache/lonchart.pm

Added capability to choose the "student status" (Active, Expired, Any)

Please let me know any feedback of this version.

Behrouz

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From: Behrouz Minaei <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 06 Mar 2002 12:08:23 -0500

Hi Guy,

2 Questions:
1. For adding Discrimination Factor to Statistics table should
I represent the "%Upper Award", "%Lower Award", "Upper Records", "Lower
Records" in four more columns after the Dis.F. Column like old
CAPA program or I should bring only Dis F.?
2. Is that fine to bring the 2 discrimination factor criteria 1) [Total
Partial Credit awarded / Total No of Tries] and 2) [Total No of Yes's /
Total No of triers] simultenously in the table OR it should be optional.

Behrouz

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From: Guy Albertelli II <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 13:40:03 -0500 (EST)

Hi Behrouz,

> CAPA program or I should bring only Dis F.?

Only Dis. F.

> Total No of triers] simultenously in the table OR it should be optional.

Both unless it takes a long time to compute.

-- 
[email-masked]        BM: n^20 t20 z20 qS 
Guy Albertelli -7-9-8-  O-
    I seldom buy things that have wacky smiling cartoon cephalopods 
    on the package.                 -Kibo

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From: Behrouz Minaei <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 06 Mar 2002 19:08:26 -0500

Hi All,

I commited a new lonstatistics with a new interface that include
discrimintion factor according two criteria in the statistics table.
These two criteria are computed during the first running of statistics, then
it cached to the local machine.
Can all you give it a try and see how it works for you?
Welcome any suggestion or correction.

Behrouz