Subject: [LON-CAPA-dev] NET_* Makefile targets

From: Scott Harrison <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2002 22:53:26 -0500

Dear All:

We can now smoothly and securely update hosts.tab across the
LON-CAPA network.  This is alpha... but the implementation
currently works.

Do you want to update /home/httpd/hosts.tab on a remote machine?
make HOSTNAME=spock.lite.msu.edu NET_hosts_tab

Do you want to configure the web servers to support loncapa.conf
on a remote machine?
make HOSTNAME=spock.lite.msu.edu NET_webserverconf

The HOSTNAME=computer MUST have a user lpmladm
with /etc/sudoers entry
lpmladm  ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL

You may want to, as I do, also configure
RhostsRSAAuthentication; makes things run smoother
without having to type in passwords.  You will
need to set up a lpmladm on the "master"
computer.  I'm beginning to place details in
doc/techtips/transparent_ssh.txt.

Do you want to install/upgrade files on a remote machine?
The only thing preventing me from typing in three lines of
code into the makefile to do this is the issue of configuration
files.  Hmmm.... we can filter out the configuration
files easily with XFML and then go on to generate a diff report
of the conflicting configuration files... I am
open to suggestions.

But we will get there.  Then everything will be
<lpml><xfml><piml>glorious</piml></xfml></lpml>.

I suppose we can slurp the hostnames out of the up-to-date
hosts.tab and update machines that way.... ALLNET_*

As crazy as all this sounds, it appears to be working
remarkably well.

Regards,
Scott

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