Web-Based config

[Carroll, Jim P [Contractor]]

Rasmus Plewe wrote:
> I admit that, if you have two or three hosts/services, a web based
> point-and-click based config option is much easier. But with a certain
> level of depth and experience, you should be much faster using an
> editor modifying config files (or scripting them, for larger changes)
> than filling in any number of web forms with combinations of clicking
> and typing. 

Amen, Brother Rasmus!  :)

I'm trying to remember who it was that said it a few months back, but in his
environment, they have multiple admins using CVS.  If a change is desired,
it's checked into CVS in a parallel tree, then does a "nagios -v
<alt_config_file>", where the alt_config_file points to the parallel tree,
and if it comes through clean, it gets promoted to the 'live' tree.  I don't
recall whether Nagios was restarted from cron (on detecting file mods), or
what.  Still, very slick.

Having said this, I still don't see a convergence between the Web/MySQL
school of thought and the XML school of thought.  It's quite likely that no
convergence is necessary.  The XML admin approach would simply be another
'addon'.  At the end of the day, both approaches massage the actual Nagios
config files; all you've done is insert another layer of administrivia.  If
that's what it takes to keep the junior sysadmins and the PHBs happy, then
so be it.  (This last comment isn't for the XML types, but rather the "vi is
evil; give me a web browser" types.)  I'm all for making admins' lives
easier [insert gratuitous reference to www.infrastructures.org here], but
I'm less than enthusiastic about closing the hood, welding it shut and
becoming complacent about it.

Hmm, I think I'm starting to border on a rant.  I'll stop while the
stopping's good.  :)

ObDilbert:  If you find yourself contemplating which colour the database
should be (such as mauve), it might be a good time to hand the reins over to
the guy with the glasses and the funky tie.  ;)

jc


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