Ubuntu Server graphical interface?

[MJang]

On Sat, 2008-05-03 at 15:31 -0700, Martin Hess wrote:
> I find people who think in terms of a few servers will at times find a
> desktop GUI compelling, but once you move to hundreds or thousands of
> servers the idea of connecting into a desktop GUI on each machine to
> administer is beyond ridiculous.
> 
> 
> I think GUIs are fine but only if they can be used control whole
> swaths of machines at once i.e. 
> 
> * upgrade some package on some set of machines
> 
> * revert to prior package on some set of machines
> 
> * compare machines for installed package differences
> 
> * change netfilter policies on some set of machines to refuse or allow
> a certain type of traffic
> 
> * start/stop service on some set of machines
> 
> * change config file on some set of machines
> 
> * ect...

Dear Martin, 

I think that's the reason behind Landscape - and alternatives such as
the Red Hat Network and SUSE's Zenworks. (and I'm guessing Microsoft's
SMS, but I've never tried that one.)

I'm pretty sure all three allows automated remote actions as you suggest
- on groups of machines at a time. But they're all primarily Web-based
tools.

While I remember working with some command line options for Zenworks a
while back which accomplished some of what you suggest, I'm not aware of
any such command line tools for RHN or Landscape, at least beyond
registering individual systems. 

However, they do allow cron-style implementation of command line tools
and scripts on single or groups of systems.

Thanks,
Mike