Essential Server Administration Tools
 

I ran into some SQL trouble tonight and it got me wondering... What kind of tools might be missing from my server administreation arsenal. So I compiled a list of the shit I already use and ask that poeple share information on any helpfull tools.(Preferably only GNU/Free Shit)

PuTTY

WinSCP3

Turck MMCache for PHP

Webmin
(Graphic interface Lower level than CPannel, not idiot proof)

phpMyAdmin

and heres a nice guide to setting up RSA authentication for your ssh sessions.
(Lets you specify one passphrase that can be used to access ALL your servers even if the passwords are different.)

I prefer SecureCRT over putty, but in a pinch I always use putty.

Thats all you really need, webmin I hate, its a waste of time imo, I just use custom scripts that I've been writing and amassing for several years now. Administration with them is quicker than any control panel.

phpMyAdmin I also hate, lol. I like console :)

ONly been using unix/linux for about 8 months now SO i definatly cannot use console for everything. I'd have to disagree about webmin becasue if I want to edit http.conf its way quicker for me to load a bookmark, edit, then click save and reset apache than it is for me to ssh in and fuck around with vi. :2 cents:

One fucked up thing i noticed after using *nix for only a few months is that if i have to do somthing in a DOS console I can't figure out why the fuck "ls" is not working. :1orglaugh

Oh man that's so true I'm always writing ls, :1orglaugh

Just get an editor that you like in UN*X and believe me you'll be flying around in console faster than in webmin. I see all of these graphical interfaces for working with apache configs, and control panels, but its still slower for me than console, plus I always have an ssh session open.

Outlook, and SecureCRT, always have them open no matter what, if my comp is on, so are they.

shell + vi for life.

But then again I run FreeBSD and Linux on desktops.

I wish I could help :( but here's a bump.

I like AbsoluteTelnet for SSH/SSH2/Telnet connections - no real reason other than it kicks Putty in the butt.
phpMyAdmin is an essential tool if you want to do things easily.
And either cPanel or Plesk.
Other than that, aside for some custom scripts I've seen, server management is more a factor of what you know about the server/OS setup than anythings else.
Just my :2 cents:

i'm glad you guys are on this subject.

some years ago i used a windows based telnet program i think called "shell telnet", and it was very easy for a novice like myself to move files around on the server.

is there a program like this that uses SSH, where you can copy, drag and drop, etc. using a windows type interface?

thanks!

From someone who does sysadmin for a living. What you listed above aren't admin tools. They are tools for people who cannot admin. I'm NOT being insulting. I am saying you need to learn to use vi and all of the other command line tools to be effective. Things like webmind and phpmysql won't always be there. ls, cd, pwd, vi, echo, cat, rm, tar, gzip, wc, less, etc etc will.


And install the cygwin utils on your windows box: http://www.cygwin.com/

got it JC, thanks!

I use SecureCRT usually. Sometimes I'll fire up SSH if I need to FTP. Pico, mostly because I don't know vi. I don't like control panels. RPL comes in very handy, for recursive smart search and replacing. It isn't free or gpl but for Sql work I love MysqlStudio now that Mysql Front isn't being continued (that I know of). Oh, and RSYNC is nice.

amen brother!

Anyone got a link to Image Magic?

.org

JC, i downloaded WinSCP3 and i'm playing with it using the "windows" interface.

i notice when i try to copy and paste a file between domains on the remote server it prompts a command to first download to my local machine.

i don't want to waste time to do that. do you know offhand if it allows moving files around on the remote server without first downloading to the local server?

i know this can be done using telnet commands, just trying to do this with a windows interface.

thanks!

Why don't you use the move command in the dos prompt

in the windows interface either "copy" or "move" triggers a window to first download the file to my local machine.


years ago with "shell telnet" you could easily move files around on the remote server using the windows interface, that's what i'm trying to do.

if you want to move it

mv /path/to/file /new/path/to/file

copy

cp /path/to/file /new/path/to/file

all kinds of tricks with directory moving, use tar or rsync. man is your friend, or
info or google.

ok toddler, thanks. i know it is possible to do this, this way.

was just hoping there was an intuitive windows type program that allowed me to do with without typing in commands.

i not a computer geek like you guys :(

np, and you don't have to be a computer geek to be effective;) I'm sure there is a way to do what you need done, it just seems overly complex to do it that way, at least to me

well this is a program i used before that DID do this---it was called "shell telnet".

but it won't work with SSH.

SecureCRT
RhinosoftFTP

Google you fucking morons... Google... it is all there... you all spend hard earned cash, and I should know because I am making a lions share of it, on shit you could just google on... learn how to form a proper search for Christs sake.

cd /usr/ports/graphics/ImageMagick
make install

if you get a dir not found error thats because you are using the wrong OS :winkwink: