work

The repository 3DM2/CLI for Etch was removed from http://jonas.genannt.name.

Thanks to IP Exchange GmbH for sponsoring my Debian packages.

The last years I have used several tools to distribute the public ssh keys of my users across the servers but they don't fit anymore. I use puppet for my infrastructure but the build in puppet feature ssh_authorized_key does not fit.

I have different users across my servers and same users on many servers (e.g. web farms).

One public ssh key can be an member of:

• an ssh public key group that is mapped to an user on an server


• an ssh public key group that is mapped to an user on an sever group


• an user mapped to an server


• an user mapped to an server group

I have created an Webapp with an ajax interface. You can drag & drop the ssh key groups or ssh keys to an user.

The key will be deployed via an puppet parser function, you need the storeconfig feature in puppet.

The webapp has got an own database (postgres) but you can merge the puppet storeconfig database to the server manager database (via an rake task). If you specify an regular expression on your server groups, an new merged server will be automatically added to the group and on the next run of puppet the keys from the server group will be deployed without any action from you.

Puppet stuff:

• puppet module


• puppet function to fetch the keys from the webapp


• fact to fetch existing users on the servers (not needed, but features auto complete in the app)

drag & drop the ssh keys or the ssh key groups from right to left into the users on the servers or server groups

public ssh key distribution with puppet and ajax interface from Jonas on Vimeo.

I'm using Nagios to check for Wordpress Version updates and plugin updates - it's really nice. You don't need to login to wp-admin and check for version. An single PHP Cli script, that puppet installs and configures the nagios for every wordpress installation.

Next step: create an all in wonder script that will upgrade wordpress and all plugins

Update: Script: check_wordpress

If you are running some servers with Xen, you have the problem to figure out, where an domU is running.

If you are using puppet with stored configurations you need to install only the xendomains fact, that will be soon available in facter.

With this data, I create the following graph on-the-fly - documentation done!



Script is available on github.

For those who didn't notice... I have left Nuremberg and IP Exchange - I'm now working for Deutsche Online Medien (D|O|M) at Waiblingen.

Thanks to everyone at IP Exchange it was a really cool time, especially with you Anton,Sven, Michi and Robert.

Since first October I'm now head of system administration at D|O|M.

If you would like to use SNMP to monitor your dell server with OMSA (server administrator) installed, you have to configure your local SNMPd.

First you have to enable SNMP on OMSA:

/etc/init.d/dataeng enablesnmp

Than restart your Data Engine System from OMSA:

/etc/init.d/dataeng restart

You can now install the snmp daemon from debian:

apt-get install snmpd

SNMPd should listen to all interfaces. You can configure this at /etc/default/snmpd

Please note, that you have to remove the entry -I -smux, because OMSA uses snmp smux for communicating with the SNMP daemon.

The following snmpd.conf is tested to work with OMSA:

com2sec local localhost public
com2sec watchdog 192.168.168.0/24 public
smuxsocket 127.0.0.1
smuxpeer .1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.1
group MyRoGroup v2c local
group MyRoGroup v2c watchdog
view all included .1
access MyRoGroup "" any noauth exact all none none

Now restart the snmpd and install also the dell mibs. You can find the mibs in /opt/dell/.

After the restart you can walk throw your SNMP tables:

snmpwalk -v2c -c public localhost 1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10893

If you want to monitor the health of your server I can suggest you the following nagios plugin:

check_omsa_snmp.pl - this plugin checks temperature,voltage, Power Supply and Cooling Devices

This morning, I had to install my 3dm2 package on an server with vlans on the local ethernet device.

I installed the packages as always, but I was not able to start 3dm2. The software failed with

(0x0C:0x0005): Failed to start listening socket

After some debuging, I have changed RemoteAccess parameter to 0. After this modification in the configuration file, I was able to start 3dm2 on the machine.

So I think 3dm2 is not able to handle ethernet devices with vlans enabled...

I have updated my 3Ware CLI (Command Line Interface) and 3DM2 (Disk Management Utility) debian packages.

You can find it on my website like the last version.

Please note, I have only updated the i386 packages, the amd64 will follow in some days.

Cacti the graphing tool has an security bug.

Heise.de has got an post about it.

I think moving the cmd.php is not a very good solution. I fixed it with the following code in the Apache config:

<Files cmd.php>
Order Deny,Allow
Deny From All
</Files>

It blocks all webrequests for the cmd.php

(Don't forget to reload your Apache)

Updated features list:

1.) normal eMailaccount

• change there own password


• create/modify/delete autoresponder


• create/modify/delete forward to an other email address (with the option deliver local or not)


• activate/deactivate spamassassin


• create/modify/delete whist- and blacklists for spamassassin


• modify some options for spamassassin, e.g. rewrite subject

Now it would be nice if some volunteer create a nice site layout for the webinterface.

My project is neaerly complete! - Web based managment for eMailServers.

My eMailServer framework based on Courier/Postfix/Maildrop/MySQL has got four usergroups:

1.) normal eMailaccount

• change there own password


• create/modify/delete autoresponder

2.) admin for one or more domains

• can do the same like a normal eMailaccount


• create/modify/delete eMailaddresses


• create/modify/delete Forwardings


• create/modify/delete CatchAll Address

3.) superadmin

• can do the same like the admin


• create/modify/delete domains

4.) superadmin manager

• can do the same like the superadmin


• create/modify/delete superadmins

All this actions can be done with the webinterface!

You can find some screenshots here.

Sorry all screenshots in german, but it based on Smarty so you can make your own template.

The Webinterface depends on php4, php4-mysql, php4-cli, mysql-server,smarty, php4-pear and some extra Pear Modules.

3Ware Software the second round!

I have created debian packages for the CLI (Command Line Interface) for 3Ware Controllers.

You can find it, like the 3dm2 on Debian Unofficial and here.

I have created debian packages for the 3DM 2 (Disk Management Utility) for 3Ware Controllers.

You can find it on Debian Unofficial and here.

Why you should read the kernel changelog? - You have to read it, when you use an 2.6.16 vanilla kernel on a native sarge.

When you don't have any problems with LVM (lvm2) and the kernel.

In the Kernel ChangeLog there are nice informations like this:

If you're using lvm2, for this patch to work correctly you should update to lvm2 version 2.02.01 or later and device-mapper version 1.02.02 or later.

If I had read this, I would have had no problems with LVM and kernel 2.6.16!

Note for me: Fly over kernel changelog for every new kernel!

If you work on unattended installtion for Windows and you get the following error during the GUI Installation Setup, don't despair.

An error has been encountered that prevents Setup from continuing.
Internal Setup data structers are corrupted (phase 0).
Press OK to view the Setup log file

When you get this error, there are some missing entries on your winnt.sif file in the I386 Folder.

You have to add:
MsDosInitiated = "0"
AutoPartition=0
UnattendedInstall = "Yes"

That flags are essential for the [Data] Selection in the winnt.sif file!

MsDosInitiated=0 Means that you are not installing from floppy drives!
AutoPartition=0 You musst create the partitions on yourself!
UnattendedInstall = "Yes" Starts the Unattended Installation in the GUI Mode.