[Xymon] Hand editing config files

[Xymon User in Richmond]

I'm very comfortable with the text file configuration, but a GUI would
probably expand the installed base.  Please either keep the ability to use
text files as an alternative, or provide a simple bulk-load interface/API
for the database.  I'm not doing it yet, but we have a configuration
management database with sufficient asset information to generate
hosts.cfg (for instance).  My general objection to GUIs is having to do
everything manually because they're built for single transactions at a
time.

On Wed, June 13, 2012 21:12, Jamison Maxwell wrote:
> My vote is on text files....  I wouldn't complain about a syntax checker,
> but I probably wouldn't use it either.... (I edit /etc/shadow with VI, I
> know, I'm a rebel.)
>
>
>
>
> Jamison Maxwell
> Jamison at newasterisk.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xymon-bounces at xymon.com [mailto:xymon-bounces at xymon.com] On Behalf
> Of FORD Alan
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 7:42 PM
> To: 'Scot Kreienkamp'; 'Henrik Størner'; Xymon mailinglist
> Subject: Re: [Xymon] Hand editing config files
>
> Here here :-) agree a config/syntax checker would be great...
>
> Would be good to have something that generates the web pages into a folder
> so you can see the changes without actually putting them into Xymon so you
> can adjust the layout with immediately affecting the "Live view" :-)
>
>
> Alan Ford
> Senior Database Administrator
> Com Serv - Information Communications and Technology Stanwell Corporation
> Limited
>
> www.stanwell.com
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xymon-bounces at xymon.com [mailto:xymon-bounces at xymon.com] On Behalf
> Of Scot Kreienkamp
> Sent: Thursday, 14 June 2012 9:13 AM
> To: 'Henrik Størner'; Xymon mailinglist
> Subject: Re: [Xymon] Hand editing config files
>
> I'm OK with text files, but a syntax checker for each config file sure
> would be nice.  I like the text files for the flexibility they allow.
>
> Scot Kreienkamp
> Senior Systems Engineer
> skreien at la-z-boy.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xymon-bounces at xymon.com [mailto:xymon-bounces at xymon.com] On Behalf
> Of Henrik Størner
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 5:04 PM
> To: Xymon mailinglist
> Subject: [Xymon] Hand editing config files
>
> Hi,
>
> in another mail thread, another monitoring tool (Zenoss) was mentioned
> which had the advantage of "no hand editing of config files".
>
> Text based config files have their ups and downs - they are infinitely
> flexible and can adapt to all sorts of weird ways of defining your setup,
> but it is also easier to "get it wrong" and put something in there which
> doesn't work. Even happens to me occasionally.
>
> It's the age-old debate over whether something is "powerful" or
> "dangerous".
>
> I am currently working on the next Xymon version (except I've been swamped
> with for-pay work the past couple of months ... and a hefty round of
> lay-offs in other departments than mine). This involves a complete rewrite
> of the network testing tool, and for this rewrite I've started using an
> SQLite database for storing some intermediate data used by the network
> tester, instead of keeping it in a bunch of temporary text-files.
>
> And it has made me consider the idea of using a database for storing at
> least some of the configuration - first of all the hosts.cfg configuration
> of hosts, IP-adresses and network tests. This would make some things
> simpler, others a bit more complex - "xymongrep", for instance - but would
> also make it a lot easier to provide a GUI for managing what hosts are
> being monitored.
>
> This is not going to happen anytime soon, but since the subject was up in
> the air - what do you think about it ? Is it a major problem that Xymon
> has all configuration in text files ? How many of you auto-generate the
> Xymon config by extracting the information from a database already ?
>
> Just looking for some feedback...
>
>
> Regards,
> Henrik
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