services wizard

[Phil Meyer]

Mike Chambers wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> Was thinking and wondering, if it would be good to have configuration
> wizards for services that you want to configure (such as email server
> (sendmail/postfix), http, and so on) that would ask basic questions and
> would go certain directions (or just one way) depending on how much you
> answer?
>
>   

These are the 'wizard' type tools currently available in Fedora 9.
# yum install system-config-<whatever>

You will notice that httpd is there, along with bind, nfs, samba, and 
vsftpd.

system-config-audit
system-config-bind
system-config-boot
system-config-cluster
system-config-date
system-config-display
system-config-firewall
system-config-firewall-tui
system-config-httpd
system-config-kdump
system-config-keyboard
system-config-kickstart
system-config-language
system-config-lvm
system-config-netboot-cmd
system-config-netboot
system-config-network
system-config-network-tui
system-config-nfs
system-config-printer-libs
system-config-printer
system-config-rootpassword
system-config-samba
system-config-services
system-config-users
system-config-vsftpd

There is no wizard, currently, for sendmail.  However, editing the 
/etc/mail/sendmail.mc file, and generating a good sendmail.cf with make, 
is almost trivial.

The various, many, and often obfuscated, options for postfix 
configurations could, at present, never be managed in a GUI.

I would state, without any desire to condescend or berate new users, 
that sendmail and postfix are not tools for users, but are considered 
administrative.

Just as my 83 year old dad would never consider setting up a windows 
domain server and a windows exchange server, nor should he ever consider 
setting up a sendmail or postfix server by himself.

The fact that it can be done without monetary cost, does not mean that 
it should be attempted. 

An open email relay is almost always the result of uneducated tampering, 
and constitutes a clear and present danger to all who use the Internet.

For these, and other more well reasoned reasons, you may never see the 
types of tools a new user would need to set up an email server.

As email server software is improved upon, and if there is ever such a 
thing as a good way to meet most demands, then we may see such tools.

It is frustrating, and I share that frustration with the lack of useful 
tools for those things that I am unfamiliar with.  Lack of 
documentation, however, is the worst of sins in IT, and fortunately 
there is no lack of documentation for configuring sendmail and postfix.

Spend the time and make of yourself an expert.  It can be rewarding, and 
it may be necessary to accomplish what you want.

Good Luck!