python powered freebsd system

David Sumner david at onlineus.com
Tue Jan 27 06:13:05 PST 2004


Hello,

I have been using python for over a year now and have realized how powerful python can be at completing complex tasks in relatively simple scripts and at the same time it can be used to create rather large projects in a maintainable yet flexible manner. I was wondering has anyone investigated replacing the boot up and init scripts and all of the shell scripts with a python based approach to booting, configuring and starting appropriate services and processes. I know this would require a huge undertaking in studying what makes a bsd system boot and the inter-workings involved. What I invision would be a freebsd system with the most recent stable version of the python interpreter with a good core of scripts and programs to replace all the shell script currently being used and maybe being able to store all the configuration and settings data in an easy to access, reliable and secure data store. Maybe an xml file or db store of sorts, something akin to what the windows registry w
 as trying to accomplish. Try to centralize all the configuration data, not just have a central method to modifying the settings of the base system and then any number of other places to configure every other addon service that you may choose to run on your freebsd system. This would be an attempt to ease the administration of a an entire freebsd system. Currently the core of freebsd is easily maintainable, but you are left to your own devices when configuring any added services, ie they each have their own configuration file sometimes stored in a different directory. Easy for an experienced system administrator to manage, but more difficult for an newbie or lower level everyday user.

An example of the power I see being added in this approach would be possibly integrating the freebsd configuration on boot to a ldap server. Allowing central configuration over freebsd servers and workstations. This could allow central configuration of file mounts, firewall settings, etc. Or allowing a ssh session access to a configuration daemon on a freebsd system to allow remote configuration of a running freebsd system either manually or automated, all being secured and encrypted.

Any thoughts or links to existing attempts or projects would be great.

Thank You,
David Sumner 




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