openSUSE:WebYaST project details

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WebYaST project details

YaST is a power component framework that can interact with components written in different languages, and it is the only successful 1:1 system management tool.

In the age of web 2.0, we would like to bring YaST a reliable web user interface. This means being able to http to your machine and configure it like any web enabled device. That's the reason for bringing WebYaST "on rails".

The following chapter shows you for whom WebYaST is designed for (Ok, that is not a fix definition :-)):

Target personas

Alfred

Webyast-persona-2.jpg

Alfred is a Windows Small Server administrator who has some Linux servers to administer. He knows how to use some simple web consoles and he sees everything that happens in Linux like a black box (like in routers web interfaces). He does not read documentation unless something does not work. He needs to setup an appliance quickly and leave it running.

(Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/victor_nunez/100667510 CC BY 2.0 license)

Oskar

Webyast-persona-1.jpg

Oskar is an SLES11 sysadmin who has a few hundred servers. He has a monitoring solution that will SMS his iPhone when being at the cafeteria if a server is causing problems. He would like then login into the server console and check which service is using too much resources, look at the general health of the system and restart the services that are not working.

(Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/derricksphotos/ CC BY 2.0 license)

Aims which we would like to reach with WebYaST

  • Configure your machine remotely using just a Web browser.
  • A non-expert should be able to use WebYaST.
  • The following functionality is needed:
    • Configuration:
      • basic network configuration
      • basic user management
      • setting a root password
      • set up mail notification for administrator including SMTP
      • enable/disable running services
      • timezone, date and time
    • Management:
      • status overview (used/free memory, disk, ...)
      • log viewer
      • applying pending updates and patches
      • restarting of a machine
  • Easy-to integrate 3rd party configuration web pages.
  • Firstboot configuration wizard framework.
  • Branding should be configurable in an easy way.
  • Providing a REST-Inteface