Software For Server Environment Documentation

07-12-2012

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Well what I mean is that I want some software where I describe my current environment describe what DB2 functions are used Describe TSM backup restore policy describe my current dual VIO configuration and so on.. the reason I want software like this is that If I leave my job I want somebody to understand how things are configured here through this documentation software.. because when I came here there was not any single explanation how things were working and I remember I really had difficult days.. I hope my explanation is OK now..

thanks everybody for your response I really find this forum interesting and cognitive as well

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07-12-2012

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Now, as you have described what you want to do it is a lot easier to give advice. Have you said that before i would have written the following a week ago:

My suggestion is to set up a Wiki for this. You can group the articles via categories and this way create a structure, while retaining all the free-text capabiliies a database would deny you, With a database you will have to decide on the structure beforehand, with a Wiki you can (re-)design as you go. Start somewhere and over time the documentation will mature.

Still, some planning is not bad before you start to write: lay out a basic category structure and you might want to create some templates for more record-oriented data (servers, networks, SAN shares, ...). A server description template with properties like hostname, resources, OS version/release, IP address, etc. is quite similar to a table layout in a database: you define properties of a (class of) objects - here it is records in a table, there it is articles with an identical layout.

Setup of a Wiki is straightforward and takes typically some minutes, not more. An advantage is that the information is propagated via a web server, so you do not have to take it with you and the only tool you need to work with it is a web browser.

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07-13-2012

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I use both, mediawiki and self written html documentation,

but you may use dokuwiki, since it hast more security features, in mediawiki, everyone can read everything, but I don't want to migrate to dokuwiki, since we have 1000 articles+

here is my self written html documentation, wrote this a long time ago,
it's also very helpful to see how servers are configured, and how they looked like 2 months ago

Code:

#!/usr/bin/ksh
DATE=$(date +%y%m%d%H)
#choose OS from: solaris, aix, aixvio, linux
BINDIR="/usr/local/bin"
OS=aix
JOBLIST="${BINDIR}/joblist_$OS.txt"
HTMLDIR="/tmp/systemscan/$OS/"
HTMLFILE="$(hostname)_${DATE}.html"
HTML="${HTMLDIR}${HTMLFILE}"
echo $HTML

if [ ! -d $HTMLDIR ] ; then mkdir -p $HTMLDIR ; fi
>$HTML

echo "<html>
<head>
<title>Automated System report</title>
<style type=\"text/css\">                                                                                                                     
span {
        display:none;
        background-color : #ccffff;
        }
body {
        background-color : #ffffff;
        }
</style>
</head>
<body>" >> $HTML
echo "<H3> Automated System Report for Host: $(hostname)</H3><br/>Date: $(date)<hr>">>$HTML

SID=0


cat $JOBLIST | while read line 
do

SID=$(($SID+1))


DESC=$(echo $line | awk -F\& '{print $1}')
COMMAND=$(echo $line | awk -F\& '{print $2}')

echo "<hr><H4>$DESC</H4>" >> $HTML

echo "<a onmouseover=\"this.style.cursor='hand'\"
  onclick=\"a_$SID.style.display='block'\">
  <FONT SIZE=2>show</FONT></a>
<a onmouseover=\"this.style.cursor='hand'\"
  onclick=\"a_$SID.style.display='none'\">
  <FONT SIZE=2>hide</FONT></a><br/><hr>" >> $HTML


echo "<span id=\"a_$SID\"><hr><pre>$(eval $COMMAND)</pre><hr></span>" >> $HTML

done


echo "<br><H3> End Report for Host: $(hostname)</H3></body>" >> $HTML

then you need a joblist_aix.txt, may look like mine:

Code:

uname -a & uname -a
oslevel -s & oslevel -s
lparstat -i & lparstat -i
lspv & lspv
lspv -l all disks & lspv | while read i ; do  lspv -l $i ; echo ; done
lsvg & lsvg
lsvg -l all vgs & lsvg | while read i ; do  lsvg -l $i ; echo ; done
df -g & df -g
mount & mount
lsdev -C & lsdev -C
lscfg -vpl all adapter & lsdev -Ccadapter | while read a b ; do  lscfg -vpl $a ; echo ; done
netstat -in & netstat -in
netstat -rn & netstat -rn
netstat open ports & netstat -an | grep -w LISTEN
lslpp -l & lslpp -l
lssrc -a & lssrc -a
errpt & errpt
errpt -a & errpt -a
/etc/passwd & cat /etc/passwd
/etc/group & cat /etc/group
/etc/hosts & cat /etc/hosts
/etc/security/user & cat /etc/security/user
/etc/filesystems & cat /etc/filesystems

left is the heading in the html file, right the command to be run

then copy the generated html file to a webserver

I run it every saturday on all hosts, and copy it to folders with timestamp

made a screenshot of the rendered html (attachment)

cheers

Edit: looks like the image is not attached

Last edited by funksen; 07-13-2012 at 05:37 AM..

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07-13-2012

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Quote:

Originally Posted by funksen

but you may use dokuwiki, since it hast more security features, in mediawiki, everyone can read everything

In a Mediawiki it is possible to limit the right to view and/or edit to registered members. A customer of mine coupled this with an LDAP group and, honestly, i think this is all the security i suppose to be necessary for the documentation. Usually you don't put the documentation web server in a public network anyway so a username/password should suffice in most cases (and all cases i know of).

True, dokuwiki has indeed more security features, but - see above - i don't think they are necessary for the vast majority of cases. I have worked for banks, credit card companies and insurances and they didn't need this level of security for their documentation.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

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07-13-2012

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from the media wiki site:

Quote:

If you need per-page or partial page access restrictions, you are advised to install an appropriate content management package. MediaWiki was not written to provide per-page access restrictions, and almost all hacks or patches promising to add them will likely have flaws somewhere, which could lead to exposure of confidential data. We are not responsible for anything being leaked, leading to loss of funds or one's job.

Extension:Page access restriction - MediaWiki

can you tell me which add on you are using bakunin? would like to check/use it.

cheers

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07-13-2012

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Quote:

Originally Posted by funksen

can you tell me which add on you are using bakunin? would like to check/use it.

I didn't say "per page restriction" - in fact it is an "all or nothing" type of restriction. The documentation i had in mind was for SysAdmins, DBAs and a few select people who had related jobs (some system architects for instance). They were put into a LDAP group "adminwiki" and this group membership was queried in the login (IIRC it was "login.php" - it was even hardcoded there). If one was member of this group he had full read/write access to all pages - just the wiki admin (i think in wiki syntax the "bureaucrat") with the right to delete pages, etc. was a separate account.

I will gladly provide the technical details, but it will take a few days - i am no longer in this project and have to contact the people there as well as ask their permission.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

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07-13-2012

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I got you wrong, thought you mean per page restriction

then I'm not going to need the information, but thanks for your offer!

our wiki is used from web developers as well as unix admins, dbas and so on,
so defining a per team area would be great for sensible data, even such as passwords

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