admin tool

[Michael Murphy_2]

Anyone know of a tool that puts comment information into system files as they are edited - as in if you modify the /etc/hosts file, it would put date/time and initials on the entry? Thanks...

[Patrick Wallek]

Yep, it's called vi and your fingers. If you modify it, you put comments in as to when and why.

Other than, I know of nothing that does this.

[Mel Burslan]

CVS tools also comes to mind but it won't add comments into the edited file. It will follow up the changes separately. We use CVS to update our DNS database for obvious reasons as well as our user database.

On the ultimate end, CVS can easily be circumvented by putting gibberish in the explanations. Best way is the user willing to update while modifying critical files.

[Rick Garland · Accepted solution]

You can incorporate RCS into the editing tool you use (e.g., vi)

Example, vi-wrapper script that checks to see if a file is under RCS control. If so, use RCS to do the checkout (co) and checkin (ci). If the file is not under RCS control then will invoke vi normally.

Using the RCS tool will allow you to input comments for each edit (why the edit was done and who did the edit). The date will be stored with each edit.

Attached is the vi-wrapper script

NOTE: It is up to the user to put in the comments. The date entry will be automatic but as to who and why, this will need user input.

[Mic V.]

IBM's "Rational Clearcase" is probably a solution. It's a commercial product. I haven't used them recently, but at one time the Rational tool suite seemed pretty good.

AFAIK, the above solutions are all manual (haven't used CVS, assume it's manual like RCS)--people who edit the files have to agree to comply. I believe, but am not sure, that Clearcase's versioning takes place outside user control (it used to be a modification to the filesystem itself). I think versioning can probably be set up to take place always.

http://www-306.ibm.com/software/awdtools/clearcase/features/index.html

http://www3.software.ibm.com/ibmdl/pub/software/rational/web/datasheets/version6/clearcase.pdf

Mic