Re: [cobalt-users] meta-verify -f messed up GUI

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Julius wrote:

> I have some virtual sites on a RaQ4i, but none of them show up
> in the Admin GUI (after having used meta-verify
> to repair a virtusertable problem). What do I do now?

You do what it takes to fix the problem.  If none of the meta-verify
commands fix the problem you either fix it manually or restore the RaQ.

> How do I repair the Admin GUI,

You create directories and html files in the .admserv (or something
similar) directories.

> and if not (I'd rather not)
> can someone give me an example command line for adding a user
> and adding an email-alias.

If the gui isn't working then the Cobalt command to add an email alias
probably won't work either, it's what the Cobalt gui calls.

It may seem simpler now to leave the gui entirely, but ...

> I read the man useradd, but the
> cobalt user-base is quite weird, what list of commands are
> needed to add a user the right way?
> I need example commandlines (sorry, the man pages are too complex).

... if the man pages are too complex then you need the comfort level of
the gui.  Believe me, using useradd to create a user is a lot easier
than all the other things you have to do to administer a linux box
without a gui interface.

Perhaps someone will answer with more details on what may be wrong and
how to fix it, but again, if the man pages are too complex I question
your ability to make the decisions you need to make as you work to
restore the RaQ.

It's probably easier to backup the data and restore the system.

> All the virtual domains are functional, their users are there,
> but I can't change anything, since I can't seem to add
> the domains to the Admin gui (they have disappeared from it);
> now it keeps telling me these virtual sites already exist!

They do.  Post on the cobalt-developers list; you might attract the
people who wrote the gui, cmu, and meta-verify there; perhaps a new
version of meta-verify (I believe one was written; I don't know if it's
available for donwload yet) has a switch that'll rebuild everything
properly.

> (which is the case, but they're not visible to the GUI-user)
> How do I get those sites back changeable by the GUI?

Rebuild the database.  See my paragraph above.

> And if not, how do I never have to use the GUI again,
> I'm pretty fed up with it, it's way too unpredictable,
> it does not do what you tell it to, and the config
> lacks a lot of options that can simply be set/changed
> using SSH.

Then you should start by learning how to follow the man files <smile>.

> How do I switch off quota forever, and never get them
> to be turned on by anything anymore? (personally
> I think they are nonsense, if you have enough diskspace).

Read the fine manuals.  You get to them with the "man" commands.  I
think it's "man quotaoff" or something similar.  You may have to search
through the startup files and through the files called by the cron
subsystem, to see if they're being turned back on and if so by what.

> Is there some GOOD manual (not the man pages) with examples
> on how to use the shell tools for a Cobalt RaQ4i ?

The Cobalt RaQs are based on Red Hat 6.2; you may be able to find a good
Linux Administration handbook based on Red Hat 6.2 at Amazon or a local
bookstore.  You might also want to check online for the Linux
Documentation project.

Frankly, Julius, it sounds as if you want to get around the gui, but
that you want to short-circuit the learning process.  There's nothing
wrong with the man pages.

Any good linux administration handbook or the Linux Documentation
Project will help you figure out which man pages to read.

Jeff
-- 
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Linux and Cobalt/Sun/RaQ Consulting
nobaloney.net
P. O. Box 52672, Riverside, CA  92517
voice: (909) 778-9980  *  fax: (702) 548-9484