Virtualmin GPL - command line enable analytics

So, what you are saying I guess is that there is no way to enable the feature without going to the screen and enabling it on features and settings?

Can this be an enhancement request then?

What I am trying to do is script a new machine or a reloaded machine. You guys keep claiming in various tickets and threads that all one has to do is a simple backup with virtualmin, and, filesystem like u guys do. This is NOT the case.

There are hundreds of settings we have to set and change when we load a system up with Virtualmin, and, a dozen or so packages to load and configure. To accomplish this manually takes 2 DAYS. I know you guys have this idea it's an hour or possibly 2, it's not. Here's a recent comment by Joe:

"Virtualmin's backup is intended to backup the virtual servers...that's it. No intention to backup the system itself.". This was in reply to my comment about this script, and, typical problems with this backup such as the hundreds of webmin changes for modules and their settings we change. Not to mention software we load for better email, postfwd, fail2ban for security, Jason Litkas newer http, and actually working mod_fcgid instead of the terrible buggy Centos one, etc. etc. etc. Now, I DO agree that those are outside the scope of Virtualmin backup but I will never agree that ANY settings configured within Webmin or Virtualmin should NOT be backed up as they are not now.

There are several backup scenarios:

1. Reload onto same identical machine after a crash, sure, full filesystem backup is great for this.
2. Machine fries, and, new one just be loaded in it's place, different hardware. Full filesystem backup may or may not work.
3. Data center dies, gets ddos's for days, server provider goes out of business, who knows. Happens all the time. Full filesystem backup is almost useless, now, we have to load from scratch again. ips are different, lots of things are different. While it may or may not be POSSIBLE to edit the backup and remove certain files, this can also change with each Centos release. And, loading such a backup remotely not so good.

In case #3, there are all sorts of problems with Virtualmin backups. They don't load well when all of the ips change as loading to new virtual ips on the new machine and network isn't an option when reloading a backup. So, it's load them all to the shared address, then meaning each server has to be adjusted.

Anyway, I know this is off topic for this ticket, but, trying to make the case of why command line enabling features (for the system, like the features and settings screen) would be a good thing to do. Taking 2 days loading up a replacement system by hand is simply not cutting it. Which means, any and all things that can be scripted are GOOD things. We can load up and script all the other packages, it's ONLY Virtualmin we cannot. We have scripted the changes to webmin settings and modules settings found in various webmin configuration files, but, enabling features is a sticking point.

Did you digest what I wrote? The issue is not merely virtualmin, it's ALL the other settings and stuff in webmin that need configured and the like. I am just trying to make it very easy to set up a new machine, a "new" machine also meaning an old machine that was lost for some reason and replaced, likely on different hardware, cpu, etc. elsewhere.

NOTHING gets backed up except virtualmin, maybe 5% of the settings needed on a box, if you're lucky!

To date, I have set up around 50 virtualmin machines for different people (we are a consulting company), most of them 1 domain so using GPL. Each of those takes an enormous amount of time to configure the zillions of settings in webmin, etc. We do not use defaults at all, not even remotely. Maybe you do, so, maybe you don't see the problem. Each machine can be somewhat different, and, we are allowing for options in our configure script. We used to do these settings by hand, and while you might optimistically say a few hours, it was days of nothing but clicking and typing. There are so many very bad defaults, security issues, performance issues, etc. with the defaults. And on centos horribly outdated packages like mod_fcgid that have so many bugs to make them unusable for a good performing machine.

Simply allowing features to be enabled from the command line makes the process somewhat simpler. I suppose we can work around it, but, it's just another time waster as it stands now.

In the end, the idea is to be able to configure a brand new box using a script. Without going into virtualmin and webmin to set options for module config, module settings, virtualmin, etc. We've found ways to do this modifying webmin config files directly, and, sshd, bind, etc. confg files directly. Don't see an easy way to turn on features, or disable them, in virtualmin though from the command line.

I'll change this to a feature request then. I hope you will consider the royal pains of configuring a new machine. Which as I said, CAN be an old machine moved elsewhere in some cases and thus reloaded from scratch, packages, you name it. Restoring virtualmin backup does as I said, maybe 5% of the work. As far as I know, this the the only current barrier to our latest setup script. Though it's still not fully tested yet. We have a VPS we reload default centos on, and, go thru the whole install process until it works. It's 95% working at this point.

Perhaps we should have you set up a machine for us! I'll gladly pay for 2 hours work. :-) Wait till you see all the things you have to do.... from our specs....

Thats a different issue. I am asking here merely to enable command line to turn on and off stuff in the feature and settings virtualmin menu. The other stuff is for a SMALL explanation as to the whys of it. Not asking for anything on that stuff at this time. Just enabling command line to enable/disable.

I think you guys are not understanding that a more complex virtualmin install can take a L O N G time to set up. Clients are all different, machine usage are all different, there is no template. So, we wrote a very flexible install script since that is clearly outside the scope of what you guys want to offer. I am fine with that. Just want to make it possible to do an install script, so, please consider adding this feature. Feel free to ignore the explanation.

Thank you Jamie! Now, if you would do me the pleasure as I believe you to be a reasonable person wanting to make the product better, please do me the favor of reading my hopefully last passionate backup post in the blue skies forum. If you feel the need to respond, please add your thoughts but please do read it. It's not short, but, apparently, short messages don't allow people to understand. The reason I put it there was in the hopes actual non professional users of virtualmin would chime in. However, I am hoping for you to also read it and if it makes sense, please consider the enhancement.

It has been very frustrating for me to ask for something that I truly believe makes the product better, but, get attacked as being incompetent. You may still not want to do the change, but, I am 100% convinced if you read it you will at least recognize the issue. It is possible the solution is not as simple as I imagine, on the surface, it sure seems like it would work though. But the problem is real! Perhaps not easily solvable, but, again on the surface, I think it is!

http://www.virtualmin.com/node/18451#comment-82539

Thank you for such a great product.