Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!cbatt!ukma!brian
From: brian@ukma.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: System Maintenance Tools
Message-ID: <6312@ukmf.ukma.ms.uky.csnet>
Date: Thu, 16-Apr-87 18:48:43 EST
Article-I.D.: ukmf.6312
Posted: Thu Apr 16 18:48:43 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Apr-87 02:34:14 EST
Sender: news@ukma.ms.uky.csnet
Organization: U of Kentucky, Mathematical Sciences, Lexington KY
Lines: 21

Other than rdist what sort of tools are available for maintaining systems,
propagating changes to other system, and especially maintaining a single copy
of sources that work on different types of machines.

An example:
	I have a program called la which prints the load averages.
	The program is different on vaxes than on the sequent machine
	we have... Let's say for whatever reason I change the program.
	I don't want to have to make the changes in to different sources.
	Is there a tool which will let me edit it once (with say ifdef's
	for the differences between machines) and then say 'magic' and
	have it recompiled/installed on more both systems?

Also if these tools don't exist what should they be like?
For example I am considering making an "rmake" which handles the
above problem, do you think this would work, and what features should it have?
What don't/do you like about rdist?

           Brian Sturgill          System Manager
University of Kentucky Departments of Mathematical Sciences
 cbosgd!ukma!brian, brian@UKMA.BITNET, brian@ms.uky.csnet