Arusha Project is Unix system administration software that enables collaboration.
The Arusha Project (ARK) is a comprehensive software solution designed for collaborative system administration of multi-platform Unix sites that have many machines. It provides a framework or tools that make system administration tasks easier, helping core ARK developers in their quest for a comprehensive system administration solution.
What most people miss is that the ARK engine, which offers a simple "configuration language" for sysadmin tasks, can be used in many diverse ways. There are countless possible uses of ARK that we haven't even thought of, and some of these uses are not even related to each other. Users can pick one or more ways to deal with software packages, configuration files in /etc, and user accounts, among other things, providing them with multiple ARK options.
Here are some examples of the various ways ARK can be used:
1. Multi-platform package manager for user applications - ARK provides a package manager that is particularly useful for standard freeware packages. This is especially useful when dealing with diverse Unix platforms where you need to install the "same" packages.
2. Early adopter playpen - This solution is similar to #1, but in this case, you have a small group of people who want to try out alpha-quality and beta-quality software. ARK helps to create a "playpen" where early adopters can do their trials in a controlled and non-problematic way.
3. Unifier for diverse package managers - Imagine you have a site with Solaris, Linux, and NetBSD boxes, and you want to use the native package managers for each. ARK can help by unifying the processes, ensuring that you have the "same" packages on all hosts, and allowing you to manage them on a per-site basis.
4. (Binary) package producer - This option involves having a few ARK hosts whose job is to produce binary RPM packages for everything of interest to the site. Many production hosts would then simply use the RPMs, saving time and reducing the likelihood of errors.
5. Front-end for sysadmin tools - ARK can also be used as a front-end for software like Cfengine or PIKT. You can express everything you need to know about the hosts at your site in an ARK object way (including constraints between them) and generate a configuration with the push of a button.
6. Fancy `rdist' - ARK is an excellent tool for synchronizing configuration files across multiple machines. The distributed ARK code, including the stuff from team Sidai, is an ideal solution for keeping config files like /etc/hosts or /etc/resolv.conf in sync.
7. Idea bank - This option does not involve running ARK code at all. Instead, you can study others' sysadmin solutions as a source of inspiration.
8. Build chip designs - Finally, you can even use ARK to build chip designs! While a mostly-facetious suggestion, the earliest ARK ideas emerged alongside some chip-building concepts at Glasgow University in 1999.
What most people miss is that the ARK engine, which offers a simple "configuration language" for sysadmin tasks, can be used in many diverse ways. There are countless possible uses of ARK that we haven't even thought of, and some of these uses are not even related to each other. Users can pick one or more ways to deal with software packages, configuration files in /etc, and user accounts, among other things, providing them with multiple ARK options.
Here are some examples of the various ways ARK can be used:
1. Multi-platform package manager for user applications - ARK provides a package manager that is particularly useful for standard freeware packages. This is especially useful when dealing with diverse Unix platforms where you need to install the "same" packages.
2. Early adopter playpen - This solution is similar to #1, but in this case, you have a small group of people who want to try out alpha-quality and beta-quality software. ARK helps to create a "playpen" where early adopters can do their trials in a controlled and non-problematic way.
3. Unifier for diverse package managers - Imagine you have a site with Solaris, Linux, and NetBSD boxes, and you want to use the native package managers for each. ARK can help by unifying the processes, ensuring that you have the "same" packages on all hosts, and allowing you to manage them on a per-site basis.
4. (Binary) package producer - This option involves having a few ARK hosts whose job is to produce binary RPM packages for everything of interest to the site. Many production hosts would then simply use the RPMs, saving time and reducing the likelihood of errors.
5. Front-end for sysadmin tools - ARK can also be used as a front-end for software like Cfengine or PIKT. You can express everything you need to know about the hosts at your site in an ARK object way (including constraints between them) and generate a configuration with the push of a button.
6. Fancy `rdist' - ARK is an excellent tool for synchronizing configuration files across multiple machines. The distributed ARK code, including the stuff from team Sidai, is an ideal solution for keeping config files like /etc/hosts or /etc/resolv.conf in sync.
7. Idea bank - This option does not involve running ARK code at all. Instead, you can study others' sysadmin solutions as a source of inspiration.
8. Build chip designs - Finally, you can even use ARK to build chip designs! While a mostly-facetious suggestion, the earliest ARK ideas emerged alongside some chip-building concepts at Glasgow University in 1999.
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Version 20040529: N/A