Failover strangeness and a few Thoughts

[Martin McCormick]

/usr/local/sbin/dhcpd -t

and, if it passes, it uses omapi to kill dhcpd so it can restart
under the new configuration.  In bind, you can safely put a new
config in place and bind will refuse to obey the command if it
detects bad syntax or a functional fatality issue.

	 The more webby things get, the harder it
is to automate even simple tasks and have them absolutely work as
predicted.  It's probably easier to fit the simple stuff in to
nice web GUI's than it is to try to bludgeon  nice web GUI's in to
unattended operation that is either cron-based or part of a back
end that those using it are not even aware of.

	There is also another issue with the user interface that
admittedly doesn't effect many people, but those of us who are
effected have about put our foot through a brick wall more than
once.

	Computer users who happen to be blind and who use speech
and or Braille displays live in a command-line world.  Oh yes,
there are interfaces for MS Windows and the speech interface for
gnome is improving all the time, but they still don't have that
universal functionality that the UNIX command line interface has
had for years.  Basically, anything that works in command line
also works if the user happens to be blind and is using some sort
of access technology.  Full-screen applications still work, but
they can get pretty awkward at times.  X-only applications or
things that need a web interface with javascript and are usually
tuned to Internet Explorer are dead in the water.  Lynx is still
the browser that most of us use unless we absolutely must use
something else.

	My point is that a good control mechanism must pass the
telephone test.  If it also makes somebody's web GUI possible,
that's gravy.  The stuff that passes the telephone test usually
also makes automated practices easy.

	The things that David W. Hankins mentioned in the quote
above are scalable and can be designed to interface with lots of
different mechanisms as long as one builds them to be so.  This
is not a rant against anything, but an expression of hope that we
don't make things difficult for those of us who build automation
and who have nothing plugged in to our mouse ports.  The
interfaces that let folks who are blind use gnome, MACOS and
MS-Windows simply make things behave more command-line like with
keyboard commands that simulate drag-and-drop and mouse clicks.
Usually, though, these commands only work if the application is
written properly so each GUI app either works or bombs on its
own.  The UNIX command-line interface is, by definition,
accessible due to how it works and how one connects to it.
Remember the old admonishment of KISS which stands for "Keep it
simple, stupid!"  I am not calling anybody stupid, only defining
the acronym.  Also, in case anybody is scratching their heads,
the expression "telephone test" means only that you can talk
somebody through it on the telephone.  GUI applications don't
usually pass the "telephone test."

	One may have to give a telephone test during Christmas
Dinner to someone on the other end who, though very bright, has a
limited command of English so keeping things simple is a force
multiplier.

Just a few thoughts.

Martin McCormick WB5AGZ  Stillwater, OK 
Systems Engineer
OSU Information Technology Department Network Operations Group