Dongo is a tool for system administrators to create central templates for configuring computers. It has capabilities to
- install computers from scratch
- clone computers from others
- apply the configuration template
- run system-checks
The "three main principles":
- Be an integrator: use the fine tools available for subtasks instead of reinventing the wheel (rsync for rsyncing, ssh for secure communication)
- Help to create a meta distribution: The task is not simply install for example a default Debian distribution, and tweak it a little. Usually the task is to create a meta-distribution of an operating system that meets the needs of your users. So the main emphasis should be on the central configuration templating system instead of the automatic install.
- The third principle is yet to be developed!
We are using the predecessor of Dongo (called CsConfig internally) to maintain a network of 120 workstations at a university. CsConfig is the best we were able to design withouth a past in automatic system maintenance software. Now after around two years of development we felt that the resulted knowledge and experience could boost a public project in the area.
Dongo is about to have everything good that exists in our currently working software, keeps the main structure and design, but is completely reworked starting from scratch --- and being public from the very first moment.
In short: Dongo is in the planning phase ;)
We will try to think loudly: not only concieve the plans in our heads, but to scribble them in the PLAN file. You can get the latest by visiting the anonymous SVN of the project.
The technologies used and the architecture can be learned from the PLAN file.
We are cleaning and packaging the tools we developed that are independent of dongo-core. These are for example a Mason templating shell, a partially ordered set implementation in perl, etc. They can be followed in the /tools directory of our anonymous SVN site, or you can download the released versions from the sourceforge download area.
As far as of the main project goes, am not sure as of yet. Everything can be followed by on the dongo-announce and on the dongo-devel mailing lists. I'd expect the planning phase to be around a month, and the development is around six months.
You can see the current state of affairs on our anonymous SVN site.
You are very welcome to tell your thoughts or comments on the
dongo-devel mailing list, or by mailing to
.