sys03 - ilog-policy

project, infrastruktur, computing, process

On sys03 and the VServers shackspace runs ilog for system and software documentation. ilog quick usage guide.

How to document?

Write down what you actually did - not what you thought you were doing.

Write down commands, filenames with full path names, include current working directories, diff(1)s of changed files.

Don't:

Just write something like „cleaned up /var/log“, „set up xyz“ or something - because nobody knows how you did it. If there's an error we are all blind and deaf and lost in the mists of Avalon.

Do:

If you make a change to a config file add the diff to the ilog entry.
Use „vo“ on editing files.
Write down the commands you used
check the output of „history“ if you write the ilog record
consider typing commands into an editor first and transferring them to shell copy & paste. So you create a protocol which can be used as ilog record afterwards.

ilog keywords

The keywords ilog uses are defined as following:

keyword	host	vserver
lvm	any changes to lvm layout or lvm software	changes to lvm layout on the vhost as far as the vserver is concerned (mostly resized and new filsystems)
software	any changes to software installation or configuration	-same-
system	any changes to the operating system including changes to the software provided by the packet management [0]	-same-
users	created and removed users and privileges	-same-
vserver	any changes to the vserver setup	changes to vserver setup on the vhost as far as the vserver is concerned
www	any changes to www services and applications (but not changes to contents)	-same-

[0]: Software added, configured and deleted with packet management tools is to be tagged „system“. Software installed manually (e.g. to /usr/local) is not.