Comments on: Will “Landscape” Give Ubuntu Linux A Business Lift?

By: SteveC

SteveC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:50:55 +0000

I think this is a brilliant idea. Not only to make life a bit easier for those who administer a higher than normal volume of boxes. But also that now Ubuntu will have an actual product that can be shown to people.

The difference is, Landscape is a Ubuntu product, it’ll have the branding. A bit like when I do my handout of Ubuntu CD’s for people to try. It’s always more successful when I hand out the official Ubuntu ones that I get from their brilliant ShipIt website. Compared to handing out a few burnt CD’s with me scribbling “Ubuntu” on it with a CD pen. It’s the same software, why should it matter. But it does.

So, as much as webmin can do all the same things. Ubuntu isn’t claiming to have reinvented the wheel. They have released their own product that can do it, with their own branding and not some other projects ideas. This will allow better integration as it will fit into the system better.

Regardless of how revolutionary (or not) it is, it’s one more step forward in providing a solution that people don’t have to go and read about and discover for themselves. I’m sure the product will be well marketed from Canonical.

Thanks for reading
SteveC

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:27:28 +0000

Uh, is this re-inventing the wheel?
I’ve been using Webmin for system administration for a few years now, and have never had a problem, or found it missing a function that I needed. Webmin has it all – Apache2, Postfix, mySQL, PostgreSQL, etc., etc.
AND, clustering with grouping for cron jobs, user management, apt installs, reboots, etc., etc. Clusters also include monitoring all servers, etc.
ALL with full security running in its own HTTPS – no Apache2 required.
AND, yes – there is a DEB install, although after the 1st time everything is upgraded directly from the Webmin site.
There’s really a lot! – Take a look at http://www.webmin.com

By: Standing By for Ubuntu Server Push In May? « All About Ubuntu

Standing By for Ubuntu Server Push In May? « All About Ubuntu — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:46:39 +0000

[...] for its own server play. For starters, Canonical’s recent release of an administration tool — called Landscape — could make Ubuntu servers and desktops easier to manage. But Canonical will also need to get [...]

By: Ubuntu Linux Server Push Coming In May? | The VAR Guy

Ubuntu Linux Server Push Coming In May? | The VAR Guy — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:08:50 +0000

[...] recent release of an administration tool — called Landscape — could make Ubuntu servers and desktops easier to manage. But Canonical will also need to [...]

By: Serge van Ginderachter

Serge van Ginderachter — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:14:27 +0000

Steve, I wholehartly agree with you. It is a plus. But not a big one. If I really have to manage that many hosts, I can easily write some scripts that will handle this.

My thinking is a bit that bringing out Landscape as it is now, is a little of a missed opportunity to deliver something really new. The extra value doesn’t make me want to pay for such a service.

I’m not saying Landscape is a bad product. Just that it doesn’t give me enough extra value.

By: Steve George

Steve George — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:18:52 +0000

Serge you’re absolutely right that Landscape does not add new technology to an individual Ubuntu system. So you can “add users” on an individual system, and you can add users through Landscape. But the point is to provide an easy to use and efficient system for administrators who are managing a number of machines, not a single laptop.

Take security updates as an example. It’s perfectly possible to remotely connect into say 25 laptops and update them. If any of them are with road-warriors then you can probably call them and ask them to connect to the Internet so that you can access them. Landscape is designed to make the whole process much more efficient, it tells you what updates are available and then applies them without the administrator needing to do anything. If a user isn’t online it will wait for them to pop up and immediately tell the system about the required updates.

Steve

By: Serge van Ginderachter

Serge van Ginderachter — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:16:23 +0000

I wouldn’t compare with MS SMS, which tries to build extra functionality which doesn’t exist in Windows. Landscape more centralizes existing functionalities (e.g. package management).

As for me, Landscape is too basic: besides centralizing management, it doesn’t offer extra functionalities, like e.g. a central management directory.