SERVER ROLES FRAMEWORK

This is a proposal for Google Summer of Code. It comes from another proposal which suggested to implement an interface for a server directory. But after some comments I re-direct my proposal.

The goal of the new proposal is build a framework with the same utility than the manager server roles from WIndows servers. It is just an interface to install and configure the different server roles.

It will be implemented in GTK or in PHP if we found that is more inetresting by web. But I'm open to any suggestion about what language use.

This is my template for GsoC:

Name: Jesús Arteche González.

Email: jesus.arteche@gmail.com.

You can contact me too by MSN at chechuironman@hotmail.com or by AIM chechuironman

Background: I’m from Santander (northern Spain). I’m a Telecommunications Engineer specializing in Electronics (graduate of Cantabria University) and at present I'm in my final year of a degree in Telecomunication Engineering, specializing in Telematics at Cantabria University. I’ve been using Debian for many years ago, I often read the Debian mail list and participate in it. I always use a Linux distribution as my regular operating system (I prefer Debian for my servers). I manage a Debian server at home for my family and I with several services. When I finished my telecommunications engineering specially in electronics I did a project for a university department, they have a cluster dedicated to calc, and I implemented an authentification system for Linux and Windows users based on LDAP, Samba, Kerberos, OpenAFS,… in Debian servers. I’ve published a part of this work in a Ubuntu magazine (http://fullcirclemagazine.org/directory-server-on-ubuntu/ ) and I’m about to correct some other articles, which I wrote on this work to publish them.

I’ve been doing work experience in companies working as a Network Engineer, and at present I’m working (part time) as a Network Engineer in a R & D company (www.sayme.es) . Here, I administer the servers (Windows and Debian) as well as other tasks related to networks.

I’ve been programming with the C language since I was a child and at university I got the best mark for this subject (distinction). Now I’m learning C# for my final project at university. I have learned other languages to a lesser extent like Java, Lisp, Dbase,...

I think I’m the best person to get a project from Debian. Although I know that there are a lot of people who programme better than me, I learn fast and I can adapt to any suggestion or work in any way.

Project title: Server Roles Framework .

Synopsis: Debian doesn’t have any interface to install the server roles, when I did my final proyect at university I built a directory server which is working in a calc center (in a cluster’s frontend). While I was implementing it, I realized that other Linux distributions and operating systems have a package which installs a complete service directory, but not Debian. So my suggestion is to programme an interface for installing and configuring server services (or roles). That services will be implemented with open source and we will have to choose the best implementation in its role. With this interface the system administrator just has to install and configure every service with a simple interface, not package by package and link the different services between them after words. This interface make the life easier for system administrator, we will have the simplicity of Windows and the power of Debian, and it is open source.

Benefits to Debian : Debian it is a network operating system which lacks of a global manager services. If someone wants one, he has to build it piece by piece each service, so I think to have all of them in a package with an interface installation for all parameters it would be better.

Deliverables: Server Roles Framework for Debian, and all that can come with it, like manuals, benchmarks, magazine articles, …

Project details: The project is composed of three parts:

There are a lot of documentation about how to build each service, we just have to choose the best implementation of the service.

The proyect could be done with C, Tcl/Tk, … I’m open to new suggestion and any languages to learn. These framework will include a complete installation in the servers, I mean, package installation, package configuration, service link, and choosing it is a primary or secondary server.

Project schedule: Here in Spain we start the summer vacation in july, maybe I can start in may but I have exams in June. So I’ll made a short description of the project's periods with relative dates. This dates doesn't mean that a task start when another is finished, there are tasks that i can do at same time.

Other summer plans: I can adapt to Debian’s requirements.

Exams and other commitments: I have exams from 1st june until 23rd .

If you are not a Debian Developer: I’m not a Debian developer but I worked a long time with Debian systems. I’m open to anything, if it comes from Linux world better.