[olug] to X or not to X (on a server)?

Mon May 12 15:07:39 UTC 2003

Disclaimer: I only use Linux as a programming environment.  I've never built
or worked on a large corporate network before.

...but why not have 2 network cards on all your servers?  One that routes to
the internet and another that routes to a administration/log machine that
has X and your favorite KVM combination but is not connected to the
internet.  All of your logs could be forwarded to this machine and your
servers could only allow administration and x-forwarding through the local
ethX and not the internet ethX connection.

Just a thought...well...more like a guess...

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Walker" <linux_user at grax.com>
To: "Omaha Linux User Group" <olug at olug.org>
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 7:35 AM
Subject: Re: [olug] to X or not to X (on a server)?

> Since I don't like recompiling a kernel without "make xconfig",
> I like to put just enough X on the server to redirect a display to another
> machine, either through ssh or just setting "DISPLAY=192.168.217.4:0"
>
> On Monday 12 May 2003 01:49 am, Brian Wiese wrote:
> > On Fri, 9 May 2003 05:15:41 -0500
> >
> > Kenton Brede <xyf at nixnotes.org> wrote:
> > |On Fri, May 09, 2003 at 06:05:37AM -0500, Brian Wiese wrote:
> > |> So, my friend and I where having this little discussion about setting
> > |> up a debian stable server for basically samba file and print serving.
> > |> He says X should not ever be installed and I say it should.  What do
> > |> the fellow gnu/linux admins on the list recommend from experience...
> > |> which has more benefit, to install X on a server or to not?  hard
drive
> > |> space is not a concern.
> > |>
> > |> reasons for X:
> > |> - provides productive usable environment for local system
> > |> administration(I like to have a couple of terminal windows open and
> > |> other GUI tools at hand (a webbrowser perhaps) when administrating a
> > |> system versus straight CLI)- will not be used/running normally,
> > |> standard runlevel = 2- could easily be uninstalled with 'apt-get
remove
> > |> --purge xserver-common...'- security updates go along with 'apt-get
> > |> upgrade' so not much of a concern (and there are no remote shell
> > |> logins, just IT staff)
> > |>
> > |> reasons against X:
> > |> - another piece of software installed that could be a security
> > |> vulnerability- added difficulty for system backups?
> > |> - performance benefit by not being installed?
> > |>
> > |> so, to have the option of X or to not on a server, what's best?
> > |
> > |I can't say absolutely X should never be installed on a server but I
> > |haven't seen a reason to do so yet.  A few reasons why I wouldn't:
> > |
> > |* Possible security vulnerability that must be dealt with.
> > |
> > |* Don't have to track and install security updates for X and all the
> > |  stuff installed with it.
> > |
> > |* During your career you will more than likely find yourself in an
> > |  environment mostly without a graphical interface.  Relying on X
doesn't
> > |  prepare you for that.
> > |
> > |* Most of the crashes / freezes I have personally seen on linux systems
> > |  have happened while running X.
> > |
> > |* Running a graphical browser on a server isn't a good idea due to
> > |  the inevitable runaway processes that occur while surfing.
> > |
> > |kent
> >
> > Yeah, this is kind of the same mentality I've had all along.  My own
> > webserver has been up for more than 2 separate ocassions of 210+ days of
> > uptime over the past 1 1/2 years (recently had to replace UPS for last
> > downtime)... and since it's all remotely managed/old slow system, I've
> > never installed X on it, just ssh.  If I have a local server though, and
> > therefore almost always hooked into a kvm somewhere, I go ahead and
> > install X though and just run it when I need it.  I personally find that
> > the functionality benefit of admin' a box from an X environment far
> > outways any other valid/potential concerns. (to copy and paste, have
> > multiple xterms/konsoles/... of an extremely large/custom screen size
and
> > run a browser on localhost for testing etc, it's what graphic
environments
> > are for - do interact with the system more usefully...)  It's another
one
> > of those personal admin choices I assume, but it is nice to not 'have
to'
> > run it all the time (like in Windoze) and have the option to unistall it
> > or turn it off at will without loosing major functionality on the
system.
> >
> > peace
> >
> >   Brian Wiese | bwiese at cotse.com | aim: unolinuxguru
> > ------------------------------------------------------
> >   GnuPG/PGP key 0x6BFF6681 | "FREEDOM!" - Braveheart
> > ------------------------------------------------------
> > This is not about Napster or DVDs. It's about your Freedom.
> >   I'll see your DMCA and raise you a First Amendment.
> >               http://www.anti-dmca.org
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