 syslog
January is traditionally our Open Source issue, and this year is no
exception. In this issue, Ralf Spenneberg explains how to use User-Mode
Linux (UML) to model a network and emulate a testbed for a VPN solution.
John Berninger describes the "Current" project -- an open source update
server for downloading and installing system updates and new packages
for Red Hat Linux. Randal Schwartz, in his Perl Advisor column, explores
the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN) and shows how easy it
can be to use and to contribute code. Schwartz says the CPAN "is a
wonderful place, full of contributed items for you to use, such as
scripts and modules. Modules are the core of the CPAN: little building
blocks for you to include into your applications."
Sys Admin works on pretty much the same principle as the
CPAN and other open source repositories. The magazine was originally
founded as a "forum" for systems administrators to share scripts
and problem-solving techniques. The practical solutions and scripts
contributed by authors and readers are the core of this magazine,
and all of those scripts are available for download from the code
archive on our Web site. I invite you not only to use the code from
the archive, but also to contribute to it. Of course, the best way
to contribute is to write an article for the magazine. Sys Admin
is always looking for articles to help admins understand and implement
new technologies, improve their skills, and increase the security
and performance of their systems. That means we need administrators
to share their solutions with fellow readers by contributing articles.
The themes for the upcoming months include Storage, Remote Access,
and Networking, but you can always choose the topic you know best.
On another note, I would like to include the "Letters" section
in the magazine more often, which means I need to receive some letters
from readers. Your letter need not be verbose -- you can just drop
me a few lines saying what you liked about a recent article, correct
an error you may have detected in someone's code, or suggest a topic
you'd like the magazine to cover. One reader wrote to tell me that
he'd like to see additional coverage of OpenLDAP and PHP. What would
you like to see?
Please send your article proposals to our managing editor, Rikki
Endsley at: rendsley@cmp.com. As always, send letters (suggestions,
feedback, compliments, flames, recipes, etc.) to me at: aankerholz@cmp.com.
Sincerely yours,
Amber Ankerholz
Editor in Chief
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