FOSS Folks "March South Together" for Linux.conf.au 2009
by Lisa Hoover - Jan. 19, 2009Comments (0)- Related Blog Posts
- Tux in Your Wallet? Proceeds From Penguin-clad Credit Card Benefit Open Source Community
- List your LUG or Regional Meetings On Fossevents.org
- Linux.conf.au Call for Papers and Miniconfs
- Bdale Garbee Has Close Shave at Linux.conf.au
- LUGs Emphasize the "Festive" at Ohio LinuxFest
Heeding the call to "March South Together," FOSS enthusiasts from all over the world descended on Hobart, Australia this week to take part in Linux.conf.au. Although the conference proper doesn't officially get underway until Wednesday, there were plenty of speakers to check out during the mini-conf.
During a presentation on how to provide Active Directory services from Linux, Samba developer Andrew Bartlett says the upcoming release of Samba version 4 will offer a complete alternative to Microsoft Active Directory. He told conference attendees "Samba 4 is aiming to be a replacement for AD by providing a free software implementation of Microsoft's custom protocols." Among other changes, Samba now uses Python as its scripting language, and includes new NTP signing support. One thing still missing is a Web interface which Bartlett says is up to the community to develop since past attempts by Samba have been abandoned due to lack of support.
Linux Journal's Jes Hall attended Devdas Bhagat's talk that focused on how to automate system administration. It examined both the technical and the human elements, and also discussed how to build a case at work for why these frameworks are important. Hall goes on to say, "I've felt the truth of his comment in the past, that '... any sysadmin can blow up a box, but to blow up an entire bunch of machines takes a sysadmin with a configuration management system.'"
As a side note to the event, organizers have created a unique interactive art project that runs concurrently with the conference. Batteries Not Included is a collaborative effort where "artists aim to develop a sympathetic relationship between their work and audience by inviting interested parties to participate in the process of production." Attendees can observe and participate in six art projects ranging from the practical -- donating unused hotel bottles of soap and shampoo to demonstrate "the unsustainable practices of consumerism and capitalism" -- to the metaphysical that "reveals your place in the manifold of time."
Comments
Share Your Comments
