Webmin
“Webmin is
a web-based interface for system administration for Unix. Using any modern web
browser, you can setup user accounts, Apache, DNS, file sharing and much more. Webmin removes the need to manually edit Unix configuration
files like /etc/passwd, and lets you manage a system
from the console or remotely.”
“Webmin
consists of a simple web server, and a number of CGI programs which directly
update system files like /etc/inetd.conf and /etc/passwd. The web server and all CGI programs are written in
Perl version 5, and use no non-standard Perl modules.” – www.webmin.com
In my case I
installed webmin on my Ubuntu
based NAS box, and on my Suse based Apache web
server. Once installed, I can administer my Linux servers from any web browser
on my LAN. I simply enter http://ipaddressoflinuxbox:10000/
and I’m presented with the webmin login screen.
I can even
administer my Linux boxes wirelessly from my PDA!
Using Webmin
in Ubuntu
Preparing Your System
The
following packages need to be installed first:
·
sudo apt-get install
perl libnet-ssleay-perl openssl libauthen-pam-perl libpam-runtime libio-pty-perl
libmd5-perl
·
Run
sudo apt-get install webmin
However this
will result in a working webmin installation, but it
won’t be the latest version. It will be the older version that is stored in the
Ubuntu repository.
Install
Latest Version of Webmin in Ubuntu
You can use the above procedure but if you want to install
latest version of .deb webmin
package you can download it from the webmin site
under Download
Section
Download latest webmin using the
following command:
·
wget
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/webadmin/webmin_1.340_all.deb
Now we have webmin_1.340_all.deb package you need to install
using the following command:
·
sudo dpkg -i webmin_1.340_all.deb
If your server complains that there are some library files
that it can’t find, run the following command:
·
sudo apt- get
install -f
This will
result in webmin and all associated files being
installed.
To Access Webmin
Server From Client
You should now be able to login to webmin
at the URL:
Webmin User Password Change
If
you want to change root password in webmin use this
included Perl script:
Using Webmin
in Suse
Install Latest Version of Webmin in Suse
Downloaded
.rpm file from www.webmin.com to Desktop
Run the
following command:
·
rpm
–U webmin-1.350-1.noarch.rpm
Which will install webmin into the following
directory: /usr/libexec/webmin
To Access Webmin
Server From Client
You should
now be able to login to webmin at the URL:
·
http://ipaddressoflinuxbox:10000/
Notes
Note 1: In my case I had to sort a
firewall issue with port 1000. Keep this in mind for your setup if you are
crossing a firewall to access your Linux box.
Note 2: I experienced a power failure
on my Linux boxes, and when I rebooted Suse, webmin didn’t work. To fix this I did the following:
·
Go into yast
-> System ->System Services (runlevel editor),
and enable webmin.