CentOS - Mar 2012 - control panels, like or dislike?

When I first started using webservers I leased shared hosting. Then I 
moved to vps. Then to dedicated.
In all that I was with various control panels.
In almost all cases bugs in those control panels would cause all sorts 
of issues.
(ensim, cpanel, plesk).
The load on the server seemed greatly increased (especially with ensim).

When I built my first server 4 years ago I decided to heck with control 
panels.
I looked at what I was using the control panel for, mainly for adding 
users, protecting directories or adding a new website.

Seriously, I found the original setup daunting as a step by step is not 
really available for a new admin. But I did it. Without a control panel.

Now my new server went all virtual and still no control panel. I looked 
at them but just adding one seemed to install a gazillion programs, 
overtake my system, and seemed to prevent me from updating the servers 
until the panel was updated.

And they seem buggy and insecure.

I understand for webhosting it might seem practical to add them, but 
with the issues and bugs they present the techs on my vps/dedicated sure 
spent a lot of time on the phone with me. That is costly.

Do you use control panels? Why? Like/dislike?

For some family and friends who I host a site for I found the setup of 
an additional server quite easy. A simple one page explanation of 
adding/deleting ftp, mail, or shell users, protecting directories, etc 
seems to suffice.

I feel control panels are not needed and detract from being a 
knowledgeable admin. I can see if you are very new to running a centos 
server it would be helpful, but in the end run it seems to keep people 
from learning how to manage things.

 From a tech view, paid by the hour, I imagine those guys and gals love 
control panel issues... more money for them to fix things.

Interested in where anyone else sits on this issue. I read a lot of 
articles on them but cannot find a solution where I think they would be 
better to use, at least not yet. I am open-minded about it though...

In article <4F6B9490.70101 at bobhoffman.com>,
Bob Hoffman <bob at bobhoffman.com> wrote:
> [...]
> 
> I understand for webhosting it might seem practical to add them, but 
> with the issues and bugs they present the techs on my vps/dedicated sure 
> spent a lot of time on the phone with me. That is costly.
> 
> Do you use control panels? Why? Like/dislike?
> 
> For some family and friends who I host a site for I found the setup of 
> an additional server quite easy. A simple one page explanation of 
> adding/deleting ftp, mail, or shell users, protecting directories, etc 
> seems to suffice.
> 
> I feel control panels are not needed and detract from being a 
> knowledgeable admin. I can see if you are very new to running a centos 
> server it would be helpful, but in the end run it seems to keep people 
> from learning how to manage things.
I would recommend webmin and virtualmin for virtual hosting. They don't
insist on being in sole charge of your system and don't sulk if you
change stuff yourself (within reason...). But they do automate a lot of
the donkey work even for an experienced sysadmin.

However, I don't use virtualmin's auto-setup where it gets and installs
everything to make a virtual hosting appliance. I install all the system
software I want, and then install webmin and virtualmin individually.
They then just get on and find what I have.

Cheers
Tony
-- 
Tony Mountifield
Work: tony at softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk
Play: tony at mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org