Pro Python System Administration

Pro Python System Administration, Second Edition explains and shows how to apply Python scripting in practice. It will show you how to approach and resolve real-world issues that most system administrators will come across in their careers. This book has been updated using Python 2.7 and Python 3 where appropriate. It also uses various new and relevant open source projects and tools that should now be used in practice.

In this updated edition, you will find several projects in the categories of network administration, web server administration, and monitoring and database management. In each project, the author will define the problem, design the solution, and go through the more interesting implementation steps. Each project is accompanied by the source code of a fully working prototype, which you’ll be able to use immediately or adapt to your requirements and environment.

This book is primarily aimed at experienced system administrators whose day-to-day tasks involve looking after and managing small-to-medium-sized server estates. It will also be beneficial for system administrators who want to learn more about automation and want to apply their Python knowledge to solve various system administration problems. Python developers will also benefit from reading this book, especially if they are involved in developing automation and management tools.

What you’ll learn

Solve real-world system administration problems using Python
Manage devices with SNMP and SOAP
Build a distributed monitoring system
Manage web applications and parse complex log files
Monitor and manage MySQL databases automatically
Who this book is for

This book assumes that readers already use Python and are comfortable with the language. The basic knowledge of installing packages on various operating systems is discussed.

Table of Contents

1. Reading and Collecting Performance Data Using SNMP
2. Managing Devices Using SOAP API

3. Creating a Web Application for IP Address Accountancy

4. Integrating the IP Address Application with DHCP

5. Maintaining a List of Virtual Hosts in an Apache Configuration File

6. Gathering and Presenting Statistical Data from Apache Log Files

7. Performing Complex Searches and Reporting on Application Log Files

8. A Web Site Availability Check Script for Nagios

9. Management and Monitoring Subsystem

10. Remote Monitoring Agents

11. Statistics Gathering and Reporting

12. Distributed Message Processing System

13. Automatic MySQL Database Performance Tuning

14. Using Amazon EC2/S3 as a Data Warehouse Solution