I have been racking my brains on how to automate some of my work. Has anyone found a way to automatically install Joomla in a new ISPConfig web site? Does anyone know how to import database automatically in to a new site? Does anyone know how to create a database automatically? Does anyone know how to copy files to a new site automatically? Can this be done according to a Hosting Plan? Any scripts? Anyone?
You could write a shell script. I guess the basic commands that you need are - wget (to download the Joomla package) - tar (to uncompress it) - cd - cp or mv to copy or move the Joomla files to its destination directory - and to work with MySQL dumps, take a look at http://www.howtoforge.com/faq/6_4_en.html and http://www.howtoforge.com/faq/6_3_en.html
I have been thinking about a way to somehow connect a script to a hosting plan. That way when a ReSeller makes a new site based on a certain hosting plan it would execute/call that particular script. If that could be possible then I could have for instance Basic, Standard and Pro folders under /var/www and each of those would be copied to the web folder based on the hosting plan. That would considerably ease my life.
You need something like Fantastico (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastico_(web_hosting)),which comes with CPanel. It would certainly make Your life easier if it comes to installing CMSes but not if it comes to security. You would have to track version changes of the scripts and update their packages on Your server.That can be a lot of work too and is easy to forget.
I don't need something like Fantastico. It is a commercial script library. CPANel is also commercial. In my opinion both are constantly behind their times and in need of massive upgrade. What I want to do I can't do with any of the software out there. We should start building more functionality (read plugins/scripts) to ISPConfig. Even simple scipts that could copy certain folders automatically to web folder would save time for the administrators. Next step is to link those scripts to Hosting Plans.
I'm of the opinion that only Open Source software will thrive and get regular updates/upgrades. I would even go so far to claim that this decade will see the end of the Closed Source software. I like "ScriptWorx Script Management" but unfortunatelly that too is not Open Source. Similar functionality under the Options page in ISPConfig would rock.
I got a friend of mine intrested in this. He promised to look in to making me a little php script that would auto install a database from userlist/passwordlist. I'm probably going to pay him something even though he said he didn't want any money for it. I'll keep you posted on this. (The script will be GNU ofcourse.)
Automation - (Joomla, Drupal etc.) Good news gang. My friend and I tested the first version of "ReSeller based" Joomla installation on ISPConfig. The tests went well. There are still some details to be ironed out - but all things considered it looks good. By browsing to an install.php webpage and using it - I could install a Joomla from one predefined folder on the server - and predefined sql dump file. All I had to do was to insert a "profile" name (what folder to install from), database name (web-NrX) and it's password on a webpage. Three settings only on a php page. I figure all the ReSellers can be thought this. Eventually this could be integrated in to the ISPConfig "Options" page it self in a manner that only required the RS to choose from a pulldown menu what profile to install. My friend tells me this wont be too difficult. (He only needed couple of hours doing the scripts.) I'll keep you posted. We should have first version for you to test within a week or so.
