How to cluster Webmin 2.0 for easier data center administration

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Jack Wallen strolls you through the steps to link your Linux servers together with Webmin for a lot more efficient administration.

Caucasian IT professional admin using laptop computer doing data transfer operation with rack server cabinets in digital room of data center. Cyber security. Image: Fractal Pictures/Adobe Stock How many Linux servers do you administer? Opportunities are pretty good you’re dealing with considerably more servers running the open-source os than ever in the past. That can be a lengthy task when you have to SSH into each server and run your everyday admin jobs.

SEE: 40+ open source and Linux terms you need to understand (TechRepublic Premium)

More about data centers

What if I informed you that procedure could be made much more simple with the help of Webmin? If that sounds fascinating, keep reading because I’m going to reveal you how to include other servers to a single Webmin user interface, so all you need to do is log into that one server where you can take pleasure in fast access to every system on the Webmin servers index.

It’s a lot easier than it sounds. Let me reveal you how.

What you’ll require to cluster Webmin

The only things you’ll require are several Linux servers with Webmin installed. It doesn’t matter which os is hosting Webmin.

How to momentarily include a server to Webmin

Log into Webmin on the server you want to utilize as the single point of entry for your admin jobs. Click on the Webmin tab in the left navigation and after that broaden the Webmin entry to reveal the Webmin Servers Index (Figure A).

Figure A

The Webmin menu entry is

broadened to expose the Webmin Servers Index entry. On the resulting page (Figure B), click Broadcast For Servers. Figure B Select the Broadcast For Servers option. The scan must find any/all servers you have running Webmin so long as they’re on the same network and will report them as discovered( Figure C). Figure C Webmin found another server, which is the only other server I have on my network running Webmin. Click Return To Servers and you must see any server discovered now listed( Figure D ).

Figure D Webmin successfully added a server at IP address 192.168.1.66.

If you click a noted server, Webmin will automatically open that server to the default Webmin dashboard for that host (Figure E).

Figure E

The control panel is open. How to permanently include a server to Webmin Now that you’ve seen how quickly Webmin can briefly add a server, let’s permanently add on. Return to the Webmin Servers Index and this time click Register a New Server. On the resulting page (Figure F), complete the needed details for the server– at a minimum, the IP address, server type, make it possible for SSL, username and password– and click Save.

Figure F

Signing up a remote server that will completely be noted in the Webmin Servers Index.

The remote server will then be a long-term addition to your Webmin host. Anytime you click on that server, it will open Webmin to its control panel.

The one caution to this is that it really takes you away from the initial point of entry. Because of this, I recommend adding the main server– the one you initially accessed– to all remote servers, so returning to the centralized point of entry is a lot easier. Otherwise, you’ll have to either struck the back button up until you arrive on your initial Webmin server, or type the IP address of the server.

Work smarter, not harder.

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