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astincrawford

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Clarification on GUI tools for Linux - Redhat 5

Hello.
I've grown used to using GUI tools to perform sysadmin tasks on Linux (RHEL5). However I've been informed that many of these tools are broken and should be avoided. I have tried to run tests - comparing them with the command line and the ONLY issue I see is that if I use system-config-http then it wipes the existing configuration (and the new one is fine).
I have got used to using tools like system-config-nfs and system-config-bind. Can someone knowledgeable in Linux kindly let me know which GUI tools are safe to use in a real life environment and which ones should be avoided.
For some reason - I find working with the GUI quicker - so would welcome any constructive advice.
thanks
A
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Monis Monther
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Command line means lfexibiliy , you cant make all changes from the GUI, in case your sysadmin tasks do not require more than what the tools offer then you are fine.

GUI is not encoureged AFAIK becasue

1- You are using too much memory that is needed for your services
2- You are installing a lot of packages that might prove to have vulnerabilites and non restricted access putting you in a concern for securiy.
3- X-Window is not as stable as the shell is thus you might get unwanted behaivior or cashes in your GUI system.
4- Not knowing the command line well will cause you trouble when you try to fix a system crash (That can happen to any system with GUI or not). because the command line is all what you have.

Hope this helps
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astincrawford

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Hello small_student, appreciate your answer.  I was however looking for a more specific list of which gui tools in rhel are safe to use and which are not.
As I understand it - system-config-http is to be avoided,and I've heard that system-config-bind can cause issues - but I've had no problems with both. Yet now I would be sceptical about using them in the real world.
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Monis Monther
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