NAME

host-setup — System configuration setup/management utility

SYNOPSIS

host-setup [-hsX]

DESCRIPTION

The host-setup is a dialog(1) (or Xdialog(1)) based utility for configuring your system. Built on the same safety and reliability of sysrc(8) to manage changes to rc.conf(5), host-setup can also activate changes to the system in a safe and effective manner. Functionality includes (but may not be limited to):

- Configuring Time Zone

- Configuring
  Hostname/Domain

- Configuring Network
  Interfaces

- Configuring Default
  Router/Gateway

- Configuring DNS
  nameservers

The following options are available:

-h: Print a usage message to stderr and exit.
-X: Use Xdialog(1) in place of dialog(1).
-s: Secure. Prompt for sudo(8) credentials (used with -X).

This utility provides either a Terminal (using dialog(1), the default) or Graphical (using Xdialog(1), passing -X) User Interface for changing certain system settings.

In many cases, host-setup can also be used to apply rc.conf(5) changes made outside this utility, avoiding a reboot.

DEPENDENCIES

The following standard commands are required by host-setup:

awk(1), cat(1), chmod(1), chown(8), chsh(1), cmp(1), cp(1), date(1), df(1), dhclient(8), dialog(1), find(1), grep(1), hostname(1), id(1), ifconfig(8), mktemp(1), mv(1), printf(1), rm(1), route(8), sed(1), sh(1), sleep(1), stat(1), strings(1), su(1), sudo(8), tail(1), tzsetup(8), uname(1), which(1)

The following standard commands are optional, based on arguments passed and situation, but enhance the abilities of host-setup:

Xdialog(1), tzdialog(8), xterm(1)

FILES

/etc/defaults/rc.conf
/etc/rc.conf
/etc/rc.conf.local

EXAMPLES

Below are some simple examples of how host-setup can be used to configure and/or manage your system.

host-setup

Launches the default console-based
  user interface (must be root)

.

sudo host-setup

Prompts for
  sudo(8)
  credentials if not already root before launching the default console-based
  user interface with escalated privileges

.

sudo host-setup -X

Launches the gaphical user interface
  as root in a compatible X11 environment (requires appropriate DISPLAY
  variable)

.

host-setup -sX

By default, root privileges are
  required to make the sorts of changes that are required during system
  configuration. This usually means launching via
  sudo(8) as
  in the above example. However, when executing from another X11 application,
  this utility may need to escalate privileges to function properly. The
  addition of the -s flag causes the user to be prompted with
  Xdialog(1)
  for sudo(8)
  credentials.

LIMITATIONS

The host-setup utility is limited in scope to configuring basic connectivity and performing routine system tasks. It is not designed to be an all-in-one swiss-army knife, kitchen sink, or bike shed.

Other limitations are self-imposed for safety reasons. For example, host-setup will allow you to view and change network settings while NFS mounts are active but will not allow you to activate new network settings until NFS mounts are no longer active (preventing system hang).

Another self-imposed limitation is that while you are allowed to view and change the hostname while connected via an X11-Forwarded ssh(1) session, you are not allowed to activate the new hostname until re-executed from either a local terminal or non-X11-Forwarded ssh(1) session (preventing the fatal error “X11 connection rejected because of wrong authentication”).

AUTHORS

Devin E. Teske.