Admin console: list all non-default CoS values, set any CoS attribute/ZCS setting

[batfastad]

Hi everyone

Been running Zimbra for a few years now and one thing I've always found annoying is that there are many many options that aren't available to set using the admin console. It's always made me wonder what the point of having the admin console is if you're still so reliant on the CLI. And from a security perspective it's a nightmare as you don't really want to be giving anyone else shell/CLI access to a server.

I understand that there's so many CoS attributes and server options that categorising them and displaying them in the admin console would be very difficult.

But how about improving the admin console to have a way of listing all currently set CoS attributes that are not set to their default value?
Not just CoS options but Global Settings, Server Settings, domain-specific and user-specific options.

This options list could be in a new tab under each "applet" in the admin console. It would only needs to be a table with 2 columns... attribute name and current value. Ideally with a link to the documentation for that attribute/setting.

There should also be a way to set these options through the admin console as well. So a simple dialogue box where you can type an attribute name or select one from a master list, then type the value. Instead of having to drop to the CLI to do the exact same thing.

What does everyone think?
Does anything like that exist already as of 7.1.3?
I've not found any feature requests for this in bugzilla.

I think that would be a huge improvement to the admin console and gives an admin a clear overview of the options that have been explicitly set, without having to give them direct access to the server's shell/CLI.

Cheers, B

[twistedfish]

I tend to agree, I am trying to change the COS for about 50% of my users and it looks like I have to do this all via CLI.

I don't get that, it should be as simple as choosing the COS for any user or group of users and then applying it to them. Much like you would a GP.

I find the admin console to be less helpful on a daily basis, I feel like I have been thrown back to a Novell server...give me gui but make it crippled enough that CLI is still the only way to accomplish any real tasks.

[batfastad]

I've added a feature request in bugzilla for this as I believe it to be an excellent enhancement which would make configuration much easier and faster. Also means the Zimbra team don't have to come up with specific UI controls for each option as you could just set them in a similar way to when you change Firefox options using about:config

Here's the feature request in bugzilla... so vote vote vote!
Bug 67655 – Admin UI interface to list/edit all options set/available including those without current UI controls

I've got no problem using the CLI but it's annoying to have some options available in the UI and others not. This enhancement is designed to make all options available through the admin UI on a manual entry basis. This would reduce our reliance on the CLI massively. I don't believe it would be too much work to implement this either as the changed CoS and config values could just be passed to the CLI scripts on the backend like most other sections of the admin UI (backups, certificate management etc).

Cheers, B