All sysadmin want tools that transform the administration of a server into a simple task. So, it is necessary to install applications that allow it and using Cockpit is a great way to do it.
Cockpit is an open source application based on a web interface that allows you to control, monitor and manage the operation of a Linux server. Among its main features are its ease of installation and its bright design that makes it very simple to use.
Others Features
In order to be a program used by multiple teams working on a server is that Cockpit has been carefully designed. In addition, it is friendly enough for those new to Linux and useful for seasoned admins too.
As I mentioned before, the installation of Cockpit is really simple since it is included in the official repositories of many Linux distributions.
As expected many sysadmins are experts in the use of the terminal and therefore using Cockpit is perfectly compatible with it. There’s even an embedded terminal in Cockpit.
In short, we are talking about a necessary program to complement the administration of a server efficiently.
Installing Cockpit on Ubuntu 20.04 / 18.04
In previous versions of Ubuntu like 16.04, to install Cockpit you had to use external repositories. Ubuntu version 20.04/ 18.04 includes Cockpit in its repositories, so installing it is a very simple process. Open a terminal and run:
:~$ sudo apt install cockpit
Then, start the service and finally, check the service status.
:~$ sudo systemctl start cockpit :~$ sudo systemctl status cockpit
Cockpit is installed.
Using Cockpit
Now to use Cockpit, open a web browser, and access using port 9090 http://IP_SERVER:9090 and you will see the login screen.
Enter your username and password and log in to view the application dashboard.
In this first screen, you will get essential information about the system, such as Network traffic, RAM or CPU load.
Logs Screen
In the logs screen, you will be able to access the logs generated by the system. Very important to verify possible errors in the operation of programs.
Storage screen
In the Storage screen, you will see the information concerning the hard drives the server has. You will also be able to access the logs generated in that section.
As you can see in the image, it is possible to create Raid devices in a quite simple way. Also if you click on Drives you can have access to the information of each one of them.
Networking screen
In this section, you can notice the network traffic from the server. In this case, it is a test server and the traffic is null, but if you have one in production it will look different.
However, you can add a VLAN or a Bridge to your network.
Accounts Screen
Here you can get information about the active user accounts on the server.
You can also delete the account or close the session.
Services Screen
This is a vital section of the program because here you can view in a fairly simple way, all the services that are installed on the server and also know which is running and which is not.
On the other hand, if you click on a service, you can activate it, deactivate it or disable it so that it does not run when you start the system.
Showing the terminal on Cockpit
Cockpit also integrates a terminal emulator directly into your application, which makes it a great utility for the administration.
Conclusion
Managing a system is not an easy task, that’s why specialized applications are required to facilitate the task. Cockpit combines the simplicity of a fairly polished web interface with the robustness of having great options available.
You can also read “How to install webmin on Debian 9?“.
Cockpit Website here.
