MySql is a database that has no user-lvl quotas built-in BUT it is commonly used by many hobby programmers who cannot afford a legal copy of Oracle. What we would need to do is allot some space initially (500MB - use dd and mount via loopback?), install MySQL, give someone DB admin perms to create databases and grant rights to users wanting DB access - root access not required. If evil-user fills up the 500MB, DB-admin will run his script to check which user has exceeded his quota, and purge evil-user and the evil-db. I'd be willing to handle the grunt work - daily mail requests, DB not wrking; staff would need to do the initial install. Eventually we'd need to scale up IF there were a lot of requests BUT we could recycle the unused accounts more quickly. ----- Regarding traceroute/ping/nmap.. would it be possible to permit a small wrapper around these useful tools? The wrapper would only permit a fixed amount of ping/traceroute pkts per day (so you can't use Grex bandwidth to hose someone) - they'd take any IP. For nmap, it's useful for testing your firewall and yes there are other sites that do this BUT could we offer this service?6 responses total.
From reading the Grex web site and the system setup information there, it seemed Grex had a MySQL DB at one time (used for equipment inventory). If we were to install a MySQL DB, what you use it for? What would others like to use it for?
I think we already run PostgreSQL which is better than MySQL. Why not use that instead?
FOr that matter, MySQL's already installed and running.
Re #3: yeah but.. we don't have some set procedure to get access to DB's, the way we can with the home-page (mkhomepg) - which is user operated and practically instantaneous. Also, what's the DB size limit and DB details (login, password, access method - we should have some sample code for n00bs - Ruby+Python+Perl). Also, umm.. the web-page doesn't reflect the state of things. umm.. no offense intended and stuff. I mean umm.. postfix is running.. MySQL seems more the type for hobby programming than PostgreSQL which was why I suggested that and from what I've observed with IRC is that there are more ppl asking about MySQL. My plan (re #1) was something like this.. after the Wiki article was complete, we mail Make Magazine and LifeHacker and anyone else I can Google and ask them to check us (and Arbornet) out and tell emm that we are the best free-shell provider in existence (which means we need to blow SDF out of the water in terms of free usage). Which means it should be SPEEDY and should have lots of goodies. Basically a single/ small page should give emm all the details to start programming, get help, send email, setup filters, know what their quotas are, how to purge their account - like a cheat sheet. So when reporter comes, she looks at the cheat sheet, tries everything out, sees more users than SDF, decides Grex is a useful tool and writes a nice article that brings in lots of DIY types and hackers. I really don't use Grex for programming - i have my PC for that, but it's nice to test perl snippets and I first came to grex because I wanted to do a whois or something..
aacs http://www.computersociety.org ... -just- had PostgreSQL: Overview and what is new with 8.5 with Aaron Thul Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 @ 6pm a couple days ago ... the guy is an evangelist .. and PostgreSQL would semm to elevate grex a bit.
I use PostgreSQL at home & it works great. It may be a bit over the top in terms of its abilities and features compared to MySQL, but if we have it running, great. As for MySQL, apparently we don't have the data that the inventory web page needs. It says that MySQL isn't available right now. (I don't know how useful that is at this point with an inventory that is a very short list). The main thing for databases is how do users get permission to set up their own data? Obviously these two databases are not well-advertised.
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