NCustom version 0.07
====================

NCustom provides some file editting routines and some package management hooks to assit in system configuration.

File editting:
The file editing routines include features such as transactions, and undo by transaction. The original files are archived within a directory tree structure.

Package management:
You may specify packages (and minumum/maximum/exact versions) that you require to be installed, and a routine to call if they are not installed. Your routine may use simple "rpm" commands (or whatever you want), or you may use the provided routine that uses "apt". In-built support for other package management tools is on the todo list.

System configuration:
A commandline interface provides for initialisation, configuration, and invocation (including invocation across the network). This enables NCustom to be used from the post section of Kickstart script. It may also be used stand alone on an already built system.

If system configuration tweaking is minor, then scripts (even in the post section of a kickstart configuration) may be more useful. If the system configuration tweaking is related to only one rpm, then re-rolling the rpm with a new patch/post section may be more useful. If there are several packages that need inter-related configuration (eg building a Samba, PDC, LDAP server), then NCustom may improve the speed of development of automated system configuration.


INSTALLATION
============

To install this module type the following:

   perl Makefile.PL
   make
   make test
   make install


EXTRA TESTING
=============

Some tests are skipped unless environment variables are set prior to "make test". This is to avoid being intrusive. 

If "TEST_ALL" is defined all tests will be executed.
If "TEST_APT" is defined then package commands shall be tested using a dummy package "perl-NCustomDummy".
  

PLATFORM DEPENDENCIES
=====================

This module is currently Unix, and probable even Linx specific. It has only been tested with Red Hat 9 and Mandrake 9.2.


DEPENDENCIES
============

This module requires these other modules and libraries:

  perl 5.8


COPYRIGHT AND LICENCE
=====================

Copyright (C) 2003 by Bane Harbinger

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the same terms as Perl itself.