Landscape 1.2 Released with More Customizable Features

We have just released Landscape 1.2 which is the next version of our management and monitoring software that lets you manage multiple Ubuntu systems as easily as one. In addition to provisioning, package and security updates management, Landscape enables you to control and monitor all your systems from a single Web interface reducing the complexity of managing multiple systems. The theme of 1.2 is customization – giving you the ability to use generic Landscape features to meet your needs and automate the tasks you want.

The script execution feature has been greatly improved by adding a repository. Now scripts can be stored in the Landscape server for easy use on one or more systems on your network. Scripts can also have attachments, making it really easy to update files on many machines at once and opening up many new possibilities for remote system administration. The scripts are automatically shared with other administrators of the same account to facilitate routine system analysis and reporting.

We have updated Landscape to warn the administrator when something important comes up. Instead of polling the Landscape pages to see what has to be done, what about letting Landscape alert you? We now have notifications that can be configured to send an immediate alert via email so you know when the latest patches are available or a system has upgrades that need approval.

We have made Landscape more useful for people without a subscription to the service. The idea is to provide a quick summary of the system at login so that an administrator can get a very quick systems status check. The landscape-sysinfo program gives you a simple system status display and is based on a fully modular architecture that can be easily expanded with more plugins.

As a bonus, the client part of Landscape (including the new landscape-sysinfo tool) is officially part of Ubuntu starting with the 8.10 “Intrepid Ibex” release. This includes an integration with the installer so that administrators can have a fully configured Landscape client right after the first boot.

The full list of major features that we have added to Landscape 1.2 can be found on the Landscape blog.

Landscape remains free of charge for all of Canonical’s support customers. System Administrators who want access to Landscape’s powerful system management and monitoring features without a support contract can also subscribe to the Landscape service.

Want to try Landscape? Register for a Free 60 day trial to see how it can simplify you management and monitoring tasks.