config files and version control

I'm considering managing all config files under version control on my RH 7.1 installation. Using /etc/hosts as an example, how about this approach:

1. create a top-level directory named config
2. In /etc, mv hosts to /config
3. in /etc, create a link to /config/hosts named hosts
4. import /config/hosts as a new sysconfig project into cvs

Basically, you would wind up with all configuration files in the /config directory and in their reespective places would be a link to the real files in /config. You could edit the file in it's ordinary place or from within the /config directory.

Let's say that you're adding a new virtual host to httpd.conf. You would need to edit httpd.conf, named.conf, named.xxx.xxx.xxx (reverse dns), and named.newvirtualhost.com. Then you'd need to restart named and httpd.

If all of these files were under version control and the updates were correct they could be committed with a single command:

cvs commit -m "added newvirtualhost.com" sysconfig

Is this just busy-work? It does give you a history of changes to your installation that is useful and valuable, but is there a better way? I don't use a control panel (as I'm sure you guessed).

Thanks in advance for opinions.

 

 

 

 

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