For the love of god, STOP modifying configuration files without request!

This is getting annoying as all hell here, please, STOP modifying configuration files (httpd specifically) without any request to specifically do so, and then, only ADD the necessary values.

For the past 3 months, I've had to fight CPanel for control over the apache configuration files here. Nothing major, just something small (ie: remove /mailman/ to be PCI COMPLIANT). Every time I remove it, and restart httpd, it tests fine, yet the next week, it's right back there.

Now I know nobody's adding things to the httpd files, as I'm the only one with root access (and I haven't added any accounts, as it's a personal server). I don't know WHAT cPanel/WHM is doing to automatically add this, but it is annoying as all hell. I have my configuration files set a specific way, please show some sort of respect to your customers and KEEP them that way, instead of adding what you want whenever you want, without being asked (or told) to!

Is it a hassle? Yes. Is it a big problem? No, but come on now, respect your client's time here. I just wasted 8 hours on numerous scans to have to do them again, because you felt the need to add this unnecessary and ridiculous line to configurations! At least respect your customers enough NOT to force them to use your default garbage!

 

Nothing like being told to RTFM. Here's the deal though:
Firstly, I'm not going to read through countless pages of boring assed, poorly thought out, poorly designed documentation. I shouldn't HAVE to. I've already had to read through apache's documentation, php's documentation, every other bit of documentation. LEAVE MY CONFIGS ALONE!

This isn't caused by ea3, I haven't rebuilt apache at all. I haven't ADDED anything, I haven't MODIFIED vhosts, I haven't done anything to these servers at all, so there is no excuse for adding lines I have taken out of apache configs back in, none whatsoever.

This isn't my fault here, this is cPanel's fault. CPanel shouldn't be modifying anything unless it is specifically asked to, and then, only do what it is told to do! Nowhere, ever, did I say "add the /mailman/ line back to apache", yet, it's done it repeatedly now, without being asked to, without being told to.

 

This is not my fault. Stop trying to pass off poor programming and design as "the user's fault". I never, once authorized CPanel to put that line back into the configuration, EVER

This is the fault, and responsibility of one thing: CPanel, nothing more.
I never authorized CPanel to modify my configs. I never asked them to do so, never added any accounts, nor did I make any changes to CPanel. Yet, on a weekly basis, that configuration file is modified, and the mailman crap is added back in there. How is it my fault that CPanel took it upon themselves to take over configurations? How is it my fault that an overzealous control panel has attempted things it was never given permission to?

Should I read the manual? I shouldn't have to. Good god, I've read enough manuals in my lifetime, I shouldn't have to continue to read crap that is poorly designed, boring, all too technical, and just piss poor to begin with. I know what I'm doing when it comes to most things (including apache), I shouldn't HAVE to read CPanel's snoresville manuals to figure out how to get THEM to stop overwriting MY configuration! THEY should ask ME if I want the configuration directives re-added, NOT the other way around!

 

Nope, not at all. Read through the thread before making wild accusations like that. I'm just tired of dealing with CPanel taking "control" of things it was never, ever asked to do.

Why use CPanel? Because it makes things easier to deal with in the long run (usually). I haven't had but a few issues with things, and those typically get resolved, because I'm relentless .

In this case, nothing "blew up". I'm simply tired of having to repeatedly make changes to configuration files because some idiotic software thinks it knows better than I do! Trying to deal with PCI is hard enough WITHOUT trying to have to deal with CPanel's crap continually re-adding my changes to the systems.

Sure, that's a given, but any "valid and competent" programmer ALSO knows that you DON'T make things impossible to figure out, and you DON'T force people to read through thousands of pages of worthless, poorly written, boring as hell manuals. This has nothing to do with an "include" file, it has everything to do with a poorly written program.

A properly written program wouldn't add things back to the configuration (esp. the general configuration which should NEVER be re-added to the system) without asking.

A PROPERLY written program wouldn't take it upon itself to modify configuration files and directives WITHOUT being asked to (ie: it does it on it's own), or told to. Not once in 3 months have I added an account to those servers, not ONCE in 3 months have I deleted an account from those servers, or modified anything in cPanel. This is, in fact cPanel doing things on it's own, without being told to, or asked to.

The funny thing:
I can (and do) modify httpd configurations on cPanel servers (the same ones) all I like. From adding modules (evasive, httpbl, dnsbl, etc), and their configurations to actually removing stuff. The adds stick around (I've had dnsbl and httpbl in there for over a year now), yet removing things don't. OBVIOUSLY, this is a problem on CPanel's end, parsing something somewhere, or dealing with things when told not to (or the opposite).

I have no problem reading through well written (and necessary) documentation, but sitting around, reading docs for the hell of it, not exactly something I'm going to do. This is a problem, it's not a huge one, but it's STILL a problem. Should I have to read through cP boring documentation to learn to "administrate" my server (that's a joke in itself)? Absolutely not. Should I have to read through boring cP documentation to learn WHY cP is modifying my configs (again, without request, or being told to)? Absolutely NOT! Should the program STOP modifying things without request? Absolutely, definitely!

BTW:
The "templates" aren't what's adding mailman back in! I've already gone through and removed everything from the "templates" and "include" files. The mailman lines are added somewhere (god knows where) else.

 

Which I had already gone through, nice try though. There were no references to that there.

More like it's crap!

If I can ADD things to apache configurations without having them being removed, then taking them away should work just the same. EA3 isn't anything "glorified" at all, it's utter garbage. EA3 tries to take more and more control from the end user.

In this case, the problem is partially my fault, as I found the problem (forgetting to run the distiller), but it's not completely my fault, as, again, I've had things added in there for a year or better (most recently added 2 weeks ago), without running that that didn't get erased, so, somehow, the changes get parsed, but not fully.

 

That's almost funny, but hugely inaccurate. I have no "hatred" for cpanel, flaming or not. I DO hate poorly put together, and poorly defined software, and software that steps WAY out of bounds (which this does in this case), but I do NOT hate cPanel.

Think whatever you want. The docs in this case helped none at all. Of course, the one line at the top of the config telling me to run distiller helped, so I guess the "docs" did help a bit.

The point here, despite the massive "RTFM" attitude is that this shouldn't be. Sure, I should have run distiller, but more than that, the files SHOULDN'T have been changed to begin with. No accounts were added, no configurations were changed, nothing, so, cPanel is "magically" (heh) modifying configurations now? On multiple servers?