Problem:
When operating multiple Univention Corporate Server (UCS) environments (e.g., production and test systems), administrators may face the risk of unintentionally performing changes in the wrong environment.
Since cloned UCS environments often look identical in the web interface (UCS Portal, UMC, login screen), it is considered a best practice to introduce clear visual distinctions between environments.
In many deployments, a production UCS environment is copied into a test or staging environment for validation and troubleshooting.
Because:
- Hostnames may be similar
- The UCS Portal layout is identical
- The Univention Management Console (UMC) has the same appearance
- The login page uses the same branding
- administrators can accidentally log into or modify the wrong system.
This may result in:
- Unintended configuration changes in production
- User management errors
- App or LDAP modifications in the wrong environment
Solution:
Possible approaches:
1. Use the UCS Portal Customization Features
The UCS Portal supports customization of:
- Portal entries
- Background images
- Categories
- Visibility rules
Administrators can:
- Create an environment-specific portal entry (e.g., “TEST ENVIRONMENT”)
- Add a clearly visible portal tile with a warning label
- Use a distinct background image for the test environment
Portal configuration is managed via:
- Univention Management Console
- Portal module
- Corresponding UCR variables (as documented in the UCS manual)
2. Use Clear Hostname and FQDN Conventions
Ensure environment-specific naming such as:
ucs-prod.example.com
ucs-test.example.com
The hostname is visible in:
- Browser address bar
- UMC header
- SSH sessions
FR 59072
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