Rob Seaman

I was using Capistrano 2.5.2 to run a MySQL dump on a deployment target and what started as a simple implementation to prevent the command line password from showing up in the Capistrano log evolved into a research effort about the security of using passwords on the MySQL command line. This post describes how to suppress run execution lines from showing up in the Capistrano log, the real risks with using passwords on the MySQL command line and how to use Capistrano to avoid command line passwords without putting the password in a ~/.my.cnf file. Read the rest of this entry

I recently set-up a secure shell account for a DreamHost shared hosting account that I intend to use for automating deployment and backup tasks from a Mac OS X Leopard client. While not overly complicated there were a couple of gotchas that I ran into. This post consolidates my findings and gives you a brief background for what's going on when you set up SSH access. The information applies to Mac OS X 10.5.1 or greater. Read the rest of this entry