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docs: add rladmin vs redisctl comparison to documentation
- Create new Comparison section in docs - Add comprehensive rladmin vs redisctl feature comparison - Include practical examples and use cases - Show that tools are complementary, not competing - Link to planned enhancement issues (#417-420) Closes #423
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‎docs/src/SUMMARY.md‎

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- [Raw API Access](./common-features/raw-api.md)
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- [Secure Storage](./common-features/secure-storage.md)
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# Comparison
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- [rladmin vs redisctl](./comparison/rladmin.md)
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# Tutorials
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- [CI/CD Integration](./tutorials/cicd.md)

‎docs/src/comparison/rladmin.md‎

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# rladmin vs redisctl
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This guide helps you understand when to use **rladmin** (Redis Enterprise's built-in CLI) versus **redisctl**.
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## Quick Summary
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| Aspect | rladmin | redisctl |
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|--------|---------|----------|
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| **Access** | Node-local (SSH required) | Remote REST API |
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| **Installation** | Pre-installed on nodes | Single binary |
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| **Platform** | Linux (nodes only) | macOS, Linux, Windows |
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| **Output** | Text tables | JSON, YAML, Table |
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| **Best For** | Low-level ops, troubleshooting | Automation, DevOps, CI/CD |
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## When to Use Each Tool
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### Use rladmin for:
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- Low-level node operations (maintenance mode, snapshots)
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- Direct shard and endpoint management
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- Emergency troubleshooting when API is down
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- Interactive exploration (tab completion)
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- Operations not exposed via REST API
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### Use redisctl for:
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- Remote cluster management from your laptop
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- CI/CD pipeline automation
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- Multi-cluster management via profiles
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- Structured output (JSON/YAML) for scripts
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- Support package generation and upload
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- Day-to-day database operations
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## Key Architecture Differences
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| Aspect | rladmin | redisctl |
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|--------|---------|----------|
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| **Access Method** | Node-local (SSH required) | Remote REST API |
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| **Installation** | Pre-installed on cluster nodes | Single binary, any platform |
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| **Network** | No network needed | Requires HTTPS to cluster |
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| **Authentication** | Node access = implicit auth | API credentials required |
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| **Output** | Text only (parsable) | JSON, YAML, Table |
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| **Mode** | Interactive + CLI | CLI only |
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## Feature Comparison by Category
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### Cluster Management
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| Feature | rladmin | redisctl |
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|---------|---------|----------|
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| Cluster creation | ✅ `cluster create` | ✅ `workflow init-cluster` |
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| Cluster info | ✅ `info cluster` | ✅ `cluster get` |
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| Cluster status | ✅ `status` | ✅ `cluster get` + `stats` |
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| License management | ✅ `cluster license` | ✅ `license set/get` |
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| Debug info | ✅ `cluster debug_info` | ✅ `support-package cluster` |
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### Database Operations
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| Feature | rladmin | redisctl |
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|---------|---------|----------|
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| List databases | ✅ `status` | ✅ `database list` |
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| Create database | ✅ `bdb create` | ✅ `database create` |
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| Update database | ✅ `bdb update` | ✅ `database update` |
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| Delete database | ✅ `bdb delete` | ✅ `database delete` |
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| Database stats | ⚠️ Via `status` | ✅ `database stats` |
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| Restart database | ✅ `restart db` | ❌ Not exposed |
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| Upgrade database | ✅ `upgrade db` | ❌ Not exposed |
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### Node Operations
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| Feature | rladmin | redisctl |
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|---------|---------|----------|
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| List nodes | ✅ `status` | ✅ `node list` |
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| Node info | ✅ `info node` | ✅ `node get` |
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| Maintenance mode | ✅ `node maintenance_mode` | ❌ Not exposed |
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| Node snapshots | ✅ `node snapshot` | ❌ Not exposed |
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### Output & Automation
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| Feature | rladmin | redisctl |
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|---------|---------|----------|
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| JSON output | ❌ Text only | ✅ Native JSON |
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| YAML output | ❌ Text only | ✅ Native YAML |
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| JMESPath queries | ❌ Not supported | ✅ Built-in `-q` flag |
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| Progress indicators | ❌ No feedback | ✅ Spinners with `--wait` |
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| Interactive mode | ✅ Tab completion | ❌ CLI only |
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**Legend:**
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- ✅ Full support
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- ⚠️ Partial support
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- ❌ Not supported
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## Example Comparisons
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### Task: Get Database Memory Size
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**rladmin approach:**
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```bash
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# SSH to cluster node
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ssh admin@cluster-node
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# Get database info (text output)
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rladmin info db db:1
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# Parse with grep/awk
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rladmin info db db:1 | grep memory_size | awk '{print $2}'
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```
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**redisctl approach:**
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```bash
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# From your laptop (no SSH needed)
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redisctl enterprise database get 1 -o json -q 'memory_size'
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```
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### Task: Generate Support Package
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**rladmin approach:**
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```bash
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# 1. SSH to cluster node
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ssh admin@cluster-node
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# 2. Generate debug info
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rladmin cluster debug_info
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# 3. Find the file
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ls -ltr /tmp/*.tar.gz | tail -1
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# 4. SCP to local machine
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scp admin@cluster-node:/tmp/debuginfo-*.tar.gz ./
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# 5. Upload to Redis Support via web UI (10+ minutes)
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```
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**redisctl approach:**
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```bash
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# One command from your laptop
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redisctl enterprise support-package cluster --optimize --upload
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# Done in 30 seconds
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```
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### Task: Interactive Exploration
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**rladmin approach:**
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```bash
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# SSH to node
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ssh admin@cluster-node
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# Start interactive mode with tab completion
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rladmin
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rladmin> status <TAB>
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rladmin> info cluster <TAB>
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```
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**redisctl approach:**
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```bash
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# No interactive mode (yet), but rich output
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redisctl enterprise cluster get -o table
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redisctl enterprise database list -o json | jq
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```
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## Why They're Complementary
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### rladmin: Node-Local Power Tool
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- Designed for direct cluster node operations
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- Provides low-level control (shards, endpoints, nodes)
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- Interactive mode with tab completion
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- Essential for emergency troubleshooting
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- No network dependency
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### redisctl: Remote DevOps Platform
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- Designed for remote management and automation
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- REST API based (works from anywhere)
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- Structured output (JSON/YAML) for CI/CD
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- Cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux)
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- Multi-cluster profile management
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- Modern DevOps workflows
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## Best Practice
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Use both tools together:
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- **Primary tool: redisctl** for day-to-day operations, automation, CI/CD
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- **Secondary tool: rladmin** for emergencies, low-level ops, troubleshooting
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## API Coverage Gap
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The REST API does not expose all operations that rladmin provides:
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- Node-level operations (maintenance mode, snapshots, recovery paths)
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- Direct shard failover and migration
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- Endpoint binding configuration
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- DNS suffix management
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- Cluster verification tools
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- Database restart/upgrade/recover commands
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This is by design - these are low-level operations typically performed on-node, not remotely.
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## Community Insights
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Based on Stack Overflow and documentation research:
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**rladmin strengths:**
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- Tab completion makes it discoverable
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- Comprehensive low-level operations
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- Works when API is broken
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- Fast for on-node troubleshooting
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**Pain points:**
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- Requires SSH access to nodes
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- Text output requires parsing for automation
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- No cross-platform support (Linux nodes only)
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## Planned Features
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We're adding rladmin-inspired features to redisctl:
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- Interactive mode with tab completion ([#417](https://github.com/joshrotenberg/redisctl/issues/417))
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- Cluster balance verification ([#418](https://github.com/joshrotenberg/redisctl/issues/418))
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- Rack-aware verification ([#419](https://github.com/joshrotenberg/redisctl/issues/419))
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- Comprehensive status command ([#420](https://github.com/joshrotenberg/redisctl/issues/420))
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See [issue #416](https://github.com/joshrotenberg/redisctl/issues/416) for the full list.
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## Conclusion
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**rladmin and redisctl are complementary tools, not competitors.** They serve different purposes:
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- Use **redisctl** for remote management, automation, and modern DevOps workflows
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- Use **rladmin** for low-level operations, emergency troubleshooting, and on-node tasks
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The best practice is to use both, letting each tool do what it does best.

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