Device management using Bcfg2 - Revision history

66.68.60.107: /* Getting Bcfg2 up and running */

2011-02-20T07:49:43Z

Getting Bcfg2 up and running

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:49, 20 February 2011
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	== Getting Bcfg2 up and running ==		== Getting Bcfg2 up and running ==

	<font color="red">A word of warning</font>: Configuration management is complicated task. Learning Bcfg2 and the concepts behind it does take some time and effort. Do NOT by try to manage Maemo clients as your first Bcfg2 rehearsal. Instead, familiarize yourself with Bcfg2 first using "ordinary" computers as clients.		<font color="red">A word of warning</font>: Configuration management is complicated task. Learning Bcfg2 and the concepts behind it does take some time and effort. Do NOT try to manage Maemo clients as your first Bcfg2 rehearsal. Instead, familiarize yourself with Bcfg2 first using "ordinary" computers as clients.

	=== Problems with Bcfg2 in Maemo ===		=== Problems with Bcfg2 in Maemo ===

66.68.60.107: /* Recommended reading */

2011-02-20T07:47:41Z

imported_>amigadave: /* Autogroup probe */ copy script inline

2010-12-29T11:31:42Z

Autogroup probe: copy script inline

@@ Line 257: / Line 257: @@
 === Autogroup probe ===
-Bcfg2 is able to automatically determine group memberships using probes. [http://wiki.maemo.org/Image:Autogroup.sh Here] is a sample probe code which recognizes Maemo devices among many other computers. Just put the code into a file at Probes directory, for example, <code>/var/lib/bcfg2/Probes/autogroup</code>
+Bcfg2 is able to automatically determine group memberships using probes. Aa sample probe code which recognizes Maemo devices among many other computers is shown below:
 At Bcfg2 web site is another [http://trac.mcs.anl.gov/projects/bcfg2/wiki/Plugins/Probes/examples/group example] of autogroup probe code. This code does not recognize Maemo but might do better work with some other platforms.

imported_>gaphill: /* Simple sample configuration */

2010-05-12T10:10:56Z

Simple sample configuration

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:10, 12 May 2010
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	This is a simple file		This is a simple file

	Edit file <code>/var/lib/bcfg2/Cfg/etc/simple/~~simple~~</code> to contain following:		Edit file <code>/var/lib/bcfg2/Cfg/etc/simple/info.xml</code> to contain following:

	<FileInfo>		<FileInfo>

192.100.124.219: /* Scope and terminology */

2010-04-15T11:04:55Z

Scope and terminology

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:04, 15 April 2010
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	\|-		\|-
	\| Enterprise		\| Enterprise
	\| A large company ot other organization that wants employees to ba able to acces company IT systems using Maemo based devices		\| A large company or other organization that wants employees to ba able to acces company IT systems using Maemo based devices
	\|-		\|-
	\| Desktop computer		\| Desktop computer

imported_>gaphill: /* Proposed solution */

2010-04-07T11:40:48Z

Proposed solution

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:40, 7 April 2010
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	* <code>VerifyPackage</code> method needs probably to be made a bit more liberal, like returning true if <code>entry.attrib['version']</code> equals <code>'auto'</code> or <code>'any'</code>		* <code>VerifyPackage</code> method needs probably to be made a bit more liberal, like returning true if <code>entry.attrib['version']</code> equals <code>'auto'</code> or <code>'any'</code>

			* <code>pkgtool</code> could probably be copied from <code>APT.py</code>

	* Proxies could be copied from shell environment by adding them into <code>pkgtool</code>. Something like		* Proxies could be copied from shell environment by adding them into <code>pkgtool</code>. Something like

	proxies = ''		proxies = ""
	for p in ('http','https','ftp'):		for p in ('http','https','ftp'):
	if os.environ.has_key('%s_proxy' % p):		if os.environ.has_key('%s_proxy' % p):
	proxies += '%s=%s ' % ('%s_proxy' % p, os.environ.get('%s_proxy' % p))		proxies += '%s=%s ' % ('%s_proxy' % p, os.environ.get('%s_proxy' % p))
	pkgtool = proxies + ' ' + pkgtool		pkgtool = proxies + ' ' + pkgtool

	~~<code>pkgtool</code> could probably be copied from <code>APT.py</code>~~

	And how to get proxies into shell variables? One option is to use Bcfg2 to manage some file which is sourced by shell		And how to get proxies into shell variables? One option is to use Bcfg2 to manage some file which is sourced by shell

	[[Category:Power users]]		[[Category:Power users]]

imported_>gaphill: /* Proposed solution */

2010-04-07T11:39:21Z

Proposed solution

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:39, 7 April 2010
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	pkgtool = proxies + ' ' + pkgtool		pkgtool = proxies + ' ' + pkgtool

	<code>pkgtool</code> ~~it self colu~~ probably be copied from <code>APT.py</code>		<code>pkgtool</code> could probably be copied from <code>APT.py</code>

	And how to get proxies into shell variables? One option is to use Bcfg2 to manage some file which is sourced by shell		And how to get proxies into shell variables? One option is to use Bcfg2 to manage some file which is sourced by shell

	[[Category:Power users]]		[[Category:Power users]]

imported_>gaphill: /* Proposed solution */

2010-04-07T11:37:15Z

Proposed solution

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:37, 7 April 2010
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	* <code>VerifyPackage</code> method needs probably to be made a bit more liberal, like returning true if <code>entry.attrib['version']</code> equals <code>'auto'</code> or <code>'any'</code>		* <code>VerifyPackage</code> method needs probably to be made a bit more liberal, like returning true if <code>entry.attrib['version']</code> equals <code>'auto'</code> or <code>'any'</code>

			* Proxies could be copied from shell environment by adding them into <code>pkgtool</code>. Something like

			proxies = ''
			for p in ('http','https','ftp'):
			if os.environ.has_key('%s_proxy' % p):
			proxies += '%s=%s ' % ('%s_proxy' % p, os.environ.get('%s_proxy' % p))
			pkgtool = proxies + ' ' + pkgtool

			<code>pkgtool</code> it self colu probably be copied from <code>APT.py</code>

			And how to get proxies into shell variables? One option is to use Bcfg2 to manage some file which is sourced by shell

	[[Category:Power users]]		[[Category:Power users]]

imported_>gaphill: /* Problems */

2010-04-07T11:22:30Z

Problems

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:22, 7 April 2010
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	#* Suitable approach for servers but brings tiny device at it's knees		#* Suitable approach for servers but brings tiny device at it's knees
	#* We probably only want to control that package X is installed and let package manager take care of the rest (updates & such)		#* We probably only want to control that package X is installed and let package manager take care of the rest (updates & such)
	#* No any form of proxy handling (odds being inside corporate firewall are good)		# No any form of proxy handling (odds being inside corporate firewall are good)

	==== Opportunities ====		==== Opportunities ====

imported_>gaphill: /* Proposed solution */

2010-04-07T11:16:42Z

Proposed solution

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:16, 7 April 2010
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	We need to write a "APTlite" client driver. Probably modifying an simple existing driver like <code>FreeBSDPackage.py</code> would do. Some notes about the task:		We need to write a "APTlite" client driver. Probably modifying an simple existing driver like <code>FreeBSDPackage.py</code> would do. Some notes about the task:

	* RefreshPackages needs to be modified to include only packages received from server and ignore the rest. Looks like following piece of code generates the list we need		* <code>RefreshPackages</code> method needs to be modified to include only packages received from server and ignore the rest. Looks like following piece of code generates the list we need
	desired = [entry.get('name') for struct in self.config for entry in struct if entry.tag == 'Package']		desired = [entry.get('name') for struct in self.config for entry in struct if entry.tag == 'Package']

	* Then, we could run something like this for each pkg in desired list:		* Then, we could run something like this for each pkg in desired list to fill up the <code>self.installed</code> dictionary:

	/usr/bin/dpkg-query -W --showformat='${Version}\t${Status}\n' <pkg>		/usr/bin/dpkg-query -W --showformat='${Version}\t${Status}\n' <pkg>

	* ~~Package verification (~~VerifyPackage) needs probably to be made ~~even~~ more liberal, like returning true if entry.attrib['version'] is 'auto' or 'any'		* <code>VerifyPackage</code> method needs probably to be made a bit more liberal, like returning true if <code>entry.attrib['version']</code> equals <code>'auto'</code> or <code>'any'</code>

	[[Category:Power users]]		[[Category:Power users]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:47, 20 February 2011
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	*[http://www.linuxlinks.com/article/20100222155850632/ConfigurationManagement.html 7 of the Best Free Linux Configuration Management Tools]		*[http://www.linuxlinks.com/article/20100222155850632/ConfigurationManagement.html 7 of the Best Free Linux Configuration Management Tools]
	* [http://~~trac~~.~~mcs~~.~~anl.gov/projects/bcfg2/wiki/Bcfg2Doc~~ Bcfg2 documentation]		* [http://docs.bcfg2.org Bcfg2 documentation]

	== Device management? Why bother? ==		== Device management? Why bother? ==