[wpkg-users] wpkg and unattended

[Robert.HATT at geneva.msf.org]

Hello,

I will described with more details how we are using unattended and wpkg
with a mysql database :

I have put some screenshots and modifed scripts in a zip file at the
following address :
ftp://support.geneva.msf.org/Permanent/IT/deployment_docs.zip

The database is organized in several tables : computers, packages, users,
computer_package, unattended, ...
You can see the database shema in the screenshot  database_schema.jpg.

Let's take as example the deployment of a new machine called GVA-TEST.

1) First of all we need to enter information about the new PC in the
database, to do this we connect to the web server running on the deployment
server and insert a record for the machine (screenshot :
insert_computer.jpg)

2) Then we add packages for this machine (screenshot
insert_computer_package.jpg).
     I also use a perl script (package_base.pl) to add the standard
packages deployed on every computer, instead of manually adding each
package.
     The list of packages belonging to the 'base' installation is defined
in the table packagegroup_package with group_id='base'.

3) Boot the PC with the unattended linux boot disk. The config.pl script
has been modified in order to run a custom query on the database.
    This is useful to get the computer name based on the mac address with a
query like
     "SELECT computer_name FROM computers WHERE mac_address = '$macaddr'"
    The type and name of the windows domain to join is also queried in the
database.
    Some standard information is queried in the unattended table, as it is
implemented in unattended. We use this for localadmin password,
partition_commands, product_id, ...

4) Unattended deploys the OS and at the end installs the wpkg service which
is started after the last reboot.

5) The xml files for wpkg are generated every minute via a php page
(query_hosts.php, query_profiles, query_packages.php), and
     the shell scrip getxml.sh.
    An important remark is that we have decided not to use the wpkg
profiles. Each computer has an associated profile. We think it is easier to
manage the idea of profile directly in the database.

As you can see in the attached script files, it is not very professionally
done, not very clean code, ...
But I see it as a first usable step. The idea to have everything in the
database and not bother editing xml files or csv files is very interesting
and allows the database to be used for other part of IT management :
inventory, asset tracking, help-desk calls. The database can be extended
with more tables, and the web-based front-end could potentially be very
powerful.

I hope this explanation gives you an idea of how the solution is
implemented.
Any suggestions and feedback would be very appreciated,

Best Regards,

Robert Hatt.


______________________________

Robert Hatt
MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES
Département IT
Rue de Lausanne 78
1211 Genève 21
Tél : +41 22 849 84 44
Fax : +41 22 849 84 88
robert.hatt at geneva.msf.org





                                                                           
             Tomasz                                                        
             Chmielewski                                                   
             <mangoo at wpkg.org>                                          To 
             Sent by:                  Robert.HATT at geneva.msf.org          
             wpkg-users-admin@                                          cc 
             lists.sourceforge         wpkg-users at lists.wpkg.org    
             .net                                                  Subject 
                                       Re: [wpkg-users] wpkg and           
                                       unattended                          
             09.11.2005 10:48                                              
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           




Robert.HATT at geneva.msf.org schrieb:
> Hello,
>
> We are using unattended and wpkg with mysql.
> Almost all data about computers, users, packages is stored in the
database.
> The wpkg XML files are generated by a script  from the database.
> We use dadabik as a web-based front-end to the database, which is very
easy
> to install and use.
>
> The process to deploy a new PC is quite simple (everything is done
through
> the web interface) :
>
> 1) Enter the data about the computer : mac address, computer name, domain
> name, model name, username, ...
> 2) Add packages for this computer.
> 3) Boot the pc with the linux boot disk
> 4) Enter domain admin password.
> 5) Wait.
> 6) Done !
>
> As I am alone on this project, beside my normal help-desk job the
solution
> is still a little bit rudimentary but it works well.
> The next step would be to create a more powerful web-based interface to
the
> database.
>
> If people are interested in this solution, I would be glad to give more
> details about it.

of course we are all interested.

WPKG certainly needs a good web-interface.


--

Tomek
http://wpkg.org




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