[wpkg-users] package cleanup after lost xml files

[Rainer Meier]

Hi Sebastian

On 30.05.2013 11:25, Sebastian Elsner wrote:
> I have computers, which have lost their local xml file of installed software,
> but that went unnoticed at first. Software got remove from the profile the
> computers were assigned (not deleted from the packages.xml). But those computers
> did of course not uninstall the software at the next wpkg run, not knowing what
> the packages *should* be installed.

So in fact these machines now already have a new local wpkg.xml created 
meanwhile. Of course not uninstalling software which was removed from the 
profile meanwhile.

> Now I would like to run a wpkg pass that
> checks all the packages in packages.xml on a client, not just the ones in its
> profile, and restore the local xml. Is that somehow possible?

I am afraid that such a thing does not exist exactly like this. Especially since 
package checks in WPKG are not there to detect software installed on a machine 
but rather to check whether the installation process was successful.

However you might just re-add the package to the hosts which have lost the 
profile an after single run remove them again from the profile.
If WPKG runs for the first time or a package is newly added then WPKG will use 
the package checks to determine whether a package is already installed and if 
checks are successful it will not re-run the install commands. In order to be 
successful you need to make sure your packages have proper checks defined.

I know this is not exactly what you're looking for. I guess you have in mind to 
run WPKG and execute all checks of all packages and pre-populate wpkg.xml with 
results. However this is technically difficult since also checks are optional 
and WPKG would be unable to work in this mode with many packages.

As stated I recommend to restore the profile with all packages applied and then 
re-run WPKG. This will set a defined state and then you can proceed modifying 
the profiles. Alternatively if you know the software which shoul be there you 
can also simply re-add them to local wpkg.xml by appending the package definition.

br,
Rainer