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About systems installationAbout FAIFunctions

Usage of FAIOutlook

Automatic Installation and System Updates withFAI

Overview, Functionality, Possibilities

Henning Sprang

Silpion IT Solutions GmbH/ Linux Solution Park GmbH

2008-07-3

Henning Sprang Automatic Installation and System Updates with FAI


Usage of FAIOutlook

The speaker - Henning Sprang

FAI team memberSoftware developer, author, admin, consultantInterests: Virtualization, systems management, Java, Web, QAFree Software enthusiast since first contact - about 1996



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Overview

1 About systems installation

2 About FAI

3 Functions

4 Usage of FAI

5 Outlook



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Disk imagesInstallation with shell scriptsUsage of available auto-installers

Some Questions. . .

What do you do. . .When your main server did explode?When a developer needs a new test system?

With EXACTLY the same config as the production system!When you bought yourself a new laptop?When you have to change Apache settings on a web cluster?



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About system installation - Needs

Need to recover system after a crashNeed to reproduce systems exactly for testingNeed to install multiple systems, fastAnd after install: you need to manage changes!



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About system installation - how?

Manual installation has some some downsides:Unreproducable - Humans make errorsUnefficient - install many systems takes a long time

Solution: AutomationSide effect: System setup is documented in code/config



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disk images

.img?Create templates from “proper” installationsCopy when needed and adjust them as neededPros:

Low learning costSimple and fast implementation – cp/rsync/tar, README

Cons:Inflexible - the smallest change requires rebuilding the imageStill manual work needed to get a installed systemStorage cost linear to number of different configurations



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Installation with shell scripts

#!/bin/bashManual work replaced by shell scriptsPros:

Much lower storage cost than imagesHigher flexibilityTailor made

Cons:Full-blown development project (you’ll realize after a while)You solve every problem on your own, instead of reusing workof others



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Usage of available auto-installers

Solutions are available. . .

The most important projects and target distributions:Anaconda und Kickstart: Fedora-basedAutoyast: SuSE-basedNlite/Unattend: Windows in many flavoursFAI: Debian-based, Fedora-based, SuSE-based, Mandriva,Windows, SolarisOthers: Solaris Jumpstart, RedHat Cobbler/Koan



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Why FAIHistoryWho is using it for what?

Why FAI?

Flexible and easy to extendSimple, powerful architecture – “everything is a shell script”Open development modelCommunity support seasoned „Installers“Diverse client- and server- distributionsMultiple installation types and system updateCan be used for real hardware and virtualization systems



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History

Started 1999 by Thomas Lange at the University of cologneBase idea: structured and planned installation„Plan your installation, and FAI installs your plan“Part of the Debian DistributionToday about 10 active developers, small but nice communitySince 2005 softupdates from Henning Glawe included



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Who is using it for what?

EDF uses FAI (with GOSA) for some research clustersLiMux in Munich: installs/updates 400(to be 14000)clients/serversMultiple top 500 High Performance ClustersSmall home networks starting from 3 systemsGRML admin live CD built with FAI



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OverviewInstallation typesThe installation/update process

Overview I

FAI classesA class defines system properties and actions to be takenClass-assignment with simple texfile, database, or scriptsSystems can be assigned to multiple classes, combined at will



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Overview II

Server-distribution: Debian-based (Dependencies Perl, NFS,TFTP, debootstrap - easy to port)Target-distributions: Redhat, Debian, Ubuntu, SuSE,Mandriva, Fedora, WindowsDifferent installation types (networked, CD/USB, chroot)Integrated versioning with subversion, CVS, gitSoftupdate for updates



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Installation types

Network installation with central install serverClient/Server architecture

Directly calling dirinstall for chrootsdirinstall for chroots and virtualization - xen-tools, ganeti)fai-cd / fai-usb (environments without network)With grml-live: Live-CD generation!



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The most important FAI tasks/steps of installation:defclass: Class definition of the target systempartition: Partitioningextrbase: Unpack a minimal base imagedebconf: read and apply Debconf preseedingsinstsoft: Software package installationconfigure: Run configuration scriptssavelog: Push logfiles onto the install Server



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ConsiderationsFAI setup and configurationSetup infrastructure servicesCreate System configurationsDo the InstallationRun System

Considerations – installation

Decide the matching install type (net/cd/dirinstall)Plan your installation

Use casesNetwork and environmentSoftware-packagesAdditional files and config adjustments

Using mirrors of Internet software repositories



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Considerations - Updates

How and when should which patches be applied?Testing processes - where do I know from, which effect apatch/update has?Mirrors of security update repositories?Automatic(regular, timebased) or manual updates?



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FAI setup and configuration I

Installation on Debian:apt-get install fai-quickstart

Adjust install server setup in /etc/fai:fai.conf: LOGUSER=fai, LOGPROTO=ssh for Logging via sshapt/sources.list: use local mirror if available



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FAI setup and configuration II

FAI server is configured - create NFSroot:fai-setup

For PXE-Boot: fai-chboot to set boot-kernel and optionsWithout PXE: make-fai-bootfloppyInstallation from CD: fai-cd



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Setup infrastructure services

For network install:DNS entry for server and clientsDHCP config - Host/IP/MAC as usualFAI-specific:authoritative; # wegen IP_PNP_DHCPoption root-path "/usr/lib/fai/nfsroot ..."server-name "faiserver"; # boot-servernext-server 172.20.2.64; # tftp server fuer kernelfilename "pxelinux.0";



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Create System configurations

Configurations for installation are stored in FAI configspaceSimple text files and scriptsThe requirements from the installation plan are reflected hereExample included in /usr/share/doc/fai/examples/simpleDefault location: /srv/fai/config



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The FAI configspace

Contents of configspace:basefilesclassdebconfdisk_configfileshookspackage_configscripts



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Adjust configspace - class

class contains class- and variable definitions.Simplest way: assign classes based on hostnamesSome sample classes: FAISERVER, GNOME, DEMO, XORGAny script can be used to assign classesE.G.: check specific hardware, MAC or IP, disk size, . . .



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Adjust configspace – basefiles

Contains minimal base images for special uses or non-DebiandistributionsAt the start of the install, this directory is checked for imagesfor defined classesYou could also put an image here and skip the rest :)



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Adjust configspace – disk_config

Define harddisk configuration and mount points as needed#<type> <mountpoint> <size mb> [mount options][;extra options]

disk_config disk1primary / 150-300 rw,errors=remount-ro ; -c -j ext3logical swap 40-500 rwlogical /var 90-1000 rw ; -m 5 -j ext3logical /tmp 50-1000 rw ; -m 0 -j ext3logical /usr 200-4000 rw ; -j ext3logical /home 50- rw,nosuid ; -m 1 -j ext3# logical /home preserve9 rw,nosuid ; -m 1 -j ext3



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Adjust configspace - debconf

Presets for package install scriptsOnly for dpkg-based distributionsWorks analog to Debian Installer



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Adjust configspace - package_config

Contents: files named by class namesPurpose: Define packages to be installedSupports many installation methods:

install (apt-get)aptitudetaskinst (Debian tasks=Package collections)urpmi (mandriva)yumi (Fedora)y2i (SuSE y2pmsh)yast (SuSE yast -i)Some more special ones. . .



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Adjust configspace - package_config II

Example package_config/DEMO from simple examples:PACKAGES aptitudefortune-mod fortunesrstat-client #rstatdrusers rusersd

# only when also class XORG is definedPACKAGES aptitude XORGbb frozen-bubble xpenguins



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Adjust Configspace - scripts

scripts contains scripts to be executed after packageinstallationUsually shell-, Perl- and cfengine-scriptsNeed for others: just install Interpreter in the NFS-RootNaming scheme:<CLASSNAME>/<NUMBER>-<SCRIPTNAME>Number defines order of executionSCRIPTNAME arbitrary just for readability



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Adjust configspace - files

Structure of a filesystem, starting with /For usage with fcopy/ftar = classbases copy/unpackCopy single files explicitly, or recursive from / in a DEFAULTscript



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Adjust configspace - hooks

Hook naming scheme: .<CLASSNAME>[.source]Execution before the according taskOptional skip_task: The actual task will not be executed, forexample for skipping partitioning of Xen DomainsExample:partition.XENUinstsoft.FAIBASEsavelog.LAST.source



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Do the Installation

Depending on chosen install type:Boot via PXE/Bootfloppy/install-CD/USB Stick

PXE-config can be set with fai-chbootStart Xen VM with xm create vm-name.cfg install=1fai dirinstall <TARGETDIR> into mounted blockdeviceCall dirinstall in xen-tools, Ganeti, . . .Start system with fai-cd/fai-usbRun grml-live



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Run System

Depending on number of packages system is installed in 3-30minutes (Server/Desktop)Restart with production configurationFunctionality tests



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Outlook

Support stuff for more distributions: fai-distributionsGOSA as LDAP and FAI GUIAutomatic Tests of the installed systems:

hooks/scripts could check files and configurationsCrucible Test Framework

No LDAP? Management-Tool/lightweight GUI without GOSA



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Further informations

WWW:http://www.informatik.uni-koeln.de/fai/http://faiwiki.informatik.uni-koeln.de/http://www.infrastructures.org/

Email and Chat:IRC-Channel #fai at OFTC-Networklinux-fai-users and linux-fai-devel mailing list



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Questions?

Questions?


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