Questions about centralised configuration of hobbit clients
Hi all!
We are considering migrating from BigBrother to Hobbit. We have been very satisfied with BB, but after reading about hobbit, it seems like a big improvement. Also it looks like BB is a dead end, so I hope for Hobbit to be the future, still being developed. I have some questions relating too the centralised configuration of the clients. How is this performed? I have read about how it is configured, but was wondering about how this is transferred to the client. Is it the same port that is used? Is this checked every time the test is running? Is it possible to use this mechanism in ext-scripts, by adding more parameters to the centralised config-file? If so, how is this addressed from the ext-scripts?
I also have read something about possibility of upgrading clients from remote. How is this performed? If this is pushed from the server, I guess it is needed with some opening from the server towards the client (not only from the client to the server as for BB). Or is the client checking for new updates on a regular basis? Is this mechanism used also for distributing ext-scripts to clients?
In my BB installation today I have created my own system for distributing config-files and ext-scripts to client, for having a centralised handling of this. This is both the standard bb-config files and one separate file for my ext-scripts, and I created a website for editing these files so it would be easier for other users to edit this config and distributing the files. If hobbit have built-in (or add-on) functionality for this, so that my solution for this would become obsolete, it would be great.
Hope for someone to clearify these questions for me, or guide me to information about this already written.
By the way, are there any good forums for discussing Hobbit? I have found a couple forums, but there has been very low activity on them (only a handful of questions, and now replies).
/Øyvind
In <AACF146A905C56469D90CCF0C68460780C1D7119BB at TNS-FBU-2E-016.corp.telenor.no> <oyvind.bjorge at telenor.com> writes:
We are considering migrating from BigBrother to Hobbit. We have been very s= atisfied with BB, but after reading about hobbit, it seems like a big impro= vement. Also it looks like BB is a dead end, so I hope for Hobbit to be the future,= still being developed. I have some questions relating too the centralised configuration of the cli= ents. How is this performed? I have read about how it is configured, but was wond= ering about how this is transferred to the client. Is it the same port that= is used? Is this checked every time the test is running?
The configuration isn't transferred to the client. Instead, the client sends raw output from various commands to the Hobbit server, which then performs the analysis of the output and generates the relevant status messages.
The only exception is the configuration of what logfiles to monitor; this is passed from the Hobbit server to the clients as part of the communication when the client contacts the Hobbit server to report data.
Is it possible to use this mechanism in ext-scripts, by adding more paramet= ers to the centralised config-file? If so, how is this addressed from the e= xt-scripts?
Sort of ... The relevant section of the client-local.cfg file is sent to the client every time there is a connection between the client and the Hobbit server, and you *can* add custom configuration entries there. The ext-script would have to grep these lines from the file $BBTMP/logfetch.HOSTNAME.tmp
I also have read something about possibility of upgrading clients from remo= te. How is this performed? If this is pushed from the server, I guess it is nee= ded with some opening from the server towards the client (not only from the= client to the server as for BB). Or is the client checking for new updates= on a regular basis? Is this mechanism used also for distributing ext-scripts to clients?
The client checks for an update when contacting the Hobbit server. If an update exists, it is downloaded directly from the Hobbit server over port 1984 - the download must be a tar file, which is then extracted to the Hobbit client directory. So you can embed your custom scripts into the tar-file, and they will be installed along with the client update.
In my BB installation today I have created my own system for distributing c= onfig-files and ext-scripts to client, for having a centralised handling of= this. This is both the standard bb-config files and one separate file for = my ext-scripts, and I created a website for editing these files so it would= be easier for other users to edit this config and distributing the files. If hobbit have built-in (or add-on) functionality for this, so that my solu= tion for this would become obsolete, it would be great.
You can either distribute these as part of a client software upgrade, or you can have a script pull the config file explicitly by running the command $BB $BBDISP "config custom.cfg" >$BBHOME/etc/custom.cfg The transfer then happens over the standard Hobbit/BB port (tcp 1984).
By the way, are there any good forums for discussing Hobbit? I have found a= couple forums, but there has been very low activity on them (only a handfu= l of questions, and now replies).
Well, this forum is what you want. It's listed in the docs and on the Sourceforge website, so it shouldn't be *that* hard to find :-)
Regards, Henrik
Thank you for the good answers!
One follow-up regarding the client installation: Do you know where to find some more details regarding this client-installation feature? I guess you somehow configure which clients that should be upgraded, so that not all clients are updated at once when a new update is available. Typical we want to test a new version on a few clients first, before upgrading all. If using this for distributing ext-script, it is possible that we don't want all scripts to be distributed to all clients.
/Øyvind
-----Opprinnelig melding----- Fra: Henrik Stoerner [mailto:henrik at hswn.dk] Sendt: 8. oktober 2008 11:21 Til: hobbit at hswn.dk Emne: Re: [hobbit] Questions about centralised configuration of hobbit clients
In <AACF146A905C56469D90CCF0C68460780C1D7119BB at TNS-FBU-2E-016.corp.telenor.no> <oyvind.bjorge at telenor.com> writes:
We are considering migrating from BigBrother to Hobbit. We have been very s= atisfied with BB, but after reading about hobbit, it seems like a big impro= vement. Also it looks like BB is a dead end, so I hope for Hobbit to be the future,= still being developed. I have some questions relating too the centralised configuration of the cli= ents. How is this performed? I have read about how it is configured, but was wond= ering about how this is transferred to the client. Is it the same port that= is used? Is this checked every time the test is running?
The configuration isn't transferred to the client. Instead, the client sends raw output from various commands to the Hobbit server, which then performs the analysis of the output and generates the relevant status messages.
The only exception is the configuration of what logfiles to monitor; this is passed from the Hobbit server to the clients as part of the communication when the client contacts the Hobbit server to report data.
Is it possible to use this mechanism in ext-scripts, by adding more paramet= ers to the centralised config-file? If so, how is this addressed from the e= xt-scripts?
Sort of ... The relevant section of the client-local.cfg file is sent to the client every time there is a connection between the client and the Hobbit server, and you *can* add custom configuration entries there. The ext-script would have to grep these lines from the file $BBTMP/logfetch.HOSTNAME.tmp
I also have read something about possibility of upgrading clients from remo= te. How is this performed? If this is pushed from the server, I guess it is nee= ded with some opening from the server towards the client (not only from the= client to the server as for BB). Or is the client checking for new updates= on a regular basis? Is this mechanism used also for distributing ext-scripts to clients?
The client checks for an update when contacting the Hobbit server. If an update exists, it is downloaded directly from the Hobbit server over port 1984 - the download must be a tar file, which is then extracted to the Hobbit client directory. So you can embed your custom scripts into the tar-file, and they will be installed along with the client update.
In my BB installation today I have created my own system for distributing c= onfig-files and ext-scripts to client, for having a centralised handling of= this. This is both the standard bb-config files and one separate file for = my ext-scripts, and I created a website for editing these files so it would= be easier for other users to edit this config and distributing the files. If hobbit have built-in (or add-on) functionality for this, so that my solu= tion for this would become obsolete, it would be great.
You can either distribute these as part of a client software upgrade, or you can have a script pull the config file explicitly by running the command $BB $BBDISP "config custom.cfg" >$BBHOME/etc/custom.cfg The transfer then happens over the standard Hobbit/BB port (tcp 1984).
By the way, are there any good forums for discussing Hobbit? I have found a= couple forums, but there has been very low activity on them (only a handfu= l of questions, and now replies).
Well, this forum is what you want. It's listed in the docs and on the Sourceforge website, so it shouldn't be *that* hard to find :-)
Regards, Henrik
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In <AACF146A905C56469D90CCF0C68460780C1D711AF8 at TNS-FBU-2E-016.corp.telenor.no> <oyvind.bjorge at telenor.com> writes:
One follow-up regarding the client installation: Do you know where to find some more details regarding this client-installat= ion feature? I guess you somehow configure which clients that should be upgraded, so tha= t not all clients are updated at once when a new update is available. Typic= al we want to test a new version on a few clients first, before upgrading a= ll. If using this for distributing ext-script, it is possible that we don't= want all scripts to be distributed to all clients.
It's controlled by the client-local.cfg file on the Hobbit server, so you can restrict updates to either a specific host, or a group of hosts belonging to a particular "class" (by default, the class-name of a host is the operating-system name).
I'd suggest you have a look at the Hobbit man-pages, specifically the clientupdate(1) man-page and client-local.cfg(5). If you haven't installed Hobbit yet, you can find them on the web at http://www.hobbitmon.dk/hobbit/help/manpages/
Regards, Henrik
participants (2)
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henrik＠hswn.dk
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oyvind.bjorge＠telenor.com