Creating Task with TaskTypeManagement

[cjenness]

I’m a noob, trying to create a Task so that I can do installs on specific server groups. I created a bootable Windows 2012 ISO with wimboot. This is closest post that I have found to my issue (https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/7448/adding-custom-task-to-fog-server?page=1). It is from last year, but the resolve doesn’t appear to have been posted, or I am not reading it correctly.

My working FOG menu configuration is:
“cpuid --ext 29 && set arch amd64 ||
kernel http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/wimboot
initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/BCD BCD
initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/boot.sdi boot.sdi
initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/sources/boot.wim boot.wim
boot ||”

I read in the post mentioned above that I need to create a hook. Using /var/www/fog/lib/hooks/boottask.hook.php I’ve edited the $arguments but when I turn the hook on, I get a HTTP 500 Error. Once I have the hook configured how to I get the new task that I’ve created to call on it? Here is the part of the Hook that I edited.

$arguments[‘ipxe’][‘task’][$TaskType->get(‘id’)] = array(
‘cpuid --ext 29 && set arch amd64 ||’,
‘kernel http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/wimboot’,
‘initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/BCD’,
‘initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/boot.sdi’,
‘initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/sources/boot.wim’
‘boot ||’,
);
$arguments[‘Host’]
->get(‘task’)
->set(
‘stateID’,
self::getCompleteState()
)->save();

I am trying to learn PHP while I do this, but don’t really know what I am doing.

Thanks!

[george1421]

Um, I think there is an easier way to go about this.

There is a FOG plugin for creating custom tasks.

Maybe you might explain a bit more about what your goal is and then we can work on a path.

[cjenness]

Thanks for getting back to me. I have the task type management plugin installed, and I am trying to create a task so that I can boot the wimboot installer that I set up to install windows 2012 on a specific groups that I set up as needed.

[george1421]

@cjenness I’m testing an idea at the moment to see if it works. I’ll get back to you. I haven’t done this exact thing just yet. But I have an idea without coding.

[george1421]

@george1421 Well that didn’t work out as well as I thought.

#!ipxe
set fog-ip 192.168.112.24
set fog-webroot fog
set boot-url http://${fog-ip}/${fog-webroot}
kernel bzImage32 loglevel=4 initrd=init_32.xz root=/dev/ram0 rw ramdisk_size=127000 web=192.168.112.24/fog/ consoleblank=0 rootfstype=ext4 mac=b8:ca:3a:ce:1d:1a ftp=192.168.112.24 storage=192.168.112.24:/images/dev/ storageip=192.168.112.24 osid=0 irqpoll hostname=b8ca3ace1d1a fdrive=/dev/sdb initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/BCD BCD;initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/boot.sdi boot.sdi
imgfetch init_32.xz
boot

It didn’t use my kernel definition and a bunch of unnecessary kernel parameters were added. We almost need to be able to deploy a fog ipxe menu. Its kind of close though.

[cjenness]

I have an iPXE menu configured:

“cpuid --ext 29 && set arch amd64 ||
kernel http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/wimboot
initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/BCD BCD
initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/boot.sdi boot.sdi
initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/sources/boot.wim boot.wim
boot ||”

Which I can default boot, but I would like to be able to make that a task, so i can boot specific server groups.

[george1421]

@cjenness Yep I got that. That custom task function isn’t working as I “thought” it might. I’m still testing, but I think we might end up having to create a feature request for this action. I have see others post for something similar. Its a bit beyond the scope of what FOG was intended to do.

[cjenness]

Thank you for taking the time to check on this for me.

[Tom Elliott]

@cjenness The tasktypeedit plugin was designed to do this. It also means you may need to build your own hook to handle the more specifics.

[Tom Elliott]

Okay sorry thinking too much I think.

Seeing as you are getting error 500, can you provide your apache error logs?

[Tom Elliott]

I think the error is in the arguments.

Where is the $TaskType variable being set? (I’m guessing the 500 error will show something like:
Attempting to run non-existent method get on null at line ###).

[cjenness]

I’ve actually fixed the 500 error. I was missing a comma after boot.wim in the hook in OP. But I am not sure how to get the task type manager to call the hook.

[cjenness]

So for the hook, I have just been editing the file /var/www/fog/lib/hooks/boottask.hook.php. The only part I have edited so far are the arguments that I posted above.

[Tom Elliott]

Can you paste the contents of the file (or upload the hook) here please?

[Tom Elliott]

@cjenness Okay, if it’s the example, mark the active flag as true, that’s all you need to do.

[cjenness]

Here is the entire file. So I have marked the flag as true and I no longer get the http 500 error, but I am not sure how to create a task with this hook.

<?php
/**
 * Alters the boot task to make a custom entry.
 *
 * PHP version 5
 *
 * @category BootTask
 * @package  FOGProject
 * @author   Tom Elliott <tommygunsster@gmail.com>
 * @license  http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0 GPLv3
 * @link     https://fogproject.org
 */
/**
 * Alters the boot task to make a custom entry.
 *
 * @category BootTask
 * @package  FOGProject
 * @author   Tom Elliott <tommygunsster@gmail.com>
 * @license  http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0 GPLv3
 * @link     https://fogproject.org
 */
class BootTask extends Hook
{
    /**
     * The name of this hook.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    public $name = 'BootTask';
    /**
     * The description of this hook.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    public $description = 'Alter the boot task to make a custom task hook';
    /**
     * Is this hook active or not.
     *
     * @var bool
     */
    public $active = true;
    /**
     * Initializes object.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function __construct()
    {
        parent::__construct();
        self::$HookManager
            ->register(
                'IPXE_EDIT',
                array(
                    $this,
                    'changeTask'
                )
            );
    }
    /**
     * Change the task.
     *
     * @param mixed $arguments The items to alter.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function changeTask($arguments)
    {
        if (!isset($arguments['ipxe']['task'])) {
            return;
        }
        $TaskType = self::getClass('TaskType')
            ->set('name', 'trusty-install')
            ->load('name');
        if (!$TaskType->isValid()) {
            return;
        }
        $keys = array_keys($arguments['ipxe']['task']);
        if (!in_array($TaskType->get('id'), $keys)) {
            return;
        }
        $arguments['ipxe']['task'][$TaskType->get('id')] = array(
            'cpuid --ext 29 && set arch amd64 ||',
            'kernel http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/wimboot',
            'initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/BCD',
            'initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/Boot/boot.sdi',
            'initrd http://${fog-ip}/win2012/${arch}/media/sources/boot.wim',
            'boot ||',
        );
        $arguments['Host']
            ->get('task')
            ->set(
                'stateID',
                self::getCompleteState()
            )->save();
    }
}

[Sebastian Roth]

@cjenness In the FOG web GUI click on one of your hosts or groups, then click ‘Basic tasks’ on the left and ‘Advanced’ to show all the tasks available. Do you see “BootTask” here?

[Tom Elliott]

Well the “BootTask” would be whatever task type was created. The “boottask” is just the hook that makes that hook operate.

[cjenness]

Thank you guys for your help. So my question now is how do I tell the task type editor to use the hook that I just created?

[cjenness]

Nevermind, I figured it out. You have to title your new task the name (trusty-install) in this portion.

$TaskType = self::getClass(‘TaskType’)
->set(‘name’, ‘trusty-install’)
->load(‘name’);
if (!$TaskType->isValid()) {
return;