Automate Snapins to run after deployment?

[danieln]

If I have a group of hosts that I want to always deploy a specific set of drivers and software regardless of what it is imaged with, is there a way to have those hosts always start a Snapin pack after they’re imaged or do I have task them every time?

[george1421]

@danieln FOG has a plug-in module called persistent groups. This plugin allows you to create one or more template hosts. You can assign setting, snapins, printers, etc to this template host. Then when you assign a target computer to the template group, the settings assigned to the template host are copied to the target compute.

Right now there is a bug with the persistent group where it makes the connection to the snapin and printer, but the tasks are not created to actually deploy the snapin and printer. I have a workaround for that until we can find the timing issue in the code.

[danieln]

@george1421 said in Automate Snapins to run after deployment?:

@danieln FOG has a plug-in module called persistent groups. This plugin allows you to create one or more template hosts. You can assign setting, snapins, printers, etc to this template host. Then when you assign a target computer to the template group, the settings assigned to the template host are copied to the target compute.

That sounds like it’s exactly what I’m looking for. are these persistent groups something you’d configure in the Groups tab on the FOG dashboard? If so, I can’t seem to find it.

Right now there is a bug with the persistent group where it makes the connection to the snapin and printer, but the tasks are not created to actually deploy the snapin and printer. I have a workaround for that until we can find the timing issue in the code.

I’d be curious what the workaround is, if you don’t mind sharing. This feature is not something of extreme importance, but it is something that would may my workflow much, much easier.

[george1421]

@danieln I just realized that the persistent group plugin is not very well documented. It is covered a bit here: https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/8836/basic-persistent-groups-and-1-3-0rc16

The executive summary is

1. Add the Persistent group plugin
2. Manually create a new host with a unique name that signifies it is a template host.
3. Associate all of the snapins and what not that you want consistent for every host added to the group.
4. Create a new Group that is exactly the same name as the template host.
5. Now add hosts to this group (you can do this when you are registering the new computer with FOG too).

The settings will be copied over from the template host to the new host.

The workaround is just a patch file that needs to be replace on the FOG server. Replace this file BEFORE you install the plugin. If the plugin is installed before you add the patch file, uninstall the plugin then add it back.

We are discussing the discovered bug here: https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/15084/persistent-groups-snapins-added-to-host-but-not-deployed

The thread also has the temporary patch file link.