Scaling FOG for the Enterprise
-
Scaling FOG to work in a multisite environment has been a topic in this forum for a while. FOG is great, but has some design issued that more or less require separate instances of FOG at each site. Software distribution has more serious limitations, even when used at a single site.
Please find attached a detailed guide to setting up a system of FOG servers that allows for a single GUI/DB node for central administration with site-based distributed storage nodes. Also, the guide shows how to use FOG for central software distribution by leveraging MS DFS to provide redundant site copies of installation files. Executables are provided to facilitate snapin installation from local DFS cells using only 20Kbyte of WAN traffic.
The process has been tested and demonstrated to work with unicast and multicast image deployment. I’m placing this doc and exe’s out for general use to more fully test it’s effectiveness.
Jim Graczyk
Netway Solutions, Inc.P.S. - I was unable to post the file DeployFOGExe.exe referred to in the guide. The file is 1.3mb and this UI won’t allow me to upload it - says it’s too large. If an admin would assist, I’ll post it later.
[url=“/_imported_xf_attachments/0/288_Scaling FOG for the Enterprise.pdf?:”]Scaling FOG for the Enterprise.pdf[/url][url=“/_imported_xf_attachments/0/289_FOGExe.zip?:”]FOGExe.zip[/url][url=“/_imported_xf_attachments/0/290_FogExeStub.zip?:”]FogExeStub.zip[/url]
-
Here’s the file I couldn’t upload before. It’s for creating a Snapin to seed FOGExe.exe into the client PC so it can be used by subsequent Snapins.
Jim Graczyk
[url=“/_imported_xf_attachments/0/291_DeliverFogExe.zip?:”]DeliverFogExe.zip[/url]
-
Nice! Thanks.
-
Thank u
-
I just wanted to say that your time with the guide was awesome and a great service to the community. Thank you!
-
Thank u soooooooooooooooooooooo much just what I was looking for
-
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the excellent guide.:) I have successfully implemented the storage node setup in our organization which is working without a hitch.
The software distribution part is giving me a little headache though.
I have gotten so far as to have the DFS share set up with snapin files and scripts, FOGExe is on the image and FOGExe.ini is on the TFTP server of main fog server. However, when I execute a snapin with FogExeStub it keeps returning error 10002 in the FOG log of the client.
I have placed FOGExe.ini in /tftpboot/ on the fog main server and tested with a tftp client, from the test client, that I can get the file from there.
Have I placed the ini file in the correct folder?
Any hints to what might be wrong?Best regards,
Andreas -
Andreas,
/tftpboot is the correct folder for fogexe.ini. If you can run tftp from the PC on which you’re trying to run the snapin, that’s a good sign. I suspect it’s a name resolution issue. FogExe uses the name FOGSERVER as the name for your MAIN fog server. You have to make that resolve to your actual server’s IP. The PC will lookup the name FOGSERVER using the short name, so FOGSERVER has to be defined in the PC’s namespace, not just the fog server’s namespace.
[LIST=1]
[*]Verify you have a CNAME record (alias) for the name fogserver in your DNS for the DNS domain to which your PC belongs. The alias needs to point to your main fog server. If that server’s name is myfogserver.mydomain.xyz and the PC’s name is pc1.anotherdomain.abc, your DNS for anotherdomain.abc needs to be able to resolve the name fogserver.anotherdomain.abc to the ip address of myfogserver.mydomain.xyz. The best way to do this is to have an alias in the abc space for fogserver.anotherdomain.abc = myfogserver.mydomain.xyz and have forwarders in the abc root to the xyz name servers . Another way is to just add an A record for fogserver and put in the IP address of the myfogserver.mydomain.xyz. Test that DNS works by entering the following on the PC trying to run the snapin:ping fogserver
By fogserver, I mean use the word fogserver as the name. Do not substitute your server name. FogExe uses this as an alias -it’s hard coded. It’s your responsibility to make this name resolve to YOUR server’s IP. If this works, then you can test further.
[]On the PC, go to your FOG folder, in the tmp folder you should have the following files:
FogExe.exe
tftp.exe
wbdxxxxx.dll
wwprc44i.dll
wwwnt34i.dll
and maybe FogExe.log
if you don’t have these files present, you don’t have FogExe on your PC. Run DeployFogExe.exe in that folder or follow deployment for FogExe in the guide.
[]Next we need to test the tftp client FogExe uses. On the PC that you’re trying to run the snapin, go to the command prompt and navigate to a folder you have write access to (like %temp%) and into this folder copy the tftp.exe from your FOG/tmp folder (above). Run this command:tftp -v -s fogserver fogexe.ini
This is the command FogExe runs to retrieve fogexe.ini. Be sure the file on the fog server is fogexe.ini - all lower case. I’m not sure if the tftp client will care, but I know LINUX does, so use lowercase to be safe.
[/LIST]
These test should show where your problem is. If not, please post FQDNs for your PC and main fog server, your fogexe.ini file and the results of the steps listed here and we’ll get to the bottom of the problem.Jim Graczyk
-
Thanks Jim,
I had created the DNS record and tested, but my fogexe.ini was not all lower case. Changing this solved the issues and it is now happily installing snapins.
I’ll report any findings for further reference.
Andreas