Basic Persistent groups and 1.3.0RC16

[george1421]

Setting up the Template Group

The template group is a specially named group. When target hosts are added to the Template Group, the sql trigger fires and updates the target host with the settings copied from the Host Template created in the above step.

To create the template group

1. Go to Group Management -> Create new group
2. Group Name: TemplHost01 (this name must match EXACTLY the name you entered for the host template. Its best to copy and paste the host template name here to ensure accuracy. Case IS important, if the template group name does not match exactly the host name the sql trigger will ignore the host insertion and the settings will not be copied)
3. The group kernel, kernel args, and primary disk are not used since those settings are copied over from the host template. You may leave these fields blank.
4. Template group setup is now done.

While this feature is not part of the basic persistent groups in RC16. The sql trigger will be updated to include any groups the host template is a member of. It is VERY important to note, DO NOT make the host template a member of the template group of the same name. Doing so will cause an update loop. Unexpected things happen when a trigger fires upon itself during an update. You don’t want to go there so just be sure to NOT make the host template a member of its management template group.

[george1421]

Setting up the Host Template

In this section we will create a template host where we will hang all of our configuration on. The template host in this context is just a manually registered host with a unique (impossible) mac address. This host will never be used directly for pxe booting or configuring a target host so we will pick a mac address that is unique to your install.

From the perspective of configuring the host template system we will treat it like any other host. We can connect snapins, assign AD parameters, customize fog modules. Everything you can define for a regular host you can do to this host template (except boot it).

To create the host template (hint: its the same process as manually registering a host)

1. Go to Host Management -> Create New Host
2. Host Name: TemplHost01 (this name can be anything as long as its locally unique)
3. Primary MAC: 00:00:00:00:00:01 (The host record MUST contain a mac address, we’ll just set it to a locally unique value.
4. Fill out the remainder of TemplHost01 as you see fit for your site.
5. When the settings are correct for your site press the ADD button
6. After the TemplHost01 has been registered you may now continue configuring this host by adding printers, snapins, and service settings.
7. This concludes setting up the host template.

[theWizard]

Is there any way of getting the snapins associated with the defaulttemplate host to launch when machines are deployed using quick reg auto pop ?
I set the group to defaulttemplate but the snapins never get launched, or @Developers is it possible to add a snapins selection to the auto pop section this would make imaging machines for us 100% automated at least on a per room basis.

[george1421]

@theWizard Is there any way of getting the snapins associated with the defaulttemplate host to launch when machines are deployed using quick reg auto pop ? I set the group to defaulttemplate but the snapins never get launched, or @Developers is it possible to add a snapins selection to the auto pop section this would make imaging machines for us 100% automated at least on a per room basis.

First I have to say the persistent group function is not an officially supported function of FOG 1.3.0. It is a user supplied hack to give FOG some kind of persistent group ability.

Just for clarity, it does work correctly when you assign the host to the template group via the web gui?

I don’t believe that the quick reg allows you to pick a group assignment. The trigger to activate the persistent group is the host being added to the template group. This is done at the database level and not via the web gui. So it should activate as soon as a host is added to the template group.

[Tom Elliott]

@george1421 It should allow you to add the host to a group. I haven’t played with it in a while though (to be honest).

I can’t remember if the groups are listed in a select box or it just presents a text box. Pretty sure it’s just a text box in which case it would accept comma separated.

Note: (NOT , space e.g. 11, 1) but must be: 11,1

[george1421]

@Tom-Elliott Well if that is the case and the host is added to the template group the db trigger should fire and add in everything that is associated with the host template. The only thing I could think might go wrong is the db trigger fires too soon and the host hasn’t been fully updated yet. The group assignment should (hopefully) be the last thing the quick reg does, that way the host is already defined before the trigger fires. I can say I never tested the trigger with a quick reg since we never do quick reg any more.

[Tom Elliott]

@george1421 The trigger will only happen the moment the host is “officially” stored in the database. That means it doesn’t matter where it’s added in the the process, rather when the DB actually get’s the new entry. (which would be after the host is “saved”)

[theWizard]

@george1421
Yep you can select a group in quick reg ( drop down list ) which i set to the defaulttemplate group so expected the trigger to fire and launch the snapins too but unfortunately while everything else works and the image starts deploying the snapins don’t get launched, if i check the host the snapins are assigned to it but they never got launched
@Tom-Elliott I wonder if it would be simpler if possible at all just to add a drop down for snapins to the quick reg section ?

[george1421]

@theWizard I’m just wanting to confirm here (since I don’t use snapins at all).

When you quick reg a machine, you add the machine to the host template group. All of the host template settings get assigned to the host, including snapins. If you go and look at the host you just auto registered the snapins ARE assigned to that new quick reg host?? But after imaging the fog client doesn’t install the snapins as it would if you assigned the snapin (singly) post imaging??

Right now its not clear if the issue is with the db trigger, or the fog client not picking up the snapins, or there is another table that needs to be set to trigger the snapins to install.

[theWizard]

@george1421
It’s not the fog client, when the imaging task fires after doing the auto reg the snapins don’t get launched at all. If i launched it as a standard deploy there would be an imaging task and snapins task in the queue but using auto reg even with group set to host template group the snapins task does not get created only the imaging task BUT the snapins are assigned to the host if you check in the gui.

[george1421]

@theWizard Ah, that is what I thought. The snapin assignments are being made (host X has these snapins assinged) but this snapins are not creating the task to actually deploy them.

<edit>or to say it the same exact way again</edit> Or to say it another way the snapin assignments exist but the task to install them is missing.

Ideas Tom?? I would ass-u-me that the trigger will need to create the snapin deploy task. That would sound logical if it was a quick reg and deploy or done from the gui.

[theWizard]

@george1421 Exactly yes no task to install the snapin is created.

[Tom Elliott]

@theWizard Mind giving a shot with the RC 36 build?

I think the problem was the host was not “known” to have the snapins at that point. The associations were made, but the original object did not have the new items embedded. I’m currently addressing this by “loading” the new stuff, but I think I’ll be rethinking this once I get home. For now, however, this should do what you need it to now.

[theWizard]

@Tom-Elliott I updated to RC36 but same result, if i check the host the snapins are assigned to it and the image is deploying but there is no task for the snapins at all.

[Tom Elliott]

@theWizard This is validated under Task->Active Snapin Tasks?

[theWizard]

@Tom-Elliott Yep just checked again and no snapin tasks at all

[Greg Plamondon]

I have been waiting for a plugin like this for some time, I love it! Keep up the good work! I hope this plugin improves over time so eventually we can remove and add members to the group and have it update the host settings with out haveing to delete and re-create the host.

Nice work man!

[george1421]

@Greg-Plamondon said in Basic Persistent groups and 1.3.0RC16:

… improves over time so eventually we can remove and add members to the group and have it update the host settings with out haveing to delete and re-create the host.

Can you explain this?

The plugin sets up a database trigger (a bit of a hack) so each time you add a host to the group the trigger fires and updates the target host. At least that is how its suppose to work.

[yannickF]

hi georges, persitent groups still working on 1.5.10 ? i have some isssues

[Tom Elliott]

@yannickF You really should state your issues.

If a feature isn’t available for whatever reason, we will tell you, but leaving us in “uh oh” isn’t really a good approach.

What issue are you having?