[[TracNav]]

EncapPackages | '''EncapReadme''' | EncapPlatforms | EncapInstall | EncapHowto

----

= EncapReadme: Encap based bootstrap for bcfg2 and complete bcfg2 toolchain =

This code is a method for getting bcfg2, including all dependencies, up and
running on many platforms as quickly as possible, from source.

== What you get ==
The end result is a self-extracting/self-installing bcfg2 client distribution
that does a complete client install, which includes:
 * The epkg encap package manager
 * All software on which bcfg2 depends
 * Bcfg2 itself
 * Ostiary to kick off bcfg2 client runs remotely
 * Runit to run bcfg2 client as a periodic service with logging
 * All with site-specific configuration parameters, set at build time in a
   single unified build-time configuration file, site-settings.conf
 * Optional install-time entry of bcfg2 and ostiary passwords, interactively
   or via environment variables

As well as:
 * Encaps of optional documentation packages
 * Optionally you can build the software the bcfg2 server requires (cd to 
   the encap/src/encap-packages/server directory and type "make")

== Internet resources ==
For a more general overview, see http://www.bcfg2.org/wiki/EncapPackages

You can obtain the latest version of the code from bcfg2 svn:
 * `svn co https://svn.mcs.anl.gov/repos/bcfg/trunk/bcfg2/encap`

== Operation notes ==
Using the encap package manager this code automatically downloads, builds and
creates encap packages for bcfg2 and dependencies to `/usr/local/encap`, and
installs symbolic links to these packages from `/usr/local` (the usual encap
thing).

It attempts to be as self contained as possible; everything gets linked to
under `/usr/local/lib/bcfg2`, except for bcfg2 itself and some dependent
software, which is prefixed by `b2-` (`b2-python` etc.).

To run the bcfg2 server, you also need to install gamin, which supports a
subset of the platforms bcfg2 client will work on, including GNU/Linux (but
first install glib, on which gamin depends). You also need to install the
cheetah templating system on the bcfg2 server if you wish to use the bcfg2
templating functionality.

== Important differences from upstream sources ==
 * In general, everything is under `/usr/local` instead of `/`
   * `/usr/local/etc/bcfg2.conf` is used instead of `/etc/bcfg2.conf`

== Environment variables and Sentinel files ==
Before the initial make/gmake and before the client install, you can set some
environment variables to control some behaviors:
 * `DEST="<path>"` - Set where the final build output goes. Default is
   `./DIST`
 * `REPLACE_CONFIG="yes"` - Unconditionally replace local configuration files
   for bcfg2 and ostiary with those included in the distribution. The old
   files are saved to <filename>-<date>.
 * `LOC_BCFG2_PASSWD="<password>"` , `LOC_OST_PASSWD="<password>"` - Set the
   bcfg2 server and ostiaryd daemon passwords, to avoid being interactively
   prompted for them.

There are also some "sentinel files" (zero byte files that only indicate
state) that you can create to control the operation of the install. This is
mostly useful so that installs don't clobber local changes / changes made by
bcfg2.

Sentinel file names:
 * `.SENTINEL_SITE` - Indicates that the bcfg2 client has been previously
   installed.
 * `.SENTINEL_BCFG2` - Indicates that the files have been modified by bcfg2
   itself. (If you change any of the config files mentioned below via bcfg2,
   you'll want to put this sentinel file in the appropriate directory with
   bcfg2 as well).

If either of these files exist, the install will not overwrite the existing
config files unless `REPLACE_CONFIG="yes"` is set.

{{{
Directory with sentinel file(s)       Covered config files
-----------------------------------   --------------------------------------
/usr/local/etc                        bcfg2.conf , ostiary.conf
/usr/local/etc/default/bcfg2-client   env/RUN_INTERVAL_SECONDS , env/OPTIONS
/usr/local/etc/default/bcfg2-server   env/OPTIONS
/usr/local/sbin                       ost-bcfg2.sh
}}}

== About runit integration ==
In order to avoid a lot of platform/distribution-specific code, the encap
bcfg2 distribution includes and uses [http://smarden.org/runit/useinit.html
runit] instead of init scripts and cron.

The bcfg2 client (.run) distribution uses runit to run ostiary, and to run 
the bcfg2 client periodically.

On the server, edit `/usr/local/etc/default/bcfg2-server/env/OPTIONS` to
include the options you want to start up the bcfg2 server with, and then do
{{{
ln -s /usr/local/etc/sv/bcfg2-server /usr/local/var/service/
}}}
to enable the service.

You can use `sv status /usr/local/var/service/bcfg2-server` to see the 
status, and `rm /usr/local/var/service/bcfg2-server` to remove it.

Logs for all runit services are under `/usr/local/var/svlogd`.

== About ostiary integration ==
In order to enable the remote kickoff of bcfg2 client runs, the bcfg2 client
distribution includes [http://ingles.homeunix.org/software/ost/ ostiary], a
simple, very security-paranoid daemon that runs a script with fixed
arguments based on a password hash it receives.

The following actions are available via ostiary; you can add more by editing
`/usr/local/etc/ostiary.cfg`. The <password> is a value you set during
compile-time or (preferably) .run file install time.
 * `<password>-bcfg2-dvqn` : Run `bcfg2-client -d -v -q -n`
 * `<password>-bcfg2-dvn` : Run `bcfg2-client -d -v -n`
 * `<password>-bcfg2-dvq` : Run `bcfg2-client -d -v -q`
 * `<password>-bcfg2-dv` : Run `bcfg2-client -d -v`
 * `<password>-bcfg2-vq` : Run `bcfg2-client -v -q`
 * `<password>-bcfg2-v` : Run `bcfg2-client -v`
 * `<password>-bcfg2-restart` : Restart the bcfg2-client runit service

There are plans for the future for a bcfg2 plugin that will set per-machine
passwords after the initial install, however as with cfengine the worst that
someone can do if they find your password is to bring your host into a
cleaner state.

To execute one of these actions, you use the `ostclient` command, i.e.:
{{{ ostclient -a <address> -p <port> }}}
where <address> is the address of the machine you want to run the bcfg2
client on, and <port> is the ostiary port number you set during the INSTALL
procedure. You will then be prompted to `Enter command secret: `, at which
point you will enter one of the above-listed values, such as
`<password>-bcfg2-dvqn` (the command to run and the password are
integrated into the same string).

Another useful way of running ostiary is to put the password in a text file
(on the local filesystem with appropriate permissions) and then do:
{{{
for HOST in $(bcfg2-query -u); do 
    printf "$HOST: "
    ostclient -a $HOST:1711 -f 0 < file-with-password.txt
    sleep 1
done
}}}
This will run the ostiary command associated with the password in
"file-with-password.txt" on all hosts bcfg2 thinks are up. The sleep
delay is arbitrary and not really required, but can be useful if you
are monitoring the bcfg2 server logs interactively for client connections.

Logs of bcfg2-client runs kicked off via ostiary are in
`/usr/local/var/svlogd/bcfg2-client-ostiary`

== Encap profile (.ep) documentation ==
Note that the doc for the encap profile format is in
[wiki:EncapManEncapProfile `man 5 encap_profile`].

== Next steps ==
 1. You can check to see if your platform has been successfully
    bootstrapped before; see [wiki:EncapPlatforms PLATFORMS]
 1. Build and install; see [wiki:EncapInstall INSTALL]
 1. Set up your server and clients; see [wiki:EncapHowto HOWTO]

== Documentation Version ==
 * This is a copy of: $Id$
 * Most recent version: http://www.bcfg2.org/browser/trunk/bcfg2/encap/README