default profile

[Vreman, Peter]

Is it possible to add a default/no-profile profile? When this profile is selected the
default menu will be shown.

This allows the following use cases:
- Default PXE for unknown MACs will be autodiscovery
- Autodiscovered systems can have this default profile (current pxelinux.cfg/default)
assigned
- Additional safety that prevents accidently redeploy of a system. After deploy the system
can be assigned the default profile. You must change both the netboot and the profile
before a system is redeployed after a reboot.

Thoughts?

Regards,
Peter

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[Michael DeHaan]

Vreman, Peter - Acision wrote:
>  Is it possible to add a default/no-profile profile? When this profile
> is selected the default menu will be shown.
>
>  This allows the following use cases:
>  - Default PXE for unknown MACs will be autodiscovery
>  - Autodiscovered systems can have this default profile (current pxelinux.cfg/default)
> assigned
>  - Additional safety that prevents accidently redeploy of a system. After deploy the
> system can be assigned the default profile. You must change both the netboot and the
> profile before a system is redeployed after a reboot.
>
>  Thoughts?
>
>  Regards,
>  Peter
>
>     
Currently if you do the following you can assign all "unassigned" 
systems to a default profile:

cobbler system add --name=default --profile=profile_name_goes_here

You can also do this for certain networks via CIDR notation

cobbler system add --name=192.168.0.0/24 --profile=profile_name_goes_here

If the "default" system does not exist, and there is no per-network 
record, then the PXE menu will be shown.

Currently the netboot enabled flag is the protection against the system 
being redeployed. If pxe_just_once is enabled in 
/var/lib/cobbler/settings, the system will turn it's netboot enabled 
flag off, preventing accidental reinstall.

Are you concerned with the neboot enabled flag being too easy to toggle 
in the Web application? We could perhaps add a second checkbox like we 
do with "are you really sure you want to delete this", though I'm not 
sure that's the optimal solution.

I think it's a feature to know what the system has been assigned to in 
cobbler because then you know what profile it is (most likely) running.

>  This e-mail and any attachment is for authorised use by the intended
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> any other party. If you are not an intended recipient then please promptly delete this
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[Tim Verhoeven]

On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 5:11 PM, Michael DeHaan <mdehaan(a)redhat.com&gt; wrote:
...snip...
>  If the "default" system does not exist, and there is no per-network
>  record, then the PXE menu will be shown.
>
>  Currently the netboot enabled flag is the protection against the system
>  being redeployed. If pxe_just_once is enabled in
>  /var/lib/cobbler/settings, the system will turn it's netboot enabled
>  flag off, preventing accidental reinstall.
>
>  Are you concerned with the neboot enabled flag being too easy to toggle
>  in the Web application? We could perhaps add a second checkbox like we
>  do with "are you really sure you want to delete this", though I'm not
>  sure that's the optimal solution.
>
>  I think it's a feature to know what the system has been assigned to in
>  cobbler because then you know what profile it is (most likely) running. 
I've used Cobbler for some time know and I never found the Netboot
flag to be triggered to easily. I do have a problem with something
related. I would really like the option that makes the default
profiles do not start a kickstart install, but just start a
unscripted, normal install.

This is to prevent of normal users (who don't know Cobbler) to choose,
what looks like a distribution, to them but get something that just
installs something without the option for them to choose whats get
installed. And ever worse might remove partitions they like to keep.

Regards,
Tim

-- 
Tim Verhoeven - tim.verhoeven.be(a)gmail.com - 0479 / 88 11 83

Hoping the problem  magically goes away  by ignoring it is the
"microsoft approach to programming" and should never be allowed.
(Linus Torvalds)

[Michael DeHaan]

Tim Verhoeven wrote:
>  On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 5:11 PM, Michael DeHaan
> <mdehaan(a)redhat.com&gt; wrote:
>  ...snip...
>    
> > If the "default" system does not exist, and there is no per-network
> > record, then the PXE menu will be shown.
> >
> > Currently the netboot enabled flag is the protection against the system
> > being redeployed. If pxe_just_once is enabled in
> > /var/lib/cobbler/settings, the system will turn it's netboot enabled
> > flag off, preventing accidental reinstall.
> >
> > Are you concerned with the neboot enabled flag being too easy to toggle
> > in the Web application? We could perhaps add a second checkbox like we
> > do with "are you really sure you want to delete this", though I'm not
> > sure that's the optimal solution.
> >
> > I think it's a feature to know what the system has been assigned to in
> > cobbler because then you know what profile it is (most likely) running.
> >     
>
>  I've used Cobbler for some time know and I never found the Netboot
>  flag to be triggered to easily. I do have a problem with something
>  related. I would really like the option that makes the default
>  profiles do not start a kickstart install, but just start a
>  unscripted, normal install.
>     
This is easy for you to do, just use a blank kickstart:

touch /etc/cobbler/blank.ks
cobbler profile add --name=blank --distro=F-9-i386 
--kickstart=/etc/cobbler/blank.ks

This way if you wanted to supply just some options, but not all, you can 
do it.

Cobbler also supports leaving the kickstart field blank for the same effect.

>  This is to prevent of normal users (who don't know Cobbler) to
> choose,
>  what looks like a distribution, to them but get something that just
>  installs something without the option for them to choose whats get
>  installed. And ever worse might remove partitions they like to keep.
>
>     
I'm not sure I'd give mere mortals access to all of Cobbler's panels, 
though that is true with the authz_ownership
module that's what we're going for.

Longer term, we need an additional, simpler interface that allows people 
to just edit certain fields of the objects they are
able to edit.

The acl feature is part of this, though we have some work to do to 
enable hiding/locking of fields in the web interface and also
possibly presenting some simpler views for that.

>  Regards,
>  Tim
>
>

[Vreman, Peter]

>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: cobbler-bounces(a)lists.fedorahosted.org [mailto:cobbler-
>  bounces(a)lists.fedorahosted.org] On Behalf Of Michael DeHaan
>  Sent: woensdag 19 november 2008 17:11
>  To: cobbler mailing list
>  Subject: Re: default profile
>
>  Vreman, Peter - Acision wrote:
>  > Is it possible to add a default/no-profile profile? When this profile is
>  selected the default menu will be shown.
>  >
>  > This allows the following use cases:
>  > - Default PXE for unknown MACs will be autodiscovery
>  > - Autodiscovered systems can have this default profile (current
>  pxelinux.cfg/default) assigned
>  > - Additional safety that prevents accidently redeploy of a system. After
>  deploy the system can be assigned the default profile. You must change
>  both the netboot and the profile before a system is redeployed after a
>  reboot.
>  >
>  > Thoughts?
>  >
>  > Regards,
>  > Peter
>  >
>  >
>
>  Currently if you do the following you can assign all "unassigned"
>  systems to a default profile:
>
>  cobbler system add --name=default --profile=profile_name_goes_here
>
>  You can also do this for certain networks via CIDR notation
>
>  cobbler system add --name=192.168.0.0/24 --profile=profile_name_goes_here
>
>  If the "default" system does not exist, and there is no per-network
>  record, then the PXE menu will be shown.
>
>  Currently the netboot enabled flag is the protection against the system
>  being redeployed. If pxe_just_once is enabled in
>  /var/lib/cobbler/settings, the system will turn it's netboot enabled
>  flag off, preventing accidental reinstall.
>
>  Are you concerned with the neboot enabled flag being too easy to toggle
>  in the Web application? We could perhaps add a second checkbox like we
>  do with "are you really sure you want to delete this", though I'm not
>  sure that's the optimal solution.
>
>  I think it's a feature to know what the system has been assigned to in
>  cobbler because then you know what profile it is (most likely) running. 
Correct, I'm concernd that somebody toggle the netboot flag and forgets about it. And
later when the node crashes it reboots and gets redeployed.

The netboot flag is hidden too much at the moment. I have already a patch that shows it
also in the systems list. This is gives already a better overview.

I understand that the feature to see the running profile.

Maybe a solution is to have the ability to also override the pxe template. The pxe
generation is the only location that is affected. The one-liner-hack below does already
work for me:

diff -ur old/cobbler/pxegen.py build/cobbler/pxegen.py
--- old/cobbler/pxegen.py       2008-11-19 10:42:29.000000000 +0100
+++ build/cobbler/pxegen.py     2008-11-19 20:54:26.000000000 +0100
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@
         # ---
         # choose a template
         if system:
-            if system.netboot_enabled:
+            if system.netboot_enabled and profile.name!='localboot':
                 template = "/etc/cobbler/pxesystem.template"
                 if arch == "s390x":
                     template = "/etc/cobbler/pxesystem_s390x.template"

And other (or extra) option is to have a profile-type. That can also be used for
filtering:
- kickstart
- rescue
- imager
- discovery
- localboot

Only for the kickstart type a distro is required. For the others a kernel image/initrd are
enough and when left empty the localboot is selected.


Regards,
Peter


This e-mail and any attachment is for authorised use by the intended recipient(s) only. It
may contain proprietary material, confidential information and/or be subject to legal
privilege. It should not be copied, disclosed to, retained or used by, any other party. If
you are not an intended recipient then please promptly delete this e-mail and any
attachment and all copies and inform the sender. Thank you.

[Michael DeHaan]

Vreman, Peter - Acision wrote:
>    
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: cobbler-bounces(a)lists.fedorahosted.org [mailto:cobbler-
> > bounces(a)lists.fedorahosted.org] On Behalf Of Michael DeHaan
> > Sent: woensdag 19 november 2008 17:11
> > To: cobbler mailing list
> > Subject: Re: default profile
> >
> > Vreman, Peter - Acision wrote:
> >     
> >> Is it possible to add a default/no-profile profile? When this profile is
> >>       
> > selected the default menu will be shown.
> >     
> >> This allows the following use cases:
> >> - Default PXE for unknown MACs will be autodiscovery
> >> - Autodiscovered systems can have this default profile (current
> >>       
> > pxelinux.cfg/default) assigned
> >     
> >> - Additional safety that prevents accidently redeploy of a system. After
> >>       
> > deploy the system can be assigned the default profile. You must change
> > both the netboot and the profile before a system is redeployed after a
> > reboot.
> >     
> >> Thoughts?
> >>
> >> Regards,
> >> Peter
> >>
> >>
> >>       
> > Currently if you do the following you can assign all "unassigned"
> > systems to a default profile:
> >
> > cobbler system add --name=default --profile=profile_name_goes_here
> >
> > You can also do this for certain networks via CIDR notation
> >
> > cobbler system add --name=192.168.0.0/24 --profile=profile_name_goes_here
> >
> > If the "default" system does not exist, and there is no per-network
> > record, then the PXE menu will be shown.
> >
> > Currently the netboot enabled flag is the protection against the system
> > being redeployed. If pxe_just_once is enabled in
> > /var/lib/cobbler/settings, the system will turn it's netboot enabled
> > flag off, preventing accidental reinstall.
> >
> > Are you concerned with the neboot enabled flag being too easy to toggle
> > in the Web application? We could perhaps add a second checkbox like we
> > do with "are you really sure you want to delete this", though I'm not
> > sure that's the optimal solution.
> >
> > I think it's a feature to know what the system has been assigned to in
> > cobbler because then you know what profile it is (most likely) running.
> >     
>
>  Correct, I'm concernd that somebody toggle the netboot flag and forgets about it. And
> later when the node crashes it reboots and gets redeployed.
>
>  The netboot flag is hidden too much at the moment. I have already a patch that shows it
> also in the systems list. This is gives already a better overview.
>
>  I understand that the feature to see the running profile.
>
>  Maybe a solution is to have the ability to also override the pxe template. The pxe
> generation is the only location that is affected. The one-liner-hack below does already
> work for me:
>
>  diff -ur old/cobbler/pxegen.py build/cobbler/pxegen.py
>  --- old/cobbler/pxegen.py       2008-11-19 10:42:29.000000000 +0100
>  +++ build/cobbler/pxegen.py     2008-11-19 20:54:26.000000000 +0100
>  @@ -393,7 +393,7 @@
>           # ---
>           # choose a template
>           if system:
>  -            if system.netboot_enabled:
>  +            if system.netboot_enabled and profile.name!='localboot':
>                   template = "/etc/cobbler/pxesystem.template"
>                   if arch == "s390x":
>                       template = "/etc/cobbler/pxesystem_s390x.template"
>
>  And other (or extra) option is to have a profile-type. That can also be used for
> filtering:
>  - kickstart
>  - rescue
>  - imager
>  - discovery
>  - localboot
>
>  Only for the kickstart type a distro is required. For the others a kernel image/initrd
> are enough and when left empty the localboot is selected.
>     
I would recommend you make the above hack to your local template as I 
don't want to introduce a profile-type into a model that already seems 
to be working very well for most folks.

Showing the netboot status on the "dashboard" (and allowing it to be 
modified there) would be a good idea.
>  Regards,
>  Peter
>
>
>  This e-mail and any attachment is for authorised use by the intended recipient(s) only.
> It may contain proprietary material, confidential information and/or be subject to legal
> privilege. It should not be copied, disclosed to, retained or used by, any other party. If
> you are not an intended recipient then please promptly delete this e-mail and any
> attachment and all copies and inform the sender. Thank you.
>
>
>  _______________________________________________
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>  cobbler(a)lists.fedorahosted.org
>  https://fedorahosted.org/mailman/listinfo/cobbler
>