1. Copyright
The Copyright of this manual is held by uib gmbh in Mainz, Germany.
This manual is published under the creative commons license
Attribution - ShareAlike (by-sa).

A description of the license can be found here:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
The legally binding text of the license can be found here:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode
Most parts of the opsi software is open source.
Not open source are the parts of the source code which contain new extensions, that are still under cofunding, which have not been paid off yet.
See also: opsi cofunding projects
All of the open source code is published under the AGPLv3.

The legally binding text of the AGPLv3 license can be found here: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0-standalone.html
Information about the AGPL: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.en.html
For licenses to use opsi in the context of closed source software, please contact uib gmbh.
The names opsi, opsi.org, open pc server integration and the opsi logo are registered trademarks of uib gmbh.
2. Introduction
2.1. Who should read this manual?
This manual is aimed at everyone who is interested in automatic software distribution with opsi. The focus of the documentation is the explanation of the technical background, in order to contribute to an understanding of the processes.
This manual should not only support the system administrator who works practically with opsi, but also give prospective users a concrete overview of opsi in advance.
2.2. Conventions in text and graphics
Names which are shown in <angle brackets> have to be replaced by a real name.
Example: The file share on which the opsi software packages are located is called <opsi-depot-share> and is located on a real server on /var/lib/opsi/depot
.
The software package: <opsi-depot-share>/ooffice is actually under /var/lib/opsi/depot/ooffice
.
Examples from program code or configuration files use a Courier font and are highlighted in color.
depoturl=smb://smbhost/sharename/path
3. Overview of opsi
Tools for automated software distribution and operating system installation are important and necessary tools for standardization, maintainability and cost saving of larger PC networks. Normally the application of such tools comes along with substantial royalties, whereas opsi as an open source tool affords explicit economics. Expenses thereby arise only from performed services like consulting, training and maintenance, and perhaps from low cofunding rates if you like to use some of the non free modules.
Although the software itself and the handbooks are free of charge, the process of introducing any software distribution tool is still an investment. To get the benefit without throwbacks and without a long learning curve consulting and education of the system administrators by a professional partner is recommended. uib offers all these services around opsi.
The opsi system as developed by uib depends on Linux-servers. They are used for remote installation and maintenance of the client OS and the client software packets ("PC-Server-Integration"). It is based as far as possible on free available tools (GNUtools, SAMBA etc.). The complete system all together is named opsi (Open PC-Server-Integration) and with its configurability is a very interesting solution for the administration challenges of a large computer park.
3.1. Experience
opsi is derived from a system, which is in use since the middle of the 90’s with more than 2000 Client-PCs in different locations of a state authority. Since that time it has continuously been adapted to the changing Microsoft operating system world. As a product opsi is now accessible for a broad range of interested users.
You can find an geographical overview of the registered opsi-installations at: opsi-map
3.2. opsi features
The core features of opsi are:
-
automatic software distribution
-
automatic operating system installation
-
hard- and software inventory
-
comfortable control via the opsi management interface
-
support of multiple depot-servers
3.3. opsi Extensions
-
Management of licenses
-
MySQL-Backend
-
Nagios Connector
-
Installation ab Shutdown
-
Local Image Backup (Rapid client restore of student computers. For public authorities (e.g. schools) only)
-
Linux Agent
-
WAN Extension (Support for clients behind slow connections)
-
User Profile Management (manipulation Profiles even with Roamin Profiles)
-
OTRS::ITSM Connection - via KIX4OTRS by cape IT gmbh
3.4. Structure
The configuration of opsi requires some data management. All non-server components are using a web service for data exchange with the opsi server. They exchange data via the opsiconfd, and the opsiconfd forwards the data to the backend manager which passes the data into the selected backend.
opsi supports different backends: Backends:
-
File based
-
MySQL based

More details you will find at Section 5.6, “opsi data storage (backends)”.
The backend configuratin will be found at the files in ther directories
/etc/opsi/backendManager
and /etc/opsi/backends
.

The configuration files in /etc/opsi/backends
define the backends.
Which backend is used for which data, is configured in the file
/etc/opsi/backendManager/dispatch.conf
.
The file /etc/opsi/backendManager/acl.conf
defines who has access to which
methods.
Below the directory /etc/opsi/backendManager/extend.d
there could be files
which defines extended opsi methods. So you will find here for example the files which define the action based (legacy) methods by mapping them to the object based methods (/etc/opsi/backendManager/extend.d/20_legacy.conf
).
A more detailed reference of these configuration files you will find at
4. opsi-Management GUI: opsi-configed
4.1. Requirements and operation
Since version 4.0.7.5.22, the opsi-configed requires at least Java 1.8
It works with the data from a running opsiconfd at least of version 4.0.6.
|
In non-opsi systems the opsi-configed can be simply installed by copying the required jar archive files as contained e.g. in the opsi-package.
In order to automate this you find will two helpers at https://download.uib.de/opsi4.1/misc/helper/: the setup program opsi-configed-setup.exe
works for Microsoft Windows and opsi-configed-linux-setup.tar.gz
works for various Linux systems.
If the client has a graphical desktop opsi-configed can be started from a start menu entry.
On Linux it can be started in a shell by executing /usr/bin/opsi-configed
.
With non-gui servers there exist only the special non-gui start options
-
--version
-
--help bzw. -h
-
--querysavedsearch [SAVEDSEARCH_NAME] bzw. -qs [SAVEDSEARCH_NAME]
-
--swaudit-pdf FILE_WITH_CLIENT_IDS_EACH_IN_A_LINE [OUTPUT_PATH]
If the additional required jar archives exist in the path the opsi-configed can be started simply by java -jar configed.jar
.
With java -jar configed.jar --help
you’ll get a list of the command line options
.
-l LOC --locale LOC Set locale LOC (format: <language>_<country>)-h HOST --host HOST Configuration server HOST to connect to
-u NAME --user NAME User for authentication
-p PASSWORD --password PASSWORD password for authentication
-c CLIENT --client CLIENT CLIENT to preselect
-g CLIENTGROUP --group CLIENTGROUP CLIENTGROUP to preselect
-t INDEX --tab INDEX Start with tab number INDEX, index counting starts with 0, works only if a CLIENT is preselected
-d PATH --logdirectory PATH Directory for the log files
-r REFRESHMINUTES --refreshminutes REFRESHMINUTES Refresh data every REFRESHMINUTES (where this feature is implemented, 0 = never)
-qs [SAVEDSEARCH_NAME] --querysavedsearch [SAVEDSEARCH_NAME] On command line: tell saved host searches list resp. the search result for [SAVEDSEARCH_NAME])
--gzip [y/n] Activate gzip transmission of data from opsi server yes/no
--sslversion PREFERRED_SSL_VERSION Try to use this SSL/ TLS version
--ssh-key SSHKEY full path with filename from sshkey used for authentication on ssh server
--ssh-passphrase PASSPHRASE passphrase for given sshkey used for authentication on ssh server
--version Tell configed version
--collect_queries_until_no N Collect the first N queries; N = -1 (default, no collect), 0 = infinite
--help Give this help
--loglevel L Set logging level L, L is a number >= 0, <= 5
--halt Use first occurring debug halt point that may be in the code
--sqlgetrows Force use sql statements by getRawData
--nosqlrawdata Avoid getRawData
--localizationfile EXTRA_LOCALIZATION_FILENAME Use EXTRA_LOCALIZATION_FILENAME as localization file, the file name format has to be: configed_LOCALENAME.properties
--localizationstrings Show internal labels together the strings of selected localization
--swaudit-pdf FILE_WITH_CLIENT_IDS_EACH_IN_A_LINE [OUTPUT_PATH] export pdf swaudit reports for given clients (if no OUTPUT_PATH given, use home directory)
4.1.1. Logging of the opsi-configed
By default, the opsi-configed uses its log level 3 "Info". The level can be raised to 4 "Check" or 5 "Debug".
To change the log level the command line option --loglevel [LEVEL] can be used. It is not recommended to set level 5 as long as not the start process needs to be inspected. For, with level 5, the produced log file is very large; it is difficult to get loaded and viewed. When the opsi-configed is running and a potential error situation is expected the log level can be raised via the menu entry Help/ConfigEditor log level.
Level 4 can be helpful since with it, the service calls are logged. With luck, level 5 offers a detailled view of actions.
Since version 4.0.7.6.12 the logfiles are deposed by default in the user home directory. In Windows the folder
c:\Users\[User name]\AppData\Roaming\opsi.org\log
In Linux the default logfiles folder is the (hidden) subfolder ".configed" in the user home directory.
The current logfile is named configed.log, the up to 3 preceding versions are configed_0.log, configed_1.log, configed_2.log.
The logging directory can be changed via the command line option "-d".
The current logfile path is displayed at the Help menu, entry "Current logfile". The filename can there be retrieved in order to use it in an open file dialog of a viewer program or can be directly opened by the default application for .log files.
4.1.2. Choosing the language
The opsi-configed tries to use the language following the OS defined locale. If the matching translation file is missing English is used as default language. If terms in translations file are missing the expressions of the Englisch translation are used as default.
When calling the opsi-configed you can set a locale via the command line option
-l resp. --locale
On principle, the locale has the format language_region, each component with two characters, eg. en_US of de_DE. It suffices to give the two character language code since there no region specific variants prepared.
In a running opsi-configed the language can be switched via the menu item File/International. A change triggers a re-initialization of the program with a (nearly complete) rebuilding of the visual components in the new language.
Finally the call parameter
--localizationfile
can be used for directly prescribing a localiziation file. The additional parameter
--localizationstrings
has the effect that the display of the localized expressions is combined with displaying the terms for which expressions should be given. This can be used for producing and testing a localization file.
4.1.3. Logging of the opsi-configed
By default, the opsi-configed uses its log level 3 "Info". The level can be raised to 4 "check" or 5 "debug".
To change the log level the command line option --loglevel [LEVEL] can be used. It is not recommended to set level 5 if not already the start process has problems since, with level 5, the produced log file is very large; it is difficult to view. When the opsi-configed is running and a potential error situation is expected the log level can be raised via the menu entry Help/ConfigEditor log level.
Level 4 can be helpful since with it, the service calls are logged. Level 5 often offers a detailled view of actions.
By default the logfiles are deposed in the user home directory in the subfolder ".configed". The current logfile is named configed.log, the up to 3 preceding versions are configed_0.log, configed_1.log, configed_2.log.
In newer versions of windows the user home directory is interpreted as
c:\users\[USERNAME]\appdata\local
Observe that the Windows Explorer shows a localized version of "users" and does not give "AppData" in the listing of "c:\users\[USERNAME]". But the AppData folder contents appear, when "appdata" is supplemented to its superfolder name.
The logging directory can be changed via the command line option "-d". The opsi product opsi-configed uses this option to set the logging directory to
c:\opsi.org\log
But only local administrators can write to this location. If other users start the opsi-configed the location
c:\users\[USERNAME]\appdata\local
will therefore again be used.
4.2. Login

The opsi-configed tries to connect to the opsi server via https. The login is done with the given parameters opsi server[:Port] (default port 4447 – opsiconfd) and the user/password pair of the opsi-config-server account. For a successful login the provided user has to be a member of the unix group opsiadmin.
In the local user profile, the opsi-configed saves certain session info in order to rebuild the essential working context after a restart, in particular a selected client group. Since version 4.0.7 the session data is used to produce a selection list of opsi servers to which you were connected (e.g. a productive one and a second one for experimental purposes). The last server used gets the highest place, and can be directly used again.
The gzip compression in HTTP protocol reduces the amount of data being transferred at the expense of an extended processing time, this is due to the fact that the data must be compressed and uncompressed. It has been observed that the reaction times tend to be shorter without compression in the local network, as the effects normally surpass the prolonged processing time. For transmissions over the WAN, it tends to be the opposite. In the practice, little difference is noticed on LAN connections, but relevant differences are noticed on WAN connections, so the Gzip option is enabled by default.
The feature check which clients are reachable runs in the background and shows the results in the client table. It can be enabled from the login screen mask or via command line parameter. The default refresh interval is 0 min (= deactivated). It should be observed though that a too short refresh interval produces a lot of network waiting states which can slow down the opsi server.
4.3. Copy & Paste, Drag & Drop
You may copy the selected entries from nearly every section of the opsi-configed to the clipboard using the standard key combinations (Ctrl-Insert, Ctrl-C). This may be used to transfer interesting data to other programs.
For most of the tables you may also use Drag & Drop to copy the data e.g. to Excel or a
4.4. opsi-configed modes Client configuration / server configuration / license management
To switch between the different usage modes of the opsi-configed, use the buttons in the upper right corner of the opsi-configed frame. Since version 4.0.4, there are six buttons.

The first three buttons allow you to change the editing target of the main window: client configuration, server configuration. On the other hand, each of the buttons group actions, product actions and license management starts a special window to manage the specific objects or actions.
These windows can as well be opened via the main menu item windows (since opsi-configed version 4.0.7).
4.5. Depot selection
All opsi-depotservers that are integrated with your server, are listed in the upper left corner of the opsi-configed. By default the depot on your opsi-config-server is selected and the clients belonging to this opsi-depot are shown.
You can select multiple Depots at the same time and edit their clients together. However, only the selected depots are synchronized with each other. Trying to edit clients from asynchronous depots together will be rejected with an appropriate warning and the corresponding error message.
As of version 4.0.5, there is no need to carry out a complete data-reload when switching to a different depot-server, that means, when you select a depot its data is loaded immediately. In addition, there are the following buttons:
-
(=+) : Marks all depots with identical product stocks.
-
(++) : Marks all depots (you can also use Ctrl-a)

4.6. Cient selection
After a successful login, the main window pops up and shows the tab Client selection. This tab shows a list of known clients from the selected opsi-depot resp. the clients which are selected using the tree view control on the left side of the opsi-configed.
Since version 4.0.4, the opsi-configed saves on the local machine, for the current user, the current depot server and group selection. If the opsi-configed is restarted, you can continue working at the point where you were.
Please note, that group selection is preserved when changing depot selection. In order to see all clients in the other depot the group selection has to be changed appropriately. the same pattern of work.

You may select a line of the list not only by manual scrolling and selecting but also by a String search. This requires that you enter a String into the search field at the top of the list
How the search works is determined by the selected elements in two drop down lists:
Via field selection you can choose if
-
all fields (more precisely, all fields that are for this temporary configuration represented as columns) are searched (default), or
-
only one field (and which one) is searched.
Concerning the method of search you may select between the options (since 4.0.7):
-
Full-text: the search string is used in a similar way to a web search on a certain search engine for example in the standard manner; i.e., if the input contains several keywords (delimited by blanks) then the word elements will be a match if any of the input parts are fully contained in some of the columns.
-
Full-text (complete string): the search string is used like using a web search on a search engine the search string embraced by citation marks; i.e. a table line will match if the complete input string is part of one of the columns content.
-
Start-text search: a table line will be a match if the column text starts with the search string.
-
Regular expression: the search string is interpreted as a so called regular expression; i.e., a line will be a match if the input string produces a match according to the rules of regular expressions (as described in the java doc for java.util.regex.Pattern).
The enter key produces the next search hit. If there is no match it advances the mark to next line.
More selection functions based on String search are shown in the context menu of the search field.

Examples of Search Patterns
All PCs which have a name or a description containing the character sequence Miller with capital M or with m are found by using the pattern .*iller.* The dot in " .* " means "arbitrary character", the asterisk " * " means "arbitrary number of occurrences (of the beforehand designated element)". That is .*iller.* it matches, if anything (any number of any characters) come before iller and anything after iller. Since "any number" may be zero Home of Miller matches where no character follows after iller. But to ensure that we do not mark Tiller as correct a more precise pattern would be .*[Mm]iller.* Several characters enclosed in brackets are interpreted as the searched value must contain one of the enumerated characters. With this more precise pattern, every string is recognized which contains either Miller oder miller but no other string. Here is yet another example, a pattern search for products: 0.-opsi.*standard matches for all products which have a name beginning with "0", followed by an arbitrary character, followed by -opsi, followed by arbitrary characters (in arbitrary number); finished by standard. To ensure that the second character is a number symbol, i. e. one of the characters "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5" , "6", "7", "8", "9", one can write 0[0123456789]-opsi.*standard As short hand for [0123456789] one can use, since it is a complete partial sequence of the sequence of all characters, [0-9]. Therefore the search pattern reduces to 0[0-9]-opsi.*standard Matching products e.g. 03-opsi-abo-standard or 05_opsi-linux_standard More informations on the topic can be found in the java api doc, key word "java.util.regex.Pattern". |
4.6.1. The clients list
The clients list has per default the columns client name, description, on, IP address and last seen.
-
client name is the full qualified hostname which is the client name including the domain name
-
description is a free selectable description which you can edit in the top right hand side of the window
-
On shows after clicking the button Check which clients are connected the result of this query. This feature runs in the background and shows the results in the client table. It can be enabled from the login screen mask or via command line parameter. The default refresh interval is 0 min (= deactivated).



-
IP address shows the IP number to which the opsi server resolves the client name.
-
last seen shows the date and a time of the last client connect to the opsiconfd web service
Some columns are deactivated by default:
-
session infos (data is retrieved from the operating system running on the specific client)
-
Inventory No (displaying some optionally entered data)
-
created (date and time of client creation)
-
opsi mac address (hardware address of the client as used by opsi)
You may activate these columns using the context menu. The configuration of the columns being displayed may be changed using the entry configed.host_displayfields in the server configuration.

Adding the column session infos enables the button "request session infos from all clients" in the button panel.

When this button is clicked the opsiconfd tries to connect to all clients and to retrieve data of the active user sessions. From the result, the account names are shown in the column session infos. Instead of using the button you may start the request only for the selected clients via the context menu or the main menu entry OpsiClient. By doing this, network timeouts are avoided.
Since the search function for the client list works (if not configured otherwise) on all displayed columns you may now find out which is the client belonging to a logged in user (with known account name).
To sort the clients by a certain column click on the top header of that column.
4.6.2. Selecting clients
You can select one or multiple clients to work with. The client view can be restricted to the selected clients by clicking the funnel icon or from the menu by Grouping / Show only selected clients.
A selected client group can be saved with the icon Save grouping or from the menu by Grouping / save group with a free selectable name.
You can use the mouse to add the selected clients to an existing group (by dragging them to an existing group which is displayed in the tree view).
In the client selection dialog (as called via menu Selection / Define search) clients can be selected using a variety of criteria based on their configurations.

E.g., it is possible to search for opsi installed products as well as software found by the opsi software audit. You may as well search for PCs satisfying certain hardware conditions. Criteria may be combined by logical AND or OR operations and may be negated by a NOT (which is produced by a click on the Not-Field before the property field). Search strings can be given as fixed strings combined with asterisks * as wildcard symbols.
Search definitions can be saved and then again used via the menu item Selection/Use saved search definition.

It is also possible to run a saved search from the command line when the opsi-configed editor is started. By including the flag "-qs" and the name of the saved search, the configuration editor will start with the saved search results. If the name is omitted, then a list of available searches will be displayed.
To detect failed installations, the menu item Selection offers Failures with product and Failures occurred (today, since yesterday, …), since version 4.0.5 .
Choose the first setting to get a list of all products. If you select a single product, all clients will be shown, where the installation of this product failed.
When choosing for instance Failures occured - today, all the clients will be marked, where an product installation failed today.

4.7. Client selection and hierarchical groups using the tree view
Clients can be grouped in a convenient way by using the tree view control placed on the left side of opsi-configed frame.
4.7.1. Basic concepts
The tree view control has three base nodes groups, directory and client list. Alls clients of the selected depots are displayed in the group client list.
The nodes groups and directory are different in so far as each client can have any number of locations in the groups subtree but has a unique location in the directory subtree; as long as there was no other assignment to subgroup of directory a client is automatically placed into the group NOT_ASSIGNED.
If you select a client, all groups to which the client belongs will get color marked icons.

4.7.2. How to …
By a click one a node (or a group) all clients beyond this node will be shown in the Clients tab, but none of these clients is selected for processing.
By a click one a client, this client will be shown in the Clients tab and selected for processing. You may also use this way to change the selected client while you are in a other tab like product configuration without coming back to the clients tab.
You may use Ctrl-click and Shift-click to select multiple clients. This tree view control show the groups which are created according the chapter
You may also create groups by using the context menu above ALL or any existing group.

You will be asked for the new groups name.

A group can be populated with clients using Drag&Drop by
-
copying clients from the Clients tab to the group in the tree view (left mouse button)
-
copying clients from the tree view control below the node ALL to group in the tree view (left mouse button)
-
moving clients from a group in the tree view control to a other group in the tree view (left mouse button)
-
copying clients from a group in the tree view control to a other group in the tree view (Ctrl-left mouse button)
A group can
-
be moved to a different location via drag & drop.
The context menu of a group item can be used
-
to create a subgroup;
-
to edit the group properties;
-
to delete the group together with its subgroups and all client assignments of them;
-
to remove all client assignments while keeping the group and its subgroups;
-
to display the the contained clients and select them in one step.
4.8. Client processing / Client actions
Using the menu OpsiClient or the context menu in the Clients tab you may choose from a lot of client specific operations

4.8.1. Install By Shutdown, Uefi Boot and WAN Configuration
Several client standard configurations can be applied directly in the client information panel which is located on the right side of the clients page. Please observe that UEFI support and WAN configuration both are currently based on non free extension modules. If these modules are not active the corresponding buttons are disabled.
-
Install By Shutdown:
In Section 9.19, “opsi Installation on Shutdown (free)” , the method do switch to Install by Shutdown installation is described en detail. You can automatically trigger this configuration by pushing the On-Button for InstallByShutdown. Observe that this requires a opsi-client-agent reinstall or reconfigure. Alas, the state of the configuration can currently only be seen in the product property `on_shutdown_install`of the opsi-client-agent product. -
Uefi Boot:
The state of checkbox Uefi Boot indicates, if a client is configured for UEFI boot. It is activated the value of the client host parameterclientconfig.dhcpd.filename
is changed tolinux/pxelinux.cfg/elilo.efi
geändert. (For more infos cf Section 9.6, “opsi with UEFI / GPT”) -
WAN configuration:
The opsi configed checks, if the standard Wan configuration is available or not. The check mark for the WAN configuration will be set or not accordingly. If you check the box manually, the default configuration will be set.
This configuration is no longer hard coded since version 4.0.7.6.5, but is read from the server host parameters configed.meta_config.wan_mode_off* and is also interpreted as a negation. If you have kept the automatically set Meta_Config.wan_mode* parameters, the one described in Section 9.11.5, “Recommended configuration when using the WAN/VPN extension module”, can be taken as an example or recommendation for a standard WAN configuration given by uib gmbh.
Whether the client is configured as a WAN client or perform an UEFI boot, can also be displayed in the appropriate columns on the client table. For the current session you can find on the menu item OpsiClient or activated in the context menu, permanently via the entry configed.host_displayfields for the server host parameters. This can be seen directly in the overview, for which clients the property is set, and it can also be searched for and sorted out. |

4.8.2. WakeOnLan (Wake selected clients)
Choosing this menu entry, you will send the selected clients a WakeOnLan signal.
Since version 4.0.7 you can choose
-
if the network signal is meant to be sent to the selected clients at once
-
which delay should be between the waking of two clients
-
when the process shall start (via a scheduler).
If a client is assigned to a depot server which is not the configserver then the Wake On Lan signal is not directly sent to the client, but the opsi-configed tries to establish a HTTPS connection to the opsiconfd of the depot server which in turn sends the Wake On Lan package to the client inside its network segment.

It should be observed that it is the opsi-configed which triggers the actions, therefore the program must not be shut down in the meantime.
4.8.3. Fire opsiclientd event (Push Installation)
This menu entry is used to send to the opsi-client-agent on the selected clients a command to fire the event which is selected in the submenu. If a Client is not reachable or currently processing another non-cancelable event, the opsi-configed shows an error text.
The standard event is "on demand" which means the demanded action is started at once. Be aware that this may have the effect that the client is rebooting without any warning.
To incorporate additional events (which should be configured in the opsiclientd.conf) into the submenu you have to edit the config configed.opsiclientd_events via the tab (server) host parameters.
All messages will be shown on the active desktop. If the client isn’t reachable, you will get a message.
What happens exactly if you fire the event on_demand can be configured in the event on_demand configuration.
4.8.4. Sending messages (Show popup message)
Choosing the menu entry Show popup message you will get a small edit window where you can type in your message.

By clicking on the red tick you will send the message to the selected clients.
At the selected clients a message window will appear.

4.8.5. Session info for selected clients
The selected clients get the signal to communicte their session information. The data is shown in the session info column (if visible).
4.8.6. For WAN-Clients: Delete package cache
On WAN clients there are occasional problems with the package cache synchronization. This function resets the cache.
4.8.7. Call external remote control tools for selected clients
The option Remote Control Software call in the client context menu as well as the client main menu (since opsi-configed version 4.0.1.11) is very powerful. It can be used to use any command that the operating system offers, parametrized e.g. by the client name.
As an example there are configurations automatically generated which can be used to send a ping
to the selected client: one
ping
command that works in Windows environment and one command that requires a Linux X environment. Please observe:
opsi-configed calls obviously the command in its environment, i.e., we need the Linux command when the opsi-configed
is running in Linux.

The selection window has three parts. The upper part lists the names of the existing commands. It follows a line, which shows the selected command and offers the chance to edit it (if this is allowed). Additionally, the line contains the buttons to execute or abandon the action. The third text area of the window captures any messages that are returned by the operating system when calling the command.
These calls offer a quasi infinite range of opportunities. For example, a command can be configured to open a Remote Desktop connection to the selected client (if it allows such connections). On a Windows system, such a command is
cmd.exe /c start mstsc /v:%host%
In a Linux environment the following command can be used:
rdesktop -a 16 %host%
In these examples serves %host%
as a variable, which opsi-configed automatically replaces
by the value for the selected host. Other variables that can be analogously used in the commands are:
-
%ipaddress%
-
%hardwareaddress%
-
%opsihostkey%
-
%inventorynumber%
-
%depotid%
-
%configserverid%
If the command is marked by the additional server configuration entry editable as true
,
then the command line allows ad hoc editing. For example, you may supply a requested password or vary
the command as needed.
If there is some command declared as editable then in fact any program addressed at the client computer can be called by changing the editable command. |
If more than one client is selected the command will be executed in a own thread for each client.
The list of remote control commands is editable via server configuration entries (cf. Section 4.16, “Host parameters in client and server configuration”).
To define a command example
, at minimum an entry configed.remote_control.example
(or configed.remote_control.example.command
) must be generated. The value of property has to be the command
(in which the variables %host%
, %ipaddress%
etc. can be used). Additionally, an entry configed.remote_control.example.description
can be defined. The value of this entry will be shown as tooltip (if not existing, the command itself will serve as tooltip content).
Furthermore, a Boolean entry configed.remote_control.example.editable
can be added. If its value is set to false
the command
cannot be edited in the selection window.

4.8.8. Shutdown / reboot of selected clients
You may send the selected clients a shutdown or reboot signal. You have to confirm this command at the opsi-configed.
If the client received the signal, it will going down with out any more questions. |
4.8.9. Delete, create, rename and move clients
You may delete the selected clients from the opsi-server.
If you choose to create a client, an input mask opens. There you enter or confirm the required data – client name without domain specification, domain name, depot server name. You may add a textual description for this client and notes on this client.

The mask also contains fields for an optional declaration of the IP-number and the ethernet (MAC) address of a client. If the backend is activated for the configuration of a local dhcp-server (which is not the default setting), this information will be used to make the new client known to the dhcp-server. Otherwise the MAC address will be saved in the backend and the IP-number will be discarded.
When creating clients you can directly for the new client specify to which group it should belong, as well as which netboot product should be directly set on setup. In addition, you can activate directly the Install by shutdown, UEFI Boot and the (standard) WAN configuration from the beginning. These settings can easily be made in the Hosts-List. These configurations are only available since the version 4.0.5.8.1 .
Since opsi 4.0.4 it is possible to disable the options for creation and deletion of an opsi client. This is used if the client creation should be managed by a different service, eg. the UCS service.
For the configuration of these options, a host parameter (config) is provided. It is named configed.host_actions_disabled
and
offers the list values
-
add client
-
remove client
(multiple selection allowed). The default is the empty selection meaning that no option is disabled.
The default setting can be changed so that adding and removing clients from the opsi-configed is disabled:
opsi-admin -d method config_createUnicode "configed.host_actions_disabled" "Disable host actions" ["add client","remove client"] ["add client","remove client"] false true
You may rename a selected client, you will be asked for the new name.
Moving a client to a different depot-server. If clicked the following windows appears with a list of existing depot-servers

4.9. Product configuration
Switching to the tab Product configuration you get a list of available software packages with its installation status and action status for the selected clients.

Since opsi 4.0.4 a search function is added.
With the search function, products can be searched by product names and (if desired) in combination with special values in the fields of the product table (like searching the client table). Therefore a search string can be entered. The search starts immediately and the first matching line is marked . If there is no match to be found (or characters are removed from the search string), the first line of the table is marked.
The context menu offers some more options.

To get a better overview, activating the filter function reduces the product view to the selected products only. The selections stays active until the filter is disabled by clicking the filter button again.
If there is a different status for the selected clients this will be marked grey (undefined). The list of the selected clients is shown at right on top.
You can also sort the product list by clicking at the column header.
This are the columns:
-
Status is the last announced state of the product and can hold the values installed, not_installed, unknown. The table shows an empty cell if the value is not_installed to improve the usability of the view. The cell becomes grey if a multitude of selected clients is selected and does not share a common value (grey coloring represents the pseudo value mixed).
-
Report informs about the progress or the result of the last action using the pattern <action result> (<last action>). During an installation process there may be indicated installing, afterward e. g. failed(setup) or success (uninstall).
-
The column Requested action holds the information which action is to be executed. Possible values are none (shown by an empty cell) and the action types for which scripts are defined in the product package (possible values are setup, uninstall, update, once, always, custom).
-
The field Version displays the software version number combined with the opsi package number of the software package installed on the client.
There are two more columns which can be activated via the context menu:
-
Priority class displays a priority value that is assigned to the product (highest priority +100, lowest priority -100). It influences the product order when products are installed (by virtue of the product_sort_algorithm)
-
The position column displays the product ordering forecast for installation sequences.
Choose a software product to get more product information in the right part of the window like:
-
Complete product name: full product name of that software package.
-
Software/package version: software version-version of the opsi package of the software package (specified in the opsi installation package).
-
Product description: free text to describe the software.
-
Hints: free text with advices and caveats for handling the package.
-
Requirements: A list of other products which the selected product (say A) depends on combined with the type of dependency: required means that A requires the other product (B), but it doesn’t matter whether B is installed before or after A. pre-required means B has to be installed before A. post-required means B needs to be installed A.
-
Configuration for client: It is possible to define additional properties for a product. Their values can be evaluated in a setup script to configure the product per client. Because of the intrinsic complexity of a property definition there is a specific GUI element for displaying and editing the table of properties:
4.10. Property tables with list editor windows
A property table is a two-column table. In each row, the first column contains a property name, the second column displays the assigned property value(s).
It may be configured that a tool tip is displayed showing some information on the meaning of the property and the default value.

If you click at a value a window pops up: the list editor for this property. It shows a value resp. a list of preconfigured values with the current value (resp. a combination of values) as selected.

Clicking a new value changes the selection.
If the property value list is editable (new values may be added to the existing list resp. existing values changed) the window comes up with an edit field for the new or modified values.

The most comfortable way to get a new value that is a variant of an existing one is double clicking the existing value in the list. This copies it into the edit field where it can be modified.
As soon as the edit field contains a new value – not yet occurring in the value list – the plus button will be activated with it the new value can be added to the list of values.
If multiple values are allowed – as it should be e.g. for the property additional drivers – a value may be added to the set of selected values by Ctrl-Click . The very same action removes a selected value from the set. The minus button empties the selection set completely.
When the list has been edited the green check mark turns to red as usual in the opsi-configed. Clicking it takes the new selection as new property value (and finishes editing). Clicking the blue cancel button stops editing and resets the original value.
4.10.1. Hidden Password Property Values
A property value that is a password should not be directly displayed.
Until this feature will be constructed as a special value type in some coming release the hack is used that a property value will only be displayed if the user explicitly requests it in cases (since version 4.0.7 ):
-
the property key text contains the string password
-
the property key text starts with the string secret
E.g., the value of the property root_password in the Linux netboot products is displayed as a sequence of stars (until the user does the edit click and explicitly confirms to showing the password).
4.11. Netboot products
The products on tab Netboot products are mainly used to install the client OS (operating system) and are listed and configured like the products on tab Product configuration.
If for the selected client(s) a netboot product is set to setup, the correspondent bootimage will be loaded and executed at the next client reboot.

This is usually done to initiate an OS installation or any other bootimage task (like a memory test etc.)
4.12. Hardware information
With this tab you get the last detected hardware information for this client (only available if a single client is selected).

4.12.1. Automatic driver upload
To simplify and automate the drivers of special clients and to upload them on the {opsi-depot-server}, since version 4.0.5, the option to select the paths from the hardware information is possible, thus the opsi-configed via the Share delivers the above mentioned. The two offered byAudit driver paths are composed of the manufacturer and the product or the model, which are respectively read from the computer and the mainboard. By clicking the right button to upload a driver, a new window will be displayed to add more settings.

If you open the opsi-configed on a Linux system, it is not directly possible to carry out a driver upload because the connection is carried out via a Share. This needs to be made manually. However, the methods or directory structures are an essential aspect of the drivers integration for linux users as well as for windows users.
Without further settings, the driver upload of a Windows computer, works only if the connection to the Share is enabled.
Among other things, information must be given in a new window, like to which Windows product should the driver be prepared, which drivers are to be uploaded and with which method or the directory in which the driver integration takes place. The target directory is accordingly changed with the selection of another method. The previously selected byAudit driver path can be found again by default in the selected method byAudit, that specifically integrates the selected driver for the type of machine.
Following methods and directories are possible:
-
standard: For the drivers which are found in
./drivers/drivers/
, the driver will be matched to the corresponding hardware using the PCI IDs (i.e. USB- or HD_Audio-ID) in the description file, and then integrated into the Windows setup as needed. It may be the case that the drivers found by opsi in this location do not necessarily work with your hardware. For the drivers which are found in./drivers/drivers/
, the driver will be matched to the corresponding hardware using the PCI IDs (i.e. USB- or HD_Audio-ID) in the description file, and then integrated into the Windows setup as needed. This is the fall back directory for all clients. -
preferred: In the case that you have to support special hardware, and you can find the additional drivers from the manufacturers, then use the following procedure to include them in the installation. Place the additional drivers in their own directory under:
./drivers/drivers/preferred
(the naming and depth of the directory structure is not important). Drivers that are found in the directory./drivers/drivers/preferred
will be integrated into the Windows setup, assuming that opsi finds a suitable match to the drive hardware based off of the PCI IDs (i.e. USB or HD_Audo-ID) in the description file. Problems can occur when the same PCI ID of the drivers is found inpreferred
. In this case, a direct mapping of the drivers to the devices is needed. -
excluded: It could happen that the manufacturers include different drivers for different operating systems (i.e. Vista vs. Win7) or different configurations (ie. SATA vs. SATA RAID). The
create_driver_links.py
cannot make this distinction. If you think the wrong driver has been installed, then move the driver to the drivers/exclude directory and then callcreate_driver_links.py
again. Drivers in the directory drivers/exclude are not used during the integration. -
additional: When installing additional drivers based on the PCI-IDs or USB-IDs, they should be installed under the directory
./drivers/drivers/additional
(where name and depth of the directory structure is not important). You can map one or more drivers to a client using the Product-Property additional_drivers and a list of driver directories under./drivers/drivers/additional
. The directories specified by additional_drivers are searched recursively until all drivers are found. This method can be used to make a specific directory based on the client type (i.e. dell-optiplex-815). -
byAudit: The previously described mechanisms that directly map drivers to devices is automated since the 4.0.2 Release 2 of opsi. Opsi will search the directory
./drivers/drivers/additional/byAudit
for a director name that matches the field Vendor that was given in the Hardware Inventory. This Vendor directory will be search for a Model directory that corresponds to what is seen in Hardware Inventory. If this directory is found, then it will be manually assigned to the product property additional_drivers. The directory name byAudit is case sensitive. The directory names for Vendor and Model are not case sensitive (Dell and dELL are treated the same way).
Some manufacturers use model names that are very delicate to this method, since some special characters such as / are not allowed to be used in files or directory names. An example for a model name could be: "5000/6000/7000". A directory with this name is not allowed because of the special characters. Since the third Service Release from opsi 4.0.3 the following special characters: < > ? " : | \ / * were replaced internally with an underscore "_" character. With this change can the above example be replaced with: "5000_6000_7000" the directory will automatically be shown, even though the directory structure information in the hardware inventory is not visually the same.
After uploading a driver to ./drivers/drivers or ./drivers/drivers/preferred the script create_driver_links.py should be executed on the opsi-depot-server!
|
4.13. Software inventory
With this tab you get the last known software information for this client (only available if a single client is selected).

4.14. Logfiles: Logs from client and server
The client specific log files are stored on the server and visible with the opsi-configed via the Tab log files.
The level up to which the log lines are seen can be chosen by a slider (wheel mouse enabled), so that errors can be easily found.
It’s also possible to search in the log file (to continue the search press F3 or Ctrl-L = last search repeated).

4.15. Product default properties
To change the default values of the products for one or more opsi-depots, there is a tab, called Product default-properties.
This is only available if you select Properties of depots (which is the second button at the top right hand side).
In the main table, all products are listed with the product version as well as the package version.
If a product is selected, at the top of the right side (as is customary for the client product configuration) general information about the product packages is shown. Below is the list of all depots, that have installed the selected product. The table below with the property keys and values is also known from the client product configuration.

You can select a single depot or multiple depots to change the default values
(which are also called the depot values) of the product.
As the default, all available depots are preselected. With the usual shortcuts
(Ctrl-a, Ctrl-Click or Shift-Click) multiple or all clients can be selected.
If the property value is shown grayed (see Figure 38, “opsi-configed: product default properties” - “gui_language”),
the values for that property differ on the selected depots.
On the right side of the depots are three buttons:
-
(=+): Mark all depots that have identical values
All depots, that have the same default values, are marked. -
(++): All depots are marked.
-
(globe): set the package default values
The original package default values of the products will be set for the selected depot(s).
4.16. Host parameters in client and server configuration
There are many configuration options for the opsi server and the opsi clients that may be set or changed via the tab Host parameters. Server defaults are set in the mode server configuration, client specific values in the mode client configuration plus manual selection of the Host parameters tab (see also Section 4.4, “opsi-configed modes Client configuration / server configuration / license management”).
On principle, these configuration entries (config objects of the opsi-server) are conceived as lists of values. Therefore they are edited via the list editor component (cf. Section 4.10, “Property tables with list editor windows”).
Depending on the specific type of a configuration object,
-
the elements of the list can be of type text (
Unicode
) or of typeBoolean
(i.e.true
/false
); -
the set of all values from which elements can be selected may be fixed or extensible.
-
the object has a defaultValues-entry, which comprises in the singleValue case exactly one list element, in the multiValue case some partial list selected from the list of all possible values.
New configuration objects can be created via the context menu of the server host parameters. At this place it is also possible to remove existing entries.
The relationship of server and client entries is a little bit complicated.
-
Server entries hold the defaults for client entries (this is the defaultValues entry in the server configuration object)
-
Consequentliy, if a client entry is needed a server configuration object must be created beforehand.
-
And, when a server entry (a config object) is deleted, the depending client entries (called config states) are (automatically) deleted as well.
-
If the client related value is shown as identical with its (server based) default value this may be be because there does not exist a client specific data base entry or because the client value is identical with the server default value. In the first case the client value changes when the server default value gets new contents, in the second case the client remains unchanged.
-
In order to work comfortable with this situation since opsi-configed version 4.0.7.6.5 the context menus of the client host properties offer the options (1) to remove the specific client values, so that from now on only the current server values are decisive, (2) to fix the specific client values to the current server values.
-
if the currently presented client value iis not identical with the server default value it is given in a bold font.
-
There are configurations objects for which client values can be created and edited but in fact only the server objects are used. In most cases, the current configed does not show them any more in the client parameters view.
To get more structure the configurations objects are categorized in some (predefined) groups. The groups are listed in a tree-like manner on the left part of the panel. The entry name/value pairs belonging to the selected group are shown in the right part of the panel. Wheel mouse scrolling is enabled as well on the left as on the right side.


4.16.1. Management of user rights and roles
Starting with version 4.0.7.5 the opsi-configed includes the user roles function.
In order to use this feature the module user roles must be activated in the modules_-file. |
In the interface, in the overview of the server host parameters, the category user shows the availability of the function (not necessarily active). The user branch of the properties tree starts with a boolean entry
user.{}.register
with default value false.
The other entries at this location represent the default values for the user-specific configurations of the server console (cf. Section 4.20, “Server-Console”).
To activate the user role extension you need to:
-
Set the value of user. {}.register to true.
-
Load a modules file that has the userroles extension temporarily or permanently activated.
When the user-role extension is activated, an entry is created in the properties tree for the logged-in user. The default settings used for the administration of rights are like the "classic" requirements for an administrator, that means, that this user has no restriction whatsoever. E.g., for a user named admindepot1 the following entries are generated:
user.{admindepot1}.privilege.host.all.registered_readonly [false]
user.{admindepot1}.privilege.host.depotaccess.configured [false]
user.{admindepot1}.privilege.host.depotaccess.depots []
user.{admindepot1}.privilege.host.opsiserver.write [true]
These four items mean:
-
admindepot1 is not restricted to read-only access to the server (a pure read-only access might be appropriate for a help desk staff member);
-
depot restrictions do not exist or are not taken into account;
-
consequently, the list of depots available to the user can stay empty (and if some depots are entered, this has no effect);
-
the user is allowed to edit config server settings of all kinds.
In the case that the access of admindepot1 is to be restricted to the computers in the depot server depot1, the following should be set:
-
host.depotaccess.configured is to be set to true;
-
the value "depot1" is to be put into the list host.depotaccess.depots.
After a complete data reload, clients from other depots are not more visible to admindepot1 (and also only the depot settings for depot1 are accessible).
admindepot1 him/herself can change this settings as long as she/he owns the privilege host.opsiserver.write |
In order to complete the restriction, it therefore is required to set
-
host.opsiserver.write to false.
The privileges which are set in this way restrict only the functionality of the opsi-configed. Until further notice, they have no effect if the JSON-RPC interface of the opsi-server is accessed by other means. |
4.17. Depot configuration
In the mode Properties of depots you will see the tab Depots. There is a drop down menu to select the depot. After selecting the depot you may change the properties of the opsi-depot.
see also:

4.18. Group actions
The button "group actions" in the main button bar (cf. Section 4.4, “opsi-configed modes Client configuration / server configuration / license management”) opens a window for group related functions.
At the moment, it provides only one function which is relevant for the opsi-localimage module.
-
to search for an operating system, that had been installed on all of the clients of the selected group and therefore can be offered for all of the clients of that group.

4.19. Product actions
The button "product actions" in the main button bar (cf. Section 4.4, “opsi-configed modes Client configuration / server configuration / license management”) opens a window for functions related to products resp. packages.
Currently it offers two options:
-
An .opsi file (opsi package) can be selected or entered and can be uploaded to the opsi server; the default upload directory on the server is the network (samba) share named opsi_workbench. The button click starts installing the package on the server, like invoking the opsi-package-manager.
-
The WinPE files and install files for an Windows product (Windows Vista and above) can be uploaded to the server product directory (share opsi_depot), so that windows products do not have to be managed from the server side.

4.20. Server-Console
Some of the following features require at least python-opsi version 4.0.7.38, in particular defining you own commands as described in Section 4.21, “Define commands” and using them via configed. |
With version 4.0.7.5, the configed is extended with a new main menu entry, the "Server Console". At this place some options are bundled to access the opsi-server via a SSH-Connection. It is as well possible to start a terminal as well as menu items are offered of some predefined commands on the opsi-server.

4.20.1. Connection data and permissions
If not otherwise configured, it is tried to build a SSH connection with the same user/server pair for which to configed login was done.
Should this not be the case the connection can be also started via a SSH key (possibly with a password) when the configed starts. In this case, the following start parameters can be used:
-
--ssh-key PATH: e.g. --ssh-key /home/user/.ssh/id_rsa
-
--ssh-passphrase PASSPHRASE: e.g. --ssh-passphrase Password
The settings can be changed or adjust under the menu entry "Connection Information".
The visibility of menu items in the server console menu is controlled by a series of server host parameters in the user section. If the user roles feature is used (cf. Section 4.16.1, “Management of user rights and roles”) the configs are specifically set for each user (the default values for a newly created user entry are taken from the top user level).
In order to be able to use different functions, the appropriate server settings must be activated.
-
user.{}.ssh.serverconfiguration.active:
Activates the ssh connection settings menu. (Default: false) -
user.{}.ssh.commandmanagement.active:
Activates the editing of commands and their menu entries. (Default: false) -
user.{}.ssh.menu_serverconsole.active:
Deactivate the "Server Console" menu in principal. (Default: true) -
user.{}.ssh.terminal.active:
Allows the usage of the ssh shell. (Default: true) -
user.{}.ssh.commands.active:
Allows to execute all menu items displaying stored commands. (Default: true)
4.20.2. SSH-Terminal
With the Terminal, Linux commands can be run from the connected SSH-Server.
In addition to the possibility to replace the input with asterisks (*), which is strongly recommended for the input of passwords, a process can also be canceled by clicking the "End process / connection" button or by pressing "Ctrl + C".
Just like in the Terminal, the "TAB" can be used to complete commands. Warning: Paths will not be completed - only Linux system commands.
Besides it is also possible to specify data sources, that before the execution can be replaced by concrete data. More about this functionality:
Section 4.21, “Define commands” - Item: Datasources)

4.20.3. Predefined commands with input masks
Under the menu group "opsi" a few commands are available independently of the self-defined commands with their own input interface. These simplify the handling of various scripts.
-
Download from data …
Any data file which can be downloaded from the Internet can also be downloaded by the "wget"-command and stored in a certain path on the Server. This could be used for example to download opsi-packages from download.uib.de -
Create opsi product file …
Prerequisite for this command is an opsi-utils package with version >= 4.0.7.7. Using this menu item, an opsi package can be created, specifying the directory upon which must be stored. In addition, can the found versions (package and product version) be displayed and overwritten with a button. And also, a md5sum and/or a zsync file can be created. -
Set opsi-rights …
This menu item maps the opsi command opsi-set-rights. After entering a specific (optional) path in which the script is to be executed, the root password is prompted and the script is executed in a separate window. -
Package-Installation …
With this command, opsi packages can be installed on all depots or in one depot using "opsi-package-manager". You can also specify the server path to the package where the opsi package is located.
By selecting a package from the Internet, the functionality of "File download …" command is taken up and then the downloaded package is installed on the depot. Additionally, the parameters "--update" and "--setup" of the opsi-package-manager are implemented. If the zsync and md5 files of an opsi package are to be downloaded, the switch "zsync and md5 include" can be activated. Then the url of the packages is added accordingly and the additional files are also obtained.
You can find more about opsi-package-manager under Section 5.3.2, “Tool: opsi-package-manager: (un-)install opsi-packages”
-
Package-Deinstallation …
From a list of installed packages one can be selected and uninstalled.
Please check Section 5.3.2, “Tool: opsi-package-manager: (un-)install opsi-packages” -
Deployment opsi-client-agent …
If you want to add existing computers to opsi, the opsi-client-agent must be installed on the target computer. If you select the clients in the configed and execute this command, the client names are copied into the corresponding field. If the command is to be executed on several clients in a single call, the login data must be the same on all the participating computers.
Attention: The location of the script have to be: "/var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi-client-agent/opsi-deploy-client-agent" Detailed information can be found in the opsi-getting-started manual on the First steps chapter.
TIP: Some user interfaces include a selection component for paths in the directory structure. If the button "Find Subdirectories" is activated, all directories or files that are contained in the specified path will be listed. To visualize further sections, you can press the button several times. This functionality is, among others, in the "Set Opsi rights" or the "Package installation" interface.
4.21. Define commands
In addition to the predefined server console commands, you can create or remove your own commands, which can be accessed via menu items. It should be noted that different Linux systems may not be able to execute the same commands. Thus, the administrator must be sure that the commands can be executed on the addressed Linux system.

Following data must be or rather could be (marked with a "*") for a command:
-
Menu-Text:
When creating a new command you must make sure that the menu text has not been used already for another command. If a menu text is to be changed, the command must be first deleted with the minus button, and then the new command can be entered. -
Description*:
If a more detailed description is stored, then it appears as a tool tip text on the command. -
Superior menu*:
Determines in which menu the new command should appear as a menu item. In the case that field is empty, then the menu entry will be directly assigned to the "Server console" menu. -
Position *:
The position determines the order (small numbers comes first) of the menu points in total, and thus within each respective menu. If alphabetical order should be displayed, all items must be set identically (e.g., all 0). Should the the field remain empty, then the position 0 is assigned by default. -
"Sudo" rights *:
If one of the commands in the command list requires administrative rights, a check mark must be set on "Required root privileges" afterwards the commands in the list are automatically executed with the keyword "sudo". -
Command list:
For the command list, the Linux commands must be entered line by line, so that they can be executed sequentially. Caution: Command can be tested or executed on the SSH server by means of a button without creating an extra menu point. -
Data sources* (on the command list):
Additionally methods can be stored as a data source. Before the command can be executed, the parameters are overwritten with the result of the applied method. The following parameters are possible:-
Interactive input:
It is possible to specify parameters for the commands or to identify them for an interactive output. This is done with the following format "<<< This text will be displayed to the user and replaced by the user input >>>" , it is recommended though to write a sample input for the parameter for the user text. -
Selected client names / Selected client IP addresses
-
Selected depot names / Selected depot IP addresses
-
configserver name
-
Connected SSH servername
Note: Except for "Interactive Input", the return of the methods can also be formatted, for example, into a comma separated list. In the interface, the data source can be tested, and also insert it into the location marked in the field of the command list.
-

- On Linux, commands can be combined using two commercial ANDs ( "&&"). However, it must be ensured that the second command, if needed, is executed with administrative rights, since this is not done automatically. Example: Requires root privileges: "activated", command list: "apt-get update --yes && sudo apt-get upgrade --yes". + - During the execution, no user input can be made. It is necessary to control all the inputs via the command \ parameters (example: "--yes" option for "apt-get upgrade") |
5. opsi-server
5.1. Overview
The functionality of an opsi-server can be installed on many standard Linux distributions.
There are two different major roles, which can be combined on one server:
-
opsi-config-server
The functionality of the configserver includes the storage and processing of the configuration data in different backends and provisioning this via a web service and on the command line. -
opsi-depot-server
The functionality of the opsi-depot-server includes storing the actual installation files of the software to be distributed, operating systems, boot images and making them available to the client via smb/cifs, https, tftp.
The hardware requirements for these services are generally low, so operating an opsi-server in a virtualization environment is not a problem.
Since version 4.2 the opsi-server is using the in-memory database redis (https://redis.io/). The following data is saved in redis:
-
Session data
-
Log outputs are written as MessagePack data into a redis stream. This stream is then read by the Logviewer, for example (https://msgpack.org/).
-
Statistics such as CPU usage are stored as Time Series in Redis. For this purpose the module RedisTimeSeries is used (https://github.com/RedisTimeSeries/RedisTimeSeries).
The Statistics are read and displayed by Grafana (https://grafana.com/). The grafana dashboard can be reached at the following URL https://<opsi-server>:4447/admin.

5.1.1. Installation and initial operation
The installation and starting of a opsi-server is explained in detail in the separate opsi-getting-started manual.
5.1.2. Samba Configuration
In order to give the client computers access to the software packages, the opsi-server provides shares that can be mounted by the clients as network drives. For Windows Clients the shares are provided by Samba. To configure your samba according to the needs of opsi (or to repair) call:
opsi-setup --auto-configure-samba
After changing the Samba configuration it is necessary to restart the Samba service (systemctl restart smbd.service
).
5.1.3. The opsiconfd daemon
Opsiconfd is the central configuration daemon of opsi.
All client components (opsi-client-agent, opsi-configed, opsi-linux-bootimage, …) connect to this service to access the configurations in the backends.
The opsiconfd is configured via the file /etc/opsi/opsiconfd.conf
, environment variables or command line parameters.
The individual configuration options can be queried using the opsiconfd --help
command. To use options every time the opsiconfd
is started, the option from the help text can be entered into the configuration file without the --
.
Furthermore it is possible to use the environment variables as shown in the helptext.
If the individual approaches are combined, the following sequence applies: Entries in the configuration file overwrite defaults, environment variables overwrite entries in the configuration file, command line parameters overwrite environment variables.
5.1.4. Required system user accounts and groups
-
User opsiconfd
This is the user under which the opsiconfd daemon runs. -
User pcpatch
This is the user the opsi-client-agent uses to mount and read from the depotshare. By default this user has the home directory/var/lib/opsi
. The password of the user can be set byopsi-admin -d task setPcpatchPassword
. -
Group opsifileadmins
Members of this group have access to opsi package data, such as depot, repository and workbench. The system administrators of the opsi server should therefore be members of this group.
Formerly this group was called pcpatch, since opsi 4.2 opsifileadmins is used as group name by default. If an existing opsi environment is updated to opsi 4.2 the used group name will be kept.
When connecting the opsi server to an Active Directory the group name opsifileadmins must be used in any case.
-
Group opsiadmin
The members of this group can authenticate themselves to the opsi-webservice and thus e.g. work with opsi-configed. Therefore, all opsi administrators should be a member of this group.
5.1.5. Required shares
-
Depotshare with software packages (opsi_depot)
The software packages prepared for installation by the opsi-winst program are located on the depot share.
By default, this directory is located on the opsi server as/var/lib/opsi/depot
.
Below this directory there is a directory for each software package with the name of the software package.
The installation scripts and files are then below these directories.This directory is shared read-only as opsi_depot.
In older versions of opsi the corresponding directory was /opt/pcbin
and the share was called opt_pcbin. -
Working directory to build packages (opsi_workbench)
At/var/lib/opsi/workbench
you will find the area to create new packages and from where you should install packages with the opsi-package-manager. This directory is shared as opsi_workbench.Since opsi 4.1 the path can be configured per depot through the attribute workbenchLocalUrl
. -
Configuration files of the file-backend (opsi_config)
The configuration files of the file backend are located under/var/lib/opsi/config
. This directory is shared as opsi_config.If you work on the files via this share, do not use editors that change the file encoding (Unix/DOS), and remove backup files such as * .bak.
5.1.6. opsi PAM Authentication
opsi uses various PAM
-modules for user authentication. So far, different PAM modules have been used for different distributions. The PAM modules used are listed in the following list:
Default: common-auth
openSUSE / SLES: sshd
CentOS and RedHat: system-auth
RedHat 6: password-auth
As you can see from the list, various PAM
configurations were used, but these can change again depending on the local PAM
configuration. Since these adjustments always required an intervention in the sourcecode, you can now create the opsi-auth
file under: /etc/pam.d/
and save your own PAM
configuration for opsi. If this file exists, opsi automatically uses this configuration.
The following simple example should clarify the behavior: If you run a Debian/Ubuntu system and receive a PAM
error message when logging on to opsi-configed, although an SSH connection to the server can be opened with the same user data, you can create the file /etc/pam.d/opsi-auth
with the following content:
@include sshd
After restarting opsiconfd
, opsi will automatically use the sshd
-PAM
module for authentication.
Please note that the application of the ACL uses case-sensitive interfaces, whereas authentication via PAM can be case-insensitive. This can result in the fact that despite successful authentication, it is not possible to work with the service because the ACL prevents this. |
5.1.7. opsi LDAP/Active Directory Authentifizierung
Instead of using PAM for authentication it is also possible to use an LDAP server or an Active Directory directly. For this the opsi extension opsi directory connector is necessary. This module is currently a link:http://www.uib.de/www/kofinanziert/index.html [co-funded opsi extension].
The configuration takes place via the file /etc/opsi/opsi.conf
.
In the section ldap_auth the option ldap_url must be set.
The ldap_url has the following structure:
ldap[s]://<address-of-ldap-server>[:port]/<base-dn>
.
Additionally, if necessary, the option username can be used. This can be used to define which user name should be passed when authenticating to the LDAP/AD. Here the placeholders {username} and {base} can be used.
Example for the connection to an Active Directory or Samba 4:
[ldap_auth]
ldap_url = ldaps://ad.company.de/dc=ad,dc=company,dc=en
Example of connection to an OpenLDAP:
[ldap_auth]
ldap_url = ldaps://ldap.company.org:636/dc=company,dc=org
username = uid={username},dc=Users,{base}
The opsiconfd must be restarted for the changes to take effect.
5.2. Notes on switching to Samba 4
When Samba 4 had reached stable, the development and maintenance work for the Samba 3 branch was discontinued. As a result, almost all common Linux distributions (client and server versions) come with Samba 4 instead of Samba 3. This results in some changes that will be documented in this chapter.
Samba shares are an essential component for the functionality of opsi. Due to the "general" update to Samba 4, there are a few things to consider that will be briefly explained in the following chapters.
A distinction must be made in which operating mode Samba is executed. A special feature of Samba 4 is the ability to run as a fully-fledged Active Directory-compatible domain controller. In this operating mode (which is called PDC mode in the following chapters for reasons of simplification), there are restrictions that had to be adopted from Active Directory for reasons of compatibility. Most distributions are usually equipped with Samba 4, but only in the normal shares operating mode. Operating a full-fledged Active Directory domain is generally not possible with the standard packages from the distributions. An exception here is the Univention Corporate Server, in which the PDC mode is also integrated in the standard packages.
5.2.1. /etc/opsi/opsi.conf: pcpatch and opsifileadmins
The restrictions described in this chapter only affect the PDC mode of Samba 4. |
The classic installation variant with the user: pcpatch
with the primary group: pcpatch
cannot be followed for installations with Samba 4. Since Samba 4 is subject to the basic restrictions of Active Directory, groups with the same name as users (as is usual in Unix/Linux) are no longer allowed. For this reason, a new configuration file has been introduced for Samba 4 installations: /etc/opsi/opsi.conf
, which controls how the group is determined for Samba access to the shares. In the case of Samba 4 installations, the group name pcpatch
is now renamed via this file and is now called opsifileadmins
. This means that the users which must have access rights to the shares of opsi (opsi-packagers) under Samba 4 cannot become a member of the pcpatch
group, but must be a member of the opsifileadmins
group.
Furthermore, in this case the user pcpatch
must now be created as a fully-fledged domain user and no longer as a system user, since otherwise he cannot access the domain shares.
These steps are carried out automatically when installing opsi on a Univention Corporate Server, if the installation process detects that Samba 4 is running in PDC mode.
Besides the UCS installations, currently there are no other default Active Directory configurations. So these steps have to be done manually for any other Samba 4 Active Directory domain contoller installation. During future updates, the opsi system checks for the required user configuration and does not try to create users, that already exist.
For any questions please contact opsi support. In case you do not have an opsi support contract, please contact info@uib.de.
5.2.2. Shares Configuration
The changes described in this chapter are relevant for all operating modes of Samba 4. |
In Samba 3 the default setting was, that every file or directory was executable by the clients. This behavior has been completely changed in Samba 4. Now all files, that should be executable from the share, must also have the executable bit set on the Unix side.
This is a problem for the operation of opsi. It is not possible to circumvent this behavior via the opsi rights management, as this would require a complete revision of the opsi rights system. This is not possible in opsi 4.
There are two ways to work around the problem with opsi 4.0:
Option 1 (recommended): You can set the following option in smb.conf:
acl allow execute always = true
This option restores the behavior of Samba 3 for the relevant shares.
This option can be set for individual shares as well as globally. We recommend that you do not set this globally but individually for all opsi shares (unless this has already been set automatically).
This variant may not work with Univention Corporate Server, since a highly modified Samba 4 variant is used here. In this case, use option two.
Option 2: this behavior can be overridden on the affected shares via the individual share configuration using the following option for each member of the pcpatch group (share users):
admin users = @pcpatch
Opsi has been using this fix for a while with UCS >= 3 and Samba 4. With this fix, the Samba process of the user is executed with elevated rights.
Opsi automatically sets this option for the opsi_depot share for Samba 4 distributions via opsi-setup --auto-configure-samba
. Since this share is only mounted read-only, the security risk is relatively low.
For all other shares, that are mounted as read/write, it should be borne in mind that with this fix the Samba process runs with elevated rights. This can be a potential risk. No exploits are currently known for this vulnerability, but of course this is no guarantee that such an exploit does not exist. |
The Linux smb daemon has a bug. This is in combination with the opsi_depot share definition in smb.conf. The oplock parameters must be removed on existing installations. New opsi installations and, accordingly, new shares are created without oplocks. |
5.2.3. Access to shares: clientconfig.depot.user
This restriction affects all operating modes of Samba 4. |
When using Samba 4, it may be necessary to explicitly specify the domain/user combination with which to mount the depot share. There is also the new setting: clientconfig.depot.user
. If there is no such setting, the user pcpatch
is used.
The value of this setting has the syntax: <domain name>\<user name>
For example, the setting: clientconfig.depot.user = opsiserver\pcpatch
indicates that when mounting the depot share the authentication will be done as domain opsiserver
and as user pcpatch
.
Such a setting can be created via opsi-configed:
Server configuration / clientconfig / right mouse button: Add standard configuration entry.
Such a setting can also be created on the command line (whereby pcpatch must be replaced by the desired value e.g. opsiserver\pcpatch):
opsi-admin -d method config_createUnicode clientconfig.depot.user "clientconfig.depot.user" pcpatch
This system-wide setting can be customized per client (e.g. in configed in the Host parameters tab).
5.3. opsi command line tools and processes
5.3.1. Tool: opsi-setup
This program is something of a Swiss army knife for configuration. Opsi installation scripts use opsi-setup as well as various other common maintenance and repair tasks.
Some common opsi-setup tasks include:
-
Depot server registration
-
File access rights correction
-
Backend data storage initialization
-
Backend upgrades (from 3.4 to 4.0)
-
MySQL backend configuration
-
Default configuration editing
-
Backend cleanup
-
Essential Samba share configuration
-
Essential DHCP configuration
The opsi-setup --help
command switch displays the following options:
Usage: opsi-setup [options]
Options:
-h, --help show this help
-l log-level 0..9
--log-file <path> path to log file
--backend-config <json hash> overwrite backend config hash values
--ip-address <ip> force to this ip address (do not lookup by name)
--register-depot register depot at config server
--set-rights [path] set default rights on opsi files (in [path] only)
--init-current-config init current backend configuration
--update-from=<version> update from opsi version <version>
--update-mysql update mysql backend
--update-file update file backend
--configure-mysql configure mysql backend
--edit-config-defaults edit global config defaults
--cleanup-backend cleanup backend
--auto-configure-samba patch smb.conf
--auto-configure-dhcpd patch dhcpd.conf
--renew-opsiconfd-cert renew opsiconfd-cert
--patch-sudoers-file patching sudoers file for tasks in opsiadmin context.
Additional functions and switch options:
-
--ip-address <ip>
Set the ip-address for opsi-server and don’t resolve by name. -
--register-depot
This option is used to register an opsi-server as depot on a opsi-config-server. For details see:
-
--set-rights [path]
Sets file access rights on all opsi directories:-
/tftpboot/linux
-
/var/log/opsi
-
/var/lib/opsi
-
/var/lib/opsi/depot
-
/var/lib/opsi/workbench
(or a different depot path) -
/etc/opsi
You may state a path as argument to limit access rights of this specific directory.
For example:
opsi-setup --set-rights /var/lib/opsi/depot/winxppro/drivers
-
-
--init-current-config
initialize the configured backend. This command should always be used after changing the configuration file.
/etc/opsi/backendManager/dispatch.conf
-
Commands:
--update-mysql
--update-file
are used to upgrade the backends from one opsi version to the next one.
For details see the releasenotes-upgrade-manual. -
--configure-mysql
Configures the MySQL database for the first time.
-
--edit-config-defaults
Edits opsi-configed default values.Figure 48. Dialog: opsi-setup --edit-config-defaultsFor example:
- clientconfig.depot.id
-
Configures the name of the default depot server.
- clientconfig.depot.drive
-
Configures a drive letter to mount the installation data share. You can either select a specific drive letter or choose the dynamic option. With the dynamic option enabled, the client will try to automatically select a drive letter from those not in use.
- license-management.use
-
Defines if netboot products should get license keys from license management or from the product properties.
- product_sort_algorithm
-
Defines the algorithm used to calculate the product installation sequence.
-
--cleanup-backend
Checks the current backends for integrity and removes obsolete or unreferenced entries.
Examples for entries that may be removed are products without reference (not installed on depot / client), host-groups without a parent and configstates without configuration.
Backup your backend configuration with opsi-backup as standard best practice. |
-
--auto-configure-samba
Creates opsi share entries in the/etc/samba/smb.conf
configuration file. -
--auto-configure-dhcpd
Creates needed DHCP daemon configuration file entries.
Don’t use this option if you don’t plan to use dhcpd on the opsi server.
More details in the opsi-getting-started manual.
5.3.2. Tool: opsi-package-manager: (un-)install opsi-packages
The opsi-package-manager
is used for (un-)installing opsi-product-packages on an opsi-server.
To install an opsi-product-package, the opsi system user opsiconfd must be able to read the package. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to install those packages at /var/lib/opsi/workbench
(or other subdirectory).
The opsi-package-managers log file path is /var/log/opsi/package.log
.
Silent package install (install without prompts):
opsi-package-manager -i softprod_1.0-5.opsi'
Install a package (with prompts after each property):
opsi-package-manager -p ask -i softprod_1.0-5.opsi
Reinstall a package (package reinstall for everyone who has it installed):
opsi-package-manager -S -i softprod_1.0-5.opsi
Reinstall a package (package reinstallation with dependencies):
opsi-package-manager -s -i softprod_1.0-5.opsi
Or:
opsi-package-manager --setup-with-dependencies --install softprod_1.0-5.opsi
Silent package uninstall (uninstall without prompts):
opsi-package-manager -r softprod
Extract and rename a package:
opsi-package-manager -x opsi-template_<version>.opsi --new-product-id myprod
You may install a package with a different product id. Helpful when a custom Windows netboot product derives from an existing package, and such package updated in the meantime.
opsi-package-manager --install win7-x64_1.2.3.opsi --new-product-id win7-x64-custom
Please note that products installed in such a way will not be automatically updated by opsi-package-updater .
|
Running opsi-package-manager
with the --help
switch lists all possible options.
Please note:
-
Multi-depot-server environments use the
-d
or--depots
option exclusively. -
The
-d
option copies the opsi-package to the target servers/var/lib/opsi/repository
directory before installing. Please make sure that there’s enough free space on the target server file system. See also: Section 9.15, “opsi-server with multiple depots (free)” -
If package installation fails due to lack of free space on your target’s temporary folder, you can specify a different temporary folder with the
--temp-dir
option.
# opsi-package-manager --help
Usage: opsi-package-manager [options] <command>
Manage opsi packages
Commands:
-i, --install <opsi-package> ... install opsi packages
-u, --upload <opsi-package> ... upload opsi packages to repositories
-l, --list <regex> list opsi packages matching regex
-D, --differences <regex> show depot differences of opsi packages matching regex
-r, --remove <opsi-product-id> ... uninstall opsi packages
-x, --extract <opsi-package> ... extract opsi packages to local directory
-V, --version show program's version info and exit
-h, --help show this help message and exit
Options:
-v, --verbose increase verbosity (can be used multiple times)
-q, --quiet do not display any messages
--log-file <log-file> path to debug log file
--log-file-level <log-file-level> log file level (default 4)
-d, --depots <depots> comma separated list of depot ids to process
all = all known depots
-p, --properties <mode> mode for default product property values
ask = display dialog
package = use defaults from package
keep = keep depot defaults (default)
--purge-client-properties remove product property states of the installed product(s)
-f, --force force install/uninstall (use with extreme caution)
-U, --update set action "update" on hosts where installation status is "installed"
-S, --setup set action "setup" on hosts where installation status is "installed"
-s, --setup-with-dependencies set action "setup" on hosts where installation status is "installed" with dependencies
-o, --overwrite overwrite existing package on upload even if size matches
-n, --no-delta full package transfers on uploads (do not use librsync)
-k, --keep-files do not delete client data dir on uninstall
-t, --temp-dir <path> tempory directory for package install
--max-transfers <num> maximum number of simultaneous uploads
0 = unlimited (default)
--max-bandwidth <kbps> maximum transfer rate for each transfer (in kilobytes per second)
0 = unlimited (default)
--new-product-id <product-id> Set a new product id when extracting opsi package or
set a specific product ID during installation.
--suppress-pcf-generation Suppress the generation of a package content file during package
installation. Do not use with WAN extension!
5.3.3. Tool: opsi-package-updater
Use opsi-package-updater
to download opsi products from one or more repositories and install them on the server. In addition, you can trigger opsi-package-updater
with a cronjob to synchronize depot servers and for automatic package updates.
opsi-product-update
will use repositories as their source to fetch new opsi packages.
You can configure each repository’s access and behavior individually.
Configure the General settings at the /etc/opsi/opsi-package-updater.conf
file.
Usage
The opsi-package-updater
works with different modes, each with its own help module options. You can display help with the --help
switch.
# opsi-package-updater --help
usage: opsi-package-updater [-h] [--version] [--config CONFIGFILE]
[--verbose | --log-level {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}]
[--force-checksum-calculation]
[--repo repository_name]
[--use-inactive-repository] [--ignore-errors]
[--no-zsync]
{install,update,download,list} ...
Updater for local opsi products. Operates in different MODEs: install, update,
download and list. Each mode has their own options that can be viewed with
MODE -h
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--version, -V show program's version number and exit
--config CONFIGFILE, -c CONFIGFILE
Location of config file
--verbose, -v Increase verbosity on console (can be used multiple
times)
--log-level {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}, -l {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}
Set the desired loglevel for the console.
--force-checksum-calculation
Force calculation of a checksum (MD5) for every
package. Default is to use existing checksums from the
.md5-file of a package if possible.
--repo repository_name
Limit the actions the given repository.
--use-inactive-repository
Force the activation of an otherwise disabled
repository. The repository must be given through
--repo.
--ignore-errors Continue working even after download or installation
of a package failed.
--no-zsync Forces to not use zsync. Instead the fallback command
is used.
Mode:
{install,update,download,list}
install Install all (or a given list of) downloadable packages
from configured repositories (ignores excludes)
update Update already installed packages from repositories.
download Download packages from repositories. This will not
install packages.
list Listing information
# opsi-package-updater download --help
usage: opsi-package-updater download [-h] [--force]
[productID [productID ...]]
positional arguments:
productID Limit downloads to products with the given IDs.
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--force Force the download of a product even though it would otherwise
not be required.
# opsi-package-updater list --help
usage: opsi-package-updater list [-h]
[--repos | --active-repos | --packages | --packages-and-installationstatus | --package-differences | --updatable-packages | --search-package text]
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--repos Lists all repositories
--active-repos Lists all active repositories
--packages, --products
Lists the repositories and the packages they provide.
--packages-and-installationstatus, --products-and-installationstatus
Lists the repositories with their provided packages
and information about the local installation status.
--package-differences, --product-differences
Lists packages where local and remote version are
different.
--updatable-packages, --updatable-products
Lists packages that have updates in the remote
repositories.
--search-package text, --search-product text
Search for a package with the given name.
There are some common options.
-
--verbose
increases the visible output volume and is re-adjustable, as needed. You can specify log level with the--log-level
switch. Both options only affect the output in terminal. -
--repo <name of a repository>
limits the actions of the given repository. Thelist --active-repos
option lists available repositories.
Different modes result in different behavior.
The install
, update
and download
modes load packages from a repository, whereas list
displays information.
install
mode installs new packages.
update
mode overhauls installed packages to a newer version.
Both modes don’t require other parameters.
Example: Installing all available packages on all repositories:
opsi-package-updater install
The modes install
and update
limit the actions to specific products by using their ID.
Example: Updating the packages for the products firefox and javavm:
opsi-package-updater -vv update firefox javavm
You can specify the package source with --repo id
.
Example: Installing ubuntu package from the uib_linux repository:
opsi-package-updater -vv --repo uib_linux install ubuntu
opsi-package-updater install
The download
mode allows to download packages without installing them afterwards.
The --force
switch forces the download of a package, even if this version is already installed on the server.
The modes install
and update
allow to limit the actions to specific products by handing over their ID.
Example: Updating the packages for the products firefox and javavm:
opsi-package-updater -vv update firefox javavm
In combination with the --repo
switch the package source can be limited.
Example: Installing the package for ubuntu from the repository uib_linux:
opsi-package-updater -vv --repo uib_linux install ubuntu
The mode download
allows to download packages without installing them afterwards.
The switch --force
forces the download of a package even though this version is already installed on the server.
Through list --active-repos
the active repositories are shown.
The information consists of name, address and if applicable the description of the repository.
You can display active repositories using list --active-repos
.
The information displayed is name, address, and, if available, the repository description.
Through list --products
the available products per repository are shown.
To display possible updates use list --updatable-products
.
This option only considers product already installed.
Finally, the update can begin using update
.
list --products
displays available products
list --updatable-products
displays available updates.
Installed products are only considered using the aforementioned command. Product update is kicked off via update.
opsi-package-updater list --updatable-packages
opsi-package-updater -v update
Repository Configuration: Access
Repository configurations are specified in /etc/opsi/package-updater.repos.d/
.
You will find a commented template with all possible configuration options in file example.repo.template
.
There are two kinds of repositories - internet and opsi-server repositories.
Internet Repositories
Example: download.uib.de
You configure this repositories by:
-
baseURL (for example http://download.uib.de)
-
dirs (a list of directories for example: opsi4.0/products/essential)
-
and for password protected repositories username and password
-
an alternative to password protected repositories, is certificate authentication if the repository supports it. For this, you need to configure authcertfile and authkeyfile with the full path to the clientcertificate and keyfile.
-
If a HTTPS baseURL is used and the server signature should be verified, you need to set verifyCert to true. At the moment the default is false.
You can configure access through proxy, if required. To use a common proxy for all repositories, specify it at the opsi-package-updater.conf
file. This file requires at least opsi-utils 4.1.1.33. All repositories without their own proxy use this configuration.
baseUrl = http://download.uib.de
dirs = opsi4.0/products/localboot
username =
password =
proxy =
opsi-server
A repository has the opsi-server type, if the configured ID points to another opsi-server. You can specify such ID in the repository configuration file, under the item opsiDepotId
.
opsiDepotId = mainserver.my.lan
You can set the central config server’on an 'opsi-depot-server. As a result, opsi-package-updater
will fetch packages from the /var/lib/opsi/repository
directory of such central server.
Repository Configuration: Behavior
For each repository you have to configure which actions to run:
-
autoupdate: Newer versions of installed packages will be downloaded and updated
-
autoinstall: Packages not yet installed will be downloaded and installed
-
autosetup: Clients using this product are set to setup, on the action request column, once all new packages are downloaded and installed on the server.
-
onlyDownload: Opsi downloads new packages, but no further actions take place.
-
ignoreErrors: Tries to continue downloading/updating even after errors occured when processing any package.
Administrators use this option together with notifications, to trigger a notification email. This way, the administrator can install the packages at a convenient time in the future.
In addition, you can send all these clients a Wake-On-LAN signal to install the new software. Furthermore, opsi-product shutdownwanted ensures that clients power off after the installation.
-
time window for autosetup: You can specify a time window which may be used to change the client action requests to setup.
-
Automatic WakeOnLan with shutdown: If there’s new software, Clients could be woken up and shutdown after installation automatically.
5.3.4. Tools for opsi API access: opsi-admin & opsi interface page
opsi 3.0 introduced a python library which provides an API for opsi configuration. The opsiconfd provides this API as a web service that can be accessed in multiple ways.
In the browser: opsi admin page
Versions 4.2 interface and info page merged into the new admin page. Point your browser to https://<opsi-server>:4447/admin to access. You must access with opsiadmin group credentials.
The first Blocked Clients tab displays a list of all blocked clients. Clicking the unblock button releases this client. You can unblock clients individually by IP or unblock all clients en masse.
With Delete client sessions you can delete all client sessions.
The user receives feedback in a text box under the input fields. The server’s JSON response is also output.

The RPC-Info tab contains a table of the last RPC calls. Click the header bar to sort the table.

The RPC-Interface tab contains the former interface page. With the interface you can make API calls. The request and the response is displayed as JSON.

You can use the Redis interface to make redis calls. The response from the server is displayed in JSON.

The tab Grafana redirects the user to the Grafana dashboard of the opsiconfd. There you can find information about the load history of the opsiconfd.


If the Grafana server is running on the same host as the opsiconfd and no user and password have been set with the configuration variable grafana_internal_url
, a new Grafana user is created in the database and the variable grafana_internal_url
is adjusted (example: http://opsiconfd:passwort@<host>:3000). The creation of the user takes place when starting opsiconfd or calling opsiconfd setup
. Grafana can be called via the admin page (https://<opsi-server>:4447/admin). Clicking on the appropriate tab will redirect to https://<opsi-server>:4447/metrics/grafana/dashboard. The endpoint metrics/grafana/dashboard creates and opens the dashboard in Grafana. On redirection the opsidashboard user is created if he does not exist. The opsidashbord user is used for the automatic login in Grafana and gets a random password on each call.
On the commandline: opsi-admin
At the command line opsi-admin provides an interface to the opsi API. There’s an interactive mode and a non-interactive mode for batch processing from within scripts.
The opsi-admin --help
switch displays a list of available command line options:
$ opsi-admin --help
Usage: opsi-admin [options] [command] [args...]
Options:
-h, --help Display this text
-V, --version Show version and exit
-u, --username Username (default: current user)
-p, --password Password (default: prompt for password)
-a, --address URL of opsiconfd (default: https://localhost:4447/rpc)
--opsirc Path to the opsirc file to use (default: ~/.opsi.org/opsirc)
An opsirc file contains login credentials to the web API.
-d, --direct Do not use opsiconfd
--no-depot Do not use depotserver backend
-l, --log-level Set log level (default: 3)
0=nothing, 1=essential, 2=critical, 3=error, 4=warning
5=notice, 6=info, 7=debug, 8=debug2, 9=confidential
-f, --log-file Path to log file
-i, --interactive Start in interactive mode
-c, --colorize Colorize output
-S, --simple-output Simple output (only for scalars, lists)
-s, --shell-output Shell output
-r, --raw-output Raw output
--exit-zero Always exit with exit code 0.
The opsi-admin
command interacts by way of the opsi web service or first hand with the data backend. To work via the web service, you must specify username and password together with a URL. The opsi-admin
command defaults to the currently logged-in user but allows you to specify a different username with --username
.
For security, you want to avoid plain text passwords when using this command in scripts. This prevents unauthorized users from capturing the credential values. Use an opsirc file to secure your credentials or, as an alternative, use the -d
option for direct data access.
opsi-admin
includes an interactive mode, the -i
switch, often used with -c
, for colored display, and -d
for direct data access. The full combined command becomes opsi-admin -i -c -d
, or opsi-admin -idc
for short.
Interactive mode uses the Tab key for navigation. The tab key allows you to navigate through the multiple choice options or input text fields. Page up and down scroll through the entire screen.
Options -s
and -S
generate an output format which scripts can easily parse through.
Besides API-request based method calls, there’s a collection of function ‘tasks’ which combine method calls to perform complex or specific jobs.
Usage of a connectionsettings file - opsirc
Starting on version 4.1.1.30, opsi-admin
allows you to save web service connection configuration in a file. This allows you to use the web service without retyping your credentials every time you connect from command line.
By default, opsi-admin
searches for credentials at ~/.opsi.org/opsirc
but you can specify a different path using the --opsirc
switch, allowing you to maintain various configuration files.
An opsirc file has the following contents:
address = https://seeing.the.ramp:4447/rpc
username = tony
password file = ~/.opsi.org/tonys_secret
Everything in an opsirc file is optional. If the file is empty or doesn’t exist, opsi will use the default values.
In the previous example, the ~/.opsi.org/tonys_secret
file keeps the password and opsi in turn, reads this information from the specified path location. This file in turn, contains the password.
Although not recommended, you can state the password in plain text in the opsirc file:
address = https://seeing.the.ramp:4447/rpc
username = tony
password = first900
Typical use cases
opsi-admin -d task setupWhereInstalled "softprod"
opsi-admin -d method host_getIdents
opsi-admin -d method host_delete <clientname>
For example:
opsi-admin -d method host_delete "pxevm.uib.local"
opsi-admin -d method host_createOpsiClient <full qualified clientname>
For example:
opsi-admin -d method host_createOpsiClient "pxevm.uib.local"
opsi-admin -d method setProductActionRequest <productId> <clientId> <actionRequest>
For example:
opsi-admin -d method setProductActionRequest win7 pxevm.uib.local setup
opsi-admin -d method setHostDescription "dpvm02.uib.local" "virtual client"
This uses the option -S
so that every client is on its own line.
Filtering OpsiClient
avoids displaying the server IDs.
You can use this output in other programs or calls.
opsi-admin -dS method host_getIdents '' '{"type": "OpsiClient"}'
opsi-admin -d method productOnClient_getObjects '["productVersion", "packageVersion", "installationStatus"]' '{"installationStatus": "installed"}'
opsi-admin -d task setPcpatchPassword
Sets the password of the pcpatch user for Unix, samba and opsi.
5.3.5. Server processes: opsiconfd and opsipxeconfd
opsipxeconfd provides the named pipes to control the PXE boot process in the tftpboot
directories.
The configuration file is /etc/opsi/opsipxeconfd.conf
The log file is /var/log/opsi/opsipxeconfd.log
.
The opsiconfd provides the opsi API as JSON web service and other important tasks. opsiconfd is opsis central service, and allows for communication with all clients.
Since its central for communication, monitoring this process and its load is important. You use the opsiconfd info page as a tool to monitor this service.
5.3.6. Server process: opsi-tftpd-hpa
The opsi-tftpd-hpa is a standard tftpd-hpa, with the expanded ability to handle named pipes.
By default, the opsi-tftpd-hpa runs with its own systemd service.
The service starts with a default or simple verbose parameter. You can modify this parameter to get additional information for troubleshooting or analysis purposes. Enter the following command to change verbosity:
# systemctl edit --full opsi-tftpd-hpa.service
Replace the -v parameter by --verbosity 7 and restart the service.
# service opsi-tftpd-hpa restart
on Debian 8 the edit operation is not available. However there is a workaround: |
# cp /lib/systemd/system/opsi-tftpd-hpa.service /etc/systemd/system/opsi-tftpd-hpa.service
# vi /etc/systemd/system/opsi-tftpd-hpa.service
# systemctl daemon-reload
# service opsi-tftpd-hpa restart
5.4. Web service / API methods
5.4.1. object oriented methods
Since opsi 4 we have to different kinds of API methods:
-
object oriented methods
-
action oriented methods
Overview
The opsi4 backends are based on objects. An object has a set of attributes.
As an example serves here the object Product. The object of type Product which describes the opsi package javavm looks for example like this:
"ident": "javavm;1.6.0.20;2"
"id": "javavm"
"description": "Java 1.6"
"changelog": ""
"advice": ""
"userLoginScript": ""
"name": "SunJavaRuntimeEnvironment"
"priority": 0
"packageVersion": "2"
"productVersion": "1.6.0.20"
"windowsSoftwareIds": null
"productClassIds": null
"type": "LocalbootProduct"
"licenseRequired": false
"setupScript": "javavm.ins"
"updateScript": ""
"uninstallScript": "deljvm.ins"
"alwaysScript": ""
"onceScript": ""
"customScript": ""
For each object there is a set of operations. Usually these are:
-
getObjects: returns a list of objects that match the specified filter. If a list of attributes is specified, only these will be populated from the backend.
-
getHashes: Like getObjects, except that unchecked raw data from the backend is delivered directly. Works more performant than getObjects, but should be used with caution.
-
getIdents Returns a list of object IDs that match the specified filter. The returnType can be used to select the data structure of the elements in the result. Possible values are: unicode, list and hash.
-
insertObject': Creates a new object. If the object already exists, it will be completely overwritten with the new values. Attributes that are not passed (or passed with the value null) will be set to null in the backend.
-
updateObject': Updates an object. Attributes that are not passed (or passed with the value null), will not be changed in the backend. If the object does not exist, no change takes place, no object is created.
-
createObjects: An object or a list of objects can be passed. Each object is passed internally to insertObject.
-
updateObjects: An object or a list of objects can be passed. Each object is passed internally to insertObject if it does not exist yet, otherwise to updateObject.
-
create: Creates a new object and takes all possible attributes as single parameters. Internally createObjects is used. Existing objects will be overwritten completely.
-
deleteObjects: Deletes a list of objects. It is mandatory to pass a list. Only the attributes identifying the object (type/id/ident) are used to select the objects to be deleted.
-
delete: Deletes the object identified by the specified parameters.
To update an object, it is usually a good idea to use the updateObjects method. For example, productOnClient_updateObjects can be used to update the state of a package on a client. Whether the object already exists or not is then irrelevant. |
The names of the methods are composed of:
<object-type>_<operation>
Thus they differ from the legacy methods from opsi 3.x which usually start with get, set or create.
The getObjects methods have two optional parameters:
-
attributes
-
filter
The attributes parameter is used to query only certain attributes of the object, which can provide speed advantages. If a list of attributes is specified, only these are read from the backend. The remaining attributes are returned with the value null. Attributes that identify the object (type/id/ident) are always filled. If all attributes should be read (default), null or [] can be passed as attributes.
Example for the method product_getObjects, parameterized with attributes:["name"] for the package (Product) javavm:
"onceScript": null,
"ident": "javavm;1.6.0.20;2",
"windowsSoftwareIds": null,
"description": null,
"setupScript": null,
"changelog": null,
"customScript": null,
"advice": null,
"uninstallScript": null,
"userLoginScript": null,
"name": "Sun Java Runtime Environment",
"priority": null,
"packageVersion": "2",
"productVersion": "1.6.0.20",
"updateScript": null,
"productClassIds": null,
"alwaysScript": null,
"type": "LocalbootProduct",
"id": "javavm",
"licenseRequired": null
If you don’t want to ask for attributes but instead you need to use the second parameter filter you have to pass the attribute parameter as [].
The parameter filter is used to define which objects you want to get. For example if you are using the filter {"id":"javavm"} on the method product_getObjects the backend will return the Product object javavm only.
The filter parameter can be used to filter the list of objects. For example, for product_getObjects the filter {"id": "javavm"} restricts the return to the object with the ID javavm. Multiple passed filter attributes are AND-linked here. If a list of values is passed for an attribute, this results in an OR operation. For strings, a * can be used as a placeholder. If you do not want to filter (default), you can pass null or {} as filter.
Example for product_getIdents with filter {"id":["opsi-client-agent", "opsi-script"], "productVersion": "4.1*"} (returnType = hash):
[
{
}, "id": "opsi-client-agent",
"productVersion": "4.1.0.0",
"packageVersion": "47"
},
{
}, "id": "opsi-client-agent",
"productVersion": "4.1.1.40",
"packageVersion": "1"
},
{
}, "id": "opsi-script",
"productVersion": "4.12.4.21",
"packageVersion": "1"
},
{
}, "id": "opsi-script",
"productVersion": "4.12.4.23",
"packageVersion": "1"
}
]
For the methods to which one or more objects are passed, this must be done as a JSON object or a list of JSON objects.
The most important objects are:
-
auditHardwareOnHost (client specific hardware information)
-
auditHardware (client independent hardware information)
-
auditSoftwareOnClient (client specific software information)
-
auditSoftware (client independent software information)
-
auditSoftwareToLicensePool (license management)
-
configState (administration of client host parameters)
-
config (administration of host parameter defaults)
-
group (group administration)
-
host (server and clients)
-
licenseContract (license management)
-
licenseOnClient (license management)
-
licensePool (license management)
-
objectToGroup (group administration)
-
productDependency (product dependencies)
-
productOnClient (client specific information to a product e.g. installation state)
-
productOnDepot (depot specific information to a product)
-
productPropertyState (depot or client specific product property settings)
-
productProperty (definition of product properties)
-
product (product meta data)
-
softwareLicenseToLicensePool (license management)
-
softwareLicense (license management)
In addition to the described objects and methods there are some more for special operations.
This design:
-
is created to transfer information about clients (severals) faster
-
filter data with a unified syntax
-
allows to check all input for correct syntax
This results in improved stability and higher performance.
Host (server and clients)
Example of a OpsiClient:
method host_getObjects [] {"id":"xpclient.vmnat.local"}
[
{
"ident" : "xpclient.vmnat.local",
"description" : "",
"created" : "2012-03-22 12:13:52",
"inventoryNumber" : "",
"ipAddress" : "172.16.166.101",
"notes" : "Created by opsi-deploy-client-agent at Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:24:36",
"oneTimePassword" : "",
"lastSeen" : "2012-03-30 16:20:04",
"hardwareAddress" : "00:0c:29:35:70:a7",
"opsiHostKey" : "1234567890abcef1234567890abcdef",
"type" : "OpsiClient",
"id" : "xpclient.vmnat.local"
}
]
Most of this data is displayed on the clients tab of the opsi-configed.
Possible types are:
-
OpsiClient
-
OpsiConfigserver (which means implicit this is also a OpsiDepotserver)
-
OpsiDepotserver
The server type have different and additional data.
Example of a server:
method host_getObjects [] {"id":"sepiolina.vmnat.local"}
[
{
"masterDepotId" : null,
"ident" : "sepiolina.vmnat.local",
"networkAddress" : "172.16.166.0/255.255.255.128",
"description" : "",
"inventoryNumber" : "",
"ipAddress" : "172.16.166.1",
"repositoryRemoteUrl" : "webdavs://sepiolina.vmnat.local:4447/repository",
"depotLocalUrl" : "file:///var/lib/opsi/depot",
"isMasterDepot" : true,
"notes" : "",
"hardwareAddress" : null,
"maxBandwidth" : 0,
"repositoryLocalUrl" : "file:///var/lib/opsi/repository",
"opsiHostKey" : "1234567890abcef1234567890abcdef",
"type" : "OpsiConfigserver",
"id" : "sepiolina.vmnat.local",
"depotWebdavUrl" : "webdavs://sepiolina:4447/depot",
"depotRemoteUrl" : "smb://sepiolina/opsi_depot"
}
]
Most of this data is displayed on the depot configuration of the opsi-configed.
Group (group administration)
Describes groups and their hierarchical structure. The types HostGroup and ProductGroup exist.
Example of a Group object:
method group_getObjects
[
{
"ident" : "sub2",
"description" : "sub2",
"notes" : "",
"parentGroupId" : null,
"type" : "HostGroup",
"id" : "sub2"
},
{
"ident" : "subsub",
"description" : "subsub",
"notes" : "",
"parentGroupId" : "sub2",
"type" : "HostGroup",
"id" : "subsub"
}
]
ObjectToGroup (group membership administration)
Describes the membership of an object in a group. Example of ObjectToGroup objects:
method objectToGroup_getObjects
[
{
"groupType" : "HostGroup",
"ident" : "HostGroup;sub2;win7.vmnat.local",
"type" : "ObjectToGroup",
"groupId" : "sub2",
"objectId" : "win7.vmnat.local"
},
{
"groupType" : "HostGroup",
"ident" : "HostGroup;subsub;win7x64.vmnat.local",
"type" : "ObjectToGroup",
"groupId" : "subsub",
"objectId" : "win7x64.vmnat.local"
},
{
"groupType" : "ProductGroup",
"ident" : "ProductGroup;opsiessentials;opsi-client-agent",
"type" : "ObjectToGroup",
"groupId" : "opsiessentials",
"objectId" : "opsi-client-agent"
},
{
"groupType" : "ProductGroup",
"ident" : "ProductGroup;opsiessentials;opsi-winst",
"type" : "ObjectToGroup",
"groupId" : "opsiessentials",
"objectId" : "opsi-winst"
}
]
Product (package meta data)
Describes the meta data of a product which are defined while creating the package.
Example of a product object:
method product_getObjects [] {"id":"jedit","productVersion":"4.5"}
[
{
"onceScript" : "",
"ident" : "jedit;4.5;3",
"windowsSoftwareIds" :
[
],
"description" : "jEdit with opsi-winst Syntax-Highlighting",
"setupScript" : "setup.ins",
"changelog" : "",
"customScript" : "",
"advice" : "",
"uninstallScript" : "uninstall.ins",
"userLoginScript" : "",
"name" : "jEdit programmer's text editor",
"priority" : 0,
"packageVersion" : "3",
"productVersion" : "4.5",
"updateScript" : "update.ins",
"productClassIds" :
[
],
"alwaysScript" : "",
"type" : "LocalbootProduct",
"id" : "jedit",
"licenseRequired" : false
}
]
If you have multiple depot servers, you may have different versions of one product. |
The attributes productClassIds and windowsSoftwareIds are currently unused.
ProductProperty (definition of product properties)
Describes the properties of a Product' which are defined while creating the package.
Example of a ProductProperty object:
method productProperty_getObjects [] {"productId":"jedit","productVersion":"4.5"}
[
{
"ident" : "jedit;4.5;3;start_server",
"description" : "Should the jedit server be started at every startup ?",
"editable" : false,
"defaultValues" :
[
false
],
"multiValue" : false,
"productVersion" : "4.5",
"possibleValues" :
[
false,
true
],
"packageVersion" : "3",
"type" : "BoolProductProperty",
"propertyId" : "start_server",
"productId" : "jedit"
}
]
The real default values are stored in the context of the depot in a productPropertyState object. |
productPropertyState (depot or client specific package settings)
Describes:
-
The default value for a ProductProperty on a depot
-
The client specific settings of a ProductProperty.
Example for ProductPropertyState objects:
method productPropertyState_getObjects [] {"productId":"jedit"}
[
{
"ident" : "jedit;start_server;sepiolina.vmnat.local",
"objectId" : "sepiolina.vmnat.local",
"values" :
[
false
],
"type" : "ProductPropertyState",
"propertyId" : "start_server",
"productId" : "jedit"
},
{
"ident" : "jedit;start_server;xpclient.vmnat.local",
"objectId" : "xpclient.vmnat.local",
"values" :
[
true
],
"type" : "ProductPropertyState",
"propertyId" : "start_server",
"productId" : "jedit"
}
]
ProductDependency (product dependencies)
Describes the dependencies of a package to another package as it is defined while creating the package.
Example of a ProductDependency object:
method productDependency_getObjects [] {"productId":"jedit","productVersion":"4.5"}
[
{
"ident" : "jedit;4.5;3;setup;javavm",
"productAction" : "setup",
"requiredPackageVersion" : null,
"requirementType" : "before",
"requiredInstallationStatus" : "installed",
"productVersion" : "4.5",
"requiredProductId" : "javavm",
"requiredAction" : null,
"requiredProductVersion" : null,
"type" : "ProductDependency",
"packageVersion" : "3",
"productId" : "jedit"
}
]
productOnClient (client specific information of a package like the installation status)
Describes which packages and versions are installed on which client.
Example of a ProductOnClient object:
method productOnClient_getObjects [] {"productId":"jedit","clientId":"xpclient.vmnat.local"}
[
{
"ident" : "jedit;LocalbootProduct;xpclient.vmnat.local",
"actionProgress" : "",
"actionResult" : "successful",
"clientId" : "xpclient.vmnat.local",
"modificationTime" : "2012-03-30 15:49:04",
"actionRequest" : "none",
"targetConfiguration" : "installed",
"productVersion" : "4.5",
"productType" : "LocalbootProduct",
"lastAction" : "setup",
"packageVersion" : "3",
"actionSequence" : -1,
"type" : "ProductOnClient",
"installationStatus" : "installed",
"productId" : "jedit"
}
]
ProductOnDepot (depot specific package information)
Describes which product is installed in which version on a given depot..
Example of ProductOnDepot objects:
method productOnDepot_getObjects [] {"productId":"jedit"}
[
{
"ident" : "jedit;LocalbootProduct;4.4.1;2;depotserver.vmnat.local",
"locked" : false,
"productVersion" : "4.4.1",
"productType" : "LocalbootProduct",
"depotId" : "depotserver.vmnat.local",
"type" : "ProductOnDepot",
"packageVersion" : "2",
"productId" : "jedit"
},
{
"ident" : "jedit;LocalbootProduct;4.5;3;sepiolina.vmnat.local",
"locked" : false,
"productVersion" : "4.5",
"productType" : "LocalbootProduct",
"depotId" : "sepiolina.vmnat.local",
"type" : "ProductOnDepot",
"packageVersion" : "3",
"productId" : "jedit"
}
]
If you have multiple depot server, you may have different versions of one product. |
Config (administration of configurations)
Describes the available configurations.
Example of a Config object:
method config_getObjects [] {"id":"opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.active"}
[
{
"ident" : "opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.active",
"description" : "gui_startup active",
"defaultValues" :
[
true
],
"editable" : false,
"multiValue" : false,
"possibleValues" :
[
false,
true
],
"type" : "BoolConfig",
"id" : "opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.active"
}
]
ConfigState (administration of client specific configurations)
Describes the client specific state of a configuration.
Example of an ConfigState object:
method configState_getObjects [] {"configId":"opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.active"}
[
{
"configId" : "opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.active",
"ident" : "opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.active;wanclient.vmnat.local",
"values" :
[
false
],
"objectId" : "wanclient.vmnat.local",
"type" : "ConfigState"
}
]
A ConfigState object can’t be created without an existing Config object to refer to. |
AuditHardwareOnHost (client specific hardware information)
Describes the detected hardware types (including the client specific values). The idea is that you can see here the client specific data and in auditHardware
only one entry for a network card which is used in all your computers.
Unfortunately in reality this doesn’t work as you might expect.
The attribute state describes if this is current (value = 1) or historic (value = 0) data.
Example of AuditHardwareOnHost objects:
method auditHardwareOnHost_getObjects [] {"hostId":"xpclient.vmnat.local","hardwareClass":"NETWORK_CONTROLLER","ipAddress":"172.16.166.101"}
[
{
"vendorId" : "1022",
"macAddress" : "00:0C:29:35:70:A7",
"hardwareClass" : "NETWORK_CONTROLLER",
"state" : 1,
"deviceType" : "PCI",
"subsystemVendorId" : "2000",
"ipEnabled" : "True",
"type" : "AuditHardwareOnHost",
"firstseen" : "2012-03-30 15:48:15",
"revision" : "10",
"hostId" : "xpclient.vmnat.local",
"vendor" : "Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)",
"description" : "Ethernetadapter der AMD-PCNET-Familie",
"subsystemDeviceId" : "1022",
"deviceId" : "2000",
"autoSense" : null,
"netConnectionStatus" : "Connected",
"maxSpeed" : null,
"name" : "Ethernetadapter der AMD-PCNET-Familie",
"serialNumber" : null,
"lastseen" : "2012-03-30 15:48:15",
"model" : null,
"ipAddress" : "172.16.166.101",
"adapterType" : "Ethernet 802.3"
},
{
"vendorId" : "1022",
"macAddress" : "00:0C:29:35:70:A7",
"hardwareClass" : "NETWORK_CONTROLLER",
"state" : 0,
"deviceType" : "PCI",
"subsystemVendorId" : "2000",
"ipEnabled" : "True",
"type" : "AuditHardwareOnHost",
"firstseen" : "2012-03-08 14:26:14",
"revision" : "10",
"hostId" : "xpclient.vmnat.local",
"vendor" : "VMware, Inc.",
"description" : "VMware Accelerated AMD PCNet Adapter",
"subsystemDeviceId" : "1022",
"deviceId" : "2000",
"autoSense" : null,
"netConnectionStatus" : "Connected",
"maxSpeed" : null,
"name" : "VMware Accelerated AMD PCNet Adapter",
"serialNumber" : null,
"lastseen" : "2012-03-10 14:47:15",
"model" : null,
"ipAddress" : "172.16.166.101",
"adapterType" : "Ethernet 802.3"
},
{
"vendorId" : "1022",
"macAddress" : "00:0c:29:35:70:a7",
"hardwareClass" : "NETWORK_CONTROLLER",
"state" : 0,
"deviceType" : null,
"subsystemVendorId" : "1022",
"ipEnabled" : null,
"type" : "AuditHardwareOnHost",
"firstseen" : "2012-02-29 15:43:21",
"revision" : "10",
"hostId" : "xpclient.vmnat.local",
"vendor" : "Advanced Micro Devices [AMD]",
"description" : "Ethernet interface",
"subsystemDeviceId" : "2000",
"deviceId" : "2000",
"autoSense" : "",
"netConnectionStatus" : "yes",
"maxSpeed" : null,
"name" : "79c970 [PCnet32 LANCE]",
"serialNumber" : "00:0c:29:35:70:a7",
"lastseen" : "2012-03-30 14:58:30",
"model" : "79c970 [PCnet32 LANCE]",
"ipAddress" : "172.16.166.101",
"adapterType" : ""
}
]
AuditHardware (client independent hardware information)
Describes the detected hardware types (independent from client specific values). The idea in this object is to see client specific data and in AuditHardware
only the generic. That way, for example, you can see here only one entry for a network card, which is used in all your computers.
Unfortunately in reality this idea doesn’t work as you might expect.
Example of AuditHardware objects:
method auditHardware_getObjects [] {"hardwareClass":"NETWORK_CONTROLLER","vendorId":"1022"}
[
{
"vendorId" : "1022",
"deviceId" : "2000",
"maxSpeed" : null,
"vendor" : "Advanced Micro Devices [AMD]",
"name" : "79c970 [PCnet32 LANCE]",
"subsystemDeviceId" : "2000",
"deviceType" : null,
"subsystemVendorId" : "1022",
"autoSense" : "",
"model" : "79c970 [PCnet32 LANCE]",
"revision" : "10",
"type" : "AuditHardware",
"hardwareClass" : "NETWORK_CONTROLLER",
"adapterType" : "",
"description" : "Ethernet interface"
},
{
"vendorId" : "1022",
"deviceId" : "2000",
"maxSpeed" : null,
"vendor" : "VMware, Inc.",
"name" : "VMware Accelerated AMD PCNet Adapter",
"subsystemDeviceId" : "1022",
"deviceType" : "PCI",
"subsystemVendorId" : "2000",
"autoSense" : null,
"model" : null,
"revision" : "10",
"type" : "AuditHardware",
"hardwareClass" : "NETWORK_CONTROLLER",
"adapterType" : "Ethernet 802.3",
"description" : "VMware Accelerated AMD PCNet Adapter"
},
{
"vendorId" : "1022",
"deviceId" : "2000",
"maxSpeed" : null,
"vendor" : "Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)",
"name" : "Ethernetadapter der AMD-PCNET-Familie",
"subsystemDeviceId" : "1022",
"deviceType" : "PCI",
"subsystemVendorId" : "2000",
"autoSense" : null,
"model" : null,
"revision" : "10",
"type" : "AuditHardware",
"hardwareClass" : "NETWORK_CONTROLLER",
"adapterType" : "Ethernet 802.3",
"description" : "Ethernetadapter der AMD-PCNET-Familie"
},
{
"vendorId" : "1022",
"deviceId" : "2000",
"maxSpeed" : null,
"vendor" : "Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)",
"name" : "Ethernetadapter der AMD-PCNET-Familie",
"subsystemDeviceId" : "1022",
"deviceType" : "PCI",
"subsystemVendorId" : "2000",
"autoSense" : null,
"model" : null,
"revision" : "10",
"type" : "AuditHardware",
"hardwareClass" : "NETWORK_CONTROLLER",
"adapterType" : "Ethernet 802.3",
"description" : "Ethernetadapter der AMD-PCNET-Familie"
},
{
"vendorId" : "1022",
"deviceId" : "2000",
"maxSpeed" : null,
"vendor" : "Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)",
"name" : null,
"subsystemDeviceId" : "2000",
"deviceType" : "PCI",
"subsystemVendorId" : "1022",
"autoSense" : null,
"model" : "",
"revision" : null,
"type" : "AuditHardware",
"hardwareClass" : "NETWORK_CONTROLLER",
"adapterType" : null,
"description" : "Ethernetadapter der AMD-PCNET-Familie"
},
(....)
[
AuditSoftwareOnClient (client specific software information)
Describes the detected software types (including the client specific values). The idea is that you will see here the client specific data and in auditSoftware
only one entry for a office software which is used in all your computers.
Example of AuditSoftwareOnClient objects:
method auditSoftwareOnClient_getObjects [] {"name":"jEdit 4.5.0","clientId":"xpclient.vmnat.local"}
[
{
"ident" : "jEdit 4.5.0;4.5.0;;;x86;xpclient.vmnat.local",
"licenseKey" : "",
"name" : "jEdit 4.5.0",
"uninstallString" : "\\\"C:\\\\Programme\\\\jEdit\\\\unins000.exe\\\"",
"usageFrequency" : -1,
"clientId" : "xpclient.vmnat.local",
"lastUsed" : "0000-00-00 00:00:00",
"subVersion" : "",
"language" : "",
"state" : 1,
"version" : "4.5.0",
"lastseen" : "2012-03-30 16:19:55",
"binaryName" : "",
"type" : "AuditSoftwareOnClient",
"firstseen" : "2012-03-30 16:19:55",
"architecture" : "x86"
}
]
AuditSoftware (client independent software information)
Describes the detected software types (independent from the client specific values). The idea is that you will see here only one entry for a office software which is used in all your computers.
Example of AuditSoftware objects:
method auditSoftware_getObjects [] {"name":"jEdit 4.5.0"}
[
{
"windowsDisplayVersion" : "4.5.0",
"ident" : "jEdit 4.5.0;4.5.0;;;x64",
"name" : "jEdit 4.5.0",
"windowsSoftwareId" : "jedit_is1",
"windowsDisplayName" : "jEdit 4.5.0",
"installSize" : -1,
"subVersion" : "",
"language" : "",
"version" : "4.5.0",
"architecture" : "x64",
"type" : "AuditSoftware"
},
{
"windowsDisplayVersion" : "4.5.0",
"ident" : "jEdit 4.5.0;4.5.0;;;x86",
"name" : "jEdit 4.5.0",
"windowsSoftwareId" : "jedit_is1",
"windowsDisplayName" : "jEdit 4.5.0",
"installSize" : -1,
"subVersion" : "",
"language" : "",
"version" : "4.5.0",
"architecture" : "x86",
"type" : "AuditSoftware"
}
]
AuditSoftwareToLicensePool (license management)
Describes which license pools are assingned to which AuditSoftware patterns.
Example of AuditSoftwareToLicensePool objects:
method auditSoftwareToLicensePool_getObjects [] {"licensePoolId":"win7-msdn-prof"}
[
{
"ident" : "Windows 7 Professional N;6.1;00376-165;de-DE;x64;win7-msdn-prof",
"name" : "Windows 7 Professional N",
"language" : "de-DE",
"subVersion" : "00376-165",
"licensePoolId" : "win7-msdn-prof",
"version" : "6.1",
"architecture" : "x64",
"type" : "AuditSoftwareToLicensePool"
},
{
"ident" : "Windows 7 Professional N;6.1;00376-165;de-DE;x86;win7-msdn-prof",
"name" : "Windows 7 Professional N",
"language" : "de-DE",
"subVersion" : "00376-165",
"licensePoolId" : "win7-msdn-prof",
"version" : "6.1",
"architecture" : "x86",
"type" : "AuditSoftwareToLicensePool"
}
]
SoftwareLicenseToLicensePool (license management)
Describes which softwareLicenseId is assingned to which licensePoolId.
Example of a SoftwareLicenseToLicensePool object:
method softwareLicenseToLicensePool_getObjects [] {"licensePoolId":"win7-msdn-prof"}
[
{
"licensePoolId" : "win7-msdn-prof",
"softwareLicenseId" : "uib-msdn-win7-vol",
"ident" : "uib-msdn-win7-vol;win7-msdn-prof",
"licenseKey" : "12345-12345-12345-12345-3dbv6",
"type" : "SoftwareLicenseToLicensePool"
}
]
SoftwareLicense (license management)
Describes the existing software licenses and their meta data.
Example of a softwareLicense object:S
method softwareLicense_getObjects [] {"id":"uib-msdn-win7-vol"}
[
{
"ident" : "uib-msdn-win7-vol;msdn-uib",
"maxInstallations" : 0,
"boundToHost" : null,
"expirationDate" : "0000-00-00 00:00:00",
"licenseContractId" : "msdn-uib",
"type" : "VolumeSoftwareLicense",
"id" : "uib-msdn-win7-vol"
}
]
LicenseContract (license management)
Describes the existing licenses contracts and their meta data.
Example of a LicenseContract object:
method licenseContract_getObjects [] {"id":"msdn-uib"}
[
{
"ident" : "msdn-uib",
"description" : "",
"conclusionDate" : "2011-04-22 00:00:00",
"notificationDate" : "0000-00-00 00:00:00",
"notes" : "",
"expirationDate" : "0000-00-00 00:00:00",
"partner" : "Microsoft",
"type" : "LicenseContract",
"id" : "msdn-uib"
}
]
LicenseOnClient (license management)
Describes which license is used by which client.
Example of a LicenseOnClient object:
method licenseOnClient_getObjects [] {"clientId":"win7client.vmnat.local"}
[
{
"softwareLicenseId" : "uib-msdn-win7-vol",
"ident" : "uib-msdn-win7-vol;win7-msdn-prof;win7client.vmnat.local",
"licenseKey" : "12345-12345-12345-12345-3dbv6",
"notes" : "",
"clientId" : "win7client.vmnat.local",
"licensePoolId" : "win7-msdn-prof",
"type" : "LicenseOnClient"
}
]
LicensePool (license management)
Describes the license pool and to which opsi product the license pool is assigned.
Example of a LicensePool object:
method licensePool_getObjects [] {"id":"win7-msdn-prof"}
[
{
"ident" : "win7-msdn-prof",
"type" : "LicensePool",
"description" : "MSDN Keys",
"productIds" :
[
"win7",
"win7-x64"
],
"id" : "win7-msdn-prof"
}
]
Special methods
Opsi has some special methods. This chapter will introduce some of the more important ones.
configState_getClientToDepotserver
This is in fact also a storage object, but it’s a little aside of the standard. It tells us to which depot a client is currently assigned.
The syntax is
method configState_getClientToDepotserver *depotIds *clientIds
*masterOnly *productIds
Example:
method configState_getClientToDepotserver [] "pcbon4.uib.local"
[
{
"depotId" : "bonifax.uib.local",
"alternativeDepotIds" :
[
],
"clientId" : "pcbon4.uib.local"
}
]
Communication with hosts
The hostControl methods are used to communicate and control the clients.
Since opsi 4.0.3 we strongly recommend to use the hostControlSafe methods.
All hostControlSafe or hostControl Methods have as last parameter the hostIds
. The hostIds
are the list of clients this method should work on.
In all hostControlSafe methods this parameter is not optional, if you want to send a method to all clients you have to give a "*"
. In the older hostControl methods it is allowed to omit this parameter, which means send to all. This has caused some trouble to people which tried this with methods like
hostControl_reboot. So with opsi 4.0.3 we broke the backward compatibility and now an empty hostIds
is not any more allowed for the hostControl_reboot and hostControl_shutdown methods.
-
hostControlSafe_execute
Excute a command on the client.
Connect to the opsiclientd of the givenhostIds
and tell them to startcommand
.
Parameters:command hostIds
-
hostControlSafe_fireEvent
Starts a opsiclientd event on the client.
Connect the opsiclientd of the givenhostIds
and tell them to start theevent
.
In case the client is currently processing another event which is in a cancelable state, it will cancel this event execution and instead fire the new event. A cancelable state is a state where either no data was changed and no actions were executed, or it is a waiting state of an event which hasprocessActions = False
(e.g.sync
,sync_completed
).
Parameters: event hostIds
-
hostControlSafe_getActiveSessions
Get information of the logged on users on the client.
Connect the opsiclientd of the givenhostIds
and ask for the active sessions.
Parameters:hostIds
-
hostControlSafe_opsiclientdRpc
Run the web servicemethod
of the opsiclientd.
Connect the opsiclientd of the givenhostIds
and tell them to run the web servicemethod
using the givenparameters
. This is the most generic hostControlSafe method, because you may start any possible method. The best way to find out what is possible, is to have a look at control interface https://<clientId>:4441
Parameters:method *params hostIds
-
hostControlSafe_reachable
Checks if the opsiclientd is reachable.
Connect the opsiclientd of the givenhostIds
but do not login.
Parameters:hostIds
-
hostControlSafe_reboot
Reboot the clients.
Connect the opsiclientd of the givenhostIds
and starts a reboot.
Parameters:hostIds
-
hostControlSafe_showPopup
Shows a pop up message on the clients.
Connect the opsiclientd of the givenhostIds
and starts a pop up windows with themessage
.
Parameters:message hostIds
-
hostControlSafe_shutdown
Shutdown the clients.
Connect the opsiclientd of the givenhostIds
and starts a shutdown.
Parameters:hostIds
-
hostControlSafe_start
Sends a wakeOnLan signal the clients.
This is the only hostControlSafe method that is not use by the opsiclientd from a client.
Parameters:hostIds
-
hostControlSafe_uptime
Asks for the clients uptime.
Connect the opsiclientd of the givenhostIds
and get the clients uptime in seconds.
Parameters:hostIds
log_read / log_write
-
log_read
Reads a opsi log file from the server.
Parameters:logType *objectId *maxSize
Possible logTypes are instlog (opsi-winst), clientconnect (opsiclientd), userlogin, bootimage, opsiconfd. The objectId is normally the clientId to which the log belongs. -
log_write
Writes a opsi log file to the server.
Parameters:logType data *objectId *append
Logtypes and objectId see above,append
(true/false) (Default = false) should the log be appended to an existing log.
Tutorial: Working with groups
The following tutorial will show how to use the opsi interface from the commandline and work with groups of hosts in opsi.
We want to work with group objects and therefore need to work with those functions whose names start with group. Opsi does distinguish between groups of the type ProductGroup and HostGroup. The first is used for product groupings and the last is used for grouping hosts.
Creating a group of hosts is possible through the method group_createHostGroup. The parameters of the method are id, a description, notes and the parentGroupId (ID of the parent group). Only the ID is required - everything else is optional. The ID is also the name of the group.
In opsi 4.0 groups are identified by their ID. This ID must be unique throughout the opsi groups. |
To create a first group from the commandline we can now issue the following command:
opsi-admin -d method group_createHostGroup rechner_wenselowski "Nikos computer"
To check if our group was created we use group_getObjects.
opsi-admin -d method group_getObjects '' '{"id": "rechner_*", "type": "HostGroup"}'
To create some hierarchy we need to also specify the ID of the parent group.
opsi-admin -d method group_createHostGroup "rechner_wenselowski2" "Undergroup" "" "rechner_wenselowski"
We can use the call to group_getObjects from earlier to see that our group was indeed created.
Opsi has a default group that behaves like a directory service - i.e. OpenLDAP - that means, that a client can only be member of one group. There is a root group with the ID clientdirectory that assumes that exact behavior for any group / client inside. Any client not in a subgroup of clientdirectory will be moved to another special group with the ID NOT_ASSIGNED. Anyone working with that groups is responsible that clients are not member of multiple subgroups of clientdirectory.
Working with the clients is easy now. You probably have noticed that our earlier query to opsi did not show us any signs of clients. That is because the assignment from a client to a group is taken care of another type of object: objectToGroup.
To have a client at hand we will first create one:
opsi-admin -d method host_createOpsiClient "wenselowski-test.uib.local"
This client we now want to add to the group we created previously.
opsi-admin -d method objectToGroup_create "HostGroup" "rechner_wenselowski2" "wenselowski-test.uib.local"
Noticed the HostGroup as the first parameter? That is again our group type. To check if the creation was successful we can execute the following command:
opsi-admin -d method objectToGroup_getObjects '' '{"groupType": "HostGroup", "groupId": "rechner_wenselowski2"}'
If for some reason we want to remove a client we can do this as well. Just execute the following:
opsi-admin -d method objectToGroup_delete "HostGroup" "rechner_wenselowski2" "wenselowski-test.uib.local"
Finally you may want to clean up the groups we created earlier. The following statements will do this for you:
opsi-admin -d method group_delete "rechner_wenselowski"
5.4.2. Action oriented methods
The action oriented methods where introduced in opsi 3. These methods are still available and will still be maintained. Technically methods are mapped to the object oriented methods internally.
Here comes a short list of some methods with a short description. This is meant mainly for orientation and not as a complete reference. The short description does not necessarily provide all information you need to use this method.
method authenticated
Check whether the authentication on the server was successful or not.
method createClient clientName domain
Creates a new client.
method createGroup groupId, members = [], description = ""
Creates a group of clients (as used by the opsi-Configed).
method createLicenseKey productId licenseKey
Assigns an (additional) license key to the product productId.
method createLocalBootProduct productId name productVersion packageVersion licenseRequired=0 setupScript="" uninstallScript="" updateScript="" alwaysScript="" onceScript="" priority=10 description="" advice="" productClassNames=('localBoot')
Creates a new localBoot product (opsi-winst product).
method createNetBootProduct productId name productVersion packageVersion licenseRequired=0 setupScript="" uninstallScript="" updateScript="" alwaysScript="" onceScript="" priority=10 description="" advice="" productClassNames=('netboot')
Creates a new netBoot (boot image) product.
method createProduct productType productId name productVersion packageVersion licenseRequired=0 setupScript="" uninstallScript="" updateScript="" alwaysScript="" onceScript="" priority=10 description="" advice="" productClassNames=""
Creates a new product.
method createProductDependency productId action requiredProductId="" requiredProductClassId="" requiredAction="" requiredInstallationStatus="" requirementType=""
Creates product dependencies.
method createProductPropertyDefinition productId name description=None defaultValue=None possibleValues=[]
Creates product properties.
method deleteClient clientId
Deletes a client.
method deleteGeneralConfig objectId
Deletes a client configuration or domain configuration.
method deleteGroup groupId
Deletes a client group.
method deleteHardwareInformation hostId
Deletes all hardware information for the computer <hostid>.
method deleteLicenseKey productId licenseKey
Deletes a license key for product <productId>.
method deleteProduct productId
Deletes a product from the data base.
method deleteProductDependency productId action requiredProductId="" requiredProductClassId="" requirementType=""
Deletes product dependencies.
method deleteProductPropertyDefinition productId name
method deleteProductPropertyDefinitions productId
Deletes a single property or all properties from the product <productId>.
method deleteServer serverId
Deletes a server configuration
method exit
Quit opsi-admin.
method getBackendInfos_listOfHashes
Supplies information about the available backends of the opsi depot server and which of them are activated.
method getClientIds_list
Supplies a list of clients which meet the assigned criteria.
method getClients_listOfHashes
Supplies an extended list of clients which meet the assigned criteria (with description, notes and last seen for each client).
method getDomain hostId
Supplies the computer domain.
method getGeneralConfig_hash objectId
Supplies the general configuration of a client or a domain.
method getGroupIds_list
Supplies the list of saved client groups.
method auditHardwareOnHost_getObjects '[]' '{"hostId":"<hostId>"}'
Supplies the hardware information of the specified computer.
method getHostId hostname
Supplies the hostid of the specified host name.
method getHost_hash hostId
List of properties of the specified computer.
method getHostname hostId
Supplies the host name of the specified host id.
method getInstallableLocalBootProductIds_list clientId
Supplies a list of all localBoot products that could be installed on the client.
method getInstallableNetBootProductIds_list clientId
Supplies a list of all netBoot products that could be installed on the client.
method getInstallableProductIds_list clientId
Supplies a list of all products that could be installed on the client.
method getInstalledLocalBootProductIds_list hostId
Supplies a list of all localBoot products that are installed on the client.
method getInstalledNetBootProductIds_list hostId
Supplies a list of the installed netBoot products of a client or server.
method getInstalledProductIds_list hostId
Supplies a list of the installed products for a client or server.
method getIpAddress hostId
Supplies the IP address of a host.
method getLicenseKey productId, clientId
Supplies an available license key of the specified product or the product license key which is assigned to the client.
method getLicenseKeys_listOfHashes productId
Supplies a list of all license keys for the specified product.
method getLocalBootProductIds_list
Supplies a list of all known localBoot products.
method getLocalBootProductStates_hash clientIds = []
Supplies for all clients the installation status and action request of all localBoot products.
method getMacAddresses_list hostId
Supplies the MAC address of the specified computer.
method getNetBootProductIds_list
Supplies a list of all NetBoot products.
method getNetBootProductStates_hash clientIds = []
Supplies for all clients the installation status and action request of all netBoot products.
method getNetworkConfig_hash objectId
Supplies the network specific configurations of a client or a domain.
method getOpsiHostKey hostId
Supplies the pckey of the specified hostid.
method getPcpatchPassword hostId
Supplies the password of pcpatch (encrypted with the pckey of hostId).
method getPossibleMethods_listOfHashes
Supplies the list of callable methods (approximately like in this chapter).
method getPossibleProductActionRequests_list
Lists the available action requests of opsi.
method getPossibleProductActions_hash
Supplies the available actions for each product (setup, uninstall , ….).
method getPossibleProductActions_list productId=softprod
Supplies the list of all actions (setup, uninstall,….).
method getPossibleProductInstallationStatus_list
Supplies the list of all installation states (installed, not_installed,… )
method getPossibleRequirementTypes_list
Supplies the list of types of product requirement (before, after, … )
method getProductActionRequests_listOfHashes clientId
Supplies the list of upcoming actions of the specified client.
method getProductDependencies_listOfHashes
Supplies the list of product dependencies of all or the specified product.
method getProductIds_list
Supplies a list of products which meet the specified criteria.
method getProductInstallationStatus_hash productId hostId
Supplies the installation status for the specified client and product.
method getProductInstallationStatus_listOfHashes hostId
Supplies the installation status of the specified client.
method getProductProperties_hash productId
Supplies the product properties of the specified product and client.
method getProductPropertyDefinitions_hash
Supplies all known product properties with description, allowed values,…
method getProductPropertyDefinitions_listOfHashes productId
Supplies the product properties of the specified product with description, allowed values,… .
method getProductStates_hash clientIds = []
Supplies installation status and action requests of all products (for the specified clients).
method getProduct_hash productId
Supplies the meta data (description, version, …) of the product
method getProvidedLocalBootProductIds_list serverId
Supplies a list of available localBoot products on the specified server.
method getProvidedNetBootProductIds_list serverId
Supplies a list of available netBoot products on the specified server.
method getServerId clientId
Supplies the opsi-config-server in charge of the specified client.
method getServerIds_list
Supplies a list of the known opsi-config-server.
method powerOnHost mac
Send a WakeOnLan signal to the specified MAC address.
method setGeneralConfig config
Set for client or domain the generalConfig
method setHostDescription hostId
Set a description for a client.
method setHostLastSeen hostId timestamp
Set the last seen time stamp of a client.
method setHostNotes hostId notes
Set the notes for a client.
method setMacAddresses hostId macs
Set the client MAC address in the data base.
method setOpsiHostKey hostId opsiHostKey
Set the pckey for a computer.
method setPcpatchPassword hostId password
Set the encrypted (!) password for hostId
method setProductActionRequest productId clientId actionRequest
Set an action request for the specified client and product.
method setProductInstallationStatus productId hostId installationStatus policyId="" licenseKey=""
Set an installation status for the specified client and product.
method setProductProperties productId properties
Set the product properties for the specified product (and the specified client).
method unsetProductActionRequest productId clientId
Set the action request to none.
5.4.3. Backend extensions
opsi 4 brings the feature of a backend extender that allows to extend to core functionality through additional methods that will be served as an extension to the API.
The set of standard API methods will be created through opsiconfd
by overlaying the in the .conf
-files in /etc/opsi/backendManager/extend.d
defined methods.
Backend extensions can be used to implement specific tasks for additional features.
These extensions have to be written as Python code.
Extensions are loaded "on to" an BackendManager-instance and can
reference it with self
.
5.4.4. Accessing the API
The API uses JSON-RPC 1.0 over HTTP for communication. We use basic authentication.
To use this interface POST your calls to the path rpc
of your opsi
server, i.e. https://opsiserver.domain.tld:4447/rpc
.
5.5. opsi-backup
5.5.1. Introduction
Like any other system, an opsi-system should also be backed up. Since opsi is a central tool for Windows client and Windows server management, the opsi-server should be backed up. This manual is intended to give an insight into the backup strategy of opsi and also on topics such as restoring and the "DisasterRecovery" of opsi.
5.5.2. Preconditions for a backup
There is not really a prerequisite for backing up an opsi-system. Once you have located the central files and backends of the opsi system, you can save them using various methods. The following instructions should not only answer the question: "What should be backed up?", but also document a way what a backup strategy for an opsi-system could look like.
The backup script should be run as root, either manually or a root cronjob, so that you can read the configuration of opsi and also determine the system configuration. Furthermore, the mysqldump program should be installed for a backup of the mysql backend, which can usually be found in the client packages of mysql.
5.5.3. Quick Start
Creating a backup:
opsi-backup create opsi_backup.tar.bz2
Creates a backup of the currently used backends, as well as the configuration files, in the current directory with the name opsi_backup.tar.bz2
.
Restoring backend data (without configuration files):
opsi-backup restore opsi_backup.tar.bz2
Restores the data from the backup file opsi_backup.tar.bz2
in the current directory.
Completely restoring a backup including configuration files:
opsi-backup restore --backends=all --configuration opsi_backup.tar.bz2
5.5.4. Basic parts of opsi
Opsi can roughly be divided into five parts. The following five parts are specific to opsi and may vary from system to system depending on the configuration.
Opsi configuration
By far the most important part of opsi is the configuration. True to LSB (Linux Standard Base), the configuration of opsi is located under /etc/opsi
.
This directory mainly contains the backend configuration, the webservice configuration and the SSL certificate for the webservice. Furthermore, backend extensions are stored here, the configuration of opsipxeconfd, opsi-package-updater with its repositories and also the modules file, which unlocks your co-financed modules.
The directory /etc/opsi
must be backed up in order to achieve a full recovery after an incident.
This part is secured with opsi-backup
.
This backup also has another advantage:
If you have changed many configuration options of opsi and the system no longer works properly, it is usually easier and quicker to return to a previous working version than troubleshooting.
Opsi backends
The opsi backends are listed in the following chapter. These form the heart of the opsi data storage. All clients, products, configurations, statuses, etc… are stored in the respective data storage.
Opsi offers the following data backends:
Backend | Description |
---|---|
file-Backend |
File-based backend, currently the default |
mysql-Backend |
MySQL-based backend (since opsi 4.0) |
dhcp |
Special backend which is used in combination with dhcpd on the opsi-server |
If you do not know which backend you are using, you are probably using the file backend. Opsi is also designed to use multiple backends at the same time. Which backends are used for which functions of opsi is configured in /etc/opsi/backendManager/dispatch.conf
.
This part is secured with opsi-backup
.
Opsi depot share
The depot files are interesting because they contain the actual files of the software to be distributed. The localboot products as well as the netboot products each have their files stored under /var/lib/opsi/depot
. In previous versions of opsi they were located in the directory /opt/pcbin/install
.
Depending on how much software is kept on the opsi-server, and how many operating system installations including drivers are stored, this data volume can take on enormous proportions.
There are different approaches to back up these files. The simplest alternative is rsnapshot. However, there are more elegant solutions, such as storing this data in a redundant file system on a SAN, etc.
This part is not backed up by opsi-backup
.
Opsi workbench
The opsi workbench area, which is also used as a Samba-share of the same name (opsi_workbench), contains the state of your own software packaging. By default, the directory is /var/lib/opsi/workbench
. If this share is used to store your created packages in different revisions, this directory should also be saved.
The rsnapshot tool is also suitable here.
This part is not backed up by opsi-backup
.
Since opsi 4.1, this directory can be configured individually for each depot server, so that different paths are possible. |
Before opsi 4.1, this directory was on non-SLES systems located at /home/opsiproducts .
|
Opsi repository
The directory /var/lib/opsi/repository
is used to store opsi packages. Unlike the opsi workbench, it is not used to create opsi packages, but the opsi packages that are stored there should not be removed, in order to simplify a possible synchronization with other servers or the synchronization using opsi-package-updater
.
These files are not absolutely necessary for a complete recovery, but can also be saved with the rsnapshot tool.
This part is not backed up by opsi-backup
.
TFTP directory
The TFTP directory contains configuration files for booting via PXE.
This directory is located under /tftpboot/
on most systems. On SLES this directory is /var/lib/tftpboot/opsi/
.
Possibly modified files are e.g. linux/pxelinux.cfg/default.menu
or linux/pxelinux.cfg/default.nomenu
.
These files are created with default values when installing opsi-linux-bootimage. These are not absolutely necessary for disaster recovery.
This part is not backed up by opsi-backup
.
5.5.5. The opsi-backup
program
The command line program opsi-backup
is a tool that makes it easy to create and restore backups.
To do this, opsi-backup
can be controlled with three basic commands: create
, restore
and verify
.
The --help
option gives a detailed overview of all options of opsi-backup
.
A backup created with opsi-backup
is a raw backup, which means that no files are backed up at the logical level, but backups of the files stored in the backends are made in the corresponding structures.
Such a backup can therefore only be restored for an identical backend configuration.
A backup created with opsi-backup
is always a full backup (opsi-backup
does not support incremental or differential backups).
It should be noted that opsi-backup
does not back up depot files, workbench files and repository files. These files should therefore be backed up in a different way.
The backup file created with opsi-backup
is a compressed tar file, the content of which can be viewed accordingly.
opsi-backup --help
A backup created with opsi-backup may contain passwords and PC-keys, among other things, and should therefore be stored securely.
|
Creating a backup
A new opsi backup is created with the command opsi-backup create
. If this command is given without further parameters, the program creates an archive with all data of the backends and the configuration. The file name is generated automatically.
Additional program help is available for the opsi-backup create
command, which is output using the --help
option.
opsi-backup create
opsi-backup create --help
It is also possible to specify the file name or the target directory of the new backup. To do this, simply add a file name or a target directory to the corresponding command. If a directory is specified, opsi-backup
automatically generates a file in this directory.
A file name generated by opsi-backup
has the form <hostname>_<opsi-version>_<date>_<time>
and is well suited for archiving several backups. If a file name is specified, an older backup with the same name will be overwritten by opsi-backup
.
opsi-backup create /mnt/backup/opsi_backup.tar.bz2
opsi-backup create /mnt/backup/
In addition, the create
command enables the backup to be controlled using the following options:
-
-- backends {file,mysql,dhcp,all,auto} +
,
Allows you to select the backends to include in the backup. This option can be specified multiple times to specify multiple backends. The option--backends=all
includes all backends. The default for this option is--backends=auto
, which means thatopsi-backup
tries to determine the backends in use using the configuration file/etc/opsi/backendManager/dispatch.conf
. Currently, the following backends are supported: +mysqlfile
,dhcp
opsi-backup create --backends=file --backends=mysql opsi-backup create --backends=all
If you are using an unsupported backend (such as ldap), you can convert it with the command opsi-convert
to a backend which can be backed up withopsi-backup
. -
--no-configuration
Excludes the opsi configuration from the backup.opsi-backup create --no-configuration
-
-c [{gz,bz2,none}], --compression [{gz,bz2,none}]
Specifies the compression method with which the archive is to be compressed.none
stands for no compression, the default compression isbz2
.opsi-backup create -c bz2
-
--flush-logs
The backup of the mysql backend is done internally with a mysqldump command. This means that the data is backed up exactly as the database is at that time (regardless of whether the data is already on disk or only in memory). Thus, the backup created may be more up-to-date and different from the state of the database files. If you want to avoid this, the data held in memory by mysql must first be written to disk. If the option--flush-logs
is specified,opsi-backup
will try to perform this operation (i.e. write the data from memory to disks). However, the corresponding database user of the opsi database needs the corresponding MySQL authorization RELOAD. By default, the opsi user is created without this right! If the user does not have this right (and the option--flush-logs
is specified), the backup will fail. Therefore, only use this option if you have previously adjusted the rights of the database user.opsi-backup create --backends=mysql --flush-logs
Example
opsi-backup create --no-configuration --backends=all opsi_backup.tar.bz2
Archiving backups
opsi-backup
does not have any functionality for archiving backups. The administrator must therefore ensure that created backups are stored securely and versioned.
In addition, opsi-backup
never automatically deletes older backup versions (unless they are overwritten with create
). Since opsi-backup
always creates full backups and no incremental backups, the amount of data can quickly grow to a large size.
The administrator must thus also ensure that older backups are deleted regularly if necessary.
Verifying a backup
With the command opsi-backup verify
the archive can be checked for internal integrity. This check is not a logical check of the data, it is a pure check if the data stored in the archive is not corrupted.
Additional help is available for the opsi-backup verify
command, which is shown using the --help
option.
Example
opsi-backup verify opsi_backup.tar.bz2
opsi-backup verify --help
If the opsi-backup verify command is explicitly ran on the console, it often makes sense to send the output of opsi-backup to the standard output (stdout): opsi-backup -v verify opsi_backup.tar.bz2
|
Listing the contents of a backup
With the command opsi-backup list
the contents of a backup will be displayed.
The listing shows whether configuration data is available, and from which backends data is in the backup.
Example
opsi-backup list opsi_backup.tar.bz2
Restoring from a backup file
Restoring an archive is done with the command opsi-backup restore
. The backends are (by default) imported based on the current configuration. It is therefore not possible to restore a pure backend backup, if an opsi configuration is not available.
The command opsi-backup restore
needs a parameter, which is the backup archive from which data is to be restored.
Additional help is available for the opsi-backup restore
command, which is output using the --help
option.
opsi-backup restore
accepts the following options:
-
--backends {file,mysql,dhcp,auto,all}
Specifies the backend to restore.This option may be used multiple times to specify multiple backends. The option--backends=all
stands for all backends.
As a default, the option--backends=auto
is used, which means thatopsi-backup
tries to determine which backends to restore from the configuration file/etc/opsi/backendManager/dispatch.conf
.opsi-backup restore --backends=file --backends=mysql opsi_backup.tar.bz2 opsi-backup restore --backends=all opsi_backup.tar.bz2
If you changed your backend configuration since you have created the backup, the default setting will not restore up any data. -
--configuration
Restores the opsi configuration. This option is not the default for therestore
command.opsi-backup restore --configuration opsi_backup.tar.bz2
-
--new-server-id=<new-name>
Changes the name of the Opsi Config server after restoring the backup. If there is a host with the ID <new-name>, it will be removed.opsi-backup restore --new-server-id=test.example.org opsi_backup.tar.bz2
-
-f, --force
Before restoring a backup,opsi-backup
carries out a systemcheck to see whether the current opsi installation matches the installation of the backup (opsi version, OS version, host- and domain name). This option can be used to bypass this check.opsi-backup restore -f opsi_backup.tar.bz2
Example
opsi-backup restore --configuration --backends=all opsi_backup.tar.bz2
If a backup is restored to a server and there is no backup of the depot folder, you can use opsi-package-updater
and opsi-package-manager
to download and install all packages from the repository again.
Any changes made to the depot must then be applied again afterwards.
opsi-package-updater download --force
opsi-package-manager --install /var/lib/opsi/repository/*.opsi
5.6. opsi data storage (backends)
5.6.1. file backend
When using the file backend the configuration information is stored in ini-files on the server.
Main features of the backend file:
-
Current default backend
-
The files of this backend are located in
/var/lib/opsi/config
. -
Is implemented on the assumption that the FQDN of the server on which the backend is used corresponds to the FQDN of the config server.
The content and structure of these files is explained in more detail in the Section 5.7.4, “Files of the file backend” chapter.
5.6.2. mysql backend
mysql backend for inventory data (overview and data structure)
The hardware and software inventory data are by default stored in text files via the opsi file backend. This form of data storage is less suitable for queries and reports. For this, the data can be stored in a SQL database.
Main features of the backend mysql:
-
Optional (not the default backend)
-
For inventory data free of charge, for use with other data you need a paid activation.
-
Finely granulated data structure for data storage and additionally a simplified data model for queries.
-
A history function, which logs changes to the inventory data.
Due to the very different nature of the hardware components to be inventoried, the data structure is roughly structured as follows:
-
A table HOST describes all known clients and provides a unique host_id.
-
There are two tables for each device type:
-
HARDWARE_DEVICE_ …. describes the device e.g. Network card type with PCI-identifier
-
HARDWARE_CONFIG … describes configuration of the specific network card e.g. MAC address. The two tables are linked to each other via the hardware_id field.
-
The situation is similar for the software inventory. Again, the Software table describes the total software found, while the Software_Config table stores the client-specific configuration.
This results in the following list of tables:
HARDWARE_CONFIG_1394_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_CONFIG_AUDIO_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_CONFIG_BASE_BOARD
HARDWARE_CONFIG_BIOS
HARDWARE_CONFIG_CACHE_MEMORY
HARDWARE_CONFIG_COMPUTER_SYSTEM
HARDWARE_CONFIG_DISK_PARTITION
HARDWARE_CONFIG_FLOPPY_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_CONFIG_FLOPPY_DRIVE
HARDWARE_CONFIG_HARDDISK_DRIVE
HARDWARE_CONFIG_IDE_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_CONFIG_KEYBOARD
HARDWARE_CONFIG_MEMORY_BANK
HARDWARE_CONFIG_MEMORY_MODULE
HARDWARE_CONFIG_MONITOR
HARDWARE_CONFIG_NETWORK_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_CONFIG_OPTICAL_DRIVE
HARDWARE_CONFIG_PCI_DEVICE
HARDWARE_CONFIG_PCMCIA_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_CONFIG_POINTING_DEVICE
HARDWARE_CONFIG_PORT_CONNECTOR
HARDWARE_CONFIG_PRINTER
HARDWARE_CONFIG_PROCESSOR
HARDWARE_CONFIG_SCSI_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_CONFIG_SYSTEM_SLOT
HARDWARE_CONFIG_TAPE_DRIVE
HARDWARE_CONFIG_USB_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_CONFIG_VIDEO_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_1394_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_AUDIO_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_BASE_BOARD
HARDWARE_DEVICE_BIOS
HARDWARE_DEVICE_CACHE_MEMORY
HARDWARE_DEVICE_COMPUTER_SYSTEM
HARDWARE_DEVICE_DISK_PARTITION
HARDWARE_DEVICE_FLOPPY_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_FLOPPY_DRIVE
HARDWARE_DEVICE_HARDDISK_DRIVE
HARDWARE_DEVICE_IDE_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_KEYBOARD
HARDWARE_DEVICE_MEMORY_BANK
HARDWARE_DEVICE_MEMORY_MODULE
HARDWARE_DEVICE_MONITOR
HARDWARE_DEVICE_NETWORK_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_OPTICAL_DRIVE
HARDWARE_DEVICE_PCI_DEVICE
HARDWARE_DEVICE_PCMCIA_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_POINTING_DEVICE
HARDWARE_DEVICE_PORT_CONNECTOR
HARDWARE_DEVICE_PRINTER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_PROCESSOR
HARDWARE_DEVICE_SCSI_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_SYSTEM_SLOT
HARDWARE_DEVICE_TAPE_DRIVE
HARDWARE_DEVICE_USB_CONTROLLER
HARDWARE_DEVICE_VIDEO_CONTROLLER
HOST
SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE_CONFIG
The assignment of the column names to individual device classes results from the following list (/etc/opsi/hwaudit/locales/en_US
):
DEVICE_ID.deviceType = Device type
DEVICE_ID.vendorId = Vendor ID
DEVICE_ID.deviceId = Device ID
DEVICE_ID.subsystemVendorId = Subsystem vendor ID
DEVICE_ID.subsystemDeviceId = Subsystem device ID
DEVICE_ID.revision= Revision
BASIC_INFO.name = Name
BASIC_INFO.description = Description
HARDWARE_DEVICE.vendor = Vendor
HARDWARE_DEVICE.model = Model
HARDWARE_DEVICE.serialNumber = Serial number
COMPUTER_SYSTEM = Computer
COMPUTER_SYSTEM.sku = Stock Keeping Unit
COMPUTER_SYSTEM.systemType = Type
COMPUTER_SYSTEM.totalPhysicalMemory = Physical Memory
COMPUTER_SYSTEM.dellexpresscode = Dell Expresscode
CHASSIS = Chassis
CHASSIS.name = Name
CHASSIS.chassisType = Chassis type
CHASSIS.installDate = Installation date
CHASSIS.serialNumber = Serial number
BASE_BOARD = Base board
BASE_BOARD.product = Product
BIOS = BIOS
BIOS.version = Version
SYSTEM_SLOT = System slot
SYSTEM_SLOT.currentUsage = Current usage
SYSTEM_SLOT.status = Status
SYSTEM_SLOT.maxDataWidth = Maximum data width
PORT_CONNECTOR = Port
PORT_CONNECTOR.connectorType = Attributes
PORT_CONNECTOR.internalDesignator = Internal designator
PORT_CONNECTOR.internalConnectorType = Internal type
PORT_CONNECTOR.externalDesignator = External designator
PORT_CONNECTOR.externalConnectorType = External type
PROCESSOR = Processor
PROCESSOR.architecture = Architecture
PROCESSOR.family = Family
PROCESSOR.currentClockSpeed = Current clock speed
PROCESSOR.maxClockSpeed = Maximum clock speed
PROCESSOR.extClock = External clock
PROCESSOR.processorId = Processor-ID
PROCESSOR.addressWidth = Address width
PROCESSOR.socketDesignation = Socket designation
PROCESSOR.voltage = Voltage
PROCESSOR.NumberOfCores = Number Of Cores
PROCESSOR.NumberOfLogicalCores = Number Of Logical Cores
MEMORY_BANK = Memory bank
MEMORY_BANK.location = Location
MEMORY_BANK.maxCapacity = Maximum capacity
MEMORY_BANK.slots = Number of slots
MEMORY_MODULE = Memory module
MEMORY_MODULE.deviceLocator = Device locator
MEMORY_MODULE.capacity = Capacity
MEMORY_MODULE.formFactor = Form factor
MEMORY_MODULE.speed = Speed
MEMORY_MODULE.memoryType = Memory type
MEMORY_MODULE.dataWidth = Data width
MEMORY_MODULE.tag = Tag
CACHE_MEMORY = Cache memory
CACHE_MEMORY.installedSize = Installed size
CACHE_MEMORY.maxSize = Maximum size
CACHE_MEMORY.location = Location
CACHE_MEMORY.level = Level
PCI_DEVICE = PCI device
PCI_DEVICE.busId = Bus id
NETWORK_CONTROLLER = Network adapter
NETWORK_CONTROLLER.adapterType = Adapter type
NETWORK_CONTROLLER.maxSpeed = Maximum speed
NETWORK_CONTROLLER.macAddress = MAC address
NETWORK_CONTROLLER.netConnectionStatus = Net connection status
NETWORK_CONTROLLER.autoSense = auto-sense
NETWORK_CONTROLLER.ipEnabled = IP protocoll enabled
NETWORK_CONTROLLER.ipAddress = IP address
AUDIO_CONTROLLER = Audio controller
HDAUDIO_DEVICE = HD Audio device
HDAUDIO_DEVICE.address = Addresse
IDE_CONTROLLER = IDE controller
SCSI_CONTROLLER = SCSI controller
FLOPPY_CONTROLLER = Floppy controller
USB_CONTROLLER = USB controller
1394_CONTROLLER = 1394 controller
PCMCIA_CONTROLLER = PCMCIA controller
VIDEO_CONTROLLER = Video controller
VIDEO_CONTROLLER.videoProcessor = Video processor
VIDEO_CONTROLLER.adapterRAM = Adapter RAM
DRIVE.size = Size
FLOPPY_DRIVE = Floppy drive
TAPE_DRIVE = Tape drive
HARDDISK_DRIVE = Harddisk drive
HARDDISK_DRIVE.cylinders = Cylinders
HARDDISK_DRIVE.heads = Heads
HARDDISK_DRIVE.sectors = Sectors
HARDDISK_DRIVE.partitions = Partitions
DISK_PARTITION = Partition
DISK_PARTITION.size = Size
DISK_PARTITION.startingOffset = Starting offset
DISK_PARTITION.index = Index
DISK_PARTITION.filesystem = Filesystem
DISK_PARTITION.freeSpace = Free space
DISK_PARTITION.driveLetter = Drive letter
OPTICAL_DRIVE = Optical drive
OPTICAL_DRIVE.driveLetter = Drive letter
USB_DEVICE = USB device
USB_DEVICE.vendorId = Vendor ID
USB_DEVICE.deviceId = Device ID
USB_DEVICE.usbRelease = USB release
USB_DEVICE.maxPower = Maximum power
USB_DEVICE.interfaceClass = Interface class
USB_DEVICE.interfaceSubClass = Interface sub class
USB_DEVICE.interfaceProtocol = Interface protocol
USB_DEVICE.status = Status
MONITOR = Monitor
MONITOR.screenHeight = Screen height
MONITOR.screenWidth = Screen width
KEYBOARD = Keyboard
KEYBOARD.numberOfFunctionKeys = Number of function keys
POINTING_DEVICE = Pointing Device
POINTING_DEVICE.numberOfButtons = Number of buttons
PRINTER = Printer
PRINTER.horizontalResolution = Horizontal resolution
PRINTER.verticalResolution = Vertical resolution
PRINTER.capabilities = Capabilities
PRINTER.paperSizesSupported = Supported paper sizes
PRINTER.driverName = Driver name
PRINTER.port = Port
Examples queries: List of all hard drives:
SELECT
*
FROM HARDWARE_DEVICE_HARDDISK_DRIVE AS d
LEFT OUTER JOIN HARDWARE_CONFIG_HARDDISK_DRIVE AS h
ON
d.hardware_id = h.hardware_id ;
The software inventory uses as primary key the following entries:
-
Name
This is the windowsDisplayName or, if this is not available, the windowsSoftwareId. Both values are obtained from the registry:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall respectively
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\<id> DisplayName -
Version
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\<id> DisplayVersion -
SubVersion
-
Language
-
Architecture (32 Bit / 64 Bit)
In the table Software_config these fields are combined to the field config_id.

mysql backend for configuration data (overview)
The mysql backend for configuration data has been available since opsi 4.0.
This module is currently a co-financed opsi extension. This means it is not free to use.
Further details can be found in Section 9.1, “Activation of non-free modules”.
The {mysql backend} has the advantage of a higher performance, especially with large installations.
Here is an overview of the data structure:

Initializing the MySQL-Backend
If the MySQL server is not yet installed, this must first be done by:
apt-get install mysql-server
Then a password must be set for the MySQL-user root user':
mysqladmin --user=root password linux123
Since MySQL-Server version 5.7 the previously optional strict mode is enabled by default. This causes the opsi-setup --configure-mysql command to fail. Accordingly, the file /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf should be edited before the command is executed.The following line must be inserted in the [mysqld] section:sql_mode = NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION Then the service mysql has to be restarted:` systemctl restart mysql.service`It is now possible to continue. |
The database can now be set up with the command opsi-setup --configure-mysql
.
An example session:


In the input dialog, all entries can be confirmed with Enter except for the password.
Next you have to specify in /etc/opsi/backendManager/dispatch.conf
that the mysql backend should also be used. A detailed description of this configuration can be found in the Backend configuration chapter of the getting-started manual. The file itself contains a number of examples of typical configurations.
A configuration for the mysql backend (without internal dhcpd) looks like this:
backend_.* : mysql, opsipxeconfd
host_.* : mysql, opsipxeconfd
productOnClient_.* : mysql, opsipxeconfd
configState_.* : mysql, opsipxeconfd
.* : mysql
After completing the configuration, you must execute the following commands to use the now configured and converted backend:
opsi-setup --init-current-config
opsi-setup --set-rights
systemctl restart opsiconfd.service
systemctl restart opsipxeconfd.service
The opsiconfd service has no hard dependency on MySQL by default, since opsi can be used without a MySQL-backend, and the service can also run on another server. Please refer to the documentation of your operating system on how to configure this. |
Manual configuration
A manual configuration can be done via the backend configuration file.
By default this is /etc/opsi/backends/mysql.conf
.
Since python-opsi 4.1.1.76 it has been possible to force the creation of new connections after a certain time in order to avoid problems with timeouts. One indication of such timeouts can be the message mysql server has gone away.
You can set a timeout by specifying connectionPoolRecycling after how many seconds a new connection should be created.
The default value is -1
, which means no forced reconnection.
If this value is set, it should generally be lower than the value for connection timeouts configured on the server (wait_timeout).
Configuration of the MySQL database for external access
The existing database must be configured so that external access is possible, i.e. not only connections from localhost are accepted.
Please refer to the manual of your database for the necessary steps.
5.6.3. HostControl backend
The HostControl backend does not store any configuration data, but is used to control the opsi clients. This includes, for example, starting clients via Wake-On-LAN or sending control commands to the opsi-client-agent.
The configuration of the HostControl backend is done in the configuration file /etc/opsi/backends/hostcontrol.conf
. Configuration options are:
-
opsiclientdPort
:
Network port for connecting to an opsi-client-agent. -
hostRpcTimeout
:
Timeout (in seconds) when connecting to an opsi-client-agent. -
resolveHostAddress
:
If this option is set toTrue
, when connecting from opsi-server to an opsi-client, the IP address of the client is firstly determined via name resolution. To give preference to the IP address stored in the opsi backend, the option must be set toFalse
. -
maxConnections
:
Maximum number of simultaneous connections to an opsi-client-agent. -
broadcastAddresses
:
Assignment of network addresses to broadcast addresses in the form: +.{ "<network-address>": { "<broadcast-address>": <port-list> } }
Multiple broadcast addresses can be assigned to a network address. Different ports can be configured for each broadcast address. The suitable broadcast addresses are determined on basis of the IP address of a client as stored in the opsi backend. If the IP address is part of several networks, the most specific entry is used.
Example:
"broadcastAddresses": { "0.0.0.0/0": { "255.255.255.255": [7, 9, 12287] }, "10.10.0.0/16": { "10.10.1.255": [12287], "10.10.2.255": [12287] }, "10.10.3.0/24": { "10.10.3.255": [12287] }, "192.168.1.0/24": { "192.168.1.255": [12287, 9, 12287] } }
5.6.4. HostControlSafe-Backend
A peculiarity of opsi 4.0 methods called without parameters is that it matches all existing objects. For example, the command "host_getObjects" without any parameters returns all host objects. This behavior is somewhat problematic in the HostControl backend. Especially with the two commands: hostControl_shutdown
and hostControl_reboot
. In these cases, calling these methods without parameters would shutdown or restart all clients.
Therefore with opsi release 4.0.3 two changes were introduced:
-
The methods
hostControl_shutdown
andhostControl_reboot
are different from the standard opsi 4.0 behavior since this release. These two methods now return an error message when they are called without any parameters. -
A new backend has been introduced (HostControlSafe-Backend), which results in error message for all methods, if they are called without any correct client parameter. To explicity address all clients with a HostControlSafe-Backend method, you can use the
*
character:opsi-admin -d method hostControlSafe_shutdown *
For the reasons mentioned above, we recommend using hostControlSafe methods on the console or if you are new to using the service methods.
5.6.5. Conversion between different backends
The opsi-convert
command is used to convert the opsi configuration data between different backends. Destination and source can be assigned in different ways:
-
backend name:
By specifying the name, a corresponding backend is specified on the current server. The commandopsi-convert file mysql
converts the data on the current server from the file backend to the mysql backend. -
Service address
By specifying service addresses, a server can can also be addressed remotely. The service address has the formhttps://<username>@<ipadresse>:4447/rpc
. You will be asked for the passwords.
Example:
opsi-convert -s -l /tmp/log https://uib@192.168.2.162:4447/rpc https://opsi@192.168.2.42:4447/rpc
opsi-convert
commandline arguments:
usage: opsi-convert [-h] [--version] [--quiet] [--verbose]
[--log-level {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}] [--clean-destination]
[--with-audit-data] [-s OLD SERVER ID]
[--log-file LOGFILE]
source destination
Convert an opsi database into an other.
positional arguments:
source Backend to read data from.
destination Backend to write data to.
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--version, -V show program's version number and exit
--quiet, -q do not show progress
--verbose, -v increase verbosity (can be used multiple times)
--log-level {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}
Set log-level (0..9)
--clean-destination, -c
clean destination database before writing
--with-audit-data, -a
including software/hardware inventory
-s OLD SERVER ID use destination host as new server
--log-file LOGFILE, -l LOGFILE
Log to this file. The loglevel will be DEBUG.
The backends can either be the name of a backend as defined in
/etc/opsi/backends (file, mysql, ...) or the the url of an opsi configuration
service in the form of http(s)://<user>@<host>:<port>/rpc
5.6.6. Boot files
/tftpboot/linux
contains the boot files that are required in conjunction with the PXE network boot.
5.6.7. Securing the shares with encrypted passwords
The opsi-client-agent accesses the shares made available by the opsi-server in order to be able to install the software on the client.
The system user pcpatch is used for this. Securing these shares and the authentication data of the pcpatch user are important for: * General system security and data integrity * Protection of licensed software packages against misuse
In order to provide the opsi-client-agent access to the authentication data, a specific key (opsi-host-key) is generated for each client when it is created in opsi. This key is stored (in the file backend) in the file /etc/opsi/pckeys
and is transferred to the PC during reinstallation. The transferred key is stored during the installation of the opsi-client-agent in the file c:\program files\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientd\opsiclientd.conf
in such a way that only Administrators have access. Likewise, on the opsi-server only root and members of the opsiadmin group have access to the file /etc/opsi/pckeys
. This way, each PC has a key that is only known to the PC and the opsi-server and which is protected against access by normal users. With this key the current password of the system user pcpatch is encrypted on the opsi-server and stored in the backend. This encrypted password is read by the client each time the opsi-client-agent is activated, so that the pcpatch password can be changed at any time and the client is notified of the changed password in an encrypted way.
5.7. Important files on the opsi server
5.7.1. Common configuration files in /etc
/etc/hosts
The IP number and IP name of the clients can be entered here (additional names are aliases, and comments start with the "#" character).
Opsi needs the fully qualified hostname (i.e. including the domain) and this can come from /etc/hosts
as well from the DNS.
Example:
192.168.2.106 dplaptop.uib.local dplaptop # this opsi-server
192.168.2.153 schleppi.uib.local
192.168.2.178 test_pc1.uib.local # Test-PC PXE-bootprom
The output of:
getent hosts $(hostname -f)
should be similar to:
192.168.1.1 server.domain.tld server
If the result does not look like this (e.g. contains 127.0.0.1 or localhost), you must first correct your /etc/hosts
or name resolution.
/etc/group
Two groups must exist here: pcpatch and opsiadmin. All users who are dealing with package management should be member of the group pcpatch. All users who want to use the opsiconfd web service, e.g. via opsi-configed, must be in the opsiadmin group.
/etc/opsi/backends/
Configuration files for the used backends.
/etc/opsi/backendManager/
-
acl.conf
Configuration of the access rights to the opsi methods. This allows access rights for the basic methods of the web service to be restricted to certain users and certain attributes. -
dispatch.conf
Configuration of which of the backends configured under/etc/opsi/backends/
should be used for what. -
extend.d/
Directory for backend extensions. So here are for example the scripts that map the opsi 3 methods to the opsi 4 methods.
/etc/opsi/hwaudit/*
Since opsi version 3.2
Here you will find the configuration files for the hardware inventory.
Translations are located in the locales
directory.
The mapping between WMI classes (for Windows) or shell programs (for Linux) and the opsi data storage is configured in the file opsihwaudit.conf
.
/etc/opsi/opsi.conf
Since opsi version 4.0.2-2
General opsi settings.
Example:
[groups]
fileadmingroup = pcpatch
Background:
The classic installation variant with the user: pcpatch
with the primary group: pcpatch
does not work with Samba 4. Since Samba 4 is subject to the basic restrictions of Active Directory, groups with the same name as users (as is usual in Unix/Linux) are no longer allowed. For this reason, a new configuration file has been introduced: /etc/opsi/opsi.conf
, which controls how the group is determined for Samba access to the shares. In the case of Samba 4 installations, the group name pcpatch
is now renamed via this file and is now called opsifileadmins
. This means that the users which must have access rights to the shares of opsi (opsi-packagers) under Samba 4 cannot become a member of the pcpatch
group, but must be a member of the opsifileadmins
group.
/etc/opsi/modules
Since opsi version 3.4
This file is signed by uib gmbh for the activation of non-free features. If this file is changed, it loses its validity. Without this file, only the free features are available.
Directory /etc/opsi/modules.d/
Since opsi version 4.1
Directory reserved for future usage.
Directory /etc/opsi/modules.d/
Since opsi 4.1.
Directory for future use.
/etc/opsi/opsiconfd.conf
Since opsi version 3.0
Configuration file for the opsiconfd service in which settings such as ports, interfaces and logging are specified.
/etc/opsi/opsiconfd.pem
Since opsi version 3.0
Configuration file for the opsiconfd service in which the ssl certificate is stored.
/etc/opsi/opsipxeconfd.conf
Configuration file for the opsipxeconfd service, which is responsible for writing the startup files for the Linux bootimage. Directories, defaults and log levels can be configured here.
/etc/opsi/opsi-package-updater.conf
Configuration file for the opsi-package-updater. See also Section 5.3.3, “Tool: opsi-package-updater”
5.7.2. Boot files
Boot files in /tftpboot/linux
-
pxelinux.0
Boot file that is loaded in the first step by the PXE boot. -
install
andminiroot.gz
Installation bootimage, which is transferred via tftp to the client during reinstallation.
Boot files in /tftpboot/linux/pxelinux.cfg
-
01-<mac adress>
or<IP-address-in-hex>
Files with the hardware address of the client and the prefix 01- can be found on the opsi-server as client-specific boot files. Usually they are created via opsipxeconfd as named pipes and should initiate a reinstallation of the client. -
default
The filedefault
is loaded if there are no client-specific files. If this file is loaded, the client then continues to a local boot. -
install
Information for the boot of the installation bootimage, which is written from opsipxeconfd into the named pipe.
5.7.3. Files in /var/lib/opsi
/var/lib/opsi/depot
This directory is exported (read-only) as the Samba share opsi_depot.
In old opsi installations this directory was /opt/pcbin/install
. If this directory still exists, a symlink references it to /var/lib/opsi/depot
.
/var/lib/opsi/ntfs-images
This is the default directory where the partition images are stored, that are used with the netboot product opsi-clonezilla.
/var/lib/opsi/repository
This is the place where opsi-product-packages are saved, which are loaded by the calls of the opsi-package-updater
to the server.
This is also the place where opsi-product-packages are saved, which are installed by the calls of the opsi-package-manager
if it is called with the option -d
.
/var/lib/opsi/workbench
This is the location used to create your own packages.
Other directories
The remaining directories in /var/lib/opsi
(config
and audit
) are directories of the file backend, which is described in the following chapter.
5.7.4. Files of the file backend
/etc/opsi/pckeys
The client-specific opsi-host-keys and also the server key are stored here.
Example:
schleppi.uib.local:fdc2493ace4b372fd39dbba3fcd62182
laptop.uib.local:c397c280fc2d3db81d39b4a4329b5f65
pcbon13.uib.local:61149ef590469f765a1be6cfbacbf491
/etc/opsi/passwd
The passwords encrypted with the server key (e.g. for pcpatch) are stored here.
Overview of /var/lib/opsi
The files of the file backend of opsi 4 can by default be found in /var/lib/opsi/config/
. The following diagram gives an overview of the directory structure:
/var/lib/opsi-|
|-depot opsi_depot share
|-repository opsi package repository used by opsi-package-updater and opsi-package-manager
|-audit inventory files
!-config/-| config share
|-clientgroups.ini client groups
|-config.ini Host Parameters (Global Defaults)
|-clients/ <pcname.ini> files
|-products/ product control files
!-depots depot description files
+audit/
global.<Type> (generic hard-, and software information)
<FQDN>.<Type> (host specific hard-, and software information)
clientgroups.ini (contains the hostgroups)
+clients/
<FQDN>.ini (client configuration information)
config.ini (contains the host specific host parameters)
+depots/
<FQDN>.ini (Information of the depots)
+products/
<ID>_<ProdVer>-<PackVer>.<Type> (Information about the products)
+templates/
pcproto.ini (template for new clients)
<FQDN>.ini (template for specific new clients)
Editing these files is strongly discouraged! |
Configuration files in detail
The following chapters explain the structure of the different configuration files of the file backend.
./clientgroups.ini
This file contains information about the client groups.
[<GroupId>]
<HostId> = 1 #active
<HostId> = 0 #non-active
./config.ini
Here you will find the default values of the server configuration as shown in opsi-configed in the host parameters tab.
./clients/<FQDN>.ini
The client-specific configurations are stored in this file. The information is combined with the values from <depot-id>.ini
, whereby the settings from <FQDN>.ini
take precedence.
These files are structured as follows:
The info section contains all information directly related to the client, for example the description:
[info]
description = <String>
created = <Date> #format: 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS'
lastseen = <Date> #format: 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS'
inventorynumber = <String>
notes = <String>
hardwareaddress = <MAC> #format: 'hh:hh:hh:hh:hh:hh'
ipaddress = <IP> #format: 'nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn'
onetimepassword = <String>
The following section stores the current status of the products on the client. If there are no entries, not_installed: none is assumed.
[<Type>_product_states] #'LocalbootProduct', or 'NetbootProduct'
<ProductId> = <InstallationStatus>:<ActionRequest>
More detailed information can be found in the sections belonging to the respective products:
[<ProductId>-state]
producttype = <Type> #'LocalbootProduct', or 'NetbootProduct'
actionprogress = <String>
productversion = <ProdVer>
packageversion = <PackVer>
modificationtime = <Date> #format: 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS'
lastaction = <ActionRequest>
actionresult = <ActionResult>
targetconfiguration = <InstallationStatus>
/var/lib/opsi/config/templates
This is the location of the file pcproto.ini
, which is the standard template for creating new client ini-files and has the same structure. If specific clients should be given different information, you can save a <FQDN>.ini
in this directory.
/var/lib/opsi/config/depots/
Here you will find the files of the opsi-depot-server, which are also saved with <depot-id>.ini
. Among other things, the connection to the depot is stored here.
[depotshare]
remoteurl = smb://<NetBiosName>/<Path>
localurl = file://<Path>
[depotserver]
notes = <String>
network = <IP>
description = <String>
hardwareaddress = <MAC>
ipaddress = <IP>
inventorynumber = <String>
[repository]
remoteurl = webdavs://<FQDN>:<Port>/<Path>
localurl = file://<Path>
maxbandwidth = <Integer> #in Bytes
Here you will also find information on which opsi products, in which version, and with which property defaults are installed on the depot.
Product control files in /var/lib/opsi/config/products/
The product control files contain the metadata of the products, e.g. name, properties and their default values, dependencies …
The control files correspond to the control files that are created when creating opsi products in the directory <product name>/OPSI/control
.
The control files consist of the following sections:
-
Section [Package]
Description of the package version and packages required for the installation of the package on an opsi-depot-server. -
Section [Product]
Description of the product. -
Section(s) [ProductProperty]
(optional)
Description of editable product properties. -
Section(s) [ProductDependency]
(optional)
Description of product dependencies.
Example:
[Package]
version: 1
depends:
[Product]
type: localboot
id: thunderbird
name: Mozilla Thunderbird
description: Mail client by Mozilla.org
advice:
version: 2.0.0.4
priority: 0
licenseRequired: False
productClasses: Mailclient
setupScript: thunderbird.ins
uninstallScript:
updateScript:
alwaysScript:
onceScript:
[ProductProperty]
name: enigmail
description: Install encryption plug-in for GnuPG
values: on, off
default: off
[ProductDependency]
action: setup
requiredProduct: mshotfix
requiredStatus: installed
requirementType: before
-
[Package]-Version
is for different package versions from the same product version. This helps to, for instance, distinguish packages with the same product version but with a different opsi-script script. -
[Package]-depends
Specifies a package required for installation on an opsi-depot-server. Specific versions can be configured by specifying the version in parenthesis after the package name. One of the following operators must precede the version within the parenthesis:=
,<
,<=
,>
,>=
. -
[Package]-Incremental
This is an obsolete, setting that has no effect, which has not been set in new packages since opsi 4.1. You can remove this entry. -
[Product]-type
Specifies the product type as localboot or netboot. -
[Product]-Id
Is a unique identifier for the product, independent of the version. -
[Product]-name
Is the full name of the product. -
[Product]-Description
Is an additional description of the product, which is for example shown in opsi-configed under Description. -
[Product]-Advice
is an additional description, for the handling of the product (usually), which is shown in opsi-configed under Note. -
[Product]-version
Is the version of the packaged software. -
[Product]-Priority
Influences the installation sequence, in combination with the product dependencies. -
[Product]-productClasses
Is not currently used (nor is it displayed). -
[ProductProperty]-type
Type of the property: (unicode/boolean) -
[ProductProperty]-name:
Name of the property. -
[ProductProperty]- multivalue
Can this property contain a list of values. (True/False) -
[ProductProperty]- editable
Can this property be freely edited (or can only a value from a predefined list be selected). (True / False) -
[ProductProperty]-description:
Description of the property (tooltip in opsi-configed). -
[ProductProperty]-values :
List of possible, allowed values. If empty, the value is freely editable. -
[ProductProperty]-default :
Default value of the property. -
[ProductDependency]-Action :
For which action of the product you are currently creating, should the dependency apply (setup, uninstall …). -
[ProductDependency]-Requiredproduct:
Product-id (identifier) of the product to which a dependency exists. -
[ProductDependency]-Required action:
You can either request an action or (see below) a status. Actions could be: setup, uninstall, update … -
[ProductDependency]-Required installation status:
The required status of the product, which the dependency entry refers to. Typically this is installed, which results in setting this dependency product to setup, if it is not installed on the client yet. -
[ProductDependency]-Requirement type:
Installation order. If the product to which a dependency exists must be installed before the current product can be installed, then this is set to before. If it has to be installed after the current product, this is set to after. If the order is irrelevant, nothing has to be entered here.
Inventory data /var/lib/opsi/audit
This is the location of the inventory data for hardware (*.hw) and software (*.sw).
5.7.5. opsi programs and libraries
Programs in /usr/bin
-
opsipxeconfd
Opsi daemon, which manages the files in the tftp area of the server that are necessary for the PXE boot of the clients. -
opsi-admin
Command line interface to the opsi python library. -
opsiconfd
Opsi daemon that provides the opsi methods as a webservice and much more. -
opsiconfd-guard
Opsi daemon that monitors whether the opsiconfd is running and restarts it if necessary. -
opsi-configed
Command to start the opsi management interface. -
opsi-convert
Script for converting between different backends. -
opsi-makepackage
Script for packing the opsi-package (opsi-product) -
opsi-newprod
Script for creating a new product. -
opsi-package-manager
Script to install and uninstall opsi packages on an opsi server. -
opsi-setup
Program for various basic settings.
5.7.6. opsi log files
The opsi log files have the following format:
[Loglevel] Timestamp Message
The log levels are:
0 = nothing (absolute nothing)
1 = essential ("we always need to know")
2 = critical (unexpected errors that may cause a program abort)
3 = error (Errors that will not abort the running program)
4 = warning (you should have a look at this)
5 = notice (Important statements to the program flow)
6 = info (Additional Infos)
7 = debug (important debug messages)
8 = debug2 (a lot more debug information and data)
9 = confidential (passwords and other security relevant data)
/var/log/opsi/bootimage
Here you can find the log files of the bootimage from the clients. These files are created as <fqdn>.log
.
If the bootimage can not connect to the web service, the log file can be found on the client under /tmp/log
. In such a case, there are two ways to get the log file from the client:
-
You have a network connection to the client
Then you can useSCP
to get the file from/tmp/log
. For Windows you can use for exampleWinSCP
. -
You have no network connection to the client
Then a USB stick can help:-
Log in as root with password linux123
-
Insert the USB stick and wait a few seconds
-
Check with
sfdisk -l
which device the stick is -
mount
-
copy
-
unmount
-
An example session:
#sfdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 30401 cylinders, 255 heads, 63 sectors/track
Units = cylinders of 8225280 bytes, blocks of 1024 bytes, counting from 0
Device Boot Start End #cyls #blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 0+ 30401- 30402- 244197528+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
/dev/sda3 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
/dev/sda4 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
Disk /dev/sdb: 1017 cylinders, 33 heads, 61 sectors/track
Units = cylinders of 1030656 bytes, blocks of 1024 bytes, counting from 0
Device Boot Start End #cyls #blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 0+ 1016 1017- 1023580 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sdb2 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
/dev/sdb3 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
/dev/sdb4 0 - 0 0 0 Empty
# mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt
# cp /tmp/log /mnt
#umount /mnt
/var/log/opsi/clientconnect
This is the location of the log files of the opsi-client-agent running on the clients.
This is C:\opsi.org\log\opsiclientd.log
on the client.
/var/log/opsi/instlog
This is the location of log files of the opsi-script scripts executed on the clients.
The originals are on the client at C:\opsi.org\log\opsiscript.log
/var/log/opsi/opsiconfd
This is the location of log files of opsiconfd itself as well as log files of the clients.
The files are created as <IP address>.log
and if configured in /etc/opsi/opsiconfd.conf
, symbolic links for these are created as <fqdn>.log
.
/var/log/opsi/opsipxeconfd.log
Log file the opsipxeconfd
which manages the files in the tftp area of the server that are necessary for the PXE boot of the clients.
/var/log/opsi/package.log
Log file of opsi-package-manager
.
/var/log/opsi/opsi-package-updater.log
Log file of opsi-package-updater
.
tftp log in /var/log/syslog
The log entries of tftpd can be found in /var/log/syslog
.
c:\opsi.org\log\opsi_loginblocker.log
Log file of opsi-login-blocker
c:\opsi.org\log\opsiclientd.log
Log file of opsiclientd.
This file is copied to the server at /var/log/opsi/clientconnect/<fqdn>.log
when finished.
c:\opsi.org\log\opsi-script.log
Log file of opsi-script.
This file is copied to the server at /var/log/opsi/instlog/<fqdn.log>
when finished.
5.8. Upgrade instructions for opsi-server
As of opsi 4.0, you will find these in the version-specific release notes manuals.
5.9. Special notes on UCS 4.X systems
UCS 4.X requires a DHCP policy to enable a PXE boot from a UCS system.
This policy must be made in the domain policy settings for DHCP boot.
For the bootserver option, you enter the server on which the boot file is located. The boot file name is pxelinux.0. Since this file is located directly in the directory /tftpboot/
, the entry will look like this: linux/pxelinux.0
5.10. Scheduling installations
5.10.1. opsi-wakeup-clients, opsi-auto-update and working_window
With the opsi product opsi-auto-update
devices can be updated easily and safely without having to set the update for each individual device.
The product opsi-auto-update
is described here: Section 8.1.1.19, “opsi-auto-update”.
With the help of cron jobs on the opsi-config-server, the execution of opsi products can be timed and thus e.g. postponed until night.
The prerequisite for this is that the clients can be woken up via wake-on-lan
(WOL) or started on a certain time via BIOS.
In order to make the control via cron job as simple and effective as possible, opsi have a builtin-command opsi-wakeup-clients
(based on wake_clients_for_setup.py from opsi 4.1).
The parameters of wake_clients_for_setup.py have also been taken over in opsi-wakeup-clients to enable a seemless migration . The only parameter that has changed is --depot-id instead of --depotId .
|
This command has the following tasks:
-
For a specific group of clients
-
a certain group of products is set to
setup
-
The selected clients are then woken up via
wake-on-lan
-
If the clients were only
sleeping
and were not booted, the clients can still be sent the signal to execute a certain event.
The selected clients can be specified either:
-
by specifying a host group, which can for example be created with opsi-configed (see: Section 4.7, “Client selection and hierarchical groups using the tree view”)
--host-group-id HOSTGROUPID
-
by specifying an opsi-depot (all clients of the depot are treated)
--depot-Id DEPOTID
-
by specifying a file in which the clients are listed
--host-file INPUTFILE
The specification of the selected products which are set to setup
is done by specifying a productgroup, which can for example be created with opsi-configed (see: Section 9.17.3.1, “Managing product-groups”)
--product-group-id PRODUCTGROUPID
The event to be triggered is specified via the parameter --event EVENTNAME
The names of groups in opsi must be unique. Regardless of whether it is a hostgroup from the Directory or Groups , or a productgroup: A group name may only appear once.
|
Here is an overview of the parameters of opsi-wakeup-clients
:
# opsi-wakeup-clients --help
usage: opsi-wakeup-clients [-h] [--version] [--verbose] [--log-file LOGFILE]
[--log-level {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}]
[--wol-timeout WOLTIMEOUT]
[--ping-timeout PINGTIMEOUT]
[--connect-timeout CONNECTTIMEOUT]
[--event-timeout EVENTTIMEOUT]
[--reboot-timeout REBOOTTIMEOUT]
[--host-group-id HOSTGROUPID] [--depot-id DEPOTID]
[--host-file INPUTFILE]
[--product-group-id PRODUCTGROUPID]
[--event EVENTNAME] [--reboot] [--no-auto-update]
[--max-concurrent MAXCONCURRENT]
Wakeup clients for software installation.
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--version, -V show program's version number and exit
--host-group-id HOSTGROUPID, -H HOSTGROUPID
Group in which clients have to be to be waked up.
(default: None)
--depot-id DEPOTID, -D DEPOTID
DepotId in which clients have to be registered to be
waked up. (default: None)
--host-file INPUTFILE, -F INPUTFILE
Filename with clients per line have to be waked up.
(default: None)
--product-group-id PRODUCTGROUPID, -P PRODUCTGROUPID
ID of the product group to set to setup on a client
(default: None)
--event EVENTNAME, -E EVENTNAME
Event to be triggered on the clients (default: None)
--reboot, -X Triggering reboot on the clients (default: False)
--no-auto-update, -N Do not use opsi-auto-update product. (default: False)
--max-concurrent MAXCONCURRENT
Maximum number of concurrent client deployments.
(default: 0)
Logging:
--verbose, -v increase verbosity on console (can be used multiple
times) (default: 4)
--log-file LOGFILE Set log file path (default: None)
--log-level {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}, -l {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}
Set the desired loglevel for the logfile. (default: 0)
Timeouts:
--wol-timeout WOLTIMEOUT
Time to wait until opsiclientd should be reachable.
(default: 300)
--ping-timeout PINGTIMEOUT
Time to wait until client should be pingable. 0 = skip
ping test. (default: 300)
--connect-timeout CONNECTTIMEOUT
Timeout for connecting to opsiclientd. (default: 15)
--event-timeout EVENTTIMEOUT
Time to wait until opsiclientd should be processing.
(default: 300)
--reboot-timeout REBOOTTIMEOUT
Time to wait before opsiclientd will be reboot the
client. (default: 60)
Execution would for example be the following:
opsi-wakeup-clients --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-cron-group-0
The clients of the host group nightly-cron-group-0
are selected and the products of the product group nightly-cron-products
are set to setup
. Then the selected clients are woken up using wake-on-lan
, and after a short period the command is sent to them to execute the event gui_startup
.
To execute this daily at a certain time, this command must be entered in the crontab
of the server.
For example, the command crontab -e
can be used (as root).
In the crontab there is a time specified before the command. This consists of 5 parts, of which only the first two interest us: minute, hour.
A crontab in which different client groups are called up during the night is shown in the following example:
# For more information see the manual pages of crontab(5) and cron(8)
#
# m h dom mon dow command
# cronjobs to wake up and update the PCs
5 0 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-cron-group-0 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
30 0 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-jpr-group-030 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
59 0 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-cron-group-1 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
30 1 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-jpr-group-130 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
5 2 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-cron-group-2 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
30 2 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-jpr-group-230 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
5 3 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-cron-group-3 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
30 3 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-jpr-group-330 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
5 4 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-cron-group-4 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
30 4 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-jpr-group-430 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
5 5 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-jpr-group-500 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
35 5 * * * /usr/bin/opsi-wakeup-clients --log-level=5 --event=gui_startup --product-group-id=nightly-cron-products --host-group-id=nightly-jpr-group-530 --wol-timeout=120 --event-timeout=120
It is possible to prevent installations from accidentally happening outside the planned maintenance window. In a school, for example, when a student turns on a computer during the day, it should be immediately available and therefore no installations are to be carried out, even if action requests are set. A working_window
can be set in the configuration of the opsiclientd for certain events (usually gui_startup
).
How this working_window
is configured is described here: Section 6.1.3.8, “Working Window”
6. opsi-client
6.1. opsi-client-agent
6.1.1. Overview
In order that the distribution of software does not become unmanageable, a client has to notice that new software packages or updates are available and install them. Any form of user interaction is to be avoided during the installation, so that this can take place unattended and the necessary installations are not interrupted by uncertain users.
With opsi, these requirements are met by an agent on the client:
The so-called opsi-client-agent is installed on the client. This usually checks at the start of the client and before the user logs in, based on configuration information on the opsi-config-server, whether an update should be installed for this client.
If software is to be installed, the script-controlled installation program opsi-script is started. The necessary scripts and software packages are available on a file share, the so-called opsi-depot. During this time, there is no need and no possibility for the user to intervene in the installation process.
To prevent a user from logging on to the system before completing the installation and thus disrupting the installation process, the so-called opsi-login-blocker is also installed, which only allows logon after the installation has been completed.
In order for software packages to be installed without interaction with the program opsi-script, they have to be prepared for this. See the chapter Integrating new software packages in the software distribution of opsi in the opsi-getting-started manual.
6.1.2. Directories of the opsi-client-agent
The opsi-client-agent is installed in %ProgramFiles%\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent
.
This directory contains all components of the opsi-client-agent such as opsiclientd, opsi notifier, opsi-script and some libraries. The configuration files and graphical templates of the mentioned programs can also be found here.
The directory %ProgramFiles%\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent
is protected against changes by users without administrative privileges.
The directory %ProgramFiles%\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientd
contains the configuration file of opsiclientd and can only be accessed with administrative rights.
Furthermore there exists the directory c:\opsi.org
.
In this directory a number of variable data are stored, like log files (subdirectory log
), packet cache (WAN extension), certificates and some more.
The directory c:\opsi.org
can be read only with administrator rights.
6.1.3. The service: opsiclientd
opsiclientd is the basis of the opsi-client-agent. It runs as a service with administrative rights and is started automatically at boot.
The main functions are:
-
Event-based control: There can be reacted to different events on the system. An event is, for example, the start of the operating system.
-
Control via web service: The web service of opsiclientd can be accessed via the network. This interface is used to initiate installations (push) but also for maintenance purposes.
-
Remote configuration: All essential configuration data of opsiclientd can be edited globally or client-specifically via the host parameter.
The opsi-client-agent consists of several components:
-
opsiclientd: The central service of the opsi-client-agent.
-
opsi notifier: Window for information / communication with the user
-
opsi-login-blocker: Blocks the login until the installations are completed.
Installation
As part of a new installation of an operating system via unattended setup with opsi, the opsi-client-agent is automatically installed.
To uninstall the opsi-client-agent, the action request can be set to uninstall.
For installation afterwards or for repair purposes, see chapter Section 6.1.6, “Subsequent installation of the opsi-client-agents”.
opsiclientd
Core component of the opsi-client-agent is the service opsiclientd. This service starts on boot.
It performs the following tasks:
-
while the system is booting and the opsiclientd is waiting for the GUI to come up, the block_login_notifier is started and shows a padlock at the right upper corner of the screen.
-
Getting in action if the configuration event takes place. In case of action the opsiclientd contacts the opsi server via web service (JSON-RPC) and asks for the configuration data and required actions.
The default event is gui_startup which will fire at boot time before user login. -
Creates a named pipe which is used by the opsi-login-blocker to ask via JSON-RPC the opsiclientd when to unblock the login.
-
Starting the opsi notifier for information and interaction with the user.
-
If needed, it connects to the opsi-depot to update the local installation of opsi-script and then starts it to process the action requests (software installation).
opsi notifier
The opsi notifier implements the interaction with the user. It displays status messages and may give the possibility to interact with the process.
There are different situations where the opsi notifier will become active in different ways:
- blocking notifier
-
Indicates that the opsi-login-blocker is blocking

- event notifier
-
Shows information about the current event.

- action notifier
-
Shows state of the event processing

- shutdown notifier
-
Gives information about a requested reboot / shutdown (if
shutdown_warning_time
> 0)

opsi-login-blocker
The opsi-login-blocker is implemented as a credential provider filter (OpsiLoginBlocker.dll). This credential provider filter blocks all credential providers until the opsiclientd reports, that all product actions are finished or, if the opsiclientd is not reachable, until the connection timeout to the opsiclientd is reached (normally 120 seconds).
Processing sequence
How the opsiclientd works may be configured in many details. To understand these configuration options, it is necessary to understand the processing sequence. Here comes an overview of the work flow of a standard event like the event_gui_startup.

The most important parameters have the following relations:
If there is an error while connecting to the opsi-config-server, the log of this problem cannot be sent to the server. But you may find the log in the local log file opsiclientd.log in the log directory (c:\opsi.org\log\opsiclientd.log ) at the client.
|
-
If an event fires, the
event_notifier_command
will be started.
Now the opsiclientd tries to reach the opsi-config-server using the url address.
If afteruser_cancelable_after
seconds there is still no connection established, so the opsi notifier will enable an Abort button. If no connection could be established inconnection_timeout
seconds, the opsiclientd connection process will be aborted and the event ends with an error message. To avoid a user from aborting, setuser_cancelable_after
=connection_timeout
. -
After a successful connection to the opsi-config-server, the opsiclientd checks if there are action requests for this client. If there are action requests and the
action_warning_time
> 0, theaction_notifier_command
will be executed.
This is normally the opsi notifier, which shows now the list of action requests for this client foraction_warning_time
seconds.
Is theaction_warning_time
= 0 (default) theaction_notifier_command
will not be executed.
You may allow the user to suspend the process at this time by settingaction_user_cancelable
>= 0. The user may suspend the actions up toaction_user_cancelable
times. Afteraction_user_cancelable
aborts in sequence or ifaction_user_cancelable
= 0 the user gets no possibility to suspend the actions.
In every case there will be a button which allows the user to start the installations immediately without waiting for the count down ofaction_warning_time
seconds. The messages displayed by the opsi notifier may be configured with the optionsaction_message
oraction_message[lang]
. This messages may contain the placeholders%action_user_cancelable%
(total number of allowed suspensions) and%action_cancel_counter%
(number of suspensions already used by the user).
If the actions are not suspended by the user, theaction_cancel_counter
will reset and the opsi-script will be executed to process the action requests. -
If the opsi-script terminates with a reboot or shutdown request, the
shutdown_notifier_command
will be executed ifshutdown_warning_time
> 0.
The now startingshutdown_notifier_command
shows forshutdown_warning_time
seconds a message saying that the client will be rebooted. Ifshutdown_user_cancelable
> 0 the user may suspend the reboot up toshutdown_user_cancelable
times in sequence. If the user suspends the reboot, theshutdown_notifier_command
will be restarted aftershutdown_warning_repetition_time
. Theshutdown_notifier_command
shows a message which may be configured byshutdown_warning_message
orshutdown_warning_message[lang]
. This message may contain the placeholders%shutdown_user_cancelable%
(maximum number of allowed suspensions) and%shutdown_cancel_counter%
number of suspensions already done by the user).
If the client is rebooted (by the user or the opsi-client-agent) the%shutdown_cancel_counter%
will be reset.
The sequence of event processing and user actions is visualized as a timeline graphic at the info page of the opsiclientd. |
Configuration
The following chapters show how to configure the opsi-client-agent.
Configuration of different events
To meet the requirements of the various different situations in which the opsi-client-agent will become active, a slightly complex configuration is needed. To reduce the complexity, the configuration file uses something like inheritance.
In the opsiclientd configuration section headers like [event_<config-id>]
introduce a new event configuration section. An event configuration may be disabled by setting the section option active = false
.
There are different types of event configurations (type
).
-
There are event configuration templates (type = template).
Event configurations may inherit configurations from another event. In this case the optionsuper
points to the other event to inherit all parameters from (excluding the parameteractive
). These inherited parameters may be overridden by local parameters in the current event section. So an event section needs only those parameters which are different from thesuper
event.
Setting an event toactive = false
does not change anything in the inheritance process. -
The other event types are:
-
gui startup
Agui startup
event starts while booting the client and loading the graphical user interface (GUI). It is the most used event and set to active in the default configuration. -
custom
Event configurations of the typecustom
are fired by awql
event. Awql
event is defined by the correspondingwql
statement in the event configuration. If thewql
statement is empty, the event will never be fired, but can be executed from the interactive web interface. -
user login
will be fired at the login of a user -
timer
will be fired allinterval
seconds -
sync completed
will be fired if the synchronization of configurations (sync_config_from_server
) or products (cache_products
) is completed. -
sw on demand
will be fired by the user choosing Start actions now in the software-on-demand web page of the opsiclientd. It will never be fired if software-on-Demand is not used.
-
-
There are Preconditions
Preconditions define special system states (e.g. a user is logged on). In the opsiclientd configuration a section header of the form[precondition_<precondition-id>]
starts the declaration of a Precondition. A Precondition is true, if all declared options are true. An option not declared (but possible) is assumed as true.
Possible options for Preconditions are:-
user_logged_in
: is true if currently a user is logged on. -
config_cached
: is true if the caching of configuration data is completed (see:sync_config_from_server
). -
products_cached
: is true if the caching of product files is completed (see:cache_products
).
-
-
A Precondition can be assigned to an event configuration.
This can be done by giving the precondition in curly brackets at the end of the event configuration section hedaer (e.g.[event_on_demand{user_logged_in}]
).
If there is a Precondition in an event configuration header, there also must be a configuration for this event without any precondition. Is there for example an event configurationevent_on_demand{user_logged_in}
, there also has to be an event configurationevent_on_demand
! The event configuration with the precondition inherits all the parameters from the event configuration without precondition.
If the event is fired, first it will be checked which preconditions are true. If there is no precondition true, the configuration without precondition is used. Is one precondition true, the configuration is used, which is bound to this precondition. If more than one of the preconditions are true, the most specific event configuration is used (which is the configuration with the most matching options).
A small example for a better understanding:
While installing software it may be necessary to reboot the computer. Is there currently a user logged on, you should warn about the pending reboot. This warning should have a timeout and it may make sense to ask the user, if the reboot should be canceled (at the moment).
Is there no user logged on, it makes no sense to ask and wait for an answer. So in this case the reboot should take place immediately.
To handle these different situations, we configure the event_on_demand
in the following way:
-
We define a Precondition
user_logged_in
which comes true if a user is logged on to the system (user_logged_in = true
). -
In the default configuration for the event
event_on_demand
(without any Precondition) we setshutdown_warning_time = 0
(immediate reboot without warning). -
At the configuration
event_on_demand{user_logged_in}
we setshutdown_warning_time = 300
(warning with 300 seconds timeout).
Working Window
To limit the functionality of an event to a certain time frame a so called working_window can be configured for all events.
To enable the working_window feature the key working_window has to be added to the configuration of the event. If this key is not present, has no value, or an invalid value it is treated as empty and the event has no time limit.
Starttime and endtime must be entered in the format hh:mm and separated by a hyphen. Whitespaces between starttime and endtime are not allowed! |
All events support the working_window feature.
Configuration is done by adding the host parameter working_window to the event of your choice.
This can be achived by using the opsi-configed, or via opsi-admin on the opsi-config-server.
The following example shows how to configure a working_window for the event gui_startup using opsi-admin
See Section 6.1.3.13, “Configuration via web service (Host Parameter)” for how to add host parameter using opsi-configed.
Example 1: Adding an empty working_window for the event event_gui_startup globally. The time restriction has to be configured client specific (see example 3).
opsi-admin -d method config_createUnicode opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.working_window
Example 2: Adding a working_window with a timeframe between 20:00 and 07:00 for the event event_gui_startup globally.
opsi-admin -d method config_createUnicode opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.working_window "gui_startup.working_window" "20:00-07:00"
Example 3: Client specific configuration of the working_window using a timeframe from 07:00 to 19:00 for the event event_gui_startup.
opsi-admin -d method configState_create opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.working_window "client.domain.de" "07:00-19:00"
If the starttime is higher than the endtime the working_window will be valid over the nightly day change (23:59-0:00).
Example during the day (starttime < endtime): working_window=07:00-19:00
Example during the night (starttime > endtime): working_window=20:00-07:00
For the example "working_window=20:00-07:00" the opsiclientd log would look like this:
[5] [<timestamp>] [ event processing gui_startup] Current time 01:02:13.993000 is within the configured working window (20:00-07:00)
Configuration of ip version
The opsiclientd supports the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols when connecting to the opsi service. Normally the protocol is selected automatically when the connection is established. But there is also the possibility to configure the protocol version to be used. For this the option "ip_version" can be used in the section "global" of the opsiclientd.conf. Possible values are "4" (use IPv4), "6" (use IPv6) and "auto" (select protocol automatically, default value).
Proxy-Configuration
In the section "global" of the opsiclientd.conf there is the possibility to configure a proxy server. If a proxy is configured, all HTTP and HTTPS connections from opsiclientd will be redirected through this proxy.
# Use a proxy for connecting configservice
# proxy_mode:
# 'system' will try to check the system setting,
# 'static' to use proxyurl from configfile/hostparameter
# proxy_url usage: http://<user>:<password>@<proxy-url>:<proxy-port>
# Example: http://proxyuser:proxypass123@proxy.domain.local:8080
proxy_mode = static
proxy_url =
This proxy settings allows also to use a proxyserver, that require authentication. In that case you must define the credentials as shown in the configuration snippet.
The option proxy_mode is reserved for the value system to use on the system proxy settings. This feature is not implemented yet. Therefore the only option that works at the moment is the static mode. |
Event configuration to control which products will be processed
With this new feature it’s possible over the configuration to control the list of products, that will be processed in Events with product groups:
There are (basically) two ways to use this control:
Blacklisting (excluding):
The option exclude_product_group_ids
allows to configure a comma separated list of product Groups. The members of these groups will be excluded from the actual Event. Also if action request is set for this products. This products will be ignored in this event, but the action requests will not be changed.
White listing (including):
The option include_product_group_ids
allows to also configure a comma separated list of products Groups. The members of this groups are the only products, that will be processed from the actual event if they have set action requests.
You can use these options globally from the default-Event. From that point this settings will be used in every event. You can also set these options in a special event. If you use the option on event_on_demand, you can control which products will not be installed in push installations, although they have an action request. On normal restart of the client, the products will be installed from gui_startup (default event) at startup. CAUTION: For Clients that work in WAN/VPN-mode you must set this options in sync-event and also in the cacheservice-section, because the cache service have no access to the configuration of main sync-event.
Product dependencies will not be observed by this feature. That means that you have to observe the process in order to prevent dependency issues. |
Configuration via configuration file
On a 64bit Windows the configuration file is c:\program files (x86)\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientd\opsiclientd.conf
.
On a 32bit Windows the configuration file is c:\program files\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientd\opsiclientd.conf
.
This configuration file is UTF-8 encoded. Any changes using editors which do not support this encoding (e.g. notepad.exe) may destroy any umlaut in this file. |
The configuration written in this file may be changed by different configuration data, which come via web service after a successful connection to the opsi-server.
A sample opsiclientd.conf
:
; = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
; = configuration file for opsiclientd =
; = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - global settings -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[global]
# Location of the log file.
log_file = c:\\opsi.org\\log\\opsiclientd.log
# Set the log (verbosity) level
# (0 <= log level <= 9)
# 0: nothing, 1: essential, 2: critical, 3: errors, 4: warnings, 5: notices
# 6: infos, 7: debug messages, 8: more debug messages, 9: passwords
log_level = 4
# Client id.
host_id =
# Opsi host key.
opsi_host_key =
# Verify tls certificates
verify_server_cert = false
# Trust the uib opsi CA
trust_uib_opsi_ca = true
# Install opsi CA into os store
install_opsi_ca_into_os_store = false
# Which ip version to use (4/6/auto)
ip_version = auto
# On every daemon startup the user login gets blocked
# If the gui starts up and no events are being processed the login gets unblocked
# If no gui startup is noticed after <wait_for_gui_timeout> the login gets unblocked
# Set to 0 to wait forever
wait_for_gui_timeout = 120
# Application to run while blocking login
block_login_notifier = "%global.base_dir%\\opsi-notifier.exe" -s notifier\\block_login.ini
# Use a proxy for connecting configservice
# proxy_mode:
# 'system' will try to check the system setting,
# 'static' to use proxyurl from configfile/hostparameter
# proxy_url usage: http://<user>:<password>@<proxy-url>:<proxy-port>
# Example: http://proxyuser:proxypass123@proxy.domain.local:8080
proxy_mode = static
proxy_url =
# Suspend bitlocker on reboot
suspend_bitlocker_on_reboot = false
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - config service settings -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[config_service]
# Service url.
# http(s)://<opsi config server address>:<port>/rpc
url =
# Conection timeout.
connection_timeout = 30
# The time in seconds after which the user can cancel the connection establishment
user_cancelable_after = 30
# If this option is set, the local system time will be synced with time from service
sync_time_from_service = false
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - depot server settings -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[depot_server]
# Depot server id
depot_id =
# Depot url.
# smb://<depot address>/<share name>/<path to products>
url =
# Local depot drive
drive =
# Username that is used for network connection [domain\]<username>
username = pcpatch
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - cache service settings -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[cache_service]
# Maximum product cache size in bytes
product_cache_max_size = 20000000000
# Members of this ProductGroups will be excluded from processing
exclude_product_group_ids =
# Only members of this ProductGroups will be excluded from processing
include_product_group_ids =
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - control server settings -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[control_server]
# The network interfaces to bind to.
# This must be the IP address of an network interface.
# Use 0.0.0.0 to listen to all interfaces
interface = 0.0.0.0
# The port where opsiclientd will listen for HTTPS rpc requests.
port = 4441
# The location of the server certificate.
ssl_server_cert_file = %global.base_dir%\\opsiclientd\\opsiclientd.pem
# The location of the server private key
ssl_server_key_file = %global.base_dir%\\opsiclientd\\opsiclientd.pem
# The location of the static files
static_dir = %global.base_dir%\\opsiclientd\\static_html
# The maximum number of authentication failures before a client ip
# is blocked for an amount of time.
max_authentication_failures = 5
# Determines the event to use if action processing is triggered by systray / kiosk.
# Possible events are timer and on_demand.
# Possible values are auto, timer, and on_demand.
# If the value is set to auto then on WAN/VPN clients the timer event is used and on other clients the event on_demand.
process_actions_event = auto
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - notification server settings -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[notification_server]
# The network interfaces to bind to.
# This must be the IP address of an network interface.
# Use 0.0.0.0 to listen to all interfaces
interface = 127.0.0.1
# The first port where opsiclientd will listen for notification clients.
start_port = 44000
# Port for popup notification server
popup_port = 45000
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - opsiclientd notifier settings -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[opsiclientd_notifier]
# Notifier application command
command = "%global.base_dir%\\opsi-notifier.exe" -p %port% -i %id%
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - opsiclientd rpc tool settings -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[opsiclientd_rpc]
# RPC tool command
command = "%global.base_dir%\\opsiclientd_bin\\opsiclientd_rpc.exe" "%global.host_id%" "%global.opsi_host_key%" "%control_server.port%"
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - action processor settings -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[action_processor]
# Locations of action processor
local_dir = %global.base_dir%\\opsi-script
remote_dir = opsi-script\\windows\\x86
remote_common_dir = opsi-script\\common
filename = opsi-script.exe
# Action processor command
command = "%action_processor.local_dir%\\%action_processor.filename%" /opsiservice %service_url% /clientid %global.host_id% /username %global.host_id% /password %global.opsi_host_key%
# Load profile / environment of %run_as_user%
create_environment = false
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
; - events -
; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[event_default]
; === Event configuration
# Type of the event (string)
type = template
# Interval for timer events in seconds (int)
interval = -1
# Maximum number of event repetitions after which the event will be deactivated (int, -1 = forever)
max_repetitions = -1
# Time in seconds to wait before event becomes active (int, 0 to disable delay)
activation_delay = 0
# Time in seconds to wait before an event will be fired (int, 0 to disable delay)
notification_delay = 0
# Event notifier command (string)
event_notifier_command = %opsiclientd_notifier.command% -s notifier\\event.ini
# The desktop on which the event notifier will be shown on (all/current/default/winlogon)
event_notifier_desktop = all
# Block login while event is been executed (bool)
block_login = false
# Lock workstation on event occurrence (bool)
lock_workstation = false
# Logoff the current logged in user on event occurrence (bool)
logoff_current_user = false
# Get config settings from service (bool)
get_config_from_service = true
# Store config settings in config file (bool)
update_config_file = true
# Transmit log file to opsi service after the event processing has finished (bool)
write_log_to_service = true
# Shutdown machine after action processing has finished (bool)
shutdown = false
# Reboot machine after action processing has finished (bool)
reboot = false
# Members of this ProductGroups will be excluded from processing
exclude_product_group_ids =
# Only members of this ProductGroups will be excluded from processing
include_product_group_ids =
# Events will only be processes inside the working window, which can be specify like: 07:00-22:00
working_window =
# A command to execute at the end of event processing
post_event_command =
; === Sync/cache settings
# Sync configuration from local config cache to server (bool)
sync_config_to_server = false
# Sync configuration from server to local config cache (bool)
sync_config_from_server = false
# Sync configuration from local config cache to server after action processing (bool)
post_sync_config_to_server = false
# Sync configuration from server to local config cache after action processing (bool)
post_sync_config_from_server = false
# Work on local config cache
use_cached_config = false
# Cache products for which actions should be executed in local depot cache (bool)
cache_products = false
# Maximum transfer rate when caching products in byte/s (int, 0 = no limit)
cache_max_bandwidth = 0
# Dynamically adapt bandwidth to other network traffic (bool)
cache_dynamic_bandwidth = false
# Work on local depot cache
use_cached_products = false
; === Action notification (if product actions should be processed)
# Time in seconds for how long the action notification is shown (int, 0 to disable)
action_warning_time = 0
# Action notifier command (string)
action_notifier_command = %opsiclientd_notifier.command% -s notifier\\action.ini
# The desktop on which the action notifier will be shown on (all/current/default/winlogon)
action_notifier_desktop = all
# Message shown in the action notifier window (string)
action_message = Starting to process product actions. You are allowed to cancel this event a total of %action_user_cancelable% time(s). The event was already canceled %state.action_processing_cancel_counter% time(s).
# German translation (string)
action_message[de] = Starte die Bearbeitung von Produkt-Aktionen. Sie können diese Aktion insgesamt %action_user_cancelable% mal abbrechen. Die Aktion wurde bereits %state.action_processing_cancel_counter% mal abgebrochen.
# French translation (string)
action_message[fr] = Traitement des actions du produit. Vous êtes autorisé à annuler cet événement un total de %action_user_cancelable% fois. L'événement a été déjà annulée %state.action_processing_cancel_counter% fois.
# Number of times the user is allowed to cancel the execution of actions (int)
action_user_cancelable = 0
; === Action processing
# Should action be processed by action processor (bool)
process_actions = true
# Type of action processing (default/login)
action_type = default
# Update the action processor from server before starting it (bool)
update_action_processor = true
# Command which should be executed before start of action processor
pre_action_processor_command =
# Action processor command (string)
action_processor_command = %action_processor.command%
# The desktop on which the action processor command will be started on (current/default/winlogon)
action_processor_desktop = current
# Action processor timout in seconds (int)
action_processor_timeout = 10800
# Command which should be executed before after action processor has ended
post_action_processor_command =
# Activate or deactivate trusted installer Detection
trusted_installer_detection = true
; === Shutdown notification (if machine should be shut down or rebooted)
# Process shutdown requests from action processor
process_shutdown_requests = true
# Time in seconds for how long the shutdown notification is shown (int, 0 to disable)
shutdown_warning_time = 0
# Shutdown notifier command (string)
shutdown_notifier_command = %opsiclientd_notifier.command% -s notifier\\shutdown.ini
# The desktop on which the action notifier will be shown on (all/current/default/winlogon)
shutdown_notifier_desktop = all
# Message shown in the shutdown notifier window (string)
shutdown_warning_message = A reboot is required to complete software installation tasks. You are allowed to delay this reboot a total of %shutdown_user_cancelable% time(s). The reboot was already delayed %state.shutdown_cancel_counter% time(s).
# German translation (string)
shutdown_warning_message[de] = Ein Neustart wird benötigt um die Software-Installationen abzuschliessen. Sie können diesen Neustart insgesamt %shutdown_user_cancelable% mal verschieben. Der Neustart wurde bereits %state.shutdown_cancel_counter% mal verschoben.
# French translation (string)
shutdown_warning_message[fr] = Un redémarrage est nécessaire pour terminer l'installation du logiciel. Vous êtes autorisé à retarder le redémarrage un total de %shutdown_user_cancelable% fois. Le redémarrage a été déjà retardé %state.shutdown_cancel_counter% fois.
# Number of times the user is allowed to cancel the shutdown (int)
shutdown_user_cancelable = 0
# Time in seconds after the shutdown notification will be shown again after the user has canceled the shutdown (int)
shutdown_warning_repetition_time = 3600
# If enabled, the user can select a time for shutdown in the shutdown notifier. The selected time overrides shutdown_warning_repetition_time.
shutdown_user_selectable_time = false
# Time in seconds for how long the shutdown notification is shown when the user selected time is reached (int, 0 to disable, -1 to use shutdown_warning_time)
shutdown_warning_time_after_time_select = -1
[event_opsiclientd_start]
super = default
type = daemon startup
active = false
activation_delay = 10
max_repetitions = 0
[event_opsiclientd_start{cache_ready}]
active = false
use_cached_config = true
use_cached_products = true
[event_gui_startup]
super = default
type = gui startup
active = true
block_login = true
max_repetitions = 0
[event_gui_startup{user_logged_in}]
shutdown_warning_time = 3600
block_login = false
[event_gui_startup{cache_ready}]
use_cached_config = true
use_cached_products = true
action_user_cancelable = 3
action_warning_time = 60
[event_gui_startup{installation_pending}]
active = true
[event_on_demand]
super = default
type = custom
[event_on_demand{user_logged_in}]
shutdown_warning_time = 3600
[event_software_on_demand]
super = default
type = sw on demand
shutdown_warning_time = 3600
[event_sync]
super = default
type = template
process_actions = false
event_notifier_command =
sync_config_to_server = true
sync_config_from_server = true
cache_products = true
cache_dynamic_bandwidth = true
[event_timer]
super = sync
type = timer
active = false
interval = 3600
[event_net_connection]
super = sync
type = custom
active = false
wql = SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 2 WHERE TargetInstance ISA 'Win32_NetworkAdapter' AND TargetInstance.NetConnectionStatus = 2 AND PreviousInstance.NetConnectionStatus != 2
[event_sync_completed]
super = default
type = sync completed
event_notifier_command =
process_actions = false
get_config_from_service = false
write_log_to_service = false
[event_sync_completed{cache_ready_user_logged_in}]
reboot = true
shutdown_user_cancelable = 10
shutdown_warning_time = 3600
[event_sync_completed{cache_ready}]
reboot = true
[event_user_login]
super = default
type = user login
action_type = login
active = false
action_message = Starting to process user login actions.
action_message[de] = Beginne mit der Verarbeitung der Benutzer-Anmeldungs-Aktionen.
action_message[fr] = Traitement des actions à la connexion de l'utilisateur.
block_login = false
process_shutdown_requests = false
get_config_from_service = false
update_config_file = false
write_log_to_service = false
update_action_processor = true
event_notifier_command = %opsiclientd_notifier.command% -s notifier\\userlogin.ini
event_notifier_desktop = default
action_processor_command = %action_processor.command% /sessionid %service_session% /loginscripts /silent
action_processor_desktop = default
action_processor_timeout = 300
[event_on_shutdown]
super = default
type = custom
active = false
max_repetitions = 0
[event_on_shutdown{installation_pending}]
active = false
[event_silent_install]
super = default
type = custom
event_notifier_command =
process_shutdown_requests = false
action_processor_productIds = swaudit,hwaudit
action_processor_command = %action_processor.command% /productlist %action_processor_productIds% /silent
action_processor_desktop = winlogon
action_processor_timeout = 300
[event_timer_silentinstall]
super = silent_install
type = timer
active = false
interval = 21600
[precondition_user_logged_in]
user_logged_in = true
[precondition_cache_ready]
config_cached = true
products_cached = true
[precondition_cache_ready_user_logged_in]
user_logged_in = true
config_cached = true
products_cached = true
[precondition_installation_pending]
installation_pending = true
Configuration via web service (Host Parameter)
The opsiclientd configuration can be changed by the host parameter tab at the opsi management interface.
The entries in the host parameter have to be according to the following patterns:
opsiclientd.<name of the section>.<name of the key>
Example:
opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.action_warning_time = 20
set in the configuration file opsiclientd.conf
in the section [event_gui_startup]
the value of action_warning_time
to the value 20.
The following figure shows how to change the serverwide general configure via opsi-configed

Using the context menu you may choose add property to set a new key/value pair.
To delete a server default, please use the opsi-admin tool:
Example:
opsi-admin -d method config_delete "opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.action_warning_time"
It is also possible to manipulate these entries client specific via opsi-configed.
To delete a client specific entry, please use the opsi-admin tool:
Example:
@opsi-admin> method configState_delete "opsiclientd.event_gui_startup.action_warning_time" "myclient.uib.local"

Logging
The opsiclientd logs to:
C:\opsi.org\log\opsiclientd.log
.
All log information will be transferred to the opsi-config-server via web service. At the server you find these log infos at /var/log/opsi/clientconnect/<ip-or-name-of-the-client>.log
. They are presented in the opsi configed at the tab logfiles / client connect.
Every line at the log has the pattern:
[<log level>] [<time stamp>] [message source] message
.
There are the following log levels:
# Set the log (verbosity) level # (0 <= log level <= 9) # 0: nothing, 1: essential, 2: critical, 3: errors, 4: warnings, 5: notices # 6: infos, 7: debug messages, 8: more debug messages, 9: passwords
Example:
(...)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Event config 'sync_completed{cache_ready}' added to event generator 'sync_completed' (Events.pyo|1107)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Event config 'gui_startup' added to event generator 'gui_startup' (Events.pyo|1107)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Event config 'gui_startup{cache_ready}' added to event generator 'gui_startup' (Events.pyo|1107)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Event config 'on_demand' added to event generator 'on_demand' (Events.pyo|1107)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Event config 'sync_completed{cache_ready_user_logged_in}' added to event generator 'sync_completed' (Events.pyo|1107)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Event config 'gui_startup{user_logged_in}' added to event generator 'gui_startup' (Events.pyo|1107)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Event config 'sync_completed' added to event generator 'sync_completed' (Events.pyo|1107)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Event config 'software_on_demand' added to event generator 'software_on_demand' (Events.pyo|1107)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Event config 'on_demand{user_logged_in}' added to event generator 'on_demand' (Events.pyo|1107)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] Updating config file: 'C:\Program Files (x86)\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientd\opsiclientd.conf' (Config.pyo|287)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] No need to write config file 'C:\Program Files (x86)\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientd\opsiclientd.conf', config file is up to date (Config.pyo|318)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:46] [ event processing gui_startup ] No product action requests set (EventProcessing.pyo|591)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:49] [ event processing gui_startup ] Writing log to service (EventProcessing.pyo|247)
[6] [Mar 22 10:17:49] [ opsiclientd ] shutdownRequested: 0 (Windows.pyo|340)
[6] [Mar 22 10:17:49] [ opsiclientd ] rebootRequested: 0 (Windows.pyo|326)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:49] [ opsiclientd ] Block login now set to 'False' (Opsiclientd.pyo|111)
[6] [Mar 22 10:17:49] [ opsiclientd ] Terminating block login notifier app (pid 1620) (Opsiclientd.pyo|148)
[6] [Mar 22 10:17:49] [ event processing gui_startup ] Stopping notification server (EventProcessing.pyo|225)
[6] [Mar 22 10:17:51] [ control server ] client connection lost (Message.pyo|464)
[6] [Mar 22 10:17:52] [ event processing gui_startup ] Notification server stopped (Message.pyo|651)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:52] [ event processing gui_startup ] ============= EventProcessingThread for event 'gui_startup' ended ============= (EventProcessing.pyo|1172)
[5] [Mar 22 10:17:52] [ opsiclientd ] Done processing event '<ocdlib.Events.GUIStartupEvent object at 0x023CE330>' (Opsiclientd.pyo|405)
[5] [Mar 22 10:19:41] [ opsiclientd ] Session 'HSzMB1wtOiBS6vHl7mh3ro5r6s3TanFu' from ip '127.0.0.1', application 'opsi jsonrpc module version 4.0.1' expired after 120 seconds (Session.pyo|184)
[6] [Mar 22 10:19:41] [ opsiclientd ] Session timer <_Timer(Thread-20, started daemon 2636)> canceled (Session.pyo|120)
[5] [Mar 22 10:19:41] [ opsiclientd ] Session 'HSzMB1wtOiBS6vHl7mh3ro5r6s3TanFu' from ip '127.0.0.1', application 'opsi jsonrpc module version 4.0.1' deleted (Session.pyo|207)
[6] [Mar 22 10:27:55] [ control pipe ] Creating pipe \\.\pipe\opsiclientd (ControlPipe.pyo|253)
[5] [Mar 22 10:27:55] [ event generator wait_for_gui ] -----> Executing: getBlockLogin() (JsonRpc.pyo|123)
[5] [Mar 22 10:27:55] [ opsiclientd ] rpc getBlockLogin: blockLogin is 'False' (ControlPipe.pyo|428)
[6] [Mar 22 10:27:55] [ event generator wait_for_gui ] Got result (JsonRpc.pyo|131)
'
The opsi-login-blocker logging to the log file: C:\opsi.org\log\opsi_loginblocker.log
.
opsiclientd infopage
According to the fact that there are a lot of components of the opsiclientd which work and log at the same time, the log file of the opsiclientd becomes complex.
In order to make it easier to understand how the different components work together, the opsiclientd has an own info page which visualizes the running tasks on a timeline.
You may view this info page at the browser calling the url:
https://<address-of-the-client>:4441/info.html

opsiclientd Bitlocker Suspend Feature
Clients with activated Bitlocker encryption, with manual password entry at boot, prevent the unattended installation of software and patches.
Just like with opsi-script, it is now also possible for reboots triggered by events of opsiclientd to suppress the password input when booting.
This feature is inevitably associated with a security issue. During this process, the password is written to the hard disk as plain text and is therefore a potential weak point. |
This feature is deactivated by default, in order to activate this option only on selected clients, a standard configuration must be created first:
opsi-admin -d method config_createBool clientconfig.suspend_bitlocker_on_reboot "Suspending Bitlocker at Reboot" false
The default value false corresponds to the value in the supplied opsiclientd.conf
.
To set the host parameter via opsi-admin, the following command has to be executed on the opsi-config-server
(in the example for a client with the opsi-host-Id myclient.domain.de
):
opsi-admin -d method configState_create clientconfig.suspend_bitlocker_on_reboot myclient.domain.de true
This option can also be activated on clients that have not activated Bitlocker encryption and this option should not interfere with the operation of the opsiclientd. |
opsi-client-agent remote control
The opsiclientd has its own web service interface which can be used to transmit commands to the opsiclientd. The possible commands can be divided in the following categories:
-
send Messages (Popup)
-
Push installation (start the event on_demand)
-
other maintenance tasks
This can be done on the command line using the tool opsi-admin by calling one of the hostControlSafe_*
methods. Calling one of these methods takes the parameter *hostid
which:
-
can be
["*"]
to send the command to all clients -
can be the name of a client (e.g. "myclient.uib.local")
-
can be a list of client names according to the pattern ["<client1>", "<client2>"]
e.g. ["client1.uib.local", "client2.uib.local"] -
may contain wildcards like
*
e.g. "client.*" oder "\*.uib.*"
If a client isn’t reachable (e.g. powered off) you will receive an error message.
Sending popup messages
Using the opsi-configed you may send messages to the clients. Section 4.8.4, “Sending messages (Show popup message)”
At the command line you may do this with the tool opsi-admin:
opsi-admin -d method hostControlSafe_showPopup message *hostid
Example:
opsi-admin -d method hostControlSafe_showPopup "This is my message" "myclient.uib.local"
Push installations: start the event on demand
The opsi-server may send a command to the client that the client should process the configured action requests immediately. This is done by activating the event on_demand at the client.
This is possible using the opsi-configed and is described in chapter: Push installationen: start the event on demand
From the opsi-server the client can be instructed to execute the product actions.
Executing Events can also be done from the opsi-configed. Section 4.8.3, “Fire opsiclientd event (Push Installation)”
On the command line you may use opsi-admin to fire an event:
opsi-admin -d method hostControlSafe_fireEvent event *hostIds
Example:
opsi-admin -d method hostControlSafe_fireEvent "on_demand" "myclient.uib.local"
Additional maintenance tasks (shutdown, reboot,…..)
Using the control server port you may remote control the opsiclientd. In order to do this you have to authenticate yourself at the web service. This could be done either with the local administrator account (with a not empty password) or with the opsi-host-Id (FQDN, client name and DNS Domain name) as user name and the opsi-hostkey as password.
Using the opsi-configed you may choose the menu opsiClient or the context menu in the Clients Tab.

At the command line you also can initiate a client:
shutdown:
opsi-admin -d method hostControlSafe_shutdown *hostIds
reboot:
opsi-admin -d method hostControlSafe_reboot *hostIds
6.1.4. Adapting the opsi-client-agent to your Corporate Identity (CI)
Adapting the opsi-client-agent to your Corporate Identity can be important for the user acceptance when rolling out opsi. By adding your corporate logo to the opsi background image, the users feel more familiar with the opsi installation instead of being puzzled by something unknown.
All graphic components of the opsi-client-agent (notifier, opsi-script, kiosk-client) are base on the same graphic libraries and may be customized in the same way.
Colors can be configured in three different ways: as symbolic name (clRed
), as hexadecimal value ($FF00FF
) and as rgb value ((255,0,0)
). There is a helper program set allows you simple to choose your colors and get the correct way to write the colors to the configuration file. The program is opsi color chooser.
As background graphic formats you may use a large number of different formats like: .bmp, .png, jpeg and so on. But all these formats are include a number of subformats. So for example is one png file displayed without any problem while an other, different png-file may not displayed in a correct way.
There may also be a difference between the operating system platforms (e.g between Windows and Linux).
There is a helper program set allows you simply to check if a given bitmap file will be displayed correct or not: opsi bitmap viewer.
Elements to be patched: opsi-script
The files to be configured for opsi-script are to be found in the directory /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi-client-agent/files/opsi-script/skin
:
-
bg.png
This is the opsi-script background image, where during installation text messages and product logos are shown. -
skin.ini
This is the configuration file to specify the position, font and color of text messages during installation.
Elements to be configured: opsiclientd
In the directory
/var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi-client-agent/files/opsi/opsi-notifier/notifier.d
are the files to configure the look of the notifiers.
Each notifier has an background image and a configuration file:
-
block_login.bmp
background image of the login blocker notifier. -
block_login.ini
configuration file of the login blocker notifier. -
event.bmp
background image of the server connection event notifier. -
event.ini
configuration file of the server connection event notifier. -
action.bmp
background image of the action notifier (software installation). -
action.ini
configuration file of the action notifier. -
shutdown.bmp
background image of the shutdown/reboot action notifier. -
shutdown.ini
configuration file of the shutdown/reboot action notifier. -
popup.bmp
background image of the popup message notifier. -
popup.ini
configuration file of the popup message notifier. -
userlogin.bmp
background image of the user login event notifier. -
userlogin.ini
configuration file of the user login event notifier.
Elements to be configured: kioskclient
This chapter is only relevant for opsi-client-agent versions <= 4.1.0.0. Since 4.1.1.0 the kiosk is outsourced and available as opsi-client-kiosk package. For description of the opsi-client-kiosk see: Section 9.17, “opsi Software On Demand - opsi-client-kiosk (free)” |
The Headers list from the Main window (1) is customizable to the desire of the client. To that, there are two files which play a roll:
The header of the main windows (1) is customizable.
There are three files which are relevant:
-
header.png
-
logo.png
-
opsiclientkiosk.ini
The opsiclientkiosk.png
holds the picture which will be loaded in this area.
The opsiclientkiosk.ini
defines the text and its representation which will be shown in this area.
Example:
[TitleLabel] Text= Opsi Client Kiosk FontName = Arial FontSize = 15 FontColor = clWhite FontBold = false FontItalic = false FontUnderline = false [Tile] Width = 220 Height = 200 Color = clCream FontName = Arial FontSize = 12 FontColor = clBlack FontBold = false FontItalic = false FontUnderline = false [TileRadio] Fontsize = 10 None_color = clBlack Uninstall_color = clRed Setup_color = clGreen
You will find templates for these files under /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi-client-kiosk/files/app/ock_custom/skin
or C:\Program Files(x86)\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientkiosk\ock_custom\skin
The icon used in each case can be changed by placing a kiosk.ico
file under /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi-client-kiosk/files/app/ock_custom/skin
.
Protect your CI changes from updates: the custom directory
The custom directory can be used to protect your configuration changes during opsi-client-agent updates: (/var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi-client-agent/files/custom
). During server updates of opsi-client-agent the whole custom directory will be saved and restored after the update, so that your custom changes will persist.
-
custom/config.ini
Values from this config file override values from the defaultcfg/config.ini
. Except of the values forpckey
andbootmode
, which never are picked from that file. Add to your custom config file only those values, that are different from the default settings. -
custom/skin/*.*
All the files from this directory will be copied to the clientsC:\Program Files (x86)\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\custom\skin
directory during installation of the opsi-client-agent on the client. Thisskin
directory, if it exists, since opsi-script Version 4.11.3.4. is the preferred one. It must contain all required skin files and configurations, for the content of the default directory is ignored. -
custom/opsi-notifier/*.*
All the files from this directory will be copied to the clientsC:\Program Files (x86)\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\notifier
directory during installation of the opsi-client-agent and overwrite the files from the server sidefiles/opsi-notifier/
directory. -
custom/opsiclientd.conf
If it exists, thecustom/opsiclientd.conf
will be copied to the clientsC:\Program Files (x86)\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientd
directory during installation of the opsi-client-agent and overwrites the default opsiclientd.conf from the server sidefiles/opsiclientd/
directory. So the custom opsiclientd.conf must contain all the required configuration entries.
Attention:
Using a customopsiclientd.conf
is not recommended. To customize your client configuration, use the host parameter configuration for single features as described in the opsi-client-agent chapter. Using a customopsiclientd.conf
is applicable for very complex configurations only. By using a customopsiclientd.conf
, after each update of opsi-client-agent it is required to check the server default filefiles/opsiclientd/opsiclientd.conf
for changes to be patched to your customopsiclientd.conf
.
So: hands off this feature, unless you really know what you are doing!
A subsequent cleanup of the file access rights helps to avoid errors:
opsi-setup --set-rights /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi-client-agent
6.1.5. Blocking the user login with the opsi-Loginblocker
To prevent a user from logging into the system before the installation is complete, the opsi-login-blocker can be installed. This will not allow access to the login until the installation process is complete.
Whether the opsi-login-blocker is installed or activated during the opsi-client-agent installation,
can be configured via the product property loginblockerstart
.
The opsi-login-blocker is implemented as a credential provider filter. It blocks all credential providers until the release by the opsiclientd or timeout.
6.1.6. Subsequent installation of the opsi-client-agents
The information about the Subsequent installation of the opsi-client-agent you will find in the opsi-getting-started manual (Chapter First Steps).
Manual installation of the opsi-client-agent
The opsi-client-agent can be installed in many different modes:
-
As part of an operating system installation
-
Manually from a (depot) directory (start oca-installation-helper.exe / service_setup.cmd / silent_setup.cmd)
-
Via push from the server (opsi-deploy-client-agent)
-
Via the new installer (opsi-client-agent-installer.exe)
-
Via the new MSI package (opsi-client-agent.msi)
-
In the opsi service context (opsi-client-agent updates itself)
Except for the upgrade in the opsi service context, the new oca-installation-helper.exe is always used. This essentially fulfils the following purposes:
-
The installation files are copied to a local temp directory if necessary (e.g. call via UNC path).
-
A dialogue window is displayed in which parameters for installation control can be entered.
-
The client is created at the opsi-service, if it does not already exist.
-
opsi-script is started and carries out the actual installation.
The installation is always carried out with a functioning service connection. This means that, regardless of the installation mode, the product properties from the server are always used.
The oca-installation-helper.exe supports the following parameters (--help):
usage: oca-installation-helper.exe [-h] [--version] [--log-file LOG_FILE]
[--log-level {none,debug,info,warning,error,critical}]
[--service-address SERVICE_ADDRESS]
[--service-username SERVICE_USERNAME]
[--service-password SERVICE_PASSWORD]
[--client-id CLIENT_ID] [--non-interactive]
[--no-gui] [--gui]
[--encode-password PASSWORD]
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--version show program's version number and exit
--log-file LOG_FILE
--log-level {none,debug,info,warning,error,critical}
--service-address SERVICE_ADDRESS
Service address to use.
--service-username SERVICE_USERNAME
Username to use for service connection.
--service-password SERVICE_PASSWORD
Password to use for service connection.
--client-id CLIENT_ID
Client id to use.
--non-interactive Do not ask questions.
--no-gui Do not use gui.
--gui Use gui.
--encode-password PASSWORD
Encode PASSWORD.
This parameters can be used to automate the installation and run it unattend:
oca-installation-helper.exe --service-address 10.1.2.3 --service-username adminuser --service-password secret --non-interactive
The opsi-client-agent-installer.exe also takes the same parameters. The installer can be downloaded from an opsi 4.2 server without authentication via the following address:
This is usually easier than accessing the depot share when installing manually.
When using the MSI package, the parameters can be passed via the property "INSTALL_PARAMS":
msiexec /i opsi-client-agent.msi INSTALL_PARAMS="--non-interactive --service-address=https://opsiserver.domain.tld:4447 --service-username=msi --service-password=secret"
The "service-password" can also be used encrypted:
oca-installation-helper.exe --service-password {crypt}w5TDjcOQw5PDjsOr
The encryption comes with the following command:
oca-installation-helper.exe --encode-password <plaintext-password>
At start-up, the oca-installation-helper.exe additionally evaluates the following configuration files in descending priority to fill the parameters:
-
.\custom\install.conf
-
.\install.conf
-
.\files\opsi\cfg\config.ini (do not use this file, it’s depracted and will be removed soon)
-
%PROGRAMFILES%\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientd\opsiclientd.conf
Command line parameters always have priority.
If no opsi-service-url is specified, an attempt is made to determine it via Zeroconf.
Here is an example of an install.conf for automating the installation:
client_id =
service_address = opsiserver.domain.tld
service_username = adminuser
service_password = {crypt}w5TDjcOQw5PDjsOr
interactive = false
By default, the oca-installation-helper.exe always creates a log file (oca-installation-helper.log) in the user’s temp directory.
The files service_setup.cmd / silent_setup.cmd are only used for backward compatibility.
6.1.7. The Systray Program of the opsi-client-agent
The systray program of the opsi-client-agent focuses on the following targets:
-
Notifying the user in regular (and configurable) Intervals on pending Installations. (Optional)
-
Notifying the user on pending Installations on demand by using the context menu.
-
Possibility for the user to start the installations.


Controlling the opsi systray program via the opsi-client-agent product properties:
-
systray_install
(true
/false
) Install the opsi systray program ?
Default =false
-
systray_check_interval
Interval in minutes to check for pending action requests.
Default=180
(Small values here give heavy load to the server)
The value0
means: no checks at all.. -
systray_request_notify_format
Format of action request notification.
Possible Values:
"productid : request", "productname : request", "productname productversion : request"
default: "productname : request"
Logs of the opsi systray program:
The program logs to %Appdata%\opsi.org\log
. That is the opsi.org\log
directory in the Appdata directory of the loggedin user.
For Example:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\opsi.org\log\
See also Chapter opsi Software On Demand (Kiosk-Mode): Section 9.17, “opsi Software On Demand - opsi-client-kiosk (free)”
6.2. Registry Entries
6.2.1. Registry entries of opsiclientd
opsi.org/general
-
bootmode= <bkstd | reins>
Stores whether the computer is newly installed or not.
opsi.org/shareinfo
-
depoturl
<URL that refers to the location of the software packages. Pattern: protocol:\\server\share\dir>Example:
smb:\\opsi-server\opsi_depot -
depotdrive
<Drive letter on which depoturl is mounted>Example:
P:
(including the colon)
6.2.2. Registry entries of opsi-script
opsi.org/winst
These registry entries are controlled by opsi-script and should not be changed.
"LastLogFilename"="C:\\TMP\\syslogin.log"
"ContinueLogFile"=dword:00000000
"RebootRequested"=dword:00000000
"SendLogToService"=dword:00000001
"NumberOfErrors"=dword:00000000
"ShutdownRequested"=dword:00000000
7. Security
7.1. Introduction
Opsi is a powerful tool for the administration of many clients.
According to that fact, the opsi-server has to be in the focus of security considerations.
If you control the opsi-server, you are in control of all the clients, that are connecting to that opsi-server.
How much time and money you should spend for hardening your opsi-server, depends on your needs regarding security and the operational environment for using opsi. So for example an opsi-server in the cloud is more endangered than an opsi-server in a secured network.
In the following chapter we have collected the most important issues and problems.
At this point we say thank you to all customers and users which informed us about security problems and helped us to improve the security of the opsi system. If you find any security problem, please inform us (info@uib.de) before disclosing the security vulnerability in public.
7.2. Stay tuned
Information about security relevant updates and tasks are published at
the news area at the opsi forum:
https://forum.opsi.org/viewforum.php?f=10
7.3. General server security
The opsi software cannot be more secure than the underlying operating system. So please make sure to update your server with the security updates of your Linux distribution. This has to be done not only for the opsi-config-server, but also for all the opsi-depot-server.
It may help you to install programs which inform you by email if there are new updates available.
- Debian, Ubuntu
-
apticron
- RHEL, CentOS
-
yum-updatesd
There are a lot of possibilities to enhance the security of your Linux server. But this is not the task of this manual.
We would be happy to help you with this task as part of a support contract.
7.4. Client authentication at the server
The client authenticates itself using the FQDN as username and the opsi-host-key as password.
The opsi-host-key is stored at the client in the file:
%programfiles%\opsi.org\opsi-client-agent\opsiclientd\opsiclientd.conf
which is readable with administrative privileges only.
The opsi-host-key is stored at the server in the used backend (e.g at /etc/opsi/pckeys
).
In addition to this authentication, you may tell the opsiconfd to check if the client ip address matches the given FQDN. To activate this check, set in /etc/opsi/opsiconfd.conf
:
verify ip = true
and restart opsiconfd:
systemctl restart opsiconfd.service
Do not use this feature if you are not really sure, that your name resolution works properly in both directions for all clients. |
7.5. Verification of the server identity
Since opsi 4.2, the trustworthiness of the opsi-server can be ensured using standard TLS methods.
Each opsi-config-server maintains a Certificate Authority (CA), the opsi CA. This CA is automatically managed by the opsi-config-server. Each opsi-server, also the opsi-depot-server receive a TLS certificate from the opsi-config-server, which is signed by this CA. These certificates are also automatically created, distributed and updated as needed. Any client that trusts the opsi CA also trusts these server certificates.
The certificate of the opsi CA can be retrieved from any opsi-server at the URL https://<server-address>:4447/ssl/opsi-ca-cert.pem. More information about the CA and the server certificate is available on the opsi-servers admin page (https://<server-address>:4447/admin).
If a opsi-client-agent connects to a opsi-config-server, it automatically retrieves the opsi CA and stores it at c:\opsi.org\tls\opsi-ca-cert.pem or /etc/opsi-client-agent/tls/opsi-ca-cert.pem. However, this only happens under the condition that either no opsi CA is stored there yet or a secure, verified connection to the opsi-config-server is established.
To enable verification of server connections, the following option is set in opsiclientd.conf
, section [global]:
verify_server_cert = true
It is advisable not to make this change manually, but to create a corresponding host parameter on the server. For example, the boolean host parameter opsiclientd.global.verify_server_cert with default value false is created via opsi-configed. This also works via opsi-admin:
opsi-admin -d method config_createBool opsiclientd.global.verify_server_cert verify_server_cert false
This parameter can then be set to true
on a client-specific basis, or it can be enabled globally.
This will enable server verification.
If webdav
is used as clientconfig.depot.protocol
, the opsi-depot-server will also be verified accordingly.
Once verification is enabled, the client will refuse connections to servers without a valid certificate. So it should be ensured in advance that the mechanism works as desired. |
Additionally it is possible to store the opsi CA in the certificate store of the operating system.
Then the operating system as well as all applications which use this certificate store trust the opsi CA and the certificates of the opsi-server.
This is also a prerequisite to mount an opsi repository via WevDAV
.
The associated boolean configuration is opsiclientd.global.install_opsi_ca_into_os_store
.
If this is enabled, the opsi-client-agent automatically injects the opsi CA into the certificate store of the operating system.
7.5.1. Problem solving
If it comes to the situation that a client does not accept the server certificate of the opsi-config-servers anymore because of problems with the opsi CA, the client is no longer manageable by the normal opsi mechanisms.
In this case there are several ways to solve the problem:
Delete the opsi CA on the client.
The file opsi-ca-cert.pem is deleted on the client. The next time the client connects to the opsi-config-server, the opsi-client-agent will retrieve the opsi CA again.
Replacing the opsi CA via the opsi-client-agent’s control server.
The opsi CA can be updated via the control server API of the opsi-client-agent. The RPC updateOpsiCaCert is used for this purpose. Via the parameter ca_cert_pem the content of the opsi CA certificate is passed in PEM format as a string.
Via a temporary server certificate of uib GmbH.
In addition to the opsi CA of the respective environment, a opsi-client-agent also trusts the uib opsi CA if the corresponding configuration opsiclientd.global.trust_uib_opsi_ca is set to true. The uib opsi CA is managed by uib GmbH. The uib GmbH is therefore able to generate a temporary valid server certificate for the opsi-config-server. This certificate can then be installed on the opsi-config-server of the environment. The opsi-client-agent then reconnects and automatically retrieves the opsi CA of that environment. When this process has taken place on all affected clients, the temporary certificate can be removed again.
7.6. Authentication at the control server of the client
The opsiclientd provides a web service interface, which allows remote control of the opsiclientd and thus remote control of the client.
In order to access this interface authentication is required. You may authenticate as a local administrator with a not empty password, or with an empty user name and the opsi-host-key as password.
7.6.1. The opsi-client-agent kiosk api
The opsiclientd kiosk API allows access from localhost without any authentication. If the software-on-demand function (opsi-client-kiosk
) is not in use, this API can be disabled completely.
To do this, the following parameter must be set in the opsiclientd.conf
in the section [control_server]:
verify_server_cert_by_ca = true
7.7. Configuration of allowed networks
By default, the opsi service accepts connection from any ip addresses.
To improve security, you may configure a list of ip networks which are allowed to connect.
For this purpose there is the opsiconfd option networks
.
A configuration like e.g.
networks = [192.168.1.0/24, 10.1.0.0/16]
would limit access to the networks 192.168.1.0/24 and 10.1.0.0/16.
7.8. Configuration of allowed admin networks
The idea of an admin network is to ban any administrative access from the standard production network and allow these accesses only from a special admin network.
With opsi all opsi-clients need restricted access to the opsi web service, which allows them to read and change their own data. Administrative access with further privileges is granted to members of the unix group opsiadmin only.
If you configure an admin-networks parameter, all administrative accesses are restricted to these network(s).
Setting the option admin-networks
at the /etc/opsi/opsiconfd.conf
will restrict the administrative access to the opsiconfd to connections coming from the specified network address(es).
You may define multiple addresses.
Non administrative access may also come from other networks.
The default is:
admin-networks = [0.0.0.0/0, ::/0]
and allows administrative access from all networks.
A configuration like e.g.
admin-networks = [127.0.0.1/32, 10.1.1.0/24]
restricts administrative access to the server itself and to the network 10.1.1.0/24.
7.9. Configuration Lock out clients and unlock them again.
If a client tries to log in to the server too often without success, it will be locked out for a certain time. There are three configuration options for this:
max-auth-failures
specifies after how many failed attempts a client will be locked out.
The default is:
max-auth-failures = 10
The option auth-failures-interval
determines in which time period the failures specified with max-auth-failures
must occur,
that a cleint is blocked. The specification is in seconds.
Default:
auth-failures-interval = 120
The third option client-block-time
specifies how long a client will be blocked if it gets above the number of attempts (auth-failures-interval) in the time period (max-auth-failures). This specification is also in seconds.
Here is the default:
client-block-time = 120
The information about the error attempts and which clients are blocked is stored in Redis. There are two Redis keys for this:
-
opsiconfd:stats:client:failed_auth:<client ip> Number of failed attempts of the client (Redis Time Series)
-
opsiconfd:stats:client:blocked:<client ip>: Will be created when the client is blocked and contains the value "True" (Type: stirng)
To release the clients manually you can use the admin page https://<opsi-server>:4447/admin (see Section 5.3.4.1, “In the browser: opsi admin page”).
7.10. The user pcpatch
With opsi 4 the user pcpatch is used just by the opsi-client-agent to mount the depot share (opsi_depot
).
Excepions are the products:
-
opsi-wim-capture
andopsi-local-image-capture
which use pcpatch to mount the shareopsi_depot_rw
-
opsi-clonezilla
wich use pcpatch to mount the shareopsi_images
The password of the user pcpatch is usually stored and transmitted encrypted. Under special circumstances it might be possible to catch the clear password. To reduce risks arising from that, you should do the following:
Deny for the user pcpatch the access to all other shares than the opsi_depot share. You should do this by adding the following entry to all share definitions (besides the opsi_depot) at the /etc/samba/smb.conf
:
invalid users = root pcpatch
Alternative
At the /etc/samba/smb.conf
restrict privileges for the user pcpatch to global read only by setting in the [global] section:
read list = pcpatch
For the products opsi-wim-capture and opsi-local-image-capture the share opsi_depot_rw must have write permission for pcpatch. For the product opsi-clonezilla the share opsi_images must have write permission for pcpatch
|
As an additional task you should frequently change the password of the user pcpatch. You may set the password to a random string which no one knows (besides opsi). You may do this by calling the following command e.g by a cronjob:
opsi-admin -d task setPcpatchPassword $(< /dev/urandom tr -dc _A-Z-a-z-0-9 | head -c16)
If you are not using netboot products that require the possibility to login as user pcpatch you can disable the login for that user.
To do so please change the shell of the user pcpatch to /bin/false
in the file /etc/passwd
.
Since opsi 4.1 the default shell for the user pcpatch is /bin/false
. You only need to take action if the system was set up using an earlier version.
7.11. Webservice access limitations
The file /etc/opsi/backendManager/acl.conf
can be used to limit the access
to specified methods and attributes of the returned values.
The limitation affects the base methods of the webservice. For those a restriction of users or groups and allowed attributes can be established.
The access should be limited to the used methods.
If it is not clear what methods are being used one can refer to the output of
opsiconfd about the accessed methods. This is logged to /var/log/opsi/opsiconfd/opsiconfd.log
in case of a stop or restart.
More information about the webservice can be found at Section 5.4.1, “object oriented methods”.
7.12. Change the bootimage root password
The root password of the opsi linux bootimage is linux123 by default. You may like to change this for security reasons. How to do this is desribed here: Section 8.2.1, “Parameteters for the opsi linux boot image”
8. opsi products
8.1. Localboot products: automatic software distribution with opsi
Localboot products are all products that are installed by the opsi-client-agent after the computer started the installed OS. This is in contrast to the netboot products described below Section 8.2, “Netboot products”.
8.1.1. opsi standard products
The following localboot products are part of the default installation of opsi.
opsi-client-agent
The opsi-client-agent is the client agent of opsi and is described in detail above: see chapter Section 6.1, “opsi-client-agent”.
opsi-script
The product opsi-script is a special case. It contains the current opsi-script. This does not have to be set to setup to update. Rather, part of the opsi-client-agent checks each time it is started whether a different version of the opsi-script is available and fetches it if this is the case.
javavm: Java Runtime Environment
The product javavm provides the Java Runtime Environment for the clients, which is required for opsi-configed.
opsi-configed
The opsi graphical management interface packaged as application For Windows and Linux. See also chapter: Chapter 4, opsi-Management GUI: opsi-configed
jedit
Java based editor with syntax highlighting for opsi-script scripts.
swaudit + hwaudit: Products for hard- and software-audit
The hwaudit and swaudit products are used for hardware and software inventory. The hardware data is collected via WMI and reported back to the server via the opsi web service. For the software inventory the information is taken from the registry key (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall)and reported back to the server via the opsi web service.
opsi-template
Template for creating your own opsi scripts. You can extract the template with:
opsi-package-manager -x opsi-template_<version>.opsi
or rename it at the same time:
opsi-package-manager -x opsi-template_<version>.opsi --new-product-id myprod
See also the opsi-getting-started manual.
opsi-template-with-admin
Template for creating your own opsi scripts. You can extract the template with:
opsi-package-manager -x opsi-template-with-admin_<version>.opsi
or rename it at the same time:
opsi-package-manager -x opsi-template-with-admin_<version>.opsi --new-product-id myprod
See also the opsi-script-manual
Chapter: Script for installations in the context of a local Administrator
shutdownwanted
Shuts down the computer when there are no further actions pending.
opsi-script-test
Large collection of opsi-script self tests. This can be used as a sample collection for working calls of opsi-script commands.
opsi-wim-capture
See also chapter: Section 9.4, “opsi WIM Capture”
opsi-winpe
Product for easy generation of an opsi-winpe See also the opsi-getting-started manual, chapter Creating a PE.
opsi-uefi-netboot
See also chapter: Section 9.6, “opsi with UEFI / GPT”
opsi-set-win-uac
Sets the UAC level via opsi.
opsi-setup-detector
See also chapter: Section 9.21, “opsi-setup-detector (free)”
opsi-logviewer
Text viewer with selection for log levels and events.
For Windows and Linux.
-
The opsi-logviewer tool created by uib now also opens files that are compressed in the archive formats zip or gzip. This means that log files that are sent as an archive can be viewed directly. (If an archive contains several files, the contents are of all files are appended.)
-
The setup script has been expanded to include Linux support so that opsi-logviewer can also be installed automatically on a Linux client.
-
The new before-dependency on javavm ensures the this program can be started (because javavm copies the javaw.exe into the system directory)
config-win10
Configures various Windows 10 settings such as lock screen, hibernation boot, sending telemetry and update behavior.
Version 4.0.7 added new options.
-
allow_useractivity_publishing allows Microsoft to collect userctivity experiences
-
change_power_plan changes the power management profile.
-
config_updates allows you to change the source of the updates. The updates are then downloaded either directly from Microsoft servers, a local peer-to-peer network or a peer-to-peer network from the Internet. The disable option is meanwhile moved into a separate property called disable_updates.
-
defer_upgrade postpones updates and upgrades. Updates can be postponed by four weeks and upgrades by eight months. It should be noted that security-relevant updates are installed despite the defer option. However, feature updates are not installed.
-
deferfeatureupdatesperiodindays Defines how long quality updates, also called windows upgrades, should be defered. The maximum is 365 days.
-
deferqualityupdatesperiodindays Defines how many days feature updates should be defered. The maximum is 29 days.
-
disable_advertising_id deactivates the so-called Advertising ID. This stores data about the browser history in order to display user-specific advertising.
-
disable_app_suggestion_in_startmenu deactivates suggested apps in the start menu.
-
disable_automatic_logon_on_reboot: disables an automatic logon after reboot.
-
disable_cortana deactivates the Cortana voice assistant. This collects various data about input and transfers this data to Microsoft servers.
-
disable_customer_experience disables collecting data related to application usage data.
-
disable_defender disables the anti-virus protection included with Windows 10 called Defender.
-
disable_dosvc disbales a service used for delivery optimization.
-
disable_error_report deactivates sending error reports to Microsoft. This does not affect third party apps.
-
disable_fast_boot deactivates fast boot and ensures that the standard opsi-event gui_startup works properly.
-
disable_font_streaming ensures that fonts not installed on the system are streamed from the Internet.
-
disable_handwrite_sharing A special feature is the use of Windows 10 on tablet PCs. Here, data about handwriting is collected and sent to a Microsoft server.
-
disable_location_sensors disables collecting data about the current geolocation of the device.
-
disable_lock_screen disables the lock screen.
-
disable_mrt deactivates the use of the Malware Removal Tool, MRT for short. This service scans existing files on the computer’s hard drive at regular intervals and compares them with a list of potentially dangerous software.
-
disable_news_and_interest deactivates news and interest in the taskbar.
-
disable_onedrive_sync disables the OneDrive file synchronization.
-
disable_push_install disables the possibility to push install apps from the Microsoft store from another device with the same account.
-
disable_recent_apps disables the presentation of recently used apps in the start menu.
-
disable_sending_feedback makes it possible to influence the transfer of data to Microsoft in the event of application crashes.
-
disable_smbv1 disables the SMB v1 protocol.
-
disable_suggested_silent_app_installion deactivates a silent installation of suggested apps in the background without user interaction.
-
disable_telemetry makes it possible to limit the amount of data collected. A lot of data is transferred as standard. If the property is set to true, Windows is set so that only security-relevant data is transferred. This is the lowest level. This security level can only be set in the Windows 10 Enterprise and LTSB version. In the other versions of Windows 10, the next lowest level is applied, Basic.
-
disable_update_button disables the update button within the update settings. If set to false after it was set to true it might take a couple of hours to make the button usable again.
-
disable_update_service disables the windows update service and provides another possibility to block updates.
-
disable_updates blocks connections to Microsoft update sources when set to true. Setting the property to false enables these connections again.
-
disable_wifi_sense deactivates the service called Wifi Sense. This service enables saved WLAN configurations to be shared with contacts.
-
flashplayer_autorun There is a security vulnerablility in Windows 10 with the Adobe Flashplayer. It is recommended to deactivate the autorun feature of the flash player. With false the Flashplayer is no longer started.
-
hide_known_file_extensions hides known file extensions, e.g. txt.
-
local_wsus_available: Only affects Windows Updates: When true a connection to a local WSUS server is possible.
-
minimize_recommendations deactivaes the usage of collected data to show recommendations on lockscreen.
-
no_new_app_install_notification: If this is set to true this property deactivates notifications on app updates.
-
online_search Online results are also provided for every search using the integrated search bar in the taskbar. true enables such an online search, false disables it.
-
oobedisableprivacyexperience: Only affects Windows 10 1809 and newer. Deactivates OOBE DIsablePrivacyExperiene, if true.
-
remove_edge_from_desktop removed the desktop shotcut for the old edge browser.
-
show_all_folder_in_navbar shows all folders in the navigation bar in the Widnows Explorer.
-
show_drive_letter_first shows the drive letter first.
-
show_this_pc_instead_of_quicklaunch opens this pc instead of a quick access.
-
sync_settings If you use Windows 10 in combination with a Microsoft account, it is possible to synchronize your settings with the current Microsoft account. If you set the property sync_settings to false this will be deactivated.
-
wlid_service controls the behaviour of the Windows Live ID Service.
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_fast_boot
description: Disable Fastboot for proper opsi startup
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_lock_screen
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_telemetry
description: Disable telemetry data transmission
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_cortana
description: Disable Cortana assistant
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_customer_experience
description: Disable customer experience program
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_mrt
description: Disable Malicious Software Removal Tool
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: unicode
name: config_updates
multivalue: False
editable: False
description: Set Windows-Update behavior
values: ["AllowPeerToPeer", "LocalPeerToPeer", "MicrosoftOnly"]
default: ["MicrosoftOnly"]
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_mac
description: Disable Microsoft Account communication
default: False
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_advertising_id
description: Disable Microsoft Advertising ID
default: False
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_updates
description: Disable Windows Updates
default: False
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_defender
description: Disable Microsoft Windows Defender
default: False
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_wifi_sense
description: Disable Wi-Fi Sense
default: False
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_sending_feedback
description: Disable sending feedback and diagnostics
default: False
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_font_streaming
description: Disable font streaming of not installed fonts
default: False
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: defer_upgrade
description: Defer Windows 10 Upgrade
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: flashplayer_autorun
description: Adobe Flashplayer: allow autorun?
default: False
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: location_sensors
description: Disable location and sensor detection
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: online_search
description: Disable online search during file or command search
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: disable_handwrite_sharing
description: Tablet-PC: Disable sharing of handriting information
default: True
[ProductProperty]
type: bool
name: sync_settings
description: Sync settings with AccountID
default: False
config-winbase
Package for customizing the basic settings of the user interface, Explorer, etc.
opsi-auto-update
opsi-auto-update is a product to simplify the maintenance of the clients.
opsi-auto-update is not for clients running the WAN-extension |
In essence, this product can be used to ensure that the installed products are up to date.
The product sets all installed products,
whose version is not identical to that on the server,
for the client to setup.
Properties for managing exceptions:
-
name:
products_to_exclude
-
description: (Blacklist) Which opsi product(s) should be excluded from update ?
List of products that should not be installed even if there is an update (such as windomain)
-
-
name:
products_to_exclude_by_regex
-
description: (Blacklist) Which opsi product(s) should be excluded from update (by regular expressions)?
List of regular expressions that fit products that should not be installed even if there is an update (such as windomain)
-
-
name:
products_to_include
-
description: (Whitelist) Which opsi product(s) should be checked for update ? ; If empty = all products
Here you can enter a list of products to which the update check should be limited. Products that are not in this list are also not considered when checking for updates. Exception: If the list is empty, all products are checked.
-
Properties for managing includes:
-
name:
products_to_run_always
-
description: Which opsi product(s) should be installed via every update ? (List will not be cleared after run)
List of products which are set to setup every time opsi-auto-update is run.
-
-
name:
failed_products_to_setup
-
description: if true this also sets all failed products to setup on all clients
If this is True, all products currently on failed are set to setup.
-
Properties for sequence control:
-
name:
shutdown_on_finish
-
description: if true we have a final shutdown if false we have no reboot / shutdown default: False
Should a shutdown me made after the product has finished?
-
Special properties for local-image / vhd-reset:
See also: Section 9.9, “opsi vhd reset”
See also: Section 9.8, “opsi local image”
-
name:
do_cleanup
-
description: If false: skip restore before update
This property is ignored if it is not a vhd or local image installation.
For a vhd installation, do_cleanup=true executesopsi-vhd-control
before the updates, thereby discarding all changes and restoring the saved state.
For a local-image installation, do_cleanup=true executesopsi-local-image-restore
before the updates, thereby discarding all changes and restoring the saved state.
In both cases, information about action requests is also discarded. In order to be able to add or remove products during a run ofopsi-auto-update
, there are the following two properties.
-
-
name:
products_to_install
-
description: Which opsi product(s) should be installed via update ? (List will be cleared after run)
List of products which are set to setup during the opsi-auto-update run. If the products have been installed successfully, they will be removed from this list.
-
-
name:
products_to_uninstall
-
description: Which opsi product(s) should be uninstalled via update ? (List will be cleared after run)
List of products which are set to uninstall during the opsi-auto-update run. If the products have been uninstalled successfully, they will be removed from this list.
-
-
name:
do_merge
-
description: If false: skip backup after update
This property is ignored if it is not a vhd or local image installation.
For a vhd installation, do_cleanup=true executesopsi-vhd-control
withupgrade=true
after the updates and thus all changes are saved.
For a local-image installation, do_cleanup=true executesopsi-local-image-backup
after the updates and thus all changes are saved.
-
Properties for debugging:
-
name:
disabled
This property is for debugging purposes.
If true, the product does not execute any actions.
Default = false -
name:
rebootflag
Please do not change during the run. This should be 0 before starting. -
name:
stop_after_step
This property is for debugging purposes.
If not 0 then this is the number of reboots after which to stop. Default = 0
The opsi-auto-update
product has a very low priority (-97),
which is even less than that of opsi-vhd-control.
The opsi-auto-update
product can be combined well with a cron job that executes opsi-wakeup-clients
.
(opsi-wakeup-clients is part of the opsi-utils package)
For details see here: Section 5.10.1, “opsi-wakeup-clients, opsi-auto-update and working_window”
8.1.2. Manipulating the installation sequence by priorities and dependencies
Since opsi 4.0, the installation order is determined by the opsi-server taking into account product dependencies and product priorities.
-
Product dependencies
Defines dependencies and the necessary installation order between opsi-packages. A typical example is the dependency of Java programs on the Java Runtime Environment (javavm). -
Product priorities
Priorities are used to push certain packages forward or backward in the order of installation. It makes sense to install service packs and patches first and a software inventory at the end of an installation sequence.
Product priorities are numbers between 100 and -100 (0 is the default)
There are different possibilities how these two factors are used to determine the installation order. Therefore, opsi provides two algorithms.
Switch between these algorithms can be done either:
using opsi-configed, in the server configuration

or on the command line with the following command:
opsi-setup --edit-config-defaults


Algorithm1: product dependency before priority (default)
With this algorithm, the products are first sorted based on their priorities and then re-sorted based on the product dependencies. This of course allows a product with a very low priority to be pushed far forward because it is required by a product other than required before. On the other hand, it prevents installation problems due to unresolved product dependencies.
Algorithm 1 ensures that the installation order is constant, regardless of how many products are set to setup. This order corresponds to the order which is shown in configed when the products are sorted according to the position column.
This ensures that if a setup script is only interrupted with "ExitWindows /immediateReboot", the processing of the interrupted script is continued immediately after the reboot.
Algorithm2: product priority before dependency
This algorithm is based on the idea that in practice, there are essentially three priority classes:
-
Products to be installed first such as OS patches and drivers that bring the PC to a standard state. Is realized by assigning a high priority (maximum +100).
-
"Normal" products that install applications (default priority 0).
-
Products that should be installed last, e.g. software inventory control. Realized by assigning a low priority (lowest possible -100).
Product dependencies are only resolved within a priority class. This ensures that products with a high priority are actually installed at the beginning. Cross-priority product dependencies are not taken into account or give a warning. It is therefore important to note when packaging that product dependencies are only defined within one priority class.
The product dependencies are interpreted here in such a way that with "normal" products they automatically lead to a consistent order that takes all dependencies into account. If contradictory (circular) dependencies have been defined, an error is displayed.
In the case of products with high priorities that are essential for setup of the computer, however, the administrator should set the exact order by hand - similar to, for example, Unix start-up scripts - by assigning a specific priority between +100 and +1 for each product according to the desired order. The same applies to the final products with low priorities.
Defining product priorities and dependencies
Priorities and product dependencies belong to the metadata of an opsi-product. You will be asked for these when creating a product with the command opsi-newprod
.
This metadata is stored in the control file of the product and can be edited there. After a change in the control file, the product must be repacked and installed again.
See also the chapter Creating an opsi product package in the opsi-getting-started manual.
8.1.3. Integration of new software packages into the opsi software deployment.
Instructions for integrating your own software can be found in the opsi-getting-started manual.
8.2. Netboot products
8.2.1. Parameteters for the opsi linux boot image
The opsi-linux-bootimage has some parameters which may be used to change the behaviour of the bootimage. You will try this if the opsi-linux-bootimages doesn’t run properly with the standard parameters on your hardware (e.g. black screen).
You may change these standard parameters by the opsi-configed choosing the Tab Hostparameter and use there the entry opsi-linux-bootimage.append.
Typical values are (may be combined):
-
acpi=off
-
noapic
-
irqpoll
-
reboot=bios
For AMD Ryzen 2XXX Prozessoren we recommend to use the parameters:
-
mem=2G
-
ramdisk_size=2097152
AMD Ryzen 3XXX additionally need the parameter
-
nomodeset
to correctly display the bootimage.
-
dhclienttimeout=SECONDS
sets the value timeout in /etc/opsi/dhclient.conf
within the opsi-linu-bootimage (default 30 seconds).
With opsi-linux-bootimage >= 20220331-1 another possible parameter was added
-
macaddress=MACADDRESS
This parameter works around a broken MAC Passthrough
by spoofing the specified MAC address onto the found network device of a docking station or USB-to-Ethernet dongle.
Devices that properly get an IP address are not affected by this parameter. In such cases MAC Passthrough
works properly or is disabled and therefore MAC address spoofing is not required.
An other important default is the password of the root user within the opsi-linux-bootimage. This password is linux123 by default and you should change this for security reasons.
To do this change the opsi-linux-bootimage.append entry at the server-configuration.
The option you have to change is pwh (password hash). As the value to this option you have to give a new password as a hash, which will be loaded to the /etc/shadow
during the boot process.
The best way to get the correct password hash is to login via ssh to your bootimage:
ssh root@<client.domain.tld>
The old password is linux123.
Now set a new password for root:
passwd
Get the new hash
grep root /etc/shadow
The output should look like this:
root:$6$344YXKIT$D4RPZfHMmv8e1/i5nNkOFaRN2oYNobCEjCHnkehiEFA7NdkDW9KF496OHBmyHHq0kD2FBLHZoTdr5YoDlIoWz/:14803:0:99999:7:::
Now copy from after the first colon until to the second colon and use this as value for pwh.
So the option for opsi-linux-bootimage.append may be:
pwh=$6$344YXKIT$D4RPZfHMmv8e1/i5nNkOFaRN2oYNobCEjCHnkehiEFA7NdkDW9KF496OHBmyHHq0kD2FBLHZoTdr5YoDlIoWz/
One can execute a pythin script before the execution of the desired netboot product. Therefore the bootimage append supports two parameter:
-
pre-execute
-
pre-script
In addition these parameter require an address with the script. This can be a http:// or tftp:// address. Please refer to the following example:
-
tftp://172.16.166/linux/test.py
When using tftp please keep in mind that the default port 69 is used.
8.2.2. Unattended automated OS installation
Overview
-
Using PXE-Boot:
-
Choose the client which has to be installed with the utility opsi-configed or opsi-admin.
-
-
At the next reboot, the client detects (via PXE-Bootprom) the re-installation request and loads the boot image from the opsi-server.
Using CD-Boot: * The client boots the boot image from the opsi-client-boot-cd. *The boot image starts and asks for confirmation to proceed with the re-installation. This is the only interactive question. After confirming this, the installation proceeds without any further request for interaction. * The bootimage formats and partitions the hard disk. * The bootimage copies the required installation files and configuration information from the opsi-server to the client and initiates a reboot. * Windows Installation: After the reboot the client installs the OS according to the provided configuration information without any interaction. * Linux Installation: By default the Linux Netboot products initiate a kexec command from within the bootimage and directly jumpt to the distribution installaer. * Next the opsi-client-agent is installed as the opsi installer for automated software distribution. * The automated software distribution then installs all the software packages as defined in the client’s configuration.
Preconditions
The client PC has to be equipped with a bootable network controller. Most recent network controllers provide this functionality (PXE boot). Also recent network controllers which are integrated on the PC’s main board. The PXE software, which is stored in the bootprom of the network controller, controls the boot process via network according to the BIOS boot device sequence. Usually the boot sequence has to be set in the BIOS, network-boot has to be the first boot device. If there is no possibility to use PXE you may boot from the opsi-client-bootcd.
The opsi installation package for the OS to be installed needs to be provided on the depot server. In the following we assume Windows 10 to be the OS to install.
PC-client boots via the network
The PXE firmware gets activated at startup of the PC. Part of the PXE implementation is a DHCP client.

At first the PC only knows its hardware Ethernet address (MAC), consisting of six two-digit HEX characters.
The firmware initiates a DHCPDISCOVER broadcast: “I need an IP address, who is my DHCP-Server?“
The DHCP-Server offers an address (DHCPOFFER).
DHCPREQUEST is the response of the client to the server if the IP address is accepted. (This is not an obsolete step as there could be more than one server in the network.)
The server sends a DHCPACK to acknowledge the request. The information is sent to the client again.
You can watch this process on the display, for the PXE-BOOTPROM displays some firmware information and its CLIENT MAC ADDR. The rotating pipe-symbol is displayed during the request. When an offer was made it is replaced by an \ and you get the transmitted information (CLIENT IP, MASK, DHCP IP, GATEWAY IP). A short while later you should get a response like this: My IP ADDRESS SEEMS TO BE …….
This process makes the PC a regular, fully configured member of the network. The next step is to load the boot file (bootimage) given in the configuration information.
Loading pxelinux
The bootimage is loaded via trivial file transfer protocol (tftp). The displayed message is „LOADING“. tftp is a rather old and simple protocol to transfer files without authentication. In fact, all data available via tftp is available to everyone in the network. Therefore the tftp access is limited to one directory, which is usually /tftpboot. This directory is specified in x/inetd (internet daemon, /etc/inetd.conf), which will start the tftp daemon tftpd if requested. The start command as noted in inetd.conf is something like
tftpd -p -u tftp -s /tftpboot
The PXE boot-process is a multi-stage process:
Stage 1 is to load and start the file submitted as part of the address discovery process (usually /tftpboot/linux/pxelinux.0).
The program pxelinux.0 then looks for configuration and boot information in /tftpboot/linux/pxelinux.cfg. It first looks for a PC specific file with a name based on the hardware ethernet address (MAC) of the network controller with a leading 01. The filename for the controller with the hardware ethernet address 00:0C:29:11:6B:D2 would be 01-00-0c-29-11-6b-d2. If the file is not found, pxelinux.0 will start to shorten the filename (starting at the end) to obtain a match. If this process ends without result, the file default will be loaded. This file only contains the instruction to boot from the local hard disk. In this case the PC won’t install anything and will just start the current OS from hard disk.

To initiate the re-installation of a certain PC, a loadable file is prepared for the program pxelinux.0. In order to do so, the opsipxeconfd creates a PC custom file in /tftpboot/linux/pxelinux.cfg. Part of this file is the command to load the installation boot image. Also this file contains the client key to decrypt the pcpatch password. This file is created as a named pipe and therefore disappears after being read once. More details about this in the chapter on security of file shares.
Based on the information the pxelinux.0 got from the named pipe, the actual bootimage is loaded from the opsi depot server via tftp. The bootimage is based on a linux kernel (/tftpboot/linux/install) within an appropriate initrd file system (/tftpboot/linux/miniroot.bz2).
Boot from CD
Similar to the tftp boot via PXE-bootprom, the installation boot image can be booted from the opsi bootcd.
This might be recommended under the following conditions:
-
the client has no PXE bootprom;
-
there is no dhcp;
-
there is a dhcp but it isn’t allowed to configure any client data and the hardware addresses of the clients are unknown;
-
there is a dhcp but it isn’t configured for this demand.
According to different situations, several information has to be provided for the CD boot image by interactive input. The most simple case is to provide no further information. Eventually the clients hostname can be passed by hn=<hostname>. Using the option ASK_CONF=1 several parameters can be queried. Pressing F1 at the CD prompt shows the syntax.
Please read the chapter Create a new client using the opsi-client-bootcd at the opsi-getting-started manual.
The linux bootimage prepares for reinstallation
The bootimage again performs a dhcp request and configures the network interface according to the perceived information. Afterwards the configuration data for the client will be loaded via opsi web service.

It also holds the information on how to partition the hard disk, what file system to use and which operating system to install. Also it provides the encrypted password to connect the file share.
These information will be combined with some information taken from the dhcp response and then be passed to the installation script for further processing.
Then the password for the user pcpatch will be decrypted with the transferred key to mount the installation share and then call the installation script from the mounted share to start the installation of the operating system. What specific operations the script performs depends on the operating system which is to be installed. Below the steps of a Windows 10 installation will be described.
Prepare the disc: On the hard disk the bootimage creates a new partition (size of 4 GB), formats it and installs a bootable ntloader kernel.
Copy the installation file: The files required for OS installation and the setup files for the opsi-client-agent (which is the opsi software distribution pack) will be copied from the server file share (e.g. /var/lib/opsi/depot/win10/installfiles
) to the local hard disk.
Maintain the configuration informations: Some of the configuration and control files contain replacement characters, which will be patched before starting the actual installation. With a specified script (patcha-script) the placeholders will be replaced with parameters taken from the information packet. This is built from configuration files and the dhcp-response. For example the file unattend.xml, which is the control file for unattended OS Installation, will be patched with specific information like host IP, client IP, client name, workgroup, default gateway etc..
Prepare Reboot: Bootrecords will be installed which will start the Windows setup program at the next reboot. The patched unattend.xml is passed to the setup as the control file for unattended installation.
Reboot: During the previous boot, the named pipe (which is indicating a request for installation) has been removed by reading it once. So the next PXE boot will load the default netboot response, which executes the command localboot 0. The local boot loader will be started and the setup for operating system installation starts.
These steps are controlled by an OS specific python script.
Installation of OS and opsi-client-agent
The OS installation bases on the Microsoft unattended setup. Part of this is the standard hardware detection. In addition to the possibilities given during an installation from non-OEM or slipstreamed installation media, drivers and patches (i.e. service packs) can be installed during the initial installation, making the separate installation of drivers obsolete.
One feature of the unattended installation is the possibility to initiate additional installations after the main installation is finished. This mechanism is used to install the opsi-client-agent, which implements the automatized software distribution system. An entry in the registry marks the machine as being still in the reinstallation-mode.
The final reboot leads to starting the opsi-client-agent service for software distribution prior to the first user login. Based on the value of the aforementioned registry key the opsi-client-agent switches into reinstallation-mode. Therefore, regarding the configuration status of each software packet, each packet which is marked as action status ”setup” or installation status ”installed” within the configuration of that client will be installed. After all the designated client software has been installed, the reinstallation process is finished and the internal status is switched back from reinstallation-mode to standard-mode. In standard-mode only software packages that are marked as action status ”setup” will be installed.
How the patcha program works
As mentioned above the information collected from dhcp and opsi-webservice will be used to patch some configuration files as e.g. unattend.xml. The program used for patching is the script /user/local/bin/patcha.
This script replaces patterns like @flagname() in a file with values taken as flagname=value from the specified properties in the Windows 10 product. In the files that have to be patched, the search and replace pattern must start with @, might have an optional after the flagname and must have one or more trailing .
So by calling patcha -f <patchValues> <filename> the file <filename> will be patched with information from the set product properties, stored in the file <patchValues>. The file <patchValues> is generated before the installation from the product properties.
Usage: patcha [-h|-v] [-f <params file>] <patch file>
Fill placeholders in file <patch file>
Options:
-v Show version information and exit
-h Show this help
-f <params file> File containig key value pairs
If option not given key value pairs from kernel cmdline are used
patcha
patches one tag per line
Caveat: patch a patches only the first pattern of each line.
Each pattern will be expanded (or reduced) to the length of the value to be replaced with and then replaced. Trailing chars will not be affected.
Examples:
With the input file try.in
cat try.in
tag1=hallohallohallo1 tag2=t2
and the file patch.me to be patched:
cat patch.me
<#@tag1##########################>
<#@tag2##########################>
<#@tag1#>
<#@tag2#>
<#@tag1*##########################>
<#@tag2*##########################>
<#@tag1*#>
<#@tag2*#>
<#@tag1#><#@tag1#####>
<#@tag2*#######><#@tag1#>
the result will be:
./patcha -f try.in patch.me
cat patch.me
<hallohallohallo1>
<t2>
<hallohallohallo1>
<t2>
<hallohallohallo1>
<t2>
<hallohallohallo1>
<t2>
<hallohallohallo1><#@tag1#####>
<t2><#@tag1#>
Structure of the unattended installation products
The information about the Structure of the unattended installation products is found in the opsi-getting-started manual.
Simplified driver integration with symlinks
The information about the Simplified driver integration with symlinks is found in the opsi-getting-started manual.
8.2.3. Some hints to the NT6 netboot products (Win7 to Win 10)
All netboot products with the version >= 4.1.0.0 require an opsi-winst >= 4.12.0.13 installed on the opsi server.
The netboot products with the version 4.1.0.0 also run on opsi 4.0.7.
Windows OS installations on systems with more than one hard disk are now supported with the new multidiskmode property.
The multidiskmode property allows to select the target disk for the Windows installation by selecting the disk number. It is also possible to select the first SSD by using prefer_ssd
or to select the first rotational (classic) disk by prefer_rotational
In order to work with the multidisk mode, the property winpenetworkmode
has to be true
.
By using the multidiskmode on a computer with MBR BIOS you have to make sure, that the by multidiskmode selected disk is also the first disk in the BIOS boot sequence. On UEFI BIOS systems no further actions are necessary, due to the fact that the boot sequence it’s controlled by the installation software. |
The preparation of a Windows installation starts with the opsi-linux bootimage, which select and prepares the hard disk. It also copies a Windows PE to a partition of the hard disk. This Windows PE is booted in order to start the Windows setup.
Starting with the 4.1.0.0 netboot products we use an opsi-script inside the Windows PE. This has the following advantages:
-
Easier and clearer scripts
-
The creation of a log file of the actions inside the PE
-
Sending of this log file to the opsi server
The netboot products for the installation of the operating systems of the NT6 familiy, contain several properties which will be described below.

- additional_drivers
-
One or more directories below
<productid>\drivers\drivers\additional
. All driver directories below the given directories will be integrated. If there is here a driver for a found device, no other driver will be integrated by the automatic driver integration. - administrator_password
-
At this property you set the password for the local Administrator.
Default = nt123 - architecture
-
Select the bootimage architecture (e.g. 32/64 Bit). This will not (!) affect the architecture of the installed Operating System.
Default = 65bit Since version 4.1.0.0-15 - askbeforeinst
-
Should there be a confirmation dialog before start installing
- boot_partition_label
-
Label of the boot_partition (Bitlocker partion)
- boot_partition_letter
-
Drive letter of the boot_partition (Bitlocker Partion)
- boot_partition_size
-
Size of the boot_partition (Bitlocker Partion). 0 = create no partition
- data_partition_label
-
Label of the data partion (if created)
- data_partition_letter
-
Drive letter of the data partion (if created)
- data_partition_preserve
-
Preserve data partition on reinstallation
- fullname
-
Full name of the license holder, which is given to the setup program
- imagename
-
Name of the operating system variant

- installto
-
This property should never be changed. It ist not editable. It is used internally to difference between standard (disk) installations, opsi-local-image (oli) and opsi-vhd (vhd).
Please do not try to change it. - multi_disk_mode
-
This property is used to select the target disk of the Windows installation.
Possible values are: "0","1","2","3","prefer_ssd","prefer_rotational"
The values "0","1","2","3" are the index of the hard disks ("0"= 1. harddisk)
The value "prefer_ssd" selects the first SSD.
The value "prefer_rotational" selects the first rotational (classic) disk.
This property is ignored on systems with only one disk.
Default = "0" - orgname
-
Name of the company or organisation of license holder, which is given to the setup program
- pre_format_system_partitions
-
Should we format the windows and boot partition before installation starts to remove any traces of former installations ? (takes time !)
- preserve_winpe_partition
-
By default (False) the winpe partition will be deleted after the installation and the space is used by the system partition. True meens only to hide the winpe partition.
- productkey
-
License key for the installation. Is only used if the host parameter
license-management.use
is set to false. If it set to True the license key will be get from the license management module. - setup_after_install
-
Which opsi product(s) should we switch to setup after OS installation is done ?
- system_keyboard_layout
-
Select keyboard language. (see: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/goglobal/bb895996 )

- system_language
-
Select system language
- system_timezone
-
Select time zone
- winpe_dir
-
This property only is used for debuging
The value "auto" detects the matching standard winpe directory. These are winpe or winpe_uefi
Any other value must point to an existing directory inside the product directory on the opsi depot share.
Default = auto - winpe_inputlocale
-
Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE InputLocale
- winpe_partition_size
-
Size of the winpe_partition
- winpe_uilanguage
-
Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE
- winpe_uilanguage_fallback
-
Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE
- windows_partition_label
-
Label of the system partion (c:)
- windows_partition_size
-
Size of the system partion (c:). The size may be given as percent of the harddisk size or as absolut size (G=Gigabyte). If you choose a other value the 100%, the rest will be used as data_partition.

- winpenetworkmode
-
If true the PE tries to mount the depot share and start the operating system setup from the share (faster). If false all installation files will be copied to the hard disk and the installation starts from the local disk (slower).
8.2.4. memtest
The product memtest is a utility to perform a memory test on a client.
8.2.5. hwinvent
This product does a hardware inventory of the client.
8.2.6. wipedisk
The product wipedisk overwrites the complete hard disk (partion=0) or several partitions with different patterns. The number of consecutive write operations to perform is specified as the {product-property iterations (1-25).
8.3. Inventory
The localboot products hwaudit
and swaudit
and the netboot product hwinvent
are available for inventory purposes.
8.3.1. Hardware Inventory
The hardware inventory is controlled in opsi via a configuration file. This means that the information how and which data is collected is not hardwired into the corresponding products hwaudit
and hwinvent
. Rather, these products are controlled via a configuration file. For this purpose, each time an inventory product is executed, the configuration file is read in and interpreted via the opsi web service. At the same time, this configuration file also controls the structure of the database, so that an extension of this configuration file also entails an extension of the database schema.
The configuration file is /etc/opsi/hwaudit/opsihwaudit.conf
.
In this file all objects to be inventoried are defined and is described how the data belonging to this object is to be collected (under Linux and under Windows). At the same time, the associated data structure is also defined.
For simplification, this configuration file contains inheritance mechanisms that are based on an object orientation. The background to this is the fact that many objects have identical data fields, e.g. Name
and Vendor
. This general information is defined in virtual hardware classes. The actual inventory objects are then structural hardware classes, which can inherit many properties from the above virtual classes.
An example to explain this mechanism:
The configuration file first defines a virtual class named "BASIC_INFO". This defines the properties (Values):
-
"name"
-
"description"
Next comes the virtual class named "HARDWARE_DEVICE", which inherits all the properties of "BASIC_INFO" and defines the following additional ones:
-
"vendor"
-
"model"
-
"serialNumber"
Next comes the first object, which we also find in the inventory, the first structural class name "COMPUTER_SYSTEM", which inherits all properties of "HARDWARE_DEVICE" and defines or overwrites the following additional ones:
-
"name"
-
"systemType"
-
"totalPhysicalMemory"
Various properties are described in the context of the definition of a class and its values:
-
Class definition:
-
"Type"
is "STRUCTURAL" or "VIRTUAL" -
"Super"
specifies the class from which to inherit. -
"Opsi"
specifies the name of the class, which will later be used as the display name in opsi.
-
Furthermore, the class definition can indicate how this data is collected. This information can also be used to define the values.
-
For inventory under Linux:
-
"Linux": "[<command>]<parameter>"
Execution of the command line program <command>, with the argument <parameter>. Currently the supported programs are lshw, dmidecode, lsusb and lspci. -
"Python": "<python code with place holder>"
Execution of the specified Python code whereby the placeholder is then replaced by the determined values.
-
-
For the Inventory under Windows:
-
"WMI": "<wmi select statement>"
WMI query to be executed. Apart from the default (root\cimv2), custom namespaces can be used (e.g.namespace=root\\cimv2\\security\\microsofttpm:SELECT * FROM Win32_Tpm
). -
"Cmd": "<Python text object with place holder>"
In this case, this is the relative path to an executable Python program, whose output replaces the placeholder. -
"Registry": "[<registry key>] <value name>"
The value of <value name> is read from the registry in <registry key>.
The registry is read in an architecture-specific manner. This means that the 64-bit branch of the registry is read on a 64-bit system.
-
-
Value Definition:
-
"Type": "<MySQL database type>"
<MySQL database type> specifies the data type which will be used to create this value in the database. -
"Scope": "<scope>"
The <scope> field is used in the following way:
"g" means: This attribute is the same for all devices of this type.
"i" means: This attribute can have different values for devices of this type. -
"Opsi": "<id>"
<id> is the opsi internal name of the field. This can be localized for output via the files in/etc/opsi/hwaudit/locales
. -
"WMI": "<id or command>"
<id or command> is either the name of the WMI command, specified in the class definition, which outputs the value, or a seperate WMI command. -
"Linux": "<id>"
<id> is the name of the Linux command, specified in the class definition, which outputs the value. -
"Condition": "<condition>"
<condition> is a condition which must be fulfilled, in order for the value to be determined. For example, if the <condition> is defined as "vendor=[dD]ell*", then the values of "vendor" must contain either Dell or dell.
-
Here is an example of the class "COMPUTER_SYSTEM":
{
"Class": {
"Type": "STRUCTURAL",
"Super": [ "HARDWARE_DEVICE" ],
"Opsi": "COMPUTER_SYSTEM",
"WMI": "select * from Win32_ComputerSystem",
"Linux": "[lshw]system"
},
"Values": [
{
"Type": "varchar(100)",
"Scope": "i",
"Opsi": "name",
"WMI": "Name",
"Linux": "id"
},
{
"Type": "varchar(50)",
"Scope": "i",
"Opsi": "systemType",
"WMI": "SystemType",
"Linux": "configuration/chassis"
},
{
"Type": "bigint",
"Scope": "i",
"Opsi": "totalPhysicalMemory",
"WMI": "TotalPhysicalMemory",
"Linux": "core/memory/size",
"Unit": "Byte"
},
{
"Type": "varchar(50)",
"Scope": "i",
"Opsi": "dellexpresscode",
"Condition": "vendor=[dD]ell*",
"Cmd": "#dellexpresscode\dellexpresscode.exe#.split('=')[1]",
"Python": "str(int(#{'COMPUTER_SYSTEM':'serialNumber','CHASSIS':'serialNumber'}#,36))"
}
]
},
The last value, "dellexpresscode", is particularly interesting:
This only makes sense if it is also a Dell computer, hence the condition.
Under Windows the command line program dellexpresscode.exe
is executed, which is located as seen from hwaudit.exe
in the subdirectory dellexpresscode\
. This produces an output in the form: dellexpresscode=123456789. With the .split('=')[1]
after the placeholder, the value after the equal sign is used.
Under Linux it is checked in which element (COMPUTER_SYSTEM or CHASSIS) a value was found for serialNumber and this is then used to calculate the Dell expresscode.
The opsi names of the values are translated using the files found in /etc/opsi/hwaudit/locales/*
.
Example of /etc/opsi/hwaudit/locales/en_US
:
COMPUTER_SYSTEM = Computer COMPUTER_SYSTEM.systemType = Type
The class name COMPUTER_SYSTEM is translated into "Computer". The opsi attribute "systemType" of the class COMPUTER_SYSTEM is translated into "type". Finally this note: If a new field is created, you should create it in the locale files, even if you do not translate the term yourself. This prevents "Warning" messages from being generated while running.
After you have modified the configuration file and the locales, you have to execute the following command so that the changes are also transferred to the database:
opsi-setup --init-current-config
Furthermore you have to completely reload the data in opsi-configed: File / Reload all data.
The source code of this package can be found on GitHub: opsi-org/hwaudit
8.3.2. Software Inventory
Software inventory is done with the localboot product swaudit
. The information from the uninstall path of the registry is collected and supplemented with additional information about hotfixes and license keys.
The source code of this package can be found on Github: opsi-org/swaudit
8.4. opsi subscriptions
8.4.1. Initial Deployment of opsi subscriptions
To provide the required packages, you can download them manually or install all packages after editing the configuration of the opsi-package-updater
.
8.4.2. Configuration of the opsi-package-updater
/ updating the opsi subscriptions
For further operation it is recommended to save the repository configuration in /etc/opsi/package-updater.repos.d/. You will receive a corresponding configuration file with your access data.
If using a proxy, the access must be configured in these files! |
It then offers to ony install the required packages from the new repositories:
# Example: Install packages for mshotfix, OS Windows 7 x64 / Server 2008 R2 and Windows 10 / 2016 / 2019 x64
opsi-package-updater --repo uib_abo_mshotfix install mshotfix mshotfix-win7-win2008r2-x64-glb mshotfix-win10-win2016-x64-glb
# Example: Install packages for Office 2016
opsi-package-updater --repo uib_abo_msoffice install office_2016_hotfix
# Example: Install packages for the standard opsi products: firefox and libreoffice
opsi-package-updater --repo uib_abo_standard install firefox libreoffice
It is possible to install only required packages, e.g. only the packages to update Windows 7:
opsi-package-updater -v install mshotfix mshotfix-win7-x86-glb mshotfix-win7-win2008r2-x64-glb
To update the packages the usage of opsi-package-updater
is recommended.
By executing opsi-package-updater -v update
you can update the installed packages, for example via a cronjob.
An equivalent is to update the packages for each repository:
# Updating packages for mshotfix
opsi-package-updater --repo uib_abo_mshotfix update
# Updating packages for msoffice
opsi-package-updater --repo uib_abo_msoffice update
# Updating packages for standard products
opsi-package-updater --repo uib_abo_standard update
8.4.3. Configuration of default properties
When installing opsi packages non-interactively, the default properties of the packages are saved as default on a opsi-config-server or opsi-server.
As of opsi version 4.0.5, the default properties of the opsi-server can be set via the management interface opsi-configed.
If you subsequently install a newer package version using opsi-package-manager
or opsi-package-updater
, the default properties of the depot will be retained.
8.4.4. Subscription MS-Hotfixes
Regular updates for the product MS-Hotfix (OS hotfixes for Windows 7 / 2008 R2, Windows 8.1 / 2012 R2, Windows 10 /2016).
Versions no longer supported by Microsoft are displayed as "failed": 1507 "non"-LTSB, 1511 and 1607 "non"-LTSB except Education and Enterprise versions. |
The updates will be available within three working days after the release of a patch that Microsoft considers to be important or critical.
Rating | Description |
---|---|
Critical |
A vulnerability whose exploitation could allow code execution without user interaction. These scenarios include self-propagating malware (e.g. network worms), or unavoidable common use scenarios where code execution occurs without warnings or prompts. This could mean browsing to a web page or opening email. Microsoft recommends that customers apply Critical updates immediately. |
Important |
A vulnerability whose exploitation could result in compromise of the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of user data, or of the integrity or availability of processing resources. These scenarios include common use scenarios where client is compromised with warnings or prompts regardless of the prompt’s provenance, quality, or usability. Sequences of user actions that do not generate prompts or warnings are also covered. Microsoft recommends that customers apply Important updates at the earliest opportunity. |
Moderate |
Impact of the vulnerability is mitigated to a significant degree by factors such as authentication requirements or applicability only to non-default configurations. Microsoft recommends that customers consider applying the security update. |
Low |
Impact of the vulnerability is comprehensively mitigated by the characteristics of the affected component. Microsoft recommends that customers evaluate whether to apply the security update to the affected systems. |
The opsi-mshotfix package uses (like WSUS Offline Update http://forums.wsusoffline.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=172 coverage of WSUS Offline Update) to download Microsoft’s update catalog file wsusscn2.cab, to identify the required patches. This catalog file contains at least all the "critical" and "security-relevant" updates, but not necessarily all the "important" and "optional" updates.
The opsi mshotfix packages have a modular structure. The basic package "mshotfix" contains only a script for installing the patches. The actual patches are contained in separate packages.
OS |
Windows 7 SP1 / Windows 2008 R2 SP1 |
Windows 8 / Windows 2012 |
Windows 8.1 / Windows 2012 R2 |
Windows 10 / Windows 2016 / Windows 2019 |
WAN/VPN extension: The packages for Windows 8.1 / Windows 2012 R2 require opsi-winst >= 4.11.3.11-1 and opsi-client-agent >= 4.0.4.4-1 |
WAN/VPN extension: The packages for Windows 10 / 2016 / 2019 require opsi-client-agent >= 4.1.0.0-27 and opsiclientd >= 4.0.95 |
Structure of the subscription area on our download server:
mshotfix
!-opsi4/
!-glb/ Base-package mshotfix and global packages
mshotfix-win7-x86-glb
mshotfix-win7-win2008r2-x64-glb
mshotfix-win8-win2012-x64-glb
mshotfix-win81-x86-glb
mshotfix-win81-win2012r2-x64-glb
mshotfix-win10-win2016-x64-glb
mshotfix-win10-x86-glb
mshotfix-win10-1507-x64-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1507-x86-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1607-x64-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1607-x86-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1703-x64-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1703-x86-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1709-x64-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1709-x86-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1803-x64-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1803-x86-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1809-x64-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1809-x86-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1903-x86-glb (since 201904-1)
mshotfix-win10-1903-x64-glb (since 201904-1)
!-misc/ various additional packages
dotnetfx
dotnetfx-hotfix
mshotfix-uninstall
ms-ie11
ms-optional-fixes
silverlight
The following table should help you choose the right packages:
OS |
Arch |
Patch-package |
Windows 7 |
32Bit |
mshotfix-win7-x86-glb |
Windows 7 |
64Bit |
mshotfix-win7-win2008r2-x64-glb |
Windows 2012 |
64Bit |
mshotfix-win8-win2012-x64-glb |
Windows 8.1 |
32Bit |
mshotfix-win81-x86-glb |
Windows 8.1 |
64Bit |
mshotfix-win81-win2012r2-x64-glb |
Windows 2008 Server R2 |
64Bit |
mshotfix-win7-win2008r2-x64-glb |
Windows 2012 R2 |
64Bit |
mshotfix-win81-win2012r2-x64-glb |
Windows 10 |
32Bit |
mshotfix-win10-x86-glb or the matching modular package |
Windows 10 |
64Bit |
mshotfix-win10-win2016-x64-glb or the matching modular package |
Windows 2016 |
64Bit |
mshotfix-win10-win2016-x64-glb or mshotfix-win10-1607-x64-glb |
Windows 2019 |
64Bit |
mshotfix-win10-win2016-x64-glb or mshotfix-win10-1809-x64-glb |
Installation:
opsi-package-manager -i mshotfix_201008-1.opsi
To set to setup wherever the product is installed:
opsi-package-manager -iS mshotfix_201008-1.opsi
In addition to the basic package, the patch packages are installed in the same way. However, since these packages do not contain any installation scripts, they can only be used together with the basic package, i.e. you cannot set them separately on setup. The mshotfix basic package is responsible for the client installation.
Since package mshotfix 201304-1, a list of patches installed by mshotfix is stored locally in the file C:\opsi.org\mshotfix\deployed.txt
.
- Caution
-
Since package mshotfix 201808-3, the current Servicing Stack is installed first, followed by an immediate reboot.
- noreboot
-
noreboot=on: Don’t Reboot if possible Warning will be logged if a reboot is required. Will be ignored for Servicing stacks values: ["off", "on"] default: ["off"]
- force
-
force=on: All Hotfixes will be forced installed values: ["off", "on"] default: ["off"]
- excludes
-
Commaseparated list with kb-numbers or ms-no, that will be excluded (Only Number without beginning kb and no spaces. Example: 123456,789011,976002
- severity
-
choose the severity that will be installed. Possible Entries are Critical, Important, Moderate, all values: ["Critical", "Important", "Moderate", "all"] default: ["Critical", "Important"]
- excludelist-superseded.txt
-
Use File ExcludeList-superseded.txt values: ["", "ExcludeList-superseded.txt"] default: [""]
- monthly-updates
-
Handle windows-7-and-windows-8-1 : security Only Quality Update vs Monthly Quality Rollup (see Further simplifying servicing models for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, More on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 servicing changes, .NET Framework Monthly Rollups Explained) values: ["all", "monthly_quality_rollup", "security_only_quality_update"] default: ["security_only_quality_update"]
misc mshotfix-uninstall
mshotfix-uninstall 201512-1 MS Hotfix BasePackage
Removes patches that can be uninstalled via wusa /uninstall ...
.
- excludes
-
Commaseparated list with kb-numbers or ms-no, that will be excluded (Only Number without beginning kb and no spaces. Example: 2553154,ms14-082)
- noreboot
-
noreboot=on: Don’t Reboot. Warning will be logged if a reboot is required. values: ["off", "on"] default: ["off"]
- removefromdeployed.txt
-
Remove from deployed.txt default: False
- removekb
-
Remove KBXXXXX, (Only Number without beginning kb and no spaces f.e. 3097877) multivalue: True default: [""]
misc dotnetfx
dotnetfx 4.7.2-3 .NET Framework
Package for installing NET Framework versions 4.5 and higher, especially on Windows 7 / 2008 R2 / 8.1 / 2012 R2 / 10 NET 3.5 can also be installed on Windows installations (newer than Windows 7).
- version
-
The Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 is a highly compatible, in-place update to the Microsoft .NET Framework 4, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7 , 4.7.1 and 4.7.2
values: ["3.5", "4.0", "4.5", "4.5.1", "4.5.2", "4.6", "4.6.1", "4.6.2", "4.7", "4.7.1", "4.7.2", "latest", "latestAnd3.5"]
default: ["latest"]
rerundotnethotfix::rerun dotnetfx-hotfix after installation if possible values: ["false", "true"] default: ["true"]
- install_language_languagepack
-
install_language_languagepack values: ["auto", "de", "en", "fr"] default: ["auto"]
- os-package
-
Here you can switch from which OS-Version to be install Dotnet3.5, auto=win10 or opsi-local-image-win10 (default); other ProductID for netboot-product values: ["auto", ] default: ["auto"]
misc dotnetfx-hotfix
dotnetfx-hotfix 201808-1 dotnetfx-hotfix
The MS-Hotfixes update subscription only contains the hotfixes for Microsoft .NET Framework that are applicable for the respective operating system. E.g. Windows 7 came with "Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1"
(However, since October 2016 there have also been irregular "Monthly Rollups" for DotnetFramework, which are included in the mshotfix package.)
The dotnetfx-hotfix package contains the hotfixes from Microsoft for
-
Microsoft .NET Framework 4 and higher for Windows 7
The package dotnetfx-hotfix is currently patching versions 4.x - if available - to the newest version of the series.
Please note: "Support for .NET Framework 4, 4.5, and 4.5.1 ended on January 12, 2016" (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle?p1=14380)
respectivly
- noreboot
-
noreboot=on: Don’t Reboot. Warning will be logged if a reboot is required. values: ["off", "on"] default: ["off"]
- force
-
force=on: All Hotfixes will be installed forced values: ["off", "on"] default: ["off"]
- severity
-
choose the severity that will be installed.Possible Entries:Critical, Important, Moderate, all values: ["Critical", "Important", "Moderate", "all"] default: ["all"]
misc ms-ie11
ms-ie11 11.0-11 Internet Explorer 11
Win7 Internet Explorer 11
- rerunmshotfix
-
rerun mshotfix after installation values: ["false", "true"] default: ["true"]
- client_language
-
values: ["auto", "de", "en", "fr"] default: ["auto"]
misc ms-optional-fixes
ms-optional-fixes 201808-1 MS optional fixes
Intended as a supplement to mshotfix and based on mshotfix.
Contains:
kb2999226 win7-win8.1
- message_language
-
Language for messages while installing values: ["auto", "de", "en", "fr"] default: ["auto"]
- noreboot
-
noreboot=on: Don’t Reboot if possible Warning will be logged if a reboot is required. Will be ignored for Servicing stacks values: ["off", "on"] default: ["off"]
- excludes
-
Commaseparated list with kb-numbers or ms-no, that will be excluded (Only Number without beginning kb and no spaces. Example: 123456,789011,2222)
- rerunmshotfix
-
rerun mshotfix after installation values: ["false", "true"] default: ["true"]
- client_language
-
values: ["auto", "de", "en", "fr"] default: ["auto"]
misc silverlight
silverlight 5.1.50918.0-1 Microsoft Silverlight
8.4.5. Update subscription for MS-Office Hotfixes
Regular updates for MS Office 2010/2013/2016 32 bit and MS Office 2016 64 bit.
The updates will be available within three working days after the release of a patch that Microsoft considers to be important or critical.
Office Version |
required |
Office 2010 32-bit |
Service Pack 2 |
Office 2013 32-bit |
Servicepack 1 |
Office 2016 |
Updates for MS Office 2010 32-bit international: office_2010_hotfix
office_2010_hotfix 201808-1 Microsoft Office 2010 Hotfixes
Contains language-independent monthly Office 2010 hotfixes (including Visio and Project 2010). Requires Service Pack 2.
Since package office_2010_hotfix 201305-2, a list of patches installed by office_2010_hotfix is stored locally in the file C:\opsi.org\mshotfix\office_2010_hotfix_deployed.txt
.
Since office_2010_hotfix 201503-1:
- excludes
-
Comma separated list with kb-numbers or ms-no, that will be excluded (Only Number without beginning kb and no spaces. Example: 2553154,ms14-082)
Updates for MS Office 2013 32-bit international: office_2013_hotfix
office_2013_hotfix 201808-1 Microsoft Office 2013 Hotfixes
Contains language-independent monthly Office 2013 hotfixes (including Visio 2013). Requires Service Pack 1.
Is tested with Office 2013 Professional
A list of patches installed by office_2013_hotfix is stored locally in the file C:\opsi.org\mshotfix\office_2013_hotfix_deployed.txt
.
Since office_2013_hotfix 201503-1:
- excludes
-
Comma separated list with kb-numbers or ms-no, that will be excluded (Only Number without beginning kb and no spaces. Example: 2553154,ms14-082)
Updates for MS Office 2016 32-bit international: office_2016_hotfix
office_2016_hotfix 201808-1 Microsoft Office 2016 Hotfixes
Contains language-independent monthly Office 2016 hotfixes (including Visio 2016).
Is tested with Office 2016 Professional
A list of patches installed by office_2016_hotfix is stored locally in the file C:\opsi.org\mshotfix\office_2016_hotfix_deployed.txt
.
- excludes
-
Comma separated list with kb-numbers or ms-no, that will be excluded (Only Number without beginning kb and no spaces. Example: 2553154,ms14-082)
- CAUTION
-
If you want to install updates for MS Office 2016 32-bit and 64-bit, or only 64-bit:
Configure the repo uib_abo_msoffice update section: x3264 / x64
8.4.6. Update subscription for the opsi standard packages
Regular product updates for:
Adobe Reader DC Classic / Continuous (international, 32 Bit) Adobe Flashplayer (international, 32 Bit / 64 Bit) Apache OpenOffice.org (German, 32 Bit) Google Chromium for business (international, 32 Bit / 64 Bit) LibreOffice (international, 32 Bit / 64 Bit) Mozilla Firefox (German, English, French and Dutch, 32 Bit), respectivly as 32/64 Bit package since 201706 Mozilla Thunderbird (German, English and French, 32 Bit) Java VM (javavm) based on Open JDK LTS 11 (international, 64 Bit) Java VM 8 (javavm8) based on Open JDK LTS 8 (international, 32 Bit / 64 Bit) Java VM (javavm-oracle-jdk) OpenJDK based on the actual open jdk implementation (international, 64 Bit)
Depending on contract, we also provide the following languages as subscriptions:
Mozilla Firefox (additionally in Czech, Danish, Italian, Norwegian or Spanish, 32 Bit) Mozilla Thunderbird (additionally in Italian, 32 Bit)
Other languages on request.
The update will be available within two working weeks after the release of an update of these products. For security updates classified as critical by the manufacturer within one working week.
Customizing with central configuration files
For the opsi-packages
adobe.reader.dc.classic adobe.reader.dc.continuous firefox flashplayer thunderbird
there is the possibility to create your own configurations and store them in the directory custom
,
which can be selected via properties. (See below for details)
Customizing with preinst/postinst-scripts
For the opsi-packages
adobe.reader.dc.classic firefox (since 17.0.6esrorstandard-1) flashplayer (since 13.0.0.182or11.7.700.275-1) google-chrome-for-business javavm (since 1.7.0.51-4 ) javavm8 javavm-oracle-jdk libreoffice (since 4.3.5or4.4.0-2) ooffice (since 4.1.1-2) thunderbird (since 17.0.6esrorstandard-1)
there is the possibility to store your own custom scripts in the directory custom\scripts
.
Simple templates for the supported scripts can be found in the directory opsi\scripts
.
custom.actions.post.setup
custom.actions.post.uninstall
custom.actions.pre.setup
custom.actions.pre.uninstall
custom.declarations
custom.sections
custom scripts will be included in
- setup-script
- uninstall-script
custom pre-scripts will be included in
- setup-script
- uninstall-script
custom post-scripts will be included in
- in setup-script
- uninstall-script
custom.declarations
; intended for declaration of custom Variables and Stringlist Variables
; will be included with "include_insert" at top of [actions]
; but after GetProductProperties
custom.sections
; intended for declaration of custom secondary sections
; will be included with "include_append" at top of [actions]
; but after GetProductProperties
custom.actions.pre.setup (or custom.actions.pre.uninstall)
; will be included with "include_insert" at at top of [actions]
; (but after GetProductProperties)
custom.actions.post.setup (or custom.actions.post.uninstall)
; will be included with "include_insert" in case of successful installation before "endof_"actions"
; in setup-script ( or uninstall-script)
Adobe Acrobat Document Cloud Classic : adobe.reader.dc.classic
adobe.reader.dc.classic 20151500630493or20171701130138-1 Adobe Acrobat Reader DC classic
The adobe.reader.dc.classic-Package contains Adobe Acrobat Document Cloud Classic (MUI-Version)
Adaptation in the transform file *.mst
cat transform.txt
Changes vs default the transform file *.mst
Personalization Options
Suppress Eula
Installation Options
acivated - Make Reader the default PDF viewer
IF REBOOT REQUIRED - suppress reboot
Shortcuts
deactivated - Destination Computer/Desktop/Adobe Reader XI (Icon)
Online and Acrobat.com Features
Online Features
activated - Disable product updates
Enable & Ask before Installing - Load trusted root certificates from Adobe
Online Services and Features
disable product updates
Load trusted root certificates from Adobe disable
DISABLE all Services
- adobereader.mst
-
The Adobe Reader package from uib uses a standard transform file created with the Adobe Customization Wizard. Additionally, custom MST files can be stored in the directory
/var/lib/opsi/depot/adobe.reader.dc.classic/custom
on the shareopsi_depot
. These can be selected via this property (after reinstalling package usingopsi-package-manager -i <adobe-package>
).
When importing the adobe.reader.dc.classic package on the opsi server, the custom directory is retained using a preinst/postinst-script.
opsi WAN/VPN extension: The package must be reinstalled with opsi-package-manager after changes in the custom directory, so that the file <productid>.files is updated.
|
- client_language
-
The adobe.reader.dc.classic-package contains Adobe Acrobat Document Cloud Classic (MUI-Version) "auto" tries to install the correct language. values: ["auto", "de", "en", "fr"] default: ["auto"]
- classicversion
-
description: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/release-note/release-notes-acrobat-reader.html Classic Track (2015 Release) or (2017 Release) values: ["2015", "2017"] default: ["2015"]
- disableadobeacrobatupdateservice
-
Disable Adobe Acrobat Update Service and remove Adobe Acrobat Update Task values: ["false", "true"] default: ["false"]
- removebeforesetup
-
remove target version of adobe reader before install values: ["false", "true"] default: ["false"]
- noreboot
-
description: noreboot=true: Don’t Reboot. Warning will be logged if a reboot is required. values: ["false", "true"] default: ["false"]
Adobe Acrobat Document Cloud Continuous : adobe.reader.dc.continuous
adobe.reader.dc.continuous 201901020099-1 Adobe Acrobat Reader DC Continuous
The adobe.reader.dc.classic-Package contains Adobe Acrobat Document Cloud Continuous (MUI-Version)
Adaptation in the transform file *.mst
cat transform.txt
Changes vs default the transform file *.mst
Personalization Options
Suppress Eula
Installation Options
acivated - Make Reader the default PDF viewer
IF REBOOT REQUIRED - suppress reboot
Shortcuts
deactivated - Destination Computer/Desktop/Adobe Reader (Icon)
Online and Acrobat.com Features
Online Features
activated - Disable product updates
Enable & Ask before Installing - Load trusted root certificates from Adobe
Online Services and Features
disable product updates
Load trusted root certificates from Adobe disable
DISABLE all Services
- adobereader.mst
-
The Adobe Reader package from uib uses a standard transform file created with the Adobe Customization Wizard. Additionally, custom MST files can be stored in the directory
/var/lib/opsi/depot/adobe.reader.dc.continuous/custom
on the shareopsi_depot
. These can be selected via this property (after reinstalling package usingopsi-package-manager -i <adobe-package>
).
When importing the adobe.reader.dc.continuous package on the opsi server, the custom directory is retained using a preinst/postinst-script.
opsi WAN/VPN extension: The package must be reinstalled with opsi-package-manager after changes in the custom directory, so that the file <productid>.files is updated.
|
- client_language
-
The adobe.reader.dc.classic-package contains Adobe Acrobat Document Cloud Classic (MUI-Version) "auto" tries to install the correct language. values: ["auto", "de", "en", "fr"] default: ["auto"]
- disableadobeacrobatupdateservice
-
Disable Adobe Acrobat Update Service and remove Adobe Acrobat Update Task values: ["false", "true"] default: ["false"]
- removebeforesetup
-
remove target version of adobe reader before install values: ["false", "true"] default: ["false"]
- noreboot
-
description: noreboot=true: Don’t Reboot. Warning will be logged if a reboot is required. values: ["false", "true"] default: ["false"]
Adobe Flashplayer : flashplayer
flashplayer 32.0.0.171-1 Adobe Flashplayer
The flashplayer package contains Adobe Flashplayer in the version supported by Adobe.
- flashplayer-version
-
values: esr, standard default: standard
The central configuration file mms.cfg is generated with every new installation and adjusted according to the product properties (exception: use of a custom mms.cfg) No entries are made for empty values. Since version 13.0.0.250-2 there has been the option to provide a custom mms.cfg
- mms.cfg
-
A custom mms.cfg can be stored in the directory
/var/lib/opsi/depot/flashplayer/custom
on the shareopsi_depot
. This can be selected via this property (after reinstalling package usingopsi-package-manager -i <adobe-package>
).
When importing the flashplayer package on the opsi server, the custom directory is retained using a preinst/postinst-script.
opsi WAN/VPN extension: The package must be reinstalled with opsi-package-manager after changes in the custom directory, so that the file <productid>.files is updated.
|
When using a custom mms.cfg other settings apart from using the autoupdatedisable property are not used.
For further information see:
flash_player_11_1_admin_guide.pdf (flash_player_admin_guide.pdf)
#####################################
Chapter 4: Administration
You can create and place files on the end user’s machine to manage
features related to security, privacy, use of disk
space, etc.
Privacy and security settings (mms.cfg)
As a network administrator, you can install Flash Player across the
environment while enforcing some common global
security and privacy settings (supported with installation-time
configuration choices). To do this, you need install a file
named mms.cfg on each client machine.
The mms.cfg file is a text file. When Flash Player starts, it reads its
settings from this file, and uses them to manage
functionality as described in the following sections.
mms.cfg file location
Assuming a default Windows installation, Flash Player looks for the
mms.cfg file in the following system directories:
32-bit Windows - %WINDIR%\System32\Macromed\Flash
64-bit Windows - %WINDIR%\SysWow64\Macromed\Flash
Note: The %WINDIR% location represents the Windows system directory,
such as C:\WINDOWS.
- assetcachesize
-
description: hard limit, in MB, on the amount of local storage that Flash Player uses for the storage of common Flash components values: ["20"] default: ["20"]
- autoupdatedisable
-
description: Lets you prevent Flash Player from automatically checking for and installing updated versions. values: ["0", "1"] default: ["1"]
- autoupdateinterval
-
description: (without meaning if AutoUpdateDisable=1) how often to check for an updated version of Flash Player
- avhardwaredisable
-
description: Lets you prevent SWF files from accessing webcams or microphones values: ["0", "1"] default: ["1"]
- disabledevicefontenumeration
-
description: Lets you prevent information on installed fonts from being displayed. values: ["0", "1"] default: ["1"]
- fullscreendisable
-
description: Lets you disable SWF files playing via a browser plug-in from being displayed in full-screen mode values: ["0", "1"] default: ["1"]
- localfilereaddisable
-
description: Lets you prevent local SWF files from having read access to files on local hard drives values: ["0", "1"] default: ["0"]
- filedownloaddisable
-
description: Lets you prevent the ActionScript FileReference API from performing file downloads values: ["0", "1"] default: ["0"]
- fileuploaddisable
-
description: Lets you prevent the ActionScript FileReference API from performing file uploads values: ["0", "1"] default: ["0"]
- disableproductdownload
-
description: Lets you prevent native code applications that are digitally signed and delivered by Adobe from being downloaded values: ["0", "1"] default: ["1"]
- disablesockets
-
description: enable or disable the use of the Socket.connect() and XMLSocket.connect() methods values: ["0", "1"] default: ["1"]
- enablesocketsto
-
description: Lets you create a whitelist of servers to which socket connections are allowed
- enforcelocalsecurityinactivexhostapp
-
description: Lets you enforce local security rules for a specified application.
- legacydomainmatching
-
description: Lets you specify whether SWF files produced for Flash Player 6 and earlier can execute an operation that has been restricted in a newer version of Flash Player values: ["0", "1"] default: ["0"]
- localfilelegacyaction
-
description: Lets you specify how Flash Player determines whether to execute certain local SWF files that were originally produced for Flash Player 7 and earlier values: ["0", "1"] default: ["0"]
- allowuserlocaltrust
-
description: Lets you prevent users from designating any files on local file systems values: ["0", "1"] default: ["0"]
- localstoragelimit
-
description: Lets you specify a hard limit on the amount of local storage that Flash Player uses (per domain) for persistent shared objects. values: ["3"] default: ["3"]
- overridegpuvalidation
-
description: Overrides validation of the requirements needed to implement GPU compositing values: ["0", "1"] default: ["0"]
- rtmfpp2pdisable
-
description: Specifies how the NetStream constructor connects to a server when a value is specified for peerID, the second parameter passed to the constructor values: ["0", "1"] default: ["1"]
- disablenetworkandfilesysteminhostapp
-
description: 1 (Acrobat.exe,Acroread.exe,WINWORD.EXE,EXCEL.EXE,POWERPNT.EXE,PPTVIEW.EXE,OUTLOOK.EXE,MSACCESS.EXE,VISIO.EXE,thunderbird.exe) values: ["0", "1"] default: ["1"]
-
Known problems:
-
Installation via "On Demand" may fail due to running browsers.
-
-
Google Chromium for Business
google-chrome-for-business 73.0.3683.103-1
This package contains the msi installer from Google (see Chrome for Business FAQ https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/188447?hl=en )
remarks:
The uninstallation and installation of google-chrome.msi sometimes fails.
Therefore there are different approaches in the opsi package to increase the reliability of the installation.
One customer reported a success rate of 100% for 40 installations with the following property settings:
-
install_architecture
: 32 -
reboot_on_retry
: True -
reboot_after_uninstall
: True -
timeout
: 240
In our internal tests we use:
* install_architecture
: system specific
* reboot_on_retry
: True
* reboot_after_uninstall
: True
* timeout
: notimeout
- autoupdate
-
!!! Will not work anymore!!!
ADM= use Policy based on Googles Template, 0=UpdatesDisabled, 1=UpdatesEnabled, 2=ManualUpdatesOnly, 3=AutomaticUpdatesOnly, values: ["0", "1", "2", "3", "ADM"] default: ["0"]
- disablescheduledtaskgoogleupdatemachine
-
Disable scheduled task GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore and GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA values: ["false", "true"] default: ["true"]
- removeupdatehelper
-
default: ["true"]
- install_architecture
-
description: which architecture (32/64 bit) has to be installed values: ["32", "64", "system specific"] default: ["system specific"]
- reboot_on_retry
-
description: If installation fails and (timeout > 0) then reboot before retry default: False
- reboot_after_uninstall
-
description: reboot after uninstall old version default: False
- timeout
-
description: TimeOutSeconds msi installs values: ["240", "300", "600", "notimeout"] default: ["notimeout"]
Apache OpenOffice : ooffice4
ooffice 4.1.6-1 Apache OpenOffice
The ooffice package contains Apache OpenOffice in German.
- handle_excel_xls
-
Should OpenOffice be used as the default for MS Excel documents? on = OpenOffice.org will be used as the default for MS Excel documents off = OpenOffice.org will not be used as the default for MS Excel documents
- handle_powerpoint_ppt
-
Should OpenOffice be used as the default for MS Powerpoint documents? on = OpenOffice.org will be used as the default for MS Powerpoint documents off = OpenOffice.org will not be used as the default for MS Powerpoint documents
- handle_word_doc
-
Should OpenOffice be used as the default for MS Word documents? on = OpenOffice.org will be used as the default for MS Word documents off = OpenOffice.org will not be used as the default for MS Word documents
LibreOffice The Document Foundation : libreoffice
libreoffice 6.0.6or6.1.0-2 LibreOffice
The libreoffice package contains LibreOffice international.
- client_language
-
client_language - only for messages important, because libre office is international values: ["auto", "de", "en", "fr"]
- msoregister
-
Open Microsoft Office documents with LibreOffice (true) values: ["false", "true"] default: ["false"]
- libreoffice-version
-
description: Stable - is an Extended Support Release from LibreOffice for the conservative user - default version (6.0.6); Experimental is a version for the experimental user from LibreOffice (6.1.0) values: ["experimental", "stable"] default: ["stable"]
- hide_component
-
description: Hide component base by removing desktoplink and exe file values: ["base", "none"] default: ["none"]
- ui_languages
-
description: which UI languages should be installed (comma separated), For example UI_LANGS=en_US,de,fr,hu will install English (US), German, French, and Hungarian. default: ["auto"]
- install_architecture
-
which architecture (32/64 bit) has to be installed values: ["32", "64", "system specific"] default: ["32"]
Mozilla Firefox : firefox
firefox 60.6.1esror66.0.3-1
The firefox-package contains Mozilla Firefox in German, Englisch, French and Dutch.
All by Mozilla supported versions are provided.
Firefox can be configured centrally
a) either via a central configuration file mozilla.cfg
(see http://kb.mozillazine.org/Locking_preferences)
b) or via a policies.json
(see https://github.com/mozilla/policy-templates/blob/master/README.md)
which must be placed in the following directory:
/var/lib/opsi/depot/firefox/custom/
When the package is installed again using opsi-package-manager -i <firefox-paket>
, the configuration files found are retained via the preinst/postinst-mechanism and can then be selected using the "mozillacfg" property.
-
example:
cat /var/lib/opsi/depot/firefox/custom/mozilla.cfg // lockPref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://www.uib.de"); lockPref("network.proxy.type", 1); lockPref("network.proxy.http", "router.uib.local"); lockPref("network.proxy.http_port", 3128);
As an alternative to a mozilla.cfg, you can also integrate an autoconfig.zip created with the CCK2 using the property "mozillacfg".
opsi WAN/VPN extension: The package must be reinstalled with opsi-package-manager after changes in the custom directory, so that the file <productid>.files is updated.
|
- client_language
-
values: ["auto", "de", "en", "fr", "nl"] default: ["auto"]
- firefox-version
-
Firefox esr - Extended Support Release from Mozilla.org, standard is the newest version values: ["esr", "standard"] default: ["esr"]
- commandlineoptions
-
starts firefox with the supplied parameters. See https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Command_Line_Options values: ["", "-no-remote -Profile H:\\ProfileDir"] default: [""]
- pref_file
-
in which file should the settings be made, user.js or prefs.js. values: ["prefs", "user"] default: ["prefs"]
- noautoupdate
-
(on/off): disable auto update. default=on
- setproxy
-
(off/direct/manual/file) proxy settings
-
off= do nothing
-
direct = direct connection to the internet
-
manual = use proxy settings via property proxysetting (<ip-address>:<port>) and property noproxy_hosts (host1,host2)
-
file = use proxy settings via property proxysetting (<path_to_proxyconf.pac>) and property noproxy_hosts (host1,host2)
-
system
-
default=off
-
- proxysetting
-
string for proxy setting (see: setproxy)
- noproxy_hosts
-
comma separated list of hosts
- mozillacfg
-
description: filename for mozilla.cfg in
%scriptpath%\custom
-directory, http://kb.mozillazine.org/Locking_preferences - profilemigrator
-
enable or disable Profilemigrator on first run values: ["off", "on"] default: ["off"]
-
Known problems:
-
Installation via "On Demand" may fail if Firefox is running.
-
-
Mozilla Thunderbird : thunderbird
thunderbird 60.6.1-1
The thunderbird-package contains Mozilla Thunderbird in German, English and French.
All by Mozilla supported versions are provided.
Similar to the Firefox package, a central configuration file can be provided.
- client_language
-
values: ["auto", "de", "en", "fr"] default: ["auto"]
- thunderbird-version
-
values: ["60.x"] default: ["60.x"]
- commandlineoptions
-
starts thunderbird with the supplied parameters. See https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Command_Line_Options values: ["", "-no-remote -Profile H:\\ProfileDir"] default: [""]
- addonsactivation
-
description: Enable/Disable AddOns (default = enable) values: ["off", "on"] default: ["on"]
Set_Netscape_User_Pref ("extensions.autoDisableScopes", 11)
Set_Netscape_User_Pref ("extensions.shownSelectionUI", true)
- enigmail
-
description: Install GnuPG-Plugin values: ["off", "on"] default: ["off"]
- noautoupdate
-
description: disable automatic updates values: ["off", "on"] default: ["on"]
- mozillacfg
-
description: filename for mozilla.cfg in
%scriptpath%\custom
-directory, http://kb.mozillazine.org/Locking_preferences - lightning
-
description: Install calender plugin lightning values: ["off", "on"] default: ["off"]
-
Known problems:
-
Installation via "On Demand" may fail if thunderbird is running.
-
-
OpenJDK 11 LTS : javavm
javavm 11.0.3-1 JDK 11
The javavm-package contains the Open JDK 11 LTS implementations from SAP (SapMachine) and Amazon (Amazon Corretto) because Oracle no longer provides a freely available Java runtime (since early January 2019).
(Oracle announced "End Of Public Updates February 2019" http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/eol-135779.html)
- install_architecture
-
description: which architecture (32/64 bit) has to be installed values: ["64 only"] default: ["64 only"]
- javaversion
-
which version has to be installed jdk Sapmachine or amazon corretto values: ["jdkamazoncorretto", "jdksap"] default: ["jdksap"]
- keepversion
-
description: Don’t uninstall jre version values: ["1.6.0_0", "1.6.0_1", "1.6.0_2", "1.6.0_3", "1.6.0_4", "1.6.0_5", "1.6.0_6", "1.6.0_7", "none"] default: ["none"]
- uninstalljava16
-
description: Uninstall Java 1.6 "Patch in Place" Installations default: True
- uninstalljava17
-
description: Uninstall Java 1.7 "Patch in Place" Installations default: True
- environment_set_java_home
-
Set the environment variable JAVA_HOME default: False
OpenJDK 8 LTS : javavm8
javavm8 1.8.0.212or1.8.0.201-1 JDK 8 LTS
The javam8 package contains the Open JDK 8 LTS implementations from Amazon (Amazon Corretto) and ojdkbuild (https://github.com/ojdkbuild/ojdkbuild). The latter contains a webstart-component based on Iced Tea.
- javaversion
-
which version has to be installed amazon 212 or ojdkbuild 201 values: ["jdkamazoncorretto", "ojdkbuild"] default: ["jdkamazoncorretto"]
- install_architecture
-
which architecture (32/64 bit) has to be installed values: ["32 only", "64 only", "both", "system specific"] default: ["system specific"]
- keepversion
-
description: Don’t uninstall jre version values: ["1.6.0_0", "1.6.0_1", "1.6.0_2", "1.6.0_3", "1.6.0_4", "1.6.0_5", "1.6.0_6", "1.6.0_7", "none"] default: ["none"]
- uninstalljava16
-
description: Uninstall Java 1.6 "Patch in Place" Installations default: True
- uninstalljava17
-
description: Uninstall Java 1.7 "Patch in Place" Installations default: True
- environment_set_java_home
-
Set the environment variable JAVA_HOME default: False
OpenJDK : javavm-oracle-jdk
javavm-oracle-jdk 12.0.1-1 Open JDK
The javavm-oracle-jdk-package contains the current Open JDK implementation from Oracle http://jdk.java.net/
- install_architecture
-
description: which architecture (32/64 bit) has to be installed values: ["64 only"] default: ["64 only"]
- keepversion
-
description: Don’t uninstall jre version values: ["1.6.0_0", "1.6.0_1", "1.6.0_2", "1.6.0_3", "1.6.0_4", "1.6.0_5", "1.6.0_6", "1.6.0_7", "none"] default: ["none"]
- uninstalljava16
-
description: Uninstall Java 1.6 "Patch in Place" Installations default: True
- uninstalljava17
-
description: Uninstall Java 1.7 "Patch in Place" Installations default: True
- environment_set_java_home
-
Set the environment variable JAVA_HOME default: False
9. opsi Extensions
9.1. Activation of non-free modules
Even if opsi is open source, there are some additional components that were created or maintained as part of a co-funding project and are not (yet) free of charge.
At the moment (December 2016) these are:
-
MySQL backend for configuration data (see mysql backend for configuration data)
-
UEFI support (see opsi with UEFI)
-
opsi license management module (see opsi License Management)
-
Support for clients over WAN/VPN (see opsi WAN/VPN extension)
-
opsi WIM Capture (see opsi WIM Capture)
-
opsi local image (see opsi local image) and opsi-vhd-reset (see opsi vhd reset)
-
opsi Linux agent (see opsi Linux Support)
-
opsi Nagios connector (see opsi Nagios Connector)
-
User roles (see Management of user rights and roles)
-
the Scalability1 extension to increase performance in very large installations
You can find more information on this topic at opsi cofunding projects.
As long as the additional extensions are in the cofunding state, they can only be used freely for evaluation purposes, but for permanent and normal use the cofunding contributions must be paid.
Which modules are allowed is specified on the opsi server in the activation file /etc/opsi/modules
.
It is a simple text file with information about which module is activated (for what number of clients).
This file is protected against changes with a digital signature. If no information is given, the default values are used.
If the activation file does not exist, only the default free components from opsi are available.
In the case of temporary activation, the expiration date is included in the file.
In order to receive a temporary activation file for evaluation purposes, please contact info@uib.de. As part of participation in the corresponding cofunding projects, you will receive an activation file for the permanent and normal use of the activated components.
When you have received a modules
-file, copy it to /etc/opsi
.
Then run the following command to set the correct access rights:
opsi-setup --set-rights /etc/opsi
Then restart opsiconfd.
Check the activation using one of the following methods:
In opsi-configed you can display the status of your activation via the menu item Help / opsi modules.

Using the method backend_info
you can check with opsi-admin which modules are activated.
Do not publicly share the file or the output of this command, at least not without deleting the signature. |
$ opsi-admin -d method backend_info
{
"opsiVersion" : "4.0.1",
"modules": {
"customer" : "uib GmbH",
"vista" : true,
"vpn" : true,
"license_management" : true,
"expires" : "never",
"valid" : true,
"multiplex" : true,
"signature" : "THIS-IS-NO-VALID-SIGNATURE",
"treeview" : true,
"mysql_backend" : true
}
}
9.2. User roles (via opsi-configed)
The feature user roles must be activated in the modules file. The functioning is explained in Section 4.16.1, “Management of user rights and roles”
9.3. opsi directory connector
9.3.1. Introduction
The opsi directory connector is a tool to transfer data from a directory service to an opsi installation. This avoids the need of maintaining data in different systems.
9.3.2. Prerequisites
This module is currently a co-funded opsi extension.
There are a number of prerequisites for using this module. This means that you need an activation file. You will receive this activation when you buy the extension. For evaluation purposes, we also provide you with a temporary activation free of charge (mail to info@uib.de).
General Requirements
The source directory service must implement the LDAP protocol.
The target opsi server should run at least opsi 4.0.7. Older versions may work, but have not been tested.
The machine running the connector must have access to the directory and opsi server via the network. It is possible to run all components on the same machine, but it is assumed that separate machines are used for each component.
Hardware Requirements
These requirements are intended for basic use in a small environment with up to 500 clients. These requirements may be greater in large environments, which is why adjustments may be necessary.
-
256 MB of free memory
-
Network connections
Software Requirements
The installation and operation is only supported on Linux. Support for Windows is not planned.
By using standardized protocols for communication, no additional opsi- or directory service-specific components are required.
9.3.3. Installation
To install the connector please add the opsi repository as described in the Getting Started
document.
Then use the package manager of the operating system to install the package opsi-directory-connector
.
On a Debian-based machine the installation can be done as follows:
apt-get install opsi-directory-connector
9.3.4. Configuration
The connector uses a number of configuration options and can be adapted to a wide variety of environments.
The configuration is done via a configuration file in JSON format, which must contain valid JSON.
To specify Boolean values, please use true
or false
.
Text has to be entered with double quotation marks, for example "this is text"
.
An example configuration is provided as /user/share/opsi-directoy-connector/opsi-directory-connector.example.conf.conf
This file can be used as a template for your own configuration.
cp `/user/share/opsi-directoy-connector/opsi-directory-connector.example.conf.conf /etc/opsi/opsi-directory-connector-custom.conf
Directory settings
These settings are required to establish a connection to the directory service and to limit the search scope to specific areas and objects.
{
"directory": {
"address": "ldap://192.168.12.34",
"user": "DOMAIN\\opsiconnector",
"password": "insertpasswordhere",
"passwordFile": "",
"search_base": "dc=testcompany,dc=local",
"search_query_computers": "(objectClass=computer)",
"identifying_attribute": "dn",
"connection_options": {
"paged_search_limit": 768
}
},
…
}
Under address
you have to specify at which address the server can be contacted.
If the protocol ldaps
or the port 636
is used a SSl connection to the directory is opened. Example:
"address": "192.168.12.34:636",
User
and password
are used for authentication to the directory.
If a value is given for passwordFile
, this is interpreted as the path to a file that contains the password.
The content of this file will be used as the password.
This means that the password does not have to be stored in plain text in the configuration file.
This will override the value set for password
, if the file can be read.
We recommend using a dedicated user account. |
Depending on the directory software used and its configuration, the format for the username can be different. Besides Down-Level Logon Name in the style of DOMAIN\\username , the format can also be User Principal Name in the style of user@domain , or a Distinguished Name (DN) like uid=opsiconnect,cn=users,dc=test,dc=intranet .
|
With search_base
you specify from which point the connector looks for matching entries.
The filter used to search for clients can be configured via search_query_computers
.
Through the optional parameter identifying_attribute
it is possible to set which attribute should be used for the unique identification of a client. This is possible since version 23.
The standard used here is dn
.
A common alternative to dn
is the value distinguishedName
, this variant is often used in Microsoft Active Directory.
The connection_options
parameter contains additional options for configuring the connection.
The verify
parameter determines whether or not the certificate should be verified for an SSL connection. In addition, the path to a CA file can be specified. If a file is specified, verification is performed via this file.
With start_tls
it can be controlled whether a secured connection is started after logging in to the directory.
If the optional parameter paged_search_limit
is present and if its value is an integer, multiple queries are used to read the elements from the directory. The maximum number of elements an answer contains is controlled by this value.
This behavior has been supported since version 20.
Additional connection options will be implemented on request. |
Since version 14 it is possible to test the connection to the directory via the parameter --check-directory
, without establishing a connection to the opsi server.
Connection to Univention Corporate Server
A complete Distinguished Name must be used as the user name for a connection to Univention Corporate Server (UCS).
This has the form uid=<username>,cn=users,dc=company,dc=mydomain
.
On UCS, LDAP can be reached via ports 7389 (unsecured) or 7636 (SSL-secured).
If Samba is also installed on the server and set up as an AD-compatible domain controller, it listens on ports 389 (unsecured) or 636 (SSL-secured).
To use the SSL-secured ports, the connection option start_tls
must be set to true
.
These two possible connections also differ in the type of login name. With LDAP, uid=…
is used, whereas with Samba, dn=…
is used.
Generally, you will search for computer objects in the computers
container.
The following command outputs the appropriate value for search_base
:
echo "cn=computers,$(ucr get ldap/base)"
To search for Windows clients you can set search_query_computers
to (objectClass=univentionWindows)
.
How to create a user with read-only access can be found in the Univention Wiki: Cool Solution - LDAP search user
Behaviour settings
These settings control the behaviour of the connector.
{
…
"behaviour": {
"write_changes_to_opsi": true,
"root_dir_in_opsi": "clientdirectory",
"update_existing_clients": true,
"prefer_location_from_directory": true,
"group_handling": "dn",
"group_description": "dn",
"override_root_dir": true,
"delete_empty_groups": false,
"skip_adding_clients": false,
},
…
}
If write_changes_to_opsi
is set to false
, no data will be written to opsi.
This setting can be used to check the settings before they are applied.
root_dir_in_opsi
specifies which group should be used as the root group in opsi.
You have to ensure that this group exists.
The group clientdirectory is shown in configed as DIRECTORY.
So if clients or groups should appear directly in DIRECTORY, the value clientdirectory must be entered as the value for root_dir_in_opsi .
|
If update_existing_clients
is set to false
, clients already existing in opsi will not be changed.
If this is set to true
, any manually entered data will be overwritten with the values from the directory.
If prefer_location_from_directory
is set to true
, clients in opsi are moved to the position they have in the directory.
To deactivate this behavior, this value must be set to false
.
Since version 31, group handling can be controlled via the optional key group_handling
.
The default is cn
. Groups are derived from the DN of a computer and created accordingly as part of the opsi directory. A client can only be member of one group.
If the group handling is set to ucsatschool
, the behavior is adapted for use in UCS@School environments.
The opsi-directory-connector will automatically search for schools and find their rooms, which are then synchronized to opsi.
For every school a group will be created in opsi.
In UCS@School a computer can be a member of multiple rooms. To follow this behaviour, the groups are not created as a group within the opsi directory, but as a normal group, so that a client can also be found in multiple groups.
If the groups in OPSI should be created under DIRECTORY after all, the switch override_root_dir
can be set to false
. override_root_dir
is only available for group_handling
ucsatschool
and the default value is true
.
If override_root_dir
is set to false
and the groups are thus stored in OPSI under DIRECTORY
, it should be ensured that each school computer has only been assigned to one room.
With group_description
the description of the OPSI groups can be customized. The following values are possible:
-
dn
: The dn of the group is stored in OPSI as the group description. -
directory
: The group description is read from thedescription
field of the directory group. -
If the value is not set or is set differently, the description is filled with the name of the group.
...
"behaviour": {
"group_handling": "ucsatschool",
...
"group_not_in_directory": true,
"opsi_clients_to_ignore": {
"clients": ["win1.uib.local","win2.uib.local","win3.uib.local"],
"groups": ["server"]
}
}
...
If group_not_in_directory
is set to true
, all clients that are not in the directory are added to the not_in_directory
group. This option is only available with group_handling
uscatschool
. With the opsi_clients_to_ignore
parameter clients or whole groups can be excluded from this rule.
If delete_empty_groups
is activated, then groups that are empty after synchronisation are deleted from opsi. Only groups below root_dir_in_opsi
are considered.
With skip_adding_clients
the creation of clients in opsi can be skipped completely. This option can be used in conjunction with prefer_location_from_directory
, for example, so that only existing clients are moved.
The example configuration under /usr/share/opsi-directory-connector
also briefly describes all the settings.
Mappings
With a system as flexible as a directory service, the connector needs information about which attributes in the directory should be matched to which attributes in opsi.
{
…
"mapping": {
"client": {
"id": "name",
"description": "description",
"notes": "",
"hardwareAddress": "",
"ipAddress": "",
"inventoryNumber": "",
"oneTimePassword": ""
}
},
…
}
There is a mapping for client attributes. The key of the mapping is the attribute in opsi and the value is the attribute from the directory service. If the value (in the mapping) is empty, no mapping will be done.
If the value read from the directory for the ID of the client is not recognizable as a FQDN, a corresponding FQDN will be created. The domain part for this is formed from the DC values of the element. |
On Univention Corporate Server (UCS), the value for hardwareAddress can be set to macAddress if the connection is established via LDAP (port 7389 or 7636).
|
In the "mapping" area, the assignment of clients to depots can be defined. Currently there is only the mapping type "network".. With the "network" type, a client is assigned to a depot if the ip address of the client matches the network address range ("networkAddress") of the depot. Alternatively, a list of network ranges can be assigned to a depot.
{
...
"mapping": {
...
"depot": {
"type": "network",
"test-depot1.test.local": ["192.168.24.0/24","192.168.25.0/24"],
"test-depot1.test.local": ["192.168.27.0/24","192.168.28.0/24"]
}
},
...
}
Manual assignment of group names
Group names can usually abe used without any major adjustments. However, it can happen that group names exist which are invalid in opsi.
For these special cases, a manual assignment of group names can be made, which allows these cases to be handled.
To configure this, an entry group_name
is created in mapping
, which holds the mapping from the directory service to opsi.
The name is not changed for groups that do not appear in this assignment.
Group names are always processed in lower case letters, which is why the entries here must be made in lower case letters.
This is possible since version 23.
The following example maps the group _server
originating from the directory service to the group server
in opsi.
{
...
"mapping": {
"client": {
...
},
"group_name": {
"_server": "server"
}
},
...
}
Please be careful with this feature as it may introduce undesirable side effects. Therefore, this option should only be used for special cases. |
opsi connection settings
This controls how the connector connects to opsi.
{
…
"opsi": {
"address": "https://localhost:4447",
"username": "syncuser",
"password": "secret",
"exit_on_error": false,
"passwordFile": "",
"connection_options": {
"verify_certificate": true
}
}
}
Enter the address of the opsi server under address
.
Do not forget to specify the port!
A proxy for the connection can be set via the environment variable HTTPS_PROXY. |
User
and password
are used for authentication to the opsi server.
If a value is given for passwordFile
, this is interpreted as the path to a file that contains the password.
The content of this file will be used as the password.
This means that the password does not have to be stored in plain text in the configuration file.
This will override the value set for password
, if the file can be read.
We recommend using a dedicated user account. The creation of additional users is described in the Getting Started manual. |
If the parameter exit_on_error
is set to true
, then any problem when updating the data in opsi - this can also be triggered by submitting values that are invalid in opsi - results in a break.
If this is set to false
, errors are logged, but the execution is not terminated.
Under connection_options
options for the connection to the opsi server can be set.
The verification of the server certificate is controlled by means of verify_certificate
.
This value should be set to false
when using self-signed certificates.
Since version 14 it is possible to test the connection to the opsi server via the parameter --check-opsi
, without establishing a connection to the directory service.
9.3.5. Running the connector
After the installation a binary called opsi-directory-connector
will be present on the system.
It is required to pass an argument --config
together with the path to the configuration file.
opsi-directory-connector --config /etc/opsi/opsi-directory-connector-custom.conf
The user running the binary does not require any access to opsi as this is all stored in the configuration file. |
Example: recurring runs with systemd
The connector currently does one synchronisation run when executed, but the chances are good that you want to have a constant synchronisation of data.
It’s easy to automate the execution of repetitive runs.
We will be using systemd for this. In contrast to cronjobs, systemd will prevent simultaneous runs from occurring, which is why systemd is a good choice.
The following example will set up the connector to run five minutes after the machine starts, and every hour thereafter.
The following two files must be stored under /etc/systemd/system/
, the directory for user-defined units.
One file is the timer, which calls our job repeatedly and the other is for the job itself.
Please fill the file opsi-directory-connector.timer
with the following content:
[Unit]
Description=Start the opsi-directory-connector in regular intervals
[Timer]
OnBootSec=5min
OnUnitActiveSec=1hour
[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target
And this is the content of opsi-directory-connector.service
:
[Unit]
Description=Sync clients from AD to opsi.
Wants=network.target
[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/bin/opsidirectoryconnector --config /etc/opsi/opsidirectoryconnector-custom.conf
To enable the timer and start it right away, the following commands can be used:
systemctl enable opsi-directory-connector.timer
systemctl start opsi-directory-connector.timer
If the timer does not get started, it will start to run the next time the machine is restarted.
Example: recurring runs as cronjob
It is easy to automate the execution of recurring runs through a crobjob.
Please note that simultaneous runs can take place, which is why it is best to choose a larger synchronization interval. To avoid this problem, it is recommended to use systemd instead of cron!
The cronjob file can usually be edited through crontab -e
.
For a synchronisation that happens every hour the following can be used:
0 * * * * /usr/bin/opsidirectoryconnector --config /etc/opsi/opsidirectoryconnector-custom.conf
command line arguments
Usage: __main__.py [-h] [--version] [--log-level {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}]
[--log-level-stderr {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}]
[--log-level-file {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}]
[--log-file LOG_FILE]
[--max-log-size MAX_LOG_SIZE]
[--keep-rotated-logs KEEP_ROTATED_LOGS]
[--check-directory | --check-opsi | --delete-clients DELETE_CLIENTS [DELETE_CLIENTS ...]]
[--dry-run] --config
CONFIG
If an arg is specified in more than one place, then commandline values override environment
variables which override defaults.
optional arguments:
-h, --help
show this help message and exit
--version
show program's version number and exit
--log-level {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}
Sets how much information will be logged. [env var: OPDC_LOG_LEVEL]
(default: 4)
--log-level-stderr {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}, -l {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}
Sets how much information will be logged. [env var:
ODC_LOG_LEVEL_STDERR] (default: 4)
--log-level-file {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}
Sets how much information will be logged to the log file. [env var:
ODC_LOG_LEVEL_FILE] (default: 5)
--log-file LOG_FILE
Sets log file path. [env var: ODC_LOG_FILE] (default:
/var/log/opsi/directory-connector.log)
--max-log-size MAX_LOG_SIZE
Limit the size of logfiles to SIZE megabytes.Setting this to 0 will
disable any limiting. [env var: ODC_MAX_LOG_SIZE] (default: 5.0)
--keep-rotated-logs KEEP_ROTATED_LOGS
Number of rotated log files to keep. [env var: ODC_KEEP_ROTATED_LOGS]
(default: 1)
--check-directory
Check if a connection to the directory can be established and if items
will be received. (default: False)
--check-opsi
Check if a connection to the opsi server can be established. (default:
False)
--delete-clients DELETE_CLIENTS [DELETE_CLIENTS ...]
Delete list of clients from directory. (default: None)
--dry-run
Print what would be done. (default: False)
--config CONFIG
Path to the config. (default: None)
Starting with version 39 the opsi-directory-connector uses the OPSI logger with loglevel 0-9. By default logs are written to /var/log/opsi-directory-connector
and to stderr
. With the parameters --log-level-stderr
, --log-level-file
the log level of the respective log can be set. --log-file
defines the log file.
The log file is rotated after a specified size (default 5 MB) and by default one of these rotated log files is kept. The parameters --max-log-size
and --keep-rotated-logs
can be used to override the default values.
In addition to the command line parameters, the values can also be set in the configuration file or via environment variables. The following applies here:
-
Parameters overwrite everything
-
Environment variables overwrite configuration and default
-
Configuration overwrites default
Example configuration:
{
...
"log-level-stderr": 6,
"log-level-file": 3,
"keep-rotated-logs": 4
...
}
If the directory connector is started with the --dry-run
option, the individual steps are output without making any changes in OPSI.
With dry-run
, in contrast to the configuration parameter write_changes_to_opsi: false
, the output is adjusted,
to give a better overview of the actions. Example output:
---------- opsi actions ----------
Creating client client1.opsidc.intranet.
Creating client ds-win-client-2.opsidc.intranet.
Creating client ds-win-client-1.opsidc.intranet.
Creating client mac-client-1.opsidc.intranet.
Creating client windows-client-1.opsidc.intranet.
Creating client raspberrypi-1.opsidc.intranet.
Adding mac-client-1.opsidc.intranet to opsitestschool-mac pool.
Adding windows-client-1.opsidc.intranet to opsitestschool-pc pool og1.
Adding ds-win-client-2.opsidc.intranet to depotschule-pool-1.
Adding ds-win-client-1.opsidc.intranet to depotschule-pool-1.
----------------------------------
---------- summary ---------------
Create 6 clients and 0 groups.
0 clients removed from group.
Adding 4 clients to a new group.
----------------------------------
9.3.6. Delete Clients from the directory
In the standard case the opsi-directory-connector has only read access to the directory. With the start parameter --delete-clients
an independent run is started, which tries to delete the given objects from the directory.
For example:
opsi-directory-connector --config config.conf --delete-clients client1
The objects can be specified more precisely:
opsi-directory-connector --config config.conf --delete-clients computers/test-clients/client1
This call would fit on object cn=client1,ou=test-clients,ou=computers,dc=example,dc=org
, but not
cn=client1,ou=clients,ou=computers,dc=example,dc=org
. So the first object will be deleted.
Multiple clients can also be specified:
opsi-directory-connector --config config.conf --delete-clients computers/clients/client1 client2 client3
The delete-clients function should be used with caution.
|
The dry-run function can also be used with delete-clients .
|
9.4. opsi WIM Capture
9.4.1. Prerequisites for the opsi extension opsi wim capture
This module is currently a
co-funded opsi extension.
Some preconditions are required, in order to use this module. That means that you need a suitable modules file to unlock this extension. You can get this file by purchasing the extension module. For evaluation purposes you can get a temporary modules file without charge. ( → mail us at info@uib.de).
Technical requirements are opsi 4.0.6 with package versions:
opsi-package | version |
---|---|
opsi-linux-bootimage |
>= 20160111 |
opsi-client-agent |
>= 4.0.6.3-8 |
Windows Netboot >=7 |
>= 4.0.6.1-3 |
opsi-clonezilla |
|
win10-sysprep-app-update-blocker |
For the product opsi-wim-capture the share opsi_depot_rw must have read/write permission for the pcpatch. Check your Samba configuration.
|
-
Since opsi-wim-capture Version 4.1.x there is a full uefi support
-
install.esd (instead of install.wim) as target format is supported since opsi-wim-capture Version 4.1.x.
9.4.2. Quick Info
For the people who are looking for a quick guide, this is the place to start. More detailed information follows below.
Pre-requirements
-
Set boot priority of PXE-Boot / LAN-Boot on Computer BIOS to first priority
-
Computer must be configure with the following specifications on the properties of the Netboot-Products:
boot_partition_size=0
preserve_winpe_partion = true
windows_partition_label = WINDOWS
windows_partition_size=100%
setup_after_install=win10-sysprep-app-update-blocker -
Target product completion:
The target product used is usually one of the provided capture products, e.g.: win10-x64-capture
Winpe and Drivers directory can be created as symbolic links from the standard product.
The install files folder must be copied because the install.wim must be adapted.
In addition, Files from thecustom
directory are copied or linked, e.g.: unattend.xml -
The property opsi-clonezilla imageshare = auto (is the default, deprecated //<servername>/opsi_images)
imagefile and runcommand will be replaced automatically opsi-wim-capture -
Install the latest Windows patches on the computer or install config-win10 and mshotfix.
-
All software, which should be integrated in the image, must be install on the computer.
-
Start of the product opsi-wim-capture:*
-
Completion from the following properties is required:
image_description = <Image description>
imagename = <image name>
target_product = win10-x64-captured -
Set opsi-wim-capture on setup
Install the computer with the new image:
-
Target product (e.g. win10-x64-captured) adjusting the following to setup:
Imagename= (Apply the same name from the property opsi-wim-capture)
9.4.3. Introduction
With NT6 (i.e. from Vista), Microsoft has introduced a new Image Format/ Container for OS Installation. Its called Windows Imaging Format (WIM). A WIM Image is not exactly an image of a disk or partition, but rather an archive of files and Metadata. A WIM file can contain several images. The default installation of an NT6 operating system works like this: setup.exe unzips an image from an install.wim file, configures it, and adds some additional drivers.
This way, an installation is quicker than with NT5. But then installation of Hotfixes with NT6 takes significantly longer, so that the basic install of Windows 7 will take 30 minutes, but adding all required Hotfixes may take several hours.
With this opsi extension, it is possible to read an installed Windows OS, including installed software, Hotfixes and configurations, and save it as a WIM image. This WIM file can then be used as a source for a fresh Windows Installation.
Our product opsi-wim-capture is made exactly for this purpose. Roughly, we boot off a PE partition, so that the PE can read the system partition and save it into a WIM file.
9.4.4. Overview of the Sequence
Capturing an installed Windows image works like this:
Preparation:
-
opsi - installation of a Windows OS with set property:
preserve_winpe_partition=true
boot_partition_size=0
windows_partition_size=100%
'setup_after_install=win10-sysprep-app-update-blocker
run the product opsi-wim-capture
.
All the following steps will be controlled by the product opsi-wim-capture
:
-
via opsi-clonezilla, makes a backup of the disk (OS and winpe partition)
-
backup of the opsi metadata
-
make winpe partition bootable, create winpe script (work.cmd)
-
sysprep of the installed systems (depersonalization)
-
boot winpe, capture of OS disk, write to destination product
-
restore of the original disk (OS and winpe partition) via opsi-clonezilla
9.4.5. Sequence Details
Preparation
Installation of a Windows OS must have the property set to true like this preserve_winpe_partition=true, because the winpe partition will be needed later.

After the Windows OS installation you can install additional Software and Hotfixes, configure the system manually or via opsi.

opsi-wim-capture
The whole sequence will need time, at least an hour. It will work unattended, though.
In case the property disabled
is set to true (default=false), the process will be canceled immediately. This switch is for development only.
The setting of the property always_backup_before_sysprep will be checked. If yes, it’ll make a backup of the system via opsi-clonezilla.
In opsi-clonezilla, the runcommand is In order to avoid a never ending loop, we write a reboot flag, so that after writing the backup, we can see that this step has already been done. Technical note: We do not want to reboot again after restoring the backup, though (but the reboot flag is contained in the backup). Thats why the reboot flag is being set as a time stamp. In case the time stamp is older than 0.1 days (i.e. 2.4 hrs), it will be ignored. |
The system will reboot now, leaving the product opsi-wim-capture set to setup. opsi-clonezilla will start up and do the backup.

Why backup via opsi-clonezilla ? The sysprep action to follow will leave the OS partition unusable. An OS, that is set up from a captured WIM Image, will contain information about the sysprep run. Thus, it cannot be used for further capturing via opsi-wim-capture. Only perform repeat capturing using a previously restored opsi-clonezilla image. |
The product opsi-clonezilla is now being configured in a way that it will perform a restore on next run.

Now information about the installed opsi-products (and versions) will be stored on the client.
The productOnClient objects of all Localboot Products are being written to |

The machine’s opsi-client-agent is now being deactivated, so that it cannot run after deployment based on this image.

In order to be able to deploy the captured image like a default Windows Setup to any machine, it needs to be depersonalized. This will be done via sysprep
.
This does not mean all of the software will be depersonalized. It’s , that installed software holds data regarding on which computer it was originally installed. A config of that kind will be likely to cause problems, specially if you deploy the image to different machines. It might be a good idea not to capture all the software on the computer. |
If the property startcapture
is set to false (default=true), will stop working after the sysprep, and shut down the machine. This makes sense only if you plan to take an image of the machine using a different tool.

In order to read the OS partition and writing it into the WIM file, we have to use a Windows OS, which cannot be the Windows OS we want to read (for obvious reasons). Therefore, we use the Windows PE we created and preserved at the initial installation. And afterwards:
-
Activation of the WinPE as bootable partition, creation of the required boot record, (if necessary) deactivation of drive letters of other partitions
-
Reading opsi metadata concerning installed products on the client, saving the data to a temporary folder on the client
-
some cleaning on the system we want to capture

-
Writing a command file, which will initiate the capturing at next WinPE boot.
-
Provisioning of further data for the WinPE run, like list of products from the property
start_after_capture
-
Reboot the client

Now the WinPE starts and will do the actual capturing. Here are the details:
-
Mounting the opsi_depot_rw share, so that we can write to it.
-
Checking the architecture of the WinPE (32/64 Bit); start of the corresponding opsi-script interpreter.
-
Establishing a connection to the opsi-webservice
-
Re-activation of the drive letters
-
If the property
check_disk_before_capture
contains the value true (default=false), we performchkdsk
on the Windows OS partition. That will take time. -
Checking for existence of the target product stated in the property
target_product
on our opsi_depot_rw share, and whether it contains aninstall.wim
file in the right place. -
Checking and creating a lock file within the
target_product
folder. If this file exists already, we cancel the process in order to prevent several capturing processes writing to the same WIM file. -
If the property
force_imagex
is set to true (default=true), then we use theimagex
command of our product opsi-wim-capture for capturing, even if the Windows PE has adism
command. Otherwisedism
will be used, if available.Dism
is faster, but might produce images that cannot be used for successful deployment. -
If the property
capture_mode
is set toappend
: Check, if there is an image of that name contained in theinstall.wim
, and delete it.
The valuealways_create
will only be accepted, ifdism
is being used. In this case, a newinstall.wim
file will be created. -
Start of the capture process. The previously mentioned tool (
imagex
vsdism
) and thecapture_mode
chosen will be used. The name of the image is set by the propertyimagename
. The propertyimage_description
will determine the description of the image.
This can take a long time to be completed.Keep in mind the name of the Image! The name of the image created can’t be automatically added to the list of installable images at the current time. You have to keep the name in mind and state the image name when deploying! -
Deleting of the lock file in the
target_product
folder. -
Merging the resulting log files.
-
Request action setup for products contained in the property
setup_after_capture
.
At this time, also product dependencies will be resolved.
The property is a list and can contain several product IDs.
leave settings so that opsi-clonezilla will be set to setup! The machine will be depersonalized after the capture run, and thus remain unusable. Our product opsi-clonezilla is prepared, so that the backup taken earlier will be restored automatically. |
-
Deactivation of the WinPE partition, and re-activation of the OS partition (Windows).
-
Transfer of the logfile to the server. It will be appended to the existing logfile of the opsi-wim-capture run.
-
Reboot
If the product opsi-clonezilla
has been set to setup, a restore of the disk is being performed automatically.

9.4.6. Products
Main Product opsi-wim-capture
The product opsi-wim-capture contains the following product properties:
-
always_backup_before_sysprep
:
(true/false), Default=true,
Always make an opsi-clonezilla backup before sysprep. -
startcapture
:
(true/false), Default=true,
Sets the productopsi-local-image-capture
to setup, and reboots the machine -
disabled
:
(true/false), Default=false,
If set to true, nothing will happen. Its only there for debugging. -
target_product
:
Name of the target product: (Default = '')
This property is not intelligent, i.e. we do not check, if the image being copied matches the target product. You could easily write a win7-32Bit Image into a Win81-64Bit product without errors. But you shoud not do that! Furthermore, we recommend separated products for capturing, that are only target products in the capture process. (for instance win10-x64-captured ).
|
The target product has to be prepared for deployment like any other Windows OS product. The target file within the target product will be the install.wim
file (installfiles/sources/install.wim
), which also contains the images provided by Microsoft. Our new OS image will either be created as a new install.wim
, or be appended to the existing file. This is being controlled by the property :
-
capture_mode
:
(append/always_create) Default=append:
append
will append the newly created image to the existing install.wim .
If the install.wim contains an image that’s named like the new one, it will be deleted without warning. always_create will always create a new install.wim .always_create will not work with a WinPE based on Windows < 8 .
|
An Install.wim file is a container, that can contain several images. All of them have a name and a description, which can be controlled by the following properties:
-
imagename
:
Default = '' -
image_description
:
Default = '' -
The property
start_after_capture
this is a list of products that will be set to setup after completion of the capture process. Could be good to use for instance opsi-clonezilla, which will restore the backup taken before sysprep. -
force_imagex
:
true/false (default=true) This will use theimagex
tool, even ifdism
is available. -
opsi_depot_rw_host
:
Normallyauto
(default) or leave empty.
If notauto
or empty: the host from which we mount the opsi_depot_rw share.
If the host is given, it must be a hostname, a FQDN or a IP Number
This property is only for situations where theopsi_depot_rw
share is not reachable at the opsi depot where the client is assigned to. -
checkdisk_before_capture
:
Should we make a file system check on the system partition before we capture.
Default = false. -
verify_clonezilla_images
:
Should Clonezilla check the imagesafter_save
,before_restore
,never
,always
A verify check takes nearly the same time as the save or restore process.
Default =never
Target Products
The target products shall host the captured images.
Why target products ?
The target products do not differ from default opsi Windows netboot products. Technically, a standard win10-x64
they can be used as a target product.
We recommend the usage of dedicated target products, so that it is easy to differentiate a modified installation (opsi-wim-capture) from an unmodified installation (original Microsoft DVD).
Furthermore, it might be wise to keep a fall back product you can switch to in case the captured install.wim
becomes unusable for some reason.
This decision is for you to make.
We provide the following target products:
-
win7-x64-captured
-
win81-x64-captured
-
win10-x64-captured
These products have to be equipped with required files from the OS DVDs like any other Windows netboot product (see our opsi-getting-started document).
Still, folders like winpe
or drivers/drivers/additional/byAudit
can be symbolic links to a directory in a suitable non-target product. Watch out: the Subfolder installfiles
needs to be physically there (copy from Windows DVD).
9.4.7. Windows Installation via Target Product
(Deployment from a captured Image)
Restore of the opsi metadata from installed Products
The Problem:
If you reinstall a Windows with opsi, e.g. win10-x64
, then during the installation of the opsi-client-agent all the local Boot products, which in this computer were previously marked as` installed`, will automatically be set to setup and thus reinstalled later.
This can not be completely carried out exactly in the rolling of a captured Image.
In the image is the backup from the opsi data that was stored during the capture process. This will be discovered when you install the opsi-client-agent and re-imported into the depot server. With it the products that were installed in the captured Image, now are on the newly installed computer mark as installed
.
Should now all the products that are mark as installed
set to` setup`, this would imply that all products installed already in the image will be re-installed. This is not desirable.
By the restoring from the opsi metadata of installed products there are two alternatives available now with opsi 4.0.7:
-
Alternative 1:
Restoring the metadata and retention of setup -Action Requests.
Products that are mark as installed will not be set to setup.
This is the default, and the behavior before opsi 4.0.7 -
Alternative 2:
Restoring the metadata. Products that are mark as installed will be set to setup except those which were contained in the restore metadata.
Alternative 1
By the deploy from a captured image, after the install, only the products which were already from the beginning of the OS-install set to setup will be automatically installed. These can be done through your intervention, or through the property setup_after_install.
Therefore only the products which stood at setup
before installing the operating system will be installed in this case.
This is the default, and the behavior before opsi 4.0.7
Alternative 2
Variant 2 behaves similar to what would be the case of an installation without a captured Image:
* Restore of the metadata.
* Products that are mark as installed are then set to setup except those which were contained in the restore metadata.
This behavior is only available since opsi 4.0.7 and is not the default. Option 2 is made possible by enhancements to the opsi script and is part of the opsi-client-agent of 4.0.7.
In order to be able to apply this behavior a config must be set on (Host parameters) :
The Boolean configuration entry: clientconfig.capture.switch_installed_products_to_setup
. If the entry for this client has the value true then variant 2 is applied, otherwise variant 1
host parameter can have specific client events activated or deactivated. The host parameter can be applied using the opsi-configed or the opsi-admin.
To create the host parameter over the opsi-admin the following commands are to be executed on the’opsi-config-server':
opsi-admin -d method config_createBool clientconfig.capture.switch_installed_products_to_setup "capture.switch_installed_products_to_setup" true
With that you set for all computers Alternative 2.
To create the host parameter over the opsi-server select there Server Configuration / ClientConfig / And on the right side with the right mouse button: Add Boolean configuration entry
.
9.4.8. Helper product opsi-wim-info
The product opsi-wim-info
is useful to gather information about the images that are stored inside a install.wim. These information is written to the logfile.
Properties:
-
target_produkt
ProductId of the product where the install.wim file is searched.
9.4.9. Known Restrictions and Problems
The following restrictions are known as of today (13.7.2018):
-
none
9.5. opsi Linux Support
9.5.1. Supported as opsi-client: Linux
Distribution |
OS-Installation |
netboot products |
client-agent |
opsiclientd |
Debian 11 Bullseye |
debian, debian11 |
|||
Debian 10 Buster |
debian, debian10 |
|||
Debian 9 Stretch |
debian, debian9 |
|||
Debian 8 Jessie |
debian, debian8 |
|||
Ubuntu Bionic 20.04 LTS |
ubuntu, ubuntu20-04 |
|||
Ubuntu Bionic 18.04 LTS |
ubuntu, ubuntu18-04 |
|||
Ubuntu Xenial 16.04 LTS |
ubuntu, ubuntu16-04 |
|||
Ubuntu Trusty 14.04 LTS |
ubuntu, ubunt14-04 |
|||
Linux Mint 20-3 |
mint20-3 |
|||
Linux Mint 20-2 |
mint20-2 |
|||
Linux mint 20-1 |
mint20-1 |
|||
RHEL 8 |
rhel8 |
|||
RHEL 7 |
rhel70 |
|||
RHEL 6 |
||||
Alma Linux 8 |
alma8 |
|||
Rocky Linux 8 |
rocky8 |
|||
CentOS 8 |
centos8 |
|||
CentOS 7 |
centos70 |
|||
CentOS 6 |
||||
SLES 15 SP3 |
sles15sp3 |
|||
SLES 15 SP2 |
sles15sp2 |
|||
SLES 15 SP1 |
sles15sp1 |
|||
SLES 12 SP5 |
sles12sp5 |
|||
SLES 12 SP4 |
sles12sp4 |
|||
SLES 12 SP3 |
sles12sp3 |
|||
SLES 12 SP2 |
sles12sp2 |
|||
SLES 12 SP1 |
sles12sp1 |
|||
SLES 12 |
sles12 |
|||
openSuse Leap 15.3 |
opensusel15-3 |
|||
openSuse Leap 15.2 |
opensusel15-2 |
|||
openSuse Leap 15.1 |
opensusel15-1 |
|||
openSuse Leap 15.0 |
opensusel15 |
|||
openSuse Leap 42.3 |
opensusel42-2 |
|||
openSuse Leap 42.2 |
opensusel42-2 |
|||
openSuse Leap 42.1 |
opensusel42-1 |
|||
UCS 5.0 |
ucs50 |
|||
UCS 4.4 |
ucs44 |
|||
UCS 4.3 |
ucs43 |
: Supported
: Unsupported
: Under Development
: Discontinued
Netbootproduct |
Installer |
State |
Remark |
debian |
opsi |
stretch - bullseye |
|
debian11 |
distribution |
||
debian10 |
distribution |
||
debian9 |
distribution |
||
debian8 |
distribution |
||
debian7 |
distribution |
||
ubuntu |
opsi |
trusty - jammy |
|
ubuntu22-04 |
distribution |
||
ubuntu20-04 |
distribution |
||
ubuntu18-04 |
distribution |
||
ubuntu16-04 |
distribution |
||
ubuntu14-04 |
distribution |
||
mint20-3 |
distribution |
||
mint20-2 |
distribution |
||
mint20-1 |
distribution |
||
centos8 |
distribution |
||
centos70 |
distribution |
||
redhat8 |
distribution |
||
redhat70 |
distribution |
||
sles15sp3 |
distribution |
||
sles15sp2 |
distribution |
||
sles15sp1 |
distribution |
||
sles12sp4 |
distribution |
||
sles12sp3 |
distribution |
||
sles12sp2 |
distribution |
||
sles12sp1 |
distribution |
||
sles12 |
distribution |
||
opensusel15-3 |
distribution |
||
opensusel15-2 |
distribution |
||
opensusel15-1 |
distribution |
||
opensusel15 |
distribution |
||
opensusel42-3 |
distribution |
||
opensusel42-2 |
distribution |
||
opensusel42-1 |
distribution |
||
ucs50 |
distribution |
||
ucs44 |
distribution |
||
ucs43 |
distribution |
9.5.2. Preconditions for using the opsi Linux Support
Technical precondition is opsi 4.0.5 with following packet versions:
opsi packet | version |
---|---|
opsi-linux-bootimage |
>= 20140805-1 |
The opsi support for Linux is based on a free Open Source component (the netboot products) and a co-funded component (the client-agent).
The opsi-linux-client-agent is a
co-funded opsi extension module.
In order to use the opsi Linux extension module, an activation file is required, this file can be acquired by buying the extension module. To obtain a temporary activation file for evaluation, please email us at info@uib.de.
For further details on handling extension modules please refer to the opsi manual.
9.5.3. opsi-linux-client-agent: 15 Free starts
The opsi-linux-client-agent includes 15 free starts by which the agent can be used without any activation
In detail: After the initial Install from the opsi-linux-client-agent the opsi-script can be started 15 times in service context without the need of activation.
This gives you the possibility to set a Linux computer with the corresponding opsi-products for the configuration needed.
For example, after the installation of the system you could use the product l-opsi-server
to make of the newly installed computer an opsi-server.
For a long lasting maintenance of the installed Linux computers after the 15 free starts, it is recommended the activation of the feature, in order to continue taking advantage of its benefits.
9.5.4. Installation of the packages
The Linux-related packages can be loaded over the opsi-package-updater
.
By default it already has the repository for the linux packages activated.
You can use the following command to install the packages:
opsi-package-updater -v --repo uib_linux install
9.5.5. Introduction
A single management tool for Windows and Linux
The objective of the opsi Linux extension module is to provide an homogenous management system for heterogenous environments. The focus is on integrating both worlds into the same management processes and tools
This means, that a Linux installation is triggered the same way as a Windows installation. The Linux opsi-client-agent is based on the same source code as the Windows client and provides (when applicable) the same opsiscript instruction sets.
Independent from Linux distribution
The opsi Linux Support is designed to be independent from any special Linux distribution.
The following distributions are supported:
-
Debian
-
Ubuntu
-
Linux Mint
-
OpenSuse / SLES (Suse Linux Enterprise Server)
-
RHEL (RedHat Enterprise Linux)
-
Alma Linux 8
-
Rocky Linux 8
-
CentOS
-
UCS
Please keep in mind that you need at least 4GB of RAM in the machine or VM if you want to install Linux Mint.
9.5.6. Installation of a new Linux PC via opsi (OS-Installation)
opsi Linux netboot products based on the distibution installer
-
Like with the unattended Windows installation, the Linux installer is equipped with an answer file to configure the unattended installation.
-
The installer of a distribution is not like with Windows an executable program, but is a combination of the distribution kernel and initrd implementation.
-
The system installation including partitioning, LVM, and all the basic software, are performed by the installers and not by the bootimage anymore.
-
For the Suse and RedHat like distributions, the installation sources have to be provided by you by introducing the DVD as an ISO-file on the depot share. This is comparable to the Windows installation, with the difference that the Windows installation files are stored in a different place and stored as the content of the DVD and not as an ISO file.
-
The installation of Linux Mint uses the content of the official installation media provided via an NFS share.
-
For the Debian like distributions, the installation sources are taken from the internet. Just the netboot versions of the distribution kernel with the associated initrd are placed on the depot share. These files are small, so they are included in the opsi package.
Since opsi 4.0.7 it is also possible to provide for some netboot products a local http repository. -
For further maintenance of the installation the opsi-linux-client-agent can be installed with the basic installation.
Description of the automated installation process:
-
The opsi-linux-bootimage boots, deletes the partition table and creates a small temporary partition.
-
The opsi-linux-bootimage fetches the initrd for the distribution and unpacks it on the temporary partition.
-
The opsi-linux-bootimage fetches the generic answer file, patches it (personalisation) and moves it to the initrd directory.
-
The opsi-linux-bootimage creates some helper scripts and configuration files (e.g. for installing the opsi-linux-client-agent) and moves them to the initrd directory.
-
The opsi-linux-bootimage packs the patched initrd directory
-
The opsi-linux-bootimage boots the distribution kernel with the patched initrd per kexec.
-
The distribution kernel with the patched initrd performs the unattended installation of the target system and finally installs the opsi-linux-client-agent.
Advantages:
-
The installation is done as specified by the distributor, which is of special importance for providing support in the business context.
-
The opsi integration of new releases is easier and faster available.
-
For Suse, RedHat and Linux Mint like distributions, the installation is done from the sources on the opsi-server, and therefore is faster and more stable than installing from the internet repositories.
Providing the installation media on the server
For Suse. RedHat and Linux Mint like distributions, the installation media is provided by an additional nfs-share: opsi_nfs_share
.
To configure this share, there must be a NFS server installed and configured on the opsi-server:
Since opsi v4.0.6 stable this is done by the special package opsi-linux-support
. This package is not installed by default and must be installed manually once, e.g.
apt install opsi-linux-support
If a firewall is running on your system you need to configure it to accept TCP connections at port 80. Please consult the appropriate manual on how to do this.
The opsi-linux-support
package performs the following tasks:
-
Installation of the applicable nfs-server package on the opsi-server. For Debian, Ubuntu, Suse this is the package: nfs-kernel-server. For Centos, Redhat it is the package nfs-utils.
-
The share
opsi_nfs_share
is created and exported:-
Create directory:
mkdir -p /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi_nfs_share
-
Add the share entry to /etc/exports:
/var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi_nfs_share *(ro,no_root_squash,insecure,async,subtree_check)
-
Activate the export:
exportfs -r
-
Check the successful export:
showmount -e localhost
The output should be:
Export list for localhost: + /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi_nfs_share *
-
-
The share
opsi_nfs_share
has the following directory structure:
opsi_nfs_share/<productId>/<arch>/<dvd>.iso
example:
opsi_nfs_share/opensuse15-2/64/openSUSE-15.2-DVD-x86_64.iso
The installation file must have an extension.iso
, the name of the file does not matter. If there are several.iso
files in the same directory, it is not specified which one to use.
However the Linux Mint installation requires the installation media content, including hodden directories, to be copied into the specificopsi_nfs_share
subdirectory. -
Copy the installation DVD to the
opsi_nfs_share
and execute:
opsi-set-rights /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi_nfs_share
IMPORTANT: use the standard installation DVDs of the distribution. Modified installation DVDs might have a different structure and therefore cannot be used in this context. -
If for any reasons the directory
/var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi_nfs_share
cannot be exported by the opsi-server per NFS (for instance because the depot share is already a NAS NFS share), so the NFS share to be used can be specified by a server config. Likeclientconfig.opsi_nfs_share=172.16.166.1:/var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi_nfs_share
-
The product
ubuntu22-04
a .iso file has to be placed in theiso
directory within the package directory in the depot.
Start order of involved services for SLES 12
It may occur that the
Please make sure that after installing the NFS-server a reboot has been made. Then the services rpcbind and nfs-server need to be started in that exact order. The services can be restarted by the following commands:
Then showmount works as expected:
|
Common properties of the Linux netboot products based on the distibution installer
The following properties are available with all v406 netboot products to configure the Linux installation:
-
askbeforeinst
:
Starting an installation has to be confirmed from the client console? (Default=true) -
architecture
:
architecture selection, which affects the selection of bootimages and the installation architecture. (Default=64bit) -
language
orlocale
:
Which language / locale is to be installed. (Default=distribution dependent / de) -
console_keymap
: (not present in ubuntu22-04!)
keyboard layout to be installed. (Default=distribution dependent / de) -
timezone
:
Timezone to be installed?. (Default=Europe/Berlin) -
root_password
:
root password. (Default=linux123) -
user_password
:
user password. (Default=linux123) -
proxy
:
Proxystring (if required) as: http://<ip>:<port
(Default='') -
install_opsi-client-agent
:
Install the Linux opsi-client-agent (co-funded project: a module file is required for activation. (Default=true) -
setup_after_install
:
Which opsi products should be installed after the installation of the operating system (opsi products set to setup). (Default='')
The products debian9, debian10, debian11 and ubuntu18-04, ubuntu20-04, ubuntu22-04, mint20-1, mint20-2, mint20-3
The basic OS installation files are taken from the distribution repositories.
This product has the productive state.
This product has the following additional properties, some are not present in the netboot package ubuntu22-04
:
-
online_repository
:
distribution repository for the installation. (only for the Debian/Ubuntu family) (Default=distribution dependent) -
encrypt_password
: (not present in ubuntu22-04!)
Password for disk encryption (only if encrypt_logical_volumes=true)
Example:linux123
Default:linux123
-
partition_disk
: (not present in ubuntu22-04!)
Disk to use.:first
or complete device path Examples: "first", "/dev/sda", "/dev/sdb"
Default:first
-
partition_method
:
The method use for partitioning of the disk:
regular
: use the usual partition types for your architecture (direct
in ubuntu22-04) /lvm
: use LVM to partition the disk /crypto
: use LVM within an encrypted partition (not present in ubuntu22-04!)
Possible: "regular" or "direct", "lvm", "crypto"
Default:lvm
-
partition_recipe
: (not present in ubuntu22-04!)
The kind of partitions that will be used:
atomic
: all files in one partition /home
: separate /home partition /multi
: separate /home, /usr, /var, and /tmp partitions
Possible: "atomic", "home", "multi"
Default:atomic
-
desktop_package
:
Desktop package to install (standard = no desktop) (only for the Debian/Ubuntu family) Possible: "standard", "ubuntu-desktop", "kubuntu-desktop", "lubuntu-desktop", "xubuntu-desktop", "ubuntu-gnome-desktop"
Default:standard
-
language_packs
:
Possible: "ar", "bg", "by", "cf", "de", "dk", "en", "es", "et", "fa", "fi", "fr", "gr", "il", "it", "kg", "kk", "lt", "mk", "nl", "no", "pl", "ro", "ru", "sg","sr", "ua", "uk", "us", "wo"
Default:de
-
installation_method
:
Offers a possibility to bypass the kexec in case it fails. The alternate method installs a minimal installation on the local disk and reboot from it. This property currently works withdebian10
,ubuntu18-04
andubuntu20-04
in UEFI. Possible: "kexec", "reboot"
Default:kexec
The basic OS installation files are taken from the the official UCS repositories.
This product has a productive state. With this product one can install a master, slave, backup and even a memberserver. It is recommended to use the l-opsi-server localboot product to make an opsi server out of the UCS machine. Memberserver are supported when an opsi server is installed through l-opsi-server. This localboot products makes special adjustments to the server, so it can deploy clients like other UCS roles.
This product has the same properties as described above for debianX
or ubuntuX
and the following additional ucs specific properties:
-
dns_domain
:
The DNS domain name: Example:example.com
Default:ucs.test
-
ldap_base
:
The ldap base. Example:dc=example,dc=com
Default:dc=ucs,dc=test
-
ucs_code_name
:
The code name of the ucs version that is provided in the repository.
Example:ucs414
Default:ucs414
-
organisation
:
The name of the organisation that will be used for the ucs installation.
Example:uib gmbh
Default:uib gmbh
-
windomain
:
The name of the Samba/Windows domain.
Example:MYDOMAIN
Default:MYDOMAIN
-
external_nameserver
:
Which nameserver is included to the ucs installation ?
Example:10.11.12.13
Default:auto
= the name server given by dhcp -
ucs_master_ip
:
What is the IP Number of the UCS Domain Controller (needed for other roles to join) ?
Example:10.10.10.10
Default:10.10.10.10
-
ucs_master_admin_password
:
What is the password of the user Administrator of the UCS Domain Controller (needed for other roles to join) ?
Example:linux123
Default:linux123
-
ucs_role
:
Which UCS role should be installed ?
Possible: "domaincontroller_master", "domaincontroller_backup", "domaincontroller_slave", "memberserver", "base"
Default:domaincontroller_master
The products sles12, sles12sp1, sles12sp2, sles12sp3, sles12sp4, sles15, sles15-1, sles15-2
This product has the following additional properties:
name: productkey multivalue: False editable: True description: email:regcode-sles for suse_register. Is only used if the host parameter `license-management.use` is set to false . If it set to True the license key will be get from the license management module. / La clé de licence pour l'installation. Est utilisée uniquement si dans "Réseau et paramètres supplémentaires" `license-management.use` est défini à false (faux) . Si c'est réglé sur True (vrai) la clé de licence sera obtenue du module de gestion des licences. values: ["", "myemail@example.com:xxxxxxxxxxxxxx"] default: [""] name: suse_register description: set to false, if you don't want to register your system online, if you set this to false you have to give local repositories default: True name: local_repositories multivalue: True editable: True description: list of local repositories to use. Syntax: "repository description", example entry: "http://sles.example.com/suse/repo NameForRepo" values: [""] default: [""] name: install_unattended description: If false then do interactive installation default: True
To download the installation DVD you need an account on SUSE.
Installation DVD should have the name (we’ve made tests with files with these names):
sles11sp4: SLES-11-SP4-DVD-x86_64-GM-DVD1.iso
sles12: SLE-12-Server-DVD-x86_64-GM-DVD1.iso
sles12sp1: SLE-12-SP1-Server-DVD-x86_64-GM-DVD1.iso
Copy the ISO-File to /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi_nfs_share/sles12sp2/64/
Please don’t forget to execute opsi-set-rights
.
The following video shows an installation.
It is made with one frame per second and because of that, the installation that you see it is much more faster than a normal installation.
The products redhat70, redhat8 and centos70, centos8, alma8, rocky8
This product has the following additional properties:
name: install_unattended description: If false then do interactive installation default: True name: selinux_mode multivalue: False editable: False description: In which mode should SELinux run ? values: ["enforcing", "permissive", "disabled"] default: ["permissive"] name: partition_method multivalue: False editable: False description: plain: Regular partitions with no LVM or Btrfs. / lvm: The LVM partitioning scheme. / btrfs: The Btrfs partitioning scheme. / thinp: The LVM Thin Provisioning partitioning scheme. values: ["plain", "lvm", "btrfs", "thinp"] default: ["lvm"] name: productkey multivalue: False editable: True description: email:regcode for subscription_register. Is only used if the host parameter `license-management.use` is set to false . If it set to True the license key will be get from the license management module. / La clé de licence pour l'installation. Est utilisée uniquement si dans "Réseau et paramètres supplémentaires" `license-management.use` est défini à false (faux) . Si c'est réglé sur True (vrai) la clé de licence sera obtenue du module de gestion des licences. values: ["", "myemail@example.com:xxxxxxxxxxxxxx"] default: [""] name: subscription_register description: set to false, if you don't want to register your system online, you need to set this to false and you have to introduce your local repository default: True
Download the installation DVD here, e.g. from here.
Copy the ISO-File to /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi_nfs_share/centos8/64/
Please don’t forget to execute opsi-set-rights
.
To download the installation DVD you need an account on RedHat.
Installation DVD should be named we’ve made tests with a file with these name:
rhel-server-7.0-x86_64-dvd.iso
Copy the ISO-File to /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi_nfs_share/redhat8/64/
Please don’t forget to execute opsi-set-rights
.
The following video shows an installation.
It is made with one frame per second and because of that, the installation that you see it is much more faster than a normal installation.
Linux netboot products with generic installer
Without distribution installer
Basic OS installation per netboot
To install Linux on a client, at the beginning the standard opsi-linux-bootimage boots per netboot. It is the same image as the one used for the Windows installation.
The bootimage automatically performs the partitioning and formatting of the hard disc (/ and swap). Next the installation of the basic Linux Operating System is performed (including network and ssh, but without X11). The installation process itself is quite different for the individual distributions, but has in common, that the installation is performed directly from the original distribution packages.
The opsi-client-agent for Linux can be installed, which enables the automated installation and configuration of further software packages.
The opsi-client-agent for Linux is available as a co-funded opsi extension module, the required opsi netboot products for Linux installation are available as free Open Source modules.
Because the base installation is done from the Standard opsi-linux-bootimage, there are some distribution dependent differences, that have to be installed and configured after the first reboot of the installed system. This is for example the SELinux installation of the RedHat like or the keyboard configuration of the Debian like systems. These after boot installations and patches are done by the standard localboot
Common properties of Linux netboot products (generic installer)
The following properties for controlling the Linux installation are available with all netboot products:
-
askbeforeinst
:
confirm start of the new installation on the client? (default=true) -
architecture
:
architecture selection - affects the selection of the bootimage and the installation architecture. (default=64bit) -
system_partition_size
:
size of the system partition - the size may be given as percent of the hard disk size or as absolute size (G=Gigabyte). If you choose another value than 100%, the remaining rest will be used as data_partition. (default=100%) -
swap_partition_size
: +size of the swap partition. (default=2000M) -
data_partition_create
:
create a data partition if there is some space left. (true/false) (default=true) -
language
:
language / locale to be installed (default=de) -
timezone
:
time zone to be configured (default=Europe/Berlin) -
root_password
:
root password (default=linux123) -
user_password
:
user password (default=linux123) -
online_repository
:
repository to use for installation - repository of the Linux distribution to be used for installation (not for SLES) (default = distribution dependent) -
proxy
:
proxystring (if required) as: http://<ip>:<port>
(default='') -
additional_packages
:
additional packages to install. Packages names separated by blanks. (default='') -
install_opsi-client-agent
:
install the Linux opsi-client-agent (cofunding project: has to be activated by the /etc/opsi/modules) (default=false) -
release
:
(Debian and Ubuntu only)
which release of the distribution is to be installed? (default = distribution dependent) -
setup_after_install
:
opsi product(s) to be installed after the OS installation is done (opsi products to be set to setup) (default=l-os-postinst)
Ubuntu
The basic installation is performed per debootstrap directly from the network.
This product has the status productive.
It is UEFI/GPT compatible.
Debian
The basic installation is performed per debootstrap directly from the network.
This product has the status productive.
It is UEFI/GPT compatible.
For this product applicable opsi-server packets are available, that can be installed by setting install_opsi_server=true.
9.5.7. opsi-linux-client-agent
The opsi-client-agent for Linux is part of the cofunding project Linux Agent, which is liable to pay costs.
The opsi-client-agent for Windows is based on two components:
-
the service
opsiclientd
-
the action processor
opsi-script / opsi-script-nogui
The opsi-client-agent for Linux is based on the Linux port of the Windows client agent.
The opsiclientd
is not ported to all supported Linux distributions.
Tasks of the opsiclientd
at startup are:
* connect to the opsi-server: check whether actions are to be performed
* mount the depot share
* update the action processor if necessary
* start the action processor
* unmount the depot share
* transfer the logfile to the server
The Linux action processor is named opsi-script and is built from the same sources as for Windows. So on Linux the same scripting syntax is available as on Windows. All common features, that are not Windows specific, are available, as there are e.g.:
-
file handling
-
string and stringlist functions
-
executing external scripts and programs
-
communication with the opsi-Server
-
patching config files
Of course Windows specific features (like patching the Windows registry) are not available on Linux, but there are some additional Linux specific functions like e.g.:
-
getLinuxDistroType
-
getLinuxVersionMap
Logging of the opsi-script ist available (like on Windows).
Linux opsi-script is available as a graphical version for working with X-Windows and a noGUI version for systems without graphical user interface.
opsi-linux-client-agent: Installation: service_setup.sh
This method is the first choice for installations on a single computer. service_setup.sh can also be used for maintenance or repair of a client. For mass roll-out, see the chapter below.
-
login to the Linux client with root privileges
-
mount the shared directory on the opsi server at //<opsiserver>/opsi_depot to any mount point
-
change to directory
opsi-linux-client-agent
at the mountpoint -
start at this place the script
./service_setup.sh
The script connects to the opsi-webservice in order to create the server side client information and to get the pckey. The connection requires the user/password combination which it tries to retrieve from various configuration files. If that fails, a login window pops up (or commandline questions), where the user can fill in a URL, user, and password. The provided user has to be a member of the group opsiadmin.
opsi-linux-client-agent: Installation: opsi-deploy-client-agent
The opsi-deploy-client-agent
installs the opsi-client-agent directly from the opsi-server to the clients.
Requirements for the clients are:
-
ssh access as root or as a user that has the possibility to run sudo
The program creates the client on the server, then copies the installation files and the configuration information including the pckey to the client. After copying the necessary information, opsi-deploy-client-agent
starts the installation on the client.
With opsi-deploy-client-agent
a whole list of clients can be processed.
These can include any number of clients that can be passed as the last parameter, or with the option -f by which the clients can be read from a file.
When using a file, on each line a client must be present.
The program can work with IP addresses, host names and FQDNs. It will automatically try to recognize what kind of Address was passed.
The program can be found at /var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi-linux-client-agent
Run the program with root privileges.
bonifax:/var/lib/opsi/depot/opsi-linux-client-agent# ./opsi-deploy-client-agent --help
usage: opsi-deploy-client-agent [-h] [--version] [--verbose]
[--debug-file DEBUGFILE] [--username USERNAME]
[--password PASSWORD]
[--use-fqdn | --use-hostname | --use-ip-address]
[--ignore-failed-ping]
[--reboot | --shutdown | --start-opsiclientd | --no-start-opsiclientd]
[--hosts-from-file HOSTFILE]
[--skip-existing-clients]
[--threads MAXTHREADS] [--depot DEPOT]
[--group GROUP] [--smbclient | --mount]
[--keep-client-on-failure | --remove-client-on-failure]
[host [host ...]]
Deploy opsi client agent to the specified clients. The c$ and admin$ must be
accessible on every client. Simple File Sharing (Folder Options) should be
disabled on the Windows machine.
positional arguments:
host The hosts to deploy the opsi-client-agent to.
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--version, -V show program's version number and exit
--verbose, -v increase verbosity (can be used multiple times)
--debug-file DEBUGFILE
Write debug output to given file.
--username USERNAME, -u USERNAME
username for authentication (default:
Administrator).Example for a domain account: -u
<DOMAIN>\\<username>
--password PASSWORD, -p PASSWORD
password for authentication
--use-fqdn, -c Use FQDN to connect to client.
--use-hostname Use hostname to connect to client.
--use-ip-address Use IP address to connect to client.
--ignore-failed-ping, -x
try installation even if ping fails
--reboot, -r reboot computer after installation
--shutdown, -s shutdown computer after installation
--start-opsiclientd, -o
Start opsiclientd service after installation
(default).
--no-start-opsiclientd
Do not start opsiclientd service after installation.
--hosts-from-file HOSTFILE, -f HOSTFILE
File containing addresses of hosts (one per line).If
there is a space followed by text after the address
this will be used as client description for new
clients.
--skip-existing-clients, -S
skip known opsi clients
--threads MAXTHREADS, -t MAXTHREADS
number of concurrent deployment threads
--depot DEPOT Assign new clients to the given depot.
--group GROUP Assign fresh clients to an already existing group.
--smbclient Mount the client's C$-share via smbclient.
--mount Mount the client's C$-share via normal mount on the
server for copying the files. This imitates the
behaviour of the 'old' script.
--keep-client-on-failure
If the client was created in opsi through this script
it will not be removed in case of failure. (DEFAULT)
--remove-client-on-failure
If the client was created in opsi through this script
it will be removed in case of failure.
opsi-linux-client-agent: Installation: Via opsi netboot product
If you install a Linux via opsi netboot product, you only have to switch the property install_opsi-client-agent
to true (which is the default) in order to install the opsi-linux-client-agent.
opsi-linux-client-agent: opsiclientd configuration
The opsiclientd
for Linux is a port of the opsiclientd
for Windows.
So it works withe similar configuration file which is located at:
/etc/opsi-client-agent/opsiclientd.conf
.
A detailed description of this file you will find at the chapter for the opsi-client-agent for Windows: Section 6.1.3.6, “Configuration”
At the moment there are not all of the features and events available on Linux.
Available are:
-
Start at boot time (or via explicit start of the service
opsiclientd
). At Linux is the name of this eventopsiclientd_start
(notgui_startup
) -
event_on_demand
-
The
event_timer
but only with the configuration:super = default
Not available are:
-
Everything that is related to local caching (WAN-Extension).
-
The
event_net_connection
-
The
event_on_shutdown
-
The
event_silent_install
opsi-linux-client-agent: installation paths
As usual on Linux, the linux-opsi-client-agent is spread to several directories:
The binaries (or symlinks to binaries):
/usr/bin/opsi-script
/usr/bin/opsiclientd
Auxiliary files:
Skin files:
/opt/opsi-script/skin
custom : /usr/share/opsi-script/customskin
opsi-script Library:
/opt/opsi-script/lib
Translation files:
/opt/opsi-script/locale/opsi-script.po
Config files:
/etc/opsi-client-agent/opsiclientd.conf
(configuration of the opsiclientd)
/etc/opsi-script/opsi-script.conf
(configuration of opsi-script)
Logfiles / temporary files:
/var/log/opsi-client-agent
/var/log/opsi-client-agent/opsiclientd
/var/log/opsi-script/
9.5.8. opsi-linux-client-agent: Known Bugs
Copy a bundle of files via Files section from a smb share may fail according to the Samba version This problem was reported from some samba3 Versions but seems to be vanished in samba4.
Workaround: Instead of:
[Files_copy_netboot]
copy -s "%scriptPath%/installfiles/*" "$target$/installfiles/"
you may use:
[ShellInAnIcon_opsi_copy_netboot]
set -x
export PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin
cd "%scriptPath%"
tar cf - installfiles | ( cd "$target$/installfiles/" ; tar xf - )
Script examples
For software deployment on Windows clients there can be said: the installation of software itself is as important as the subsequent configuring of the software.
On Linux most packets are available from the distribution repositories. So the installation part is less, but the configuration part stays the same. Also there are applications, that are not available from the standard repositories.
In this case special repositories or installation sources have to be added to the system. The important feature is, that all installation and configuration settings can be managed and logged on the opsi-server.
Here are some example snippets for an opsi-linux-client-agent opsi-script:
-
exit in case the script detects a non Linux system
-
detecting the distribution type (to use
apt
,zypper
oryum
) -
detecting the Linux version
-
installing a packet
-
adding a repository
Example: exit in case the script detects a non Linux system:
[Actions]
requiredWinstVersion >= "4.11.4.1"
ScriptErrorMessages=off
DefVar $OS$
set $OS$ = GetOS
if not($OS$ = "Linux")
LogError "Wrong OS: Product: " + $ProductId$ + "is only for Linux"
isFatalError "Wrong OS"
endif
Example: detecting the distribution type:
[Actions]
requiredWinstVersion >= "4.11.4.1"
ScriptErrorMessages=off
DefVar $distrotype$
set $distrotype$ = getLinuxDistroType
if $distrotype$ = 'debian'
Message "Try to get Package Lock..."
if waitForPackageLock("60","false")
comment "we got the package lock."
else
LogError "could not get Package Lock"
isFatalError "package lock failed"
endif
ShellInAnIcon_Upgrade_deb
else
LogError "Wrong Distro: This Product is for Debian/Ubuntu only"
isFatalError "Wrong distro"
endif
if not("0" = getLastExitCode)
Message "failed ShellInAnIcon_Upgrade"
LogError "failed ShellInAnIcon_Upgrade"
isFatalError "failed Upgrade"
endif
[ShellInAnIcon_Upgrade_deb]
set -x
export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
apt update
apt --yes dist-upgrade
exit $?
Example: detecting the Linux version and installing a packet:
[Actions]
requiredWinstVersion >= "4.11.4.1"
ScriptErrorMessages=off
DefVar $distCodeName$
DefVar $distroName$
DefVar $distRelease$
DefVar $desktop$
DefStringList $linuxInfo$
set $linuxInfo$ = getLinuxVersionMap
set $distCodeName$ = getValue("Codename", $linuxInfo$)
set $distRelease$ = getValue("Release", $linuxInfo$)
set $distroName$ = getValue("Distributor ID", $linuxInfo$)
set $desktop$ = GetProductProperty("desktop", "kde")
if $distrotype$ = 'suse'
if $desktop$ = "unity"
Message " No Unity on SUSE - fallback to KDE ..."
set $desktop$ = "kde"
endif ; unity
Message "Try to get Package Lock..."
if waitForPackageLock("60","false")
comment "we got the package lock."
else
LogError "could not get Package Lock"
isFatalError "package lock failed"
endif
if $desktop$ = "kde"
if ($distroName$ = 'openSUSE project')
ShellInAnIcon_kde_suse
endif
if ("SUSE LINUX" = $distroName$) and ($distRelease$ = "11")
ShellInAnIcon_kde_sles11
endif
if not("0" = getLastExitCode)
LogError "failed ShellInAnIcon"
Message "failed kde"
isFatalError "failed kde"
endif
endif ; kde
endif; suse type
[ShellInAnIcon_kde_suse]
set -x
zypper --no-gpg-checks --non-interactive install patterns-openSUSE-kde4 patterns-openSUSE-kde4_basis
zypper --no-gpg-checks --non-interactive install splashy-branding-openSUSE
exit $?
[ShellInAnIcon_kde_sles11]
set -x
zypper --no-gpg-checks --non-interactive install --auto-agree-with-licenses -t pattern kde
exit $?
Example: adding a repository:
[Actions]
requiredWinstVersion >= "4.11.4.1"
ScriptErrorMessages=off
DefVar $distCodeName$
DefVar $distroName$
DefVar $distRelease$
DefVar $desktop$
DefStringList $linuxInfo$
set $linuxInfo$ = getLinuxVersionMap
set $distCodeName$ = getValue("Codename", $linuxInfo$)
set $distRelease$ = getValue("Release", $linuxInfo$)
set $distroName$ = getValue("Distributor ID", $linuxInfo$)
set $desktop$ = GetProductProperty("desktop", "kde")
if $distroName$ = 'Ubuntu'
if $desktop$ = "cinnamon"
set $desktopPackage$ = $desktop$
Message "Try to get Package Lock..."
if waitForPackageLock("60","false")
comment "we got the package lock."
else
LogError "could not get Package Lock"
isFatalError "package lock failed"
endif
ShellInAnIcon_ubuntu_cinnamon
if not("0" = getLastExitCode)
Message "failed ShellInAnIcon_ubuntu_cinnamon"
LogError "failed ShellInAnIcon_ubuntu_cinnamon"
isFatalError "failed cinnamon"
endif
endif ; cinnamon
endif; ubuntu
[ShellInAnIcon_ubuntu_cinnamon]
set -x
export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
# we need to get the add-apt-repository command
apt --yes install python-software-properties
# the cinnamon repository
add-apt-repository ppa:gwendal-lebihan-dev/cinnamon-stable
apt update
apt --yes install ubuntu-desktop
exit $?
Many of these as well as some other functions are available in the opsi-script standard library uib_lin_install.opsiscript.
9.5.9. Linux localboot products
Here some localboot products that are part of the standard opsi Linux support.
The product l-opsi-server
The product l-opsi-server serves to install on a Linux computer an opsi-server via opsi-linux-client-agent in an automated way. This can serve to install quickly a new opsi-depot-server or e.G. an opsi Test system.
Currently for a opsi-config server an other maschine can’t be a opsi-linux-client and a opsi-depot-server at the same time. To work around this limitation, you have two possibilities: 1. Using one opsi-config-server: After the installation of opsi via l-opsi-server and before you register this maschine as opsi-depot-server, you have to delete it as client in the configed. 2. Using two opsi-config-servers: Setup a second independent opsi-config-server, which is only used to administrate (install and mantain) your opsi-servers. So this second opsi-config-server knows the other opsi-servers only as linux-clients. Your other (first) opsi-config-server know theses other opsi-servers as depots. In a UCS environment method 2 is recommended and the second opsi-config server must not be a UCS Server. |
The product l-opsi-server has the following Properties:
-
opsi_online_repository
:
(Base-) Repository for opsi-server installation.
(Default="https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/uibmz:/opsi:/4.2:/")
see also repo_kind -
opsi_noproxy_online_repository
:
(Base-) Repository for opsi-server installation (without any cache proxy).
(Default="https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/uibmz:/opsi:/4.2:/")
Should you require onopsi_online_repository
to introduce a Proxy or deb-cacher (e.G. 'http://mydeb-cacher:9999/download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/uibmz:/opsi:/4.2:/"), than introduce the URL without Proxy. Otherwise introduce the same asopsi_noproxy_online_repository
. -
repo_kind
:
Which kind of repository ["experimental", "stable", "testing"] should be installed ?. (Default=stable)
With the Client OS, opsi_online_repository and repo_kind the URL will be built and the client will be added to an opsi repository. -
backend
:
Which backend should be installed ? (mysql needs a valid activation file). (Default=file)
A modules file with the require Activations can be stored in the custom directory of the product. If a modules file is found there, then will this one used. -
opsi_admin_user_name
:
The name of the opsi_admin_user to create (empty= nothing created). (Default=adminuser)
If a user is introduced here, it will applied, also it will be added to the group opsiadmin, pcpatch/opsifileadmin and become as unix and samba password the valueopsi_admin_user_password
-
opsi_admin_user_password
:
What is the password of the opsi_admin_user to create (empty= not allowed). (Default=linux123)
seeopsi_admin_user_name
-
setup_after_install
:
Which opsi product(s) should we switch to setup after l-opsi-server installation is done ?. (Default="") -
allow_reboot
:
May the server reboot if script is finished ?. (Default=true) -
install_and_configure_dhcp
:
Should we run the dhcp server on this machine ?. (Default=False)
If this property is false then the following properties: netmask, network, dnsdomain,nameserver and gateway are meaningless because they are only used for dhcp configuration. -
myipname
:
Set a different IP name (FQDN) (auto= use standard) (Default=auto)
Meaningless if install_and_configure_dhcp=false -
myipnumber
:
Set a different IP number (auto= use standard) (Default=auto)
Meaningless if install_and_configure_dhcp=false -
netmask
:
Netmask (for dhcp). (Default="255.255.0.0")
Meaningless if install_and_configure_dhcp=false -
network
:
network address (for dhcp). (Default="192.168.0.0")
Meaningless if install_and_configure_dhcp=false -
dnsdomain
:
DNS domain (for dhcp). (Default="uib.local")
Meaningless if install_and_configure_dhcp=false -
nameserver
:
Primary nameserver (for dhcp). (Default="192.168.1.245")
Meaningless if install_and_configure_dhcp=false -
gateway
:
gateway (option routers for dhcp). (Default="192.168.1.245")
Meaningless if install_and_configure_dhcp=false -
ucs_master_admin_password
:
Only needed for opsi installation on UCS Server with other Roles than Role Master. (Default=linux123) -
update_test
:
Do not use: Internal Debugging. (Default=False) -
ucs_master_admin_password
:
On a UCS machine the roles Slave, Backup and Member have to be joined correctly with the Mas ter. This property takes the password to perform the join.
The product has setup required before dependency to the product l-system-update. That means when you set l-opsi-server on setup it will also automatically set l-system-update also on setup and installed before.
In the directory custom
of the product l-opsi-server
the activated file (modules
) is stored, which is used in the Installation of the product l-opsi-server
and will be preserved in the case of a new version of the product.
l-os-postinst
This product installs and configures those parts of the base installation, that cannot be done from the bootimage in a proper way.
This is for the different distributions:
-
CentOS:
-
installation of SELinux
-
This product has a dependency to the product l-system-update which is executed before running l-os-postinst.
This product has a high priority, so it is executed before common products.
l-desktop
The product l-desktop installs a desktop packet on the computer.
The property desktop
selects the desktop to be installed. Not all of the desktops are available for every distribution. For instance Unity is available for Ubuntu only. If the selected desktop is not available, the distribution specific default desktop will be installed. Furthermore the scope of the desktop packets differs according to the distribution and the selected desktop. It can be just the actual desktop software, or might also contain some base products like libreoffice, firefox, PDF Reader etc.
The property desktop
can have the following values:
-
Gnome
Default for Debian, CentOS, RHEL.
Available for all distributions. -
KDE
Default für SLES, OpenSuse. Available for all distributions. -
Unity
Available for Ubuntu only. -
Cinnamon
Available for Ubuntu only. -
xfce4
Available for Ubuntu, Debian. -
lxde
Available for Ubuntu, Debian.
l-system-update
This product updates the system.
swaudit
Software inventory, based on the packet manager
hwaudit
Hardware inventory.
The hardware inventory currently is based on the Python implemented method as also used by the bootimage.
l-jedit
Java based editor with syntax highlighting for opsi-script. If Java is missing on the system, it will be installed automatically.
9.5.10. Inventory
To create an inventory, the data are collected on the client and sent to the server. The hardware inventory is based on the methods implemented in the bootimage.
The software inventory is based on the data from the packet management of the deployed Linux distribution.
9.5.11. UEFI / GPT support
Most of the opsi 4.1 / opsi 4.2 Linux netboot products are UEFI/GPT compatible.
9.5.12. Proxy for .deb-packages
Instructions for installation and use of servers for local caching of debian packages:
9.6. opsi with UEFI / GPT
9.6.1. Netboot products with UEFI support
Netboot product |
Opsi 4.2 / 4.1 |
Remark |
opsi-clonezilla |
Netboot product |
Opsi 4.2 / 4.1 |
Remark |
Server 2022 |
||
Server 2019 |
||
Server 2016 |
||
win11 64 Bit |
||
win10 64 Bit |
||
win10 32 Bit |
||
Server 2012 R12 |
||
win8.1 64 Bit |
||
win8.1 32 Bit |
||
Server 2012 |
||
win7 64 Bit |
||
win7 32 Bit |
||
Server 2008 R2 |
||
winvista 32 Bit |
||
winvista 64 Bit |
||
Server 2008 64 Bit |
||
winxp |
: Supported
: Unsupported
: Under Development
: Discontinued
Netboot product |
Opsi 4.2 / 4.1 |
Remark |
ubuntu |
||
ubuntu22-04 |
||
ubuntu20-04 |
||
ubuntu18-04 |
||
ubuntu16-04 |
since ubuntu16-04_4.0.7.2-1 |
|
ubuntu14-04 |
||
mint20-3 |
||
mint20-2 |
||
mint20-1 |
||
debian |
||
debian11 |
||
debian10 |
||
debian9 |
||
debian8 |
since debian8_4.0.7.2-1 |
|
debian7 |
||
centos8 |
||
alma8 |
||
rocky9 |
||
centos70 |
||
redhat8 |
||
redhat70 |
||
opensusel15-3 |
||
opensusel15-2 |
||
opensusel15-1 |
||
opensusel15 |
||
opensusel42-3 |
||
opensusel42-2 |
||
opensusel42-1 |
||
sles15sp3 |
||
sles15sp2 |
||
sles15sp1 |
||
sles15sp2 |
||
sles12sp4 |
||
sles12sp3 |
||
sles12sp2 |
||
sles12sp1 |
||
sles12 |
: Supported
: Unsupported
: Under Development
: Discontinued
Netboot product |
opsi 4.1 / 4.2 |
Remark |
opsi-local-image-prepare |
||
opsi-local-image-backup |
||
opsi-local-image-restore |
||
opsi-local-image-wim-capture |
||
opsi-local-image-win* |
||
opsi-local-image-ubuntu |
||
opsi-local-image-opensuse13-2 |
||
opsi-local-image-opensusel42-2 |
||
opsi-vhd-win10-x64 |
: Supported
: Unsupported
: Under Development
: Discontinued
9.6.2. Netboot products with UEFI Secure Boot support
Netboot product |
Opsi 4.2 |
Server 2022 |
|
Server 2019 |
|
Server 2016 |
|
win11 64 Bit |
|
win10 64 Bit |
|
Server 2012 R2 |
|
win8.1 64 Bit |
: Supported
: Unsupported
: Under Development
: Discontinued
Netboot product |
4.2 |
Remark |
ubuntu |
||
ubuntu18-04 |
since ubuntu18-04_4.1.0.2-1 |
|
ubuntu20-04 |
since ubuntu20-04_4.1.0.2-1 |
|
ubuntu22-04 |
||
debian |
||
debian10 |
since debian10_4.1.0.3-1 |
|
debian11 |
||
opensusel15-2 |
||
opensusel15-3 |
||
alma8 |
||
rocky8 |
||
redhat8 |
: Supported
: Unsupported
: Under Development
: Discontinued
Netboot product |
Opsi 4.2 |
opsi-local-image-prepare |
|
opsi-local-image-backup |
|
opsi-local-image-restore |
|
opsi-local-image-wim-capture |
|
opsi-local-image-win10-x64 |
|
opsi-vhd-win10-x64 |
: Supported
: Unsupported
: Under Development
: Discontinued
9.6.3. Preconditions for working with UEFI / GPT
This module currently is a
co-funded opsi extension.
Some preconditions are required to work with that module, which is to get a suitable modules file to unlock the feature. You can get this unlock file by purchasing the extension module. For evaluation you can get a time limited modules unlock file without charge. ( → mail to info@uib.de).
Technical requirements are opsi 4.1 with package versions:
opsi package | version |
---|---|
Netboot products |
>=4.1 |
opsi server packages |
>=4.1 |
opsipxeconfd |
>=4.1.1.20-3 |
opsi-linux-bootimage |
>=20200506 |
9.6.4. Furher remarks regarding the pxe-installation with the opsi-Moduls UEFI / GPT
-
opsi supports only 64-Bit UEFI-Installations
-
PXE-boot installs require a winpe that is capable of booting in UEFI mode. Often, an existing winpe will be capable of doing so, check by verifying there is a folder named
EFI
, as well as a file namedbootmgr.efi
inside your winpe folder. If that is not the case, create a recent winpe as explained in our opsi-getting-started Manual, Chapter "Creating a PE". A winpe, that is UEFI capable, needs to reside in the winpe_uefi folder of the opsi netboot product. Provided your winpe is already capable of booting UEFI and MBR modes, you could simply place a softlinkwinpe_uefi
>winpe
. -
you have to configure your external DHCP server with the bootfile
linux/pxelinux.cfg/shimx64.efi.signed
-
Activate in the opsi-configed the checkbox "Uefi-Boot" for uefi-clients (since version 4.0.5.8.1) or set hostparameter
clientconfig.dhcpd.filename=linux/pxelinux.cfg/shimx64.efi.signed
This setting can also be made via the following command line call:opsi-admin -d method configState_create "clientconfig.dhcpd.filename" "here.host.id" "linux/pxelinux.cfg/shimx64.efi.signed"
If your opsi server had earlier versions of the package requirements installed you might need to edit the file /etc/opsi/opsipxeconfd.conf . The change involves the line uefi netboot config template x64 = /tftpboot/linux/pxelinux.cfg/install-elilo-x64 .
This line has to be changed to uefi netboot config template x64 = /tftpboot/linux/pxelinux.cfg/install-grub-x64 to ensure a compatability between the UEFI bootloader and the named pipe.
|
-
BIOS settings:
Since the BIOS menus are very different and use different terminology, you need to consider here what is the best fit for your BIOS.-
Secure Boot disabled
This entry is usually in the Boot or Startup but it can also be found in the Security area. Information about using secureboot can be found in a different chapter. -
Turn the BIOS on in the UEFI-Mode.
If you have the choice between UEFI only, Legacy only or Both you should select UEFI only. If the selected option is Both this is not the best practice but it can eventually work. If the Legacy Support it is present, it should be disabled. CSM Support in conjunction with UEFI only can remain enabled. Otherwise just disable it. UEFI Network Boot must be enabled. It could happened that the entry is also named Network Stack and also can be found under the UEFI category. If there are two categories for IPv4 and IPv6 here the right choice is IPv4.
-
9.6.5. Introduction
Recent PCs, tablets and server often are equpped with an UEFI BIOS. Often there is a legacy mode available to support the old features including PXE boot. But more and more devices come with an UEFI only BIOS (especially tablets). So they cannot be managed with the previous opsi environment.
To integrate these devices into opsi and to be able to use the advantages of UEFI, the uib gmbh developed the opsi extension for UEFI support.
9.6.6. What is UEFI and what is different about it?
UEFI is the abbreviation of Unified Extensible Firmware Interface and is the follow-up to the classic PC-BIOS (MBR-BIOS).
For detailled information on UEFI there are some links listed below.
UEFI has much more features than the old BIOS. Basically UEFI is a small operating system by itself. But in this place, we just consider some features, that are of special interes to the system administrator:
-
The recent (by January 2014) implementations of UEFI by the hardware manufacturers have not developed any clear standards yet. As soon as the system is to be booted from any other device but the hard disc, you face the utter chaos. Often UEFI and classic BIOS are implemented both, sometimes they can be deactivated individually, or sometimes not. UEFI can be implemented with the Compatibility Support Module (CSM), or without. Netboot might work, or might not.
Especially the availability of netboot is essential for structurd client management. -
With the classic PC-BIOS the BIOS and its configuration usually are separated from the operating system. So BIOS configurations like the boot sequence cannot be changed by the operating system.
This is different with UEFI. The operating system can change the boot sequence (and usually it does). This has consequences for a client management that relies on netboot. -
UEFI comes with its own boot manager, which not only can be used by the operating systems to change the boot sequence, but also contains the start entries for the operating systems themselves. This is to support the parallel installation of different operating systems, so that there is no conflict with the different boot loaders.
-
UEFI can be implemented for 32 or 64 bit, which has to match a 32 or 64 bit operating system. A 32bit OS can not be installed on a 64 bit UEFI system.
-
Secureboot allows only authorized systems to boot.
-
partitioning with GPT and additional partitions for the bootloader:
-
1. partition: EFI system partition (ESP) 100 - 260 MByte ; VFAT
-
2. partition: Microsoft reserved (MSR) 32 - 128 MB; NTFS
-
following the actual OS partitions
-
Links :
9.6.7. What is different about GPT
GPT (GUID Partition Table) id the follow-up for the previous MBR partition tables. GPT is part of the UEFI specification.
- The main features for the sysadmin are
-
-
overriding the 2 Terabyte limit (now it is 8 Zebibyte)
-
almost unlimited number of primary partitions
-
changed partition types / GUIDs
-
new: partition GUIDs
-
new: partition attributes (hidden, read only, …)
-
different tools: gdisk
-
Basically GPT can be used without UEFI. But UEFI depends on GPT. With UEFI there are up to two additional partitions:
-
the EFI system partition (ESP) with the bootloaders
-
Microsoft reserved (MSR)
Links :
9.6.8. UEFI Boot
In contrary to the old BIOS the boot sequence not only can be defined for devices, but also can be set for different bootloaders on the EFI system partition. Furthermore the sequence can be changed by a running operating system. So if you set netboot as the first boot priority, this setting will not survive the first OS installation.
9.6.9. UEFI Netboot
Unfortunately early UEFI implementations do not support netboot at all, but netboot support is increasing.
With the UEFI support extension module uib gmbh has developed a succesfull UEFI netboot support for integrating UEFI clients into opsi. Because the UEFI standard is still under development and changing, in future the opsi UEFI module will continue to adapt to the technical changes, which might require structural redesigns of the module.
9.6.10. opsi support for UEFI netboot
The opsi support for UEFI is based on several components:
-
adaption of the netboot UEFI bootloader GRUB2 to the opsi / client-management requirements.
-
new opsipxeconfd, which also supports config files for the opsi-GRUB2 (in addition to the PXE config).
-
new (64 bit) opsi-linux-bootimage with the tools for UEFI- and GPT management
-
redesigned netboot products for OS installation (Windows/Linux) with additional support of UEFI/GPT (of course only for OS that support UEFI).
-
client setting on the opsi-server whether to be treated as UEFI client or not. (clientconfig.dhcpd.filename=linux/pxelinux.cfg/shimx64.efi.signed)
-
support of a software-controlled switch to UEFI netboot.
The label of the UEFI netboot entry of the firmware can be saved on the opsi-server (clientconfig.uefinetbootlabel
), as far as the firmware supports it (there is an activatable netboot entry in the EFI). This allows opsi-products to use netboot for the next reboot. This technique is implemented in several opsi products. An important example is the productopsi-uefi-netboot
:
This product tries to configure the UEFI for netboot and then triggers a reboot. If there is nouefinetbootlabel
or the client is not an UEFI client only a reboot is triggered.
This product is available for Windows and for Linux.
9.6.11. Installation
All packages required are installed automatically with opsi version 4.0.5.
9.6.12. Configuration of a Linux DHCP server
Configuration example of a Linux isc-dhcp-server:
filename "linux/pxelinux.0"; # this is the UEFI detection: if substring (option vendor-class-identifier , 19,1 ) = "0" { log (info, "pxe client"); filename "linux/pxelinux.0"; } else if substring (option vendor-class-identifier , 19,1 ) = "6" { log (info, "efi32 client"); filename "linux/pxelinux.cfg/elilo-x86.efi"; } else if substring (option vendor-class-identifier , 19,1 ) = "7" { log (info, "efi64 client"); filename "linux/pxelinux.cfg/shimx64.efi.signed"; } else { log (info, concat ( "Unhandled vendor class Arch: ", substring (option vendor-class-identifier , 19,1 ))); }
See also: Fedora: PXE Boot Configuration
Example for the configuration of a Windows DHCP server 2012 R2
-
As standard for this variant the PXE boot file for x64 Uefi installations is entered as default. DHCP options 66 and 67 are adjusted as it follows:
066 Host name of the start server: <IP of the opsi server>
067 Name of the start file: linux/pxelinux.cfg/shimx64.efi.signed -
To distinguish the Bios clients, a manufacturer class identifier (PXEClient:Arch:00000:UNDI:002001) must be defined on the DHCP server:
Define manufacturer class Add new manufacturer class Edit class Display name: Legacy BIOS Asci: PXEClient:Arch:00000:UNDI:002001
-
The predefine options must be order under the manufacturer class:
Set predefined options Options Option class: Legacy BIOS Add Adjust the option type Name: Legacy BIOS Data Type: String Code: 60 Description: PXEClient Class Legacy BIOS Predefined options and values String: PXEClient
-
Define the DHCP policy that is assigned to the boot file for the PXE boot (BIOS) of the manufacturer class:
New policy Policy Name: PXE BootFile Legacy BIOS continue Add conditions Criteria: Manufacturer class Operator: equals Value: Legacy BIOS add Would you like to configure an IP address range for the following policy: No Manufacturer class: DHCP Standard Options 067 Name of the start file file input String value: linux/pxelinux.0
-
In the range options, there are two entries for the start file, which is linked to a policy in case a bios client is detected:
067 Name of the Start file: linux/pxelinux.cfg/shimx64.efi.signed Policy: None 067 Name of the Start file: linux/pxelinux.0 Policy: PXE BootFile Legacy BIOS
Configuration of a UCS Dhcp-Server
The following information comes from Univention itself:
https://help.univention.com/t/how-to-configure-a-dhcp-switch-for-uefi-and-non-uefi-boot/9931
9.6.13. opsipxeconfd configuration
Since opsipxeconfd 4.0.7.7 it is possible to configure the path of the files used as templates for UEFI netboot in the configuration file opsipxeconfd.conf
.
This is possible through the options uefi netboot config template x86
and uefi netboot config template x64
.
9.6.14. Criteria for a good BIOS
Whether an UEFI BIOS meets the requirements of a client management system like opsi depends on several criteria. These criteria do not estimate the qualitiy of the device, but only whether it can be managed by using netboot. This requires BIOS functions for UEFI netboot. Hier an example comparison:
Lenovo Twist | MS-Surface | Dell Venue 11 | |
---|---|---|---|
UEFI pure |
√ |
√ |
√ |
UEFI + CSM |
√ |
x |
√ |
Legacy |
√ |
x |
√ |
Both |
√ |
x |
x |
UEFI Netboot |
√ |
√ |
√ |
activatable entry |
√ |
x |
√ |
netboot without interaction |
√ |
x |
√ |
In this case activatable entry means, that for the next reboot a netboot can be activated by standard software. netboot without interaction means, that an activated netboot will be executed at the next reboot without any require4d interaction (like pressing any key combinations, F12 key, …). If these preconditions are met, special opsi products can trigger a netboot. This feature is very important for automated processing. A product using this feature is for instance the localboot product for Windows and Linux opsi-uefi-netboot
.
9.6.15. Technical details
The following sub chapters provide some information for scripted or manual handling of UEFI / GPT. For understanding how opsi works with UEFI/GPT, knowing these details is not required.
Technichal details about UEFI
UEFI Bootloader entries can be managed on Linux with the program efibootmgr
.
List of boot entries:
efibootmgr -v
BootCurrent: 000D
Timeout: 0 seconds
BootOrder: 0012,0011,000D,0010,000B,0009,0007,0008,000A,000C
Boot0000 Setup
Boot0001 Boot Menu
(..)
Boot0007* USB CD 030a2400d23878bc820f604d8316c068ee79d25b86701296aa5a7848b66cd49dd3ba6a55
Boot0008* USB FDD 030a2400d23878bc820f604d8316c068ee79d25b6ff015a28830b543a8b8641009461e49
Boot0009* ATA HDD0 030a2500d23878bc820f604d8316c068ee79d25b91af625956449f41a7b91f4f892ab0f600
Boot000D* PCI LAN 030a2400d23878bc820f604d8316c068ee79d25b78a84aaf2b2afc4ea79cf5cc8f3d3803
Boot0010* ubuntu HD(1,800,31801,faffb7b9-bdf9-4767-b475-0b8aee68d3ac)File(\EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi)
Boot0011* opsitempwinpe HD(4,3c72800,7cf801,dc1cea68-a296-4fb8-a97a-263227ed86f4)File(\EFI\boot\bootx64.efi)
Boot0012* Windows Boot Manager HD(1,800,31801,5e4ffde2-3e25-42dd-b0f7-fcb7ee5d2b20)File(\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi)WINDOWS.........x...B.C.D.O.B.J.E.C.T.=.{.9.d.e.a.8.6.2.c.-.5.c.d.d.-.4.e.7.0.-.a.c.c.1.-.f.3.2.b.3.4.4.d.4.7.9.5.}...a................
On Windows UEFI boot loader entries can be managed with the program bcdedit
.
List of boot entries:
bcdedit /enum firmware
Start-Manager für Firmware
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bezeichner {fwbootmgr}
displayorder {bootmgr}
{99a9f9be-9a98-11e3-b22f-806e6f6e6963}
{11a8b97e-99df-11e3-ae5c-b888e3e3cbb4}
{11a8b986-99df-11e3-ae5c-b888e3e3cbb4}
Windows-Start-Manager
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bezeichner {bootmgr}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
path \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi
Firmwareanwendung (101fffff)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bezeichner {11a8b971-99df-11e3-ae5c-b888e3e3cbb4}
description Setup
Firmwareanwendung (101fffff)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bezeichner {11a8b972-99df-11e3-ae5c-b888e3e3cbb4}
description Boot Menu
(...)
Firmwareanwendung (101fffff)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bezeichner {11a8b978-99df-11e3-ae5c-b888e3e3cbb4}
description USB CD
Firmwareanwendung (101fffff)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bezeichner {11a8b979-99df-11e3-ae5c-b888e3e3cbb4}
description USB FDD
Firmwareanwendung (101fffff)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bezeichner {11a8b97a-99df-11e3-ae5c-b888e3e3cbb4}
description ATA HDD0
Firmwareanwendung (101fffff)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bezeichner {11a8b97e-99df-11e3-ae5c-b888e3e3cbb4}
description PCI LAN
Firmwareanwendung (101fffff)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bezeichner {99a9f9be-9a98-11e3-b22f-806e6f6e6963}
device partition=X:
path \EFI\boot\bootx64.efi
description opsitempwinpe
Both programs can be used to create or delete entries, setting netxtboot or change the boot order.
Example: Setting the entry for the next boot:
-
Linux:
efibootmgr /bootnext <hexId>
-
Windows:
bcdedit /set {fwbootmgr} bootsequence <GUID>
Technichal details about GPT
GPT partitions know some new partition types. These are derived from the standard types. So the partition type for NTFS 07
becomes GPT 0700
. The Linux partition types 82
and 83
become 8200
and 8300
.
The list of known partition types can be shown:
# sgdisk -L
0700 Microsoft basic data 0c01 Microsoft reserved 2700 Windows RE
4100 PowerPC PReP boot 4200 Windows LDM data 4201 Windows LDM metadata
7501 IBM GPFS 7f00 ChromeOS kernel 7f01 ChromeOS root
7f02 ChromeOS reserved 8200 Linux swap 8300 Linux filesystem
8301 Linux reserved 8302 Linux /home 8400 Intel Rapid Start
8e00 Linux LVM a500 FreeBSD disklabel a501 FreeBSD boot
a502 FreeBSD swap a503 FreeBSD UFS a504 FreeBSD ZFS
a505 FreeBSD Vinum/RAID a580 Midnight BSD data a581 Midnight BSD boot
a582 Midnight BSD swap a583 Midnight BSD UFS a584 Midnight BSD ZFS
a585 Midnight BSD Vinum a800 Apple UFS a901 NetBSD swap
a902 NetBSD FFS a903 NetBSD LFS a904 NetBSD concatenated
a905 NetBSD encrypted a906 NetBSD RAID ab00 Apple boot
af00 Apple HFS/HFS+ af01 Apple RAID af02 Apple RAID offline
af03 Apple label af04 AppleTV recovery af05 Apple Core Storage
be00 Solaris boot bf00 Solaris root bf01 Solaris /usr & Mac Z
bf02 Solaris swap bf03 Solaris backup bf04 Solaris /var
bf05 Solaris /home bf06 Solaris alternate se bf07 Solaris Reserved 1
bf08 Solaris Reserved 2 bf09 Solaris Reserved 3 bf0a Solaris Reserved 4
bf0b Solaris Reserved 5 c001 HP-UX data c002 HP-UX service
ea00 Freedesktop $BOOT eb00 Haiku BFS ed00 Sony system partitio
ef00 EFI System ef01 MBR partition scheme ef02 BIOS boot partition
fb00 VMWare VMFS fb01 VMWare reserved fc00 VMWare kcore crash p
fd00 Linux RAID
Actually the partition types shown in this list are just short forms for the actual GUIDs that are used. The partition schema is named after that.
So:
0700
stands for Microsoft basic data
and for the GUID EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7
A list of GUIDs can be found at Wikipedia:
Furtheron the tool gdisk (and sgdisk, …) has an internal substitution table for unknown partition types. For the old partion type for vfat32 0b
there is no corresponding 0b00
. By passing the type 0b00
to sgdisk, it will be translated to 0700
without any message. Perhaps because of the consideration: vfat32 - this must be some Microsoft data partition …
GPT partitionen can have attributes.
List of the currently known attributes
Value |
Description |
Attribute value (sgdisk --info / diskpart gpt attribute) |
nix |
nix |
0000000000000000 |
0 |
system partition |
0000000000000001 |
1 |
partition hidden from EFI |
0000000000000002 |
2 |
legacy boot flag (legacy BIOS bootable) |
0000000000000004 |
60 |
read-only |
1000000000000000 |
62 |
hidden |
4000000000000000 |
63 |
do not automount |
8000000000000000 |
On Linux the attributes can be set with sgdisk by the option -A, --attributes
and using the short form. On Windows they can be set with diskpart by the command gpt attributes
and using the long form.
Examples:
select disk 0
select partition 1
gpt attributes=0x0000000000000000
sgdisk -t 1:0700 --attributes 1:clear:63 --attributes 1:set:62 -p /dev/sda
show the partition table with -p , --print
:
sgdisk -p /dev/sda
show detailled infos for a partition (1) with --info=
:
sgdisk --info=1 /dev/sda
opsi UEFI/GPT Roadmap
-
UEFI 32 Bit support
-
other netboot capable UEFI boot loader (grub2)
9.7. opsi with secureboot
OEM manufacturers deliver an additional layer of security with secureboot (sometimes written as secure boot). With secureboot only authorized Software and operating systems can be installed on a machine. This authorization is implemented directly via a key query to the UEFI. As long as the used keys match the operating system and software the usage will be authorized. The key inside the UEFI capable machines was created by Microsoft and the OEM manufacturer. Therefore any loaded efi binary or kernel has to be signed off by one of those keys. A chain of trust verifies that every loaded efi binary or kernel has a correct signature.
This module currently is a
co-funded opsi extension.
Some preconditions are required to work with that module, should be dully noted that a suitable modules file is needed to unlock the feature, and also the prerequired module.
You can get this unlocked modules file by purchasing the extension.
For evaluation purposes we can provide you with an evaluation modules file free of charge. (→ mail to info@uib.de).
9.7.1. Requirements
The technical requirements are as follows (with package versions):
Package | Version |
---|---|
opsi-linux-bootimage |
>= 20190923-4 |
opsipxeconfd |
>= 4.1.1.15-1 |
9.7.2. Further remarks for the usage of the secureboot module
Secure boot is only possible on clients that support this feature as part of their firmware. The installation of a client with secureboot is only supported on 64-bits.
UEFI Netboot installs require a winpe that is capable of booting in UEFI mode.
Often, an existing winpe will be capable of booting in such way, to verify it check if there is a folder named EFI
, as well as a file named bootmgr.efi
inside your winpe folder.
If that is not the case, create a UEFI compatible winpe as explained in our opsi-getting-started Manual, Chapter "Creating a PE".
The winpe, that is UEFI capable, needs to be located in the winpe_uefi folder of the opsi netboot product.
If your winpe is already capable of booting UEFI and MBR modes, you could simply place a softlink winpe_uefi
> winpe
.
9.7.3. opsi server configuration for secureboot clients
If you have an external DHCP server you have to configure it so it forwards an UEFI Netboot to your opsi-server.
The bootfile has to be: linux/pxelinux.cfg/shimx64.efi.signed
Activate the "Uefi-Boot" checkbox in the opsi-configed for uefi clients. Alternatively you can run the following command:
opsi-admin method configState_create "clientconfig.dhcpd.filename" "<insert host id here>" "linux/pxelinux.cfg/elilo.efi"
Using the file elilo.efi via the opsi-admin command only serves the purpose to set the UEFI checkbox within the opsi-configed.
This has no relation to the usage of the dhcp bootfile.
The opsi-configed will feature a secureboot checkbox and accept the proper filename in a future release.
|
In addition the UEFI template for UEFI clients has to be changed in the configuration file of the opsipxeconfd.
The specific uefi netboot config template x64
must have the value /tftpboot/linux/pxelinux.cfg/install-grub-x64
.
We recommend to run the opsi-setup --init-current-config command after this change.
All UEFI clients will boot the Microsoft signed file shimx64.efi.signed which is provided by the opsi-linux-bootimage package.
Clients with activated secureboot verify the signature and load the grub2 bootloader file.
Non secureboot clients fail this verification and also load the grub2 bootloader.
Either way both type of clients load the shimx64.efi.signed file.
The installation itself doesn’t differ in secureboot and non secureboot mode.
Clients successfully installed in secureboot mode can be checked with the command msinfo32
.
The output contains an entry secureboot.
9.7.4. Client configuration
Please keep in mind that terms might change depending on manufacturer and hardware model, |
The UEFI of the client should be configured as following:
-
Secureboot enabled
This entry is most commonly found in the section Boot, Startup of Security. -
Run the BIOS in UEFI mode.
If you have a choice between UEFI only, Legacy only and Both choose UEFI only Deactivate Legacy Support as Secure Boot only works on a UEFI only setup. CSM Support in combination with UEFI only can be left activated. In case of doubt deactivate the CSM Support feature. UEFI Network Boot needs to be activated. This entry can also be called UEFI Network Stack. If your machines UEFI gives you a distinction between IPv4 and IPv6, IPv4 is the choice to make.
9.8. opsi local image
9.8.1. Requirements for the opsi extension opsi local image
This module is currently a
cofunding project.
Some conditions have to be met to use this module. This means that you need an activation file to use it. You will receive this activation if you buy the extension. For evaluation purposes, we also provide a time-limited activation free of charge (→ mail to info@uib.de).
Further details can be found in Section 9.1, “Activation of non-free modules”.
With the permission to use opsi-local-image you also acquire the right to use the extension opsi-vhd-reset (see Section 9.9, “opsi vhd reset”).
A technical requirement is opsi 4.0.3 with package versions:
opsi package | version |
---|---|
opsi-linux-bootimage |
>= 20130207-1 |
For the product opsi-local-image-capture the share opsi_depot_rw must have write permission for pcpatch. Check your Samba configuration.
|
9.8.2. Introduction
Opsi offers a good basis for the automated installation and maintenance of Windows computers - especially when it comes to heterogeneous hardware. The package-based installation technology supported by opsi is not fast enough to use computers in training rooms within a short time, e.g. to put it back into a defined state during a break between two courses. Therefore, a concept is presented here in which the package-based installation is saved locally on a second partition as an image copy and from there a quick recovery is possible.
-
Initial installation finishing with a local image backup
-
Fast recovery based on different techniques
-
System maintenance finishing with a local image backup
-
Integration of capturing of existing installations to WIM
-
Integration of Linux clients in the Backup/Restore process.
9.8.3. Concept
The requirements of educational computer networks differ in part from those of other networks. An essential requirement, which is discussed in the following part, is the quick restoration of computers to a defined state, which has been changed because of a temporary use. Specifically, it is about the provision of computers in class rooms, whereby the problem also applies to commercial computer rooms or university computer pools.
The restore should take place within a short time (approx. 15 minutes) and should, as far as possible, not only reset a computer but also switch to another base installation (e.g. Win XP / Win 7 / Linux).
It must also be possible to ensure that the systems are continuously updated with security updates.
The usual techniques for installing PCs have several specific advantages and disadvantages:
Feature | Unattend | Image |
---|---|---|
Performance |
(-) slow |
(+) fast |
Sensitivity to heterogenous Hardware |
(+) low |
(-) high |
Network load |
(-) high |
(-) high |
The concept of opsi-local-image tries to combine the advantages of both approaches:
Feature | Unattend |
---|---|
Performance |
(+) fast |
Sensitivity to heterogeneous Hardware |
(+) low |
Network load |
(+) low |
The concept can be summarized in the following key points:
-
Initial Windows installation via PXE boot, package-based with individual driver integration using the opsi-Linux-Bootimage
-
Store this initial installation in a backup image on another partition on the local hard drive using the opsi-Linux-Bootimage
-
Quick restore the productive installation from the local image using the opsi-Linux-Bootimage
-
Maintenance of the local installation (security updates) via the opsi software distribution and backup of the updated system to the local backup image using the opsi-Linux-Bootimage
9.8.4. Technical Concept
The workstation is used with a static partition table. You can work with either 3 or 4 partitions:
-
Partition 1 (System)
Holds the currently used operating system (Windows / Linux)
The size of this partition is set during partitioning via a property of the productopsi-local-image-prepare
. -
Optional: Partition 2 (sysdata)
This can be for example be used to store user data, which is not overwritten during a restore. The formatting is NTFS.
The size of this partition is set during partitioning via a property of the productopsi-local-image-prepare
. -
Partition 3 (winpe / swap)
The size of this partition is static and set to 4GB.
This partition is not used on Windows XP.
On NT6 (Windows 7) this partition is used for the winpe required during installation and is not visible during normal operation.
On Linux this partition is used as swap. -
Partition 4 (backup)
This partition is used to store the backup images and their metadata.
The size of this partition is the free space still available after the other partitions have been created.
The netboot products for operating system installations use only the first two or three partitions (XP uses only the first) and leave the last backup partition untouched. This means that the images on partition 4 (backup) are retained even when installing a new operating system.
9.8.5. Process steps
Initial Installation
The necessary static partitioning is first created using the product opsi-local-image-prepare
.

Then the products opsi-local-image-win*
or others can be used to install several operating systems with different configurations and different application software.

By default, these are automatically saved as an image after installation.

Restoring an image
Executing the product opsi-local-image-restore
automatically restores the last created image. If a different image is to be restored, this has to be specified in the property imagefile
.

Deleting an image

By executing the product opsi-local-image-delete
, the image specified in the property imagefile
will be deleted.
Updating an image: automatic work flow with opsi-auto-update

opsi-auto-update
is a product to simplify the maintenance of the clients.
In essence, this product can be used to ensure that the installed products are up to date.
The product sets all installed products,
whose version is not identical to that on the server,
for the client to setup.
Since this product can not only be used in the context of opsi-local-image, it is described in the chapter opsi standard products / opsi-auto-update:
Section 8.1.1.19, “opsi-auto-update”
9.8.6. The opsi-local-image products
The opsi-local-image products from version 4.1 also support systems with more than one harddisk. Please also note the section Section 8.2.3, “Some hints to the NT6 netboot products (Win7 to Win 10)”
The opsi-local-image package consists of the following products
The netboot product for partitioning
-
opsi-local-image-prepare
The netboot products for OS installation:
-
opsi-local-image-winxp
-
opsi-local-image-win7
-
opsi-local-image-win7-x64
-
opsi-local-image-win81
-
opsi-local-image-win81-x64
-
opsi-local-image-win10
-
opsi-local-image-win10-x64
-
opsi-local-image-ubuntu
The netboot products for handling the local images
-
opsi-local-image-backup
-
opsi-local-image-restore
-
opsi-local-image-delete
The localboot products for process control:
-
opsi-local-image-backup-starter
-
opsi-auto-update
To install these products please set the attribute active of the repository uib_local_image in the file /etc/opsi/package-updater.repos.d/uib-local_image.repo
to True.
Executing opsi-package-updater --repo uib_local_image install
will then install the new products.
UEFI Compatibility
The opsi-local-image products are compatible with UEFI.
netboot product for partitioning
-
opsi-local-image-prepare
Creatopm of the static partitioning of the harddisk for all other products.
Properties:- ask_before_inst
-
Determines if the start of the installation has to be confirmed on the client. (Default=true)
- system_partition_size
-
Determines the size of partition 1 (system). (Default = 30G)
- data_partition_size
-
Determines the size of partition 2 (data). If set to 0G, no partition will be created for data. (Default = 0G)
- start_os_installation
-
The product to install an operating system can be selected here, which is started automatically after the partitioning. When installing any of these products, the product properties imagefile and imagefiles_list are deleted for the product
opsi-local-image-restore
, as this data has become invalid due to the repartitioning. - delay_for_reboot
-
Seconds between the end of the script and the reboot to give the server time to create the netboot pipes.
- minimal_backup_partition_size
-
This property is used to check if the size entries make sense.
The size of the backup partition results from:
Harddisk size - (system_partition_size
+data_partition_size
+winpe_partition_size
).
Usually opsi-local-image is used because a local backup of the system partition is to be made. This requires that there is enough space for the backup partition. If, during the calculation of the partitioning, it is determined that the remaining space for the backup partition is smaller than the value ofminimal_backup_partition_size
, the process is aborted.
(Default=55%) - winpe_partition_size
-
Size of the winpe partition (Default=4G)
- multi_disk_mode
-
This property is used to select the target disk of the installation.
Possible values are: "0", "1", "2", "3", "prefer_ssd", "prefer_rotational"
The values "0", "1", "2", "3" indicate the direct index of the harddisk ("0"= first harddisk)
The value "prefer_ssd" selects the first SSD.
The value "prefer_rotational" selects the first classic (rotational) disk.
This property is ignored on systems with only one disk.
Default = "0" - backup_partition_on_same_disk
-
true : create the backup partition on the system disk. false : create the backup partition on the first disk that is not the system disk.
This property is ignored on systems with only one disk.
Default = "true"
Use this product only for the initial preparation of the disk. It deletes all existing images. |
netboot products for the installation of Windows
The special netboot products for installing Windows are derived from the opsi standard products for installing Windows. Specifically, this means that they are identical in terms of structure and driver integration. Corresponding instructions can be found in the opsi-getting-started manual.
The properties of the Windows NT6 products from version 4.1 are a subset of the properties of the standard NT6 products as described in the Section 8.2.3, “Some hints to the NT6 netboot products (Win7 to Win 10)” section. The missing properties for disks and partitions are taken from the product opsi-local-image-prepare
.
- ATTENTION
-
Do not change the property values of opsi-local-image-prepare after you have prepared the machine with it, as subsequent products will access these values.
-
opsi-local-image-winxp
Installation of Windows XP. Uses the first partition only. Administrator password is empty. -
opsi-local-image-win7
Installation of Windows7 32 Bit. -
opsi-local-image-win7-x64
Installation of Windows 7 64 Bit. -
opsi-local-image-win81
Installation von Windows 8.1 32 Bit. -
opsi-local-image-win81-x64
Installation von Windows 8.1 64 Bit. -
opsi-local-image-win10
Installation von Windows 10 32 Bit. -
opsi-local-image-win10-x64
Installation von Windows 10 64 Bit.
-
These products have the following specific properties for opsi-local-image:
-
backup_after_install with the default value true. In this case, this means that after the OS installation, the application software is first installed and then an image backup of the installation is created. Furthermore, the value of the
imagefile
of the productopsi-local-image-restore
will be deleted. This means that the created backup will be named like the running netboot product (e.g.opsi-local-image-win7
). -
setup_after_install
One or more products can be specified here, which are set to setup after the operating system installation is complete. The dependencies of these products are also resolved.
Netboot products for installing Linux
-
opsi-local-image-ubuntu
Installation of Ubuntu Linux 12.04/14.04 32Bit/64Bit.
The installed system has two users:root
anduser
. The password for root will be set according to the product propertyroot_password
(default:linux123
). For user the password will be set according touser_password
(default:linux123
). Details of the installation can be configured with product properties. The main product properties are:-
askbeforeinst
:
Determines if the start of the installation has to be confirmed on the client. (Default=true) -
architecture
:
Architecture selection, determines the selection of the bootimage and the installation architecture. (Default=64bit) -
additional_packages
:
Which additional packages should be installed? Specification of packages separated by spaces. (Default = pass: ['']) -
language
:
Determines which language / locale should be installed. (Default=de) -
console_keymap
Determines which keyboard layout should be installed. (Default=de-latin1-nodeadkeys) -
timezone
:
Determines which timezone should be used. (Default=Europe/Berlin) -
online_repository
Specifies from which online repository the packages should be installed. The default is http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu -
proxy
:
Proxystring (if required) with the following syntax:http://<ip>:<port>
(Default = '') -
backup_after_install
(true/false) Default = true. After the installation, an image backup of the installation is created. -
setup_after_install
One or more products can be specified here, which are set to setup after the operating system installation is complete. The dependencies of these products are also resolved. -
wget_and_execute
:
Url (http) of a file which is fetched and executed at the end of the installation. (Default = pass: ['']) -
release
:
Determines which release of Ubuntu should be installed. (Default = "trusty") -
install_opsi-client-agent
:
Specifies if the Linux opsi-client-agent should be installed. (this is a cofunding project and requires activation via /etc/opsi/modules). (Default=false)
-
Netboot products for backup and restore
-
opsi-local-image-backup
This product backs up the operating system currently installed on partition 1 in an image file on partition 4. The name set in the product property is used as the name for the image. If this is empty, the name of the opsi netboot product is used, which is currently set to installed (e.g.opsi-local-image-winxp
). This name is set for the productopsi-local-image-restore
as the product property imagefile, so that a subsequent call to` opsi-local-image-restore` will restore exactly this image by default. This name is added to the product property imagefiles_list for the productopsi-local-image-restore
. This property contains the list of all available images. Furthermore (for the Windows products) the current opsi product versions are saved together with the image so that they can be restored as part of the restore.
The backup tool which is used is partclone.
Properties:-
askbeforeinst
:
Determines if the start of the installation has to be confirmed on the client. (Default = false) -
free_on_backup
:
This is a read-only property that shows current information about the backup partition: device, size, used, remaining, use in percentage, mount point. -
imagefile
Name of the image file to be created (default = empty = the name of the currently installed opsi-local-image product will be used). The name may contain spaces but no umlauts/tremas. (In the case of spaces, these are treated internally as underscores, i.e. my image = my_image.) -
setup_after_install
One or more products can be specified here, which are set to setup after the operating system installation is complete. The dependencies of these products are also resolved.
-
-
opsi-local-image-restore
This product restores the image specified in the imagefile product property to partition 1 and marks it bootable. Furthermore (for the Windows products) the opsi product versions saved with the image are restored together with the image.
Properties:-
askbeforeinst
:
Determines if the start of the installation has to be confirmed on the client. (Default=true) -
architecture
:
Architecture selection, determines the selection of the bootimage and the installation architecture. (Default=64bit) -
imagefile
Name of the image to be restored. The value of this property has automatically been set by the last backup. The list of available images can be found in the propertyimagefiles_list
. -
imagefiles_list
List of the available images. This list is maintained by the backup product. -
update_and_backup
The use of this property is discouraged
Instead, use the productopsi-auto-update
. This product is described in the chapter opsi standard products / opsi-auto-update:
Section 8.1.1.19, “opsi-auto-update”
(true/false) Default = false. If set to true, after the restore, it is ensured that all localboot products that are available on the server in a different version are set tosetup
and the product` opsi-local-image-backup-starter` is set toonce
. This means that all existing updates are installed and a backup is created automatically after the updates. -
setup_after_restore
One or more opsi products can be specified here, which are set to setup after the restore is completed and are therefore automatically installed after the reboot. The default is the product windomain to add the restored client to the Windows domain again.
-
-
opsi-local-image-delete
This product deletes the image given by the product property imagefile from the backup partition-
imagefile
Name of the image to be deleted (default = empty, results in an error when executing)
-
Localboot products for process control
-
opsi-local-image-backup-starter
This localboot product sets the Netboot productopsi-local-image-backup
to setup and reboots the client. This product has a very low priority of -98. This means, that all usual localboot products will be installed first. -
opsi-auto-update
In essence, this product can be used to ensure that the installed products are up to date.
The product sets all installed products, whose version is not identical to that on the server, for the client to setup.
Since this product can not only be used in the context of opsi-local-image, it is described in the chapter opsi standard products / opsi-auto-update:
Section 8.1.1.19, “opsi-auto-update”
9.8.7. Extended opsi service methods
With this extension, the computers in a training room can be combined in an opsi-client group. In order to provide the most convenient management for all computers in a training room, the following extensions to the opsi-service methods have been implemented:
-
setProductActionRequestForHostGroup
Parameter:hostGroupId, productId, actionRequest
Makes it possible to start a specific action (e.g. restore an image) for all members of a group (e.g. computers in a training room). -
setProductPropertyForHostGroup
Parameter:productId propertyId propertyValue hostGroupId
Makes it possible to set a given product property (e.g. which image is to be restored) for all members of a group (e.g. computers in a training room). -
getPossibleImagefileValuesForHostGroup
Parameter:groupId
Returns the list of image filenames whichopsi-local-image-backup
has created on all members of the group. If a certain image (e.g.opsi-local-image-winxp
) is not available on one or more computers, it is not an element of the returned list.
These methods will be integrated into the standard opsi packages at a later date. Until then, a file 40_groupActions.conf
is available, which must be copied with root rights to /etc/opsi/backendManager/extend.d
. Then execute the following:
opsi-setup --set-rights /etc/opsi
.
9.8.8. Backup partition
The backup partition is (with MBR BIOS and without data partition) the third partition of the system hard disk.
On systems with more than one disk, the system hard disk is determined by the opsi-local-image-prepare property multi_disk_mode.
On systems with more than one disk, the backup partition can also be the first partition of another disk, depending on the opsi-local-image-prepare property backup_partition_on_same_disk.
It contains:
-
The file
master.log
with information about all performed image operations. This log file is transferred to the bootimage logs. -
The image directories
The image directories have the same name as the image and contain the image as well as the metadata of the image.
To give an idea about file sizes, here are the sizes of different image directories with OS and standard software (libreoffice, adobereader, firefox, thunderbird, javavm, flashplayer): -
opsi-local-image-ubuntu
: 3.6G -
opsi-local-image-winxp
: 6.4G -
opsi-local-image-win7
: 9.4G -
opsi-local-image-win7-x64
: 13G
9.8.9. Capture Images (WIM) generating and distribution
Capture Images (WIM) Introduction
Starting with NT6 (i.e. from Vista) Microsoft has introduced a new image format, the Windows Imaging Format (WIM). A WIM image is no longer a disk or partition image, but rather a file and metadata archive. A WIM file can contain multiple images. The standard installation of a NT6 computer is based on the setup.exe extracting an image from the install.wim file and then configuring it and providing it with additional drivers.
The installed Windows OS including installed software, hotfixes and configurations can be read from an existing computer and saved in the form of a WIM. Such a WIM can then be the basis for new installations.
Capture Images (WIM) Components
To create a capture image in Wim format, from version 4.1 you only need the product:
-
opsi-local-image-wim-capture
The previous products:
-
opsi-local-image-capture
-
opsi-local-image-sysprep
are obsolete and can be removed.
In addition, there are the target products which are intended to hold the captured images:
-
opsi-local-image-win7-capture
-
opsi-local-image-win7-x64-capture
-
opsi-local-image-win81-capture
-
opsi-local-image-win81-x64-capture
-
opsi-local-image-win10-capture
-
opsi-local-image-win10-x64-capture
Capture Images (WIM) Processing
The process and settings for the product opsi-local-image-wim-capture
are very similar to the product opsi-wim-capture
which is described here: Section 9.4, “opsi WIM Capture”. The properties of opsi-wim-capture
are described here: Section 9.4.6.1, “Main Product opsi-wim-capture”.
The main difference between the two products is:
To backup and restore the partition to be captured opsi-local-image-wim-capture
uses the mechanism of opsi-local-image-backup
/opsi-local-image-restore
.
For the same purpose opsi-wim-capture
uses the product opsi-clonezilla
.
opsi-local-image-wim-capture will fail if you have setup your system with a data partition. In this case, reinstall the computer with the opsi-local-image-prepare property data_partition_size=0.
|
9.8.10. Windows installation from a target product
(Roll out the captured image)
Restore opsi metadata about installed products
The Problem:
If you reinstall Windows with opsi, e.g. win7-x64
, then during the installation of the opsi-client-agent all local boot products that were previously set to installed
on this computer are automatically set to setup and thus reinstalled later.
This cannot be done in the same way when rolling out a captured image.
The image contains the backup of the opsi data that was stored there during the capture process. This is discovered during the installation of the opsi-client-agent and imported back into the opsi-server. The products that were installed in the captured image are now set to installed
for the freshly installed computer.
If all products set to installed
were now set to setup
, this would result in all products already installed in the image being installed again. This is not desirable.
As of opsi 4.0.7, there are two options for restoring the opsi metadata for installed products:
Option 1
Restore metadata and retain setup action requests.
Products that have the status installed will not be set to setup.
This is the default and the behavior before opsi 4.0.7
Option 2
Restore metadata. Products that are marked as installed are set to setup except those which were contained in the restored metadata.
Option 1
When rolling out a captured image, only those products are automatically installed that were set to setup
before the start of the operating system installation. This can be changed manually or with the property setup_after_install
.
In this case, therefore, only those products are installed that were set to setup
before the operating system was installed.
This is the default and the behavior before opsi 4.0.7
Option 2
Option 2 behaves similarly to installations from non-captured images:
* Restore the metadata.
* Products that are marked installed are set to setup except those which were contained in the restored metadata.
This behavior is only available from opsi 4.0.7 and is not the default. Option 2 has been made possible by extensions to the opsi-script and is part of the opsi-client-agent from 4.0.7.
To use this behavior a config (host parameter) must be set:
The Boolean configuration entry: clientconfig.capture.switch_installed_products_to_setup
. If this entry has the value true for the client then option 2 is used, otherwise option 1.
These host parameter can then be used to activate or deactivate client-specific events. The host parameter can be created using opsi-configed or opsi-admin.
To create the host parameter using opsi-admin, the following commands must be executed on the opsi-config-server:
opsi-admin -d method config_createBool clientconfig.capture.switch_installed_products_to_setup "capture.switch_installed_products_to_setup" true
This sets Option 2 for all computers.
To create the host parameter using opsi-configed, select Server configuration / clientconfig / Right-click on the right side: Add Boolean configuration entry
.
9.8.11. Helper product opsi-wim-info
The product opsi-wim-info
can be used to quickly read information about the images saved in an install.wim. This information is then saved in the log file.
Properties:
-
target_product
ProductId of the product where is searched for install.wim.
9.8.12. Creating your own Ubuntu proxy
You can find useful instructions for creating your own Ubuntu proxy here:
9.9. opsi vhd reset
9.9.1. Requirements for the opsi extension opsi vhd reset
This module is currently a
cofunding project.
It is bundled with the extension opsi-local-image (see Section 9.8, “opsi local image”) - that means: the activation for opsi-local-image also applies to opsi-vhd-reset.
Some conditions have to be met to use this module. This means that you need an activation file to use it. You will receive this activation if you buy the extension. For evaluation purposes, we also provide a time-limited activation free of charge (→ mail to info@uib.de).
Further details can be found in Section 9.1, “Activation of non-free modules”.
As a technical requirement opsi >= 4.0.7 is required with the package versions:
opsi package | version |
---|---|
opsi-winst |
>= 4.12.0.13 |
9.9.2. Introduction
To use computers in training rooms within a short time, e.g. to put them back into a defined state during a break between two courses requires special techniques. With opsi-local-image opsi already offers a solution, that is now supplemented by a new method that has specific advantages and disadvantages.
-
Initial Windows 10 installation in a VHD container.
-
Sealing the initial installation by using a child VHD.
-
Quick restore by replacing the child VHD.
-
Upgrade of the initial installation by a merge of the child VHD.
-
This method works with snapshot techniques known from virtualization without using virtualization itself.
9.9.3. Process steps
Initial Installation
Windows 10 is installed in a VHD container using the product opsi-vhd-win10-x64
.


The desired applications can then be installed on this Windows.

By executing the opsi product opsi-vhd-control, the current opsi metadata for this client (which product is installed in which version) is stored in the initial installation.
The Windows PE is then activated and booted for the further process.
The product opsi-vhd-control has a very low priority (-97) and therefore only runs after the installation of application software. As a result, the opsi-vhd-control product can be set to setup together with the application software.

After the Windows-PE boots, the second part of opsi-vhd-control starts to work and creates a child VHD which seals the initial installation and records all further changes.

All changes from now are stored in the child VHD.

Fast recovery
The initial installation can be restored using the opsi product opsi-vhd-control.
First, the saved opsi metadata is restored from the system.
Then for handling of the Child VHD the system boots into Windows PE again.

The child VHD with the changes is deleted in Windows PE and replaced with a new, empty child VHD.

Updating an image using opsi-auto-update
To update the initial installation with patches and software updates, you can proceed as follows:
-
Restore the initial installation (as described above)
-
Install the updates
-
Integration of the updates in the initial installation and re-sealing by starting opsi-vhd-control with the property upgrade=true
-
This also stores the new opsi metadata in the system
These processes are carried out automatically by the product opsi-auto-update
.
The product opsi-auto-update
replaces the previous product opsi-vhd-auto-upgrade
9.9.4. The opsi-vhd products
The extension opsi-vhd-reset consists of the following products:
The netboot product for the initial installation:
-
opsi-vhd-win10-x64
The localboot product to control the creation, the replacement and merge of the child VHDs:
-
opsi-vhd-control
The localboot product to control the fully automatic upgrade of the parent VHD.
-
opsi-auto-update
UEFI Compatibility
The opsi-vhd products are UEFI compatible.
The opsi netboot product opsi-vhd-win10-x64 and its properties
This netboot product is very similar to the normal netboot products (4.1.0) for Windows installations and must be filled accordingly as described in the getting-started manual.
Also the properties are mostly the same.
The following properties are special for this product:
-
windows_vhd_size
This property specifies the size of the base VHD absolute or as a percentage of the harddisk size, minus the WinPE partition. The default value of 100% is automatically reduced to 80% to leave room for the child VHD. If (absolute or relative) a value is entered that would exceed 80%, this is also reduced to 80%.
This property replaces the standard property windows_partition_size
(Default = 100%) -
installto
:
This value is vhd and should not be changed.
The following properties are not existing for this product:
-
windows_partition_size
,windows_partition_label
See above. The label of the partition on which the VHDs are located is CONTAINER. -
data_partition_size
,data_partition_letter
,data_partition_create
,data_partition_preserve
Currently the usage of a data partition is not possible with opsi-vhd. -
boot_partition_size
,boot_partition_letter
,boot_partition_label
Currently the usage of a boot partition is not possible with opsi-vhd. -
pre_format_system_partitions
,preserve_winpe_partition
With opsi-vhd these two values are always true.
The opsi localboot product opsi-vhd-control and its properties
The opsi-vhd-control product has a very low priority (-96).
-
disabled
This property is for debugging purposes.
If true, the product does not execute any actions.
Default = false -
upgrade
If true: Merge the changes that are collected in the child VHD to the parent VHD. Then replace the child VHD with an empty one.
If false: replace the child VHD with an empty child VHD.
At the end of a successful upgrade run, this property is automatically reset to false.
Default = false -
stop_on_no_network_in_pe
This property is for debugging purposes.
If true: Abort with an error message, to analyze why no network connection could be established. Default = false
The opsi localboot product opsi-auto-update and its properties
opsi-auto-update is a product to simplify the maintenance of the clients.
In essence, this product can be used to ensure that the installed products are up to date.
The product sets all installed products,
whose version is not identical to that on the server,
for the client to setup.
Since this product can not only be used in the context of opsi-vhd-reset, it is described in the chapter opsi standard products / opsi-auto-update:
Section 8.1.1.19, “opsi-auto-update”
Known Problems and Restrictions
-
There is also a 32 bit version. Due to a problem with the diskpart merge command, this can only be used to a limited extent in the 32 bit Windows PE versions.
-
In theory, an implementation for Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 Enterprise would be possible. We will only build these products at request.
-
There are indications that a Windows 10 release upgrade of an installation in a VHD will fail.
(https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/VHD-Boot-Windows-Update-demoliert-Aktivierung-3806023.html)
9.10. opsi License Management
9.10.1. Conditions for using the opsi License Management extension
This module currently is a co-funded extension and therefore not free. For more details see Section 9.1, “Activation of non-free modules”.
9.10.2. Overview
Main features
The opsi license management module is designed for managing the software licenses for proprietary software installed on opsi clients.
The main features are:
-
Providing license management functions from within the opsi-configed management interface.
-
Easy generation of reports about installed license-bound software, for non-opsi-managed software, based on the software inventory
-
Reconciliation of software installations and license contracts
-
Optionally automated supplying, assigning, and reserving licenses and license keys.
-
The following license models can be used:
-
standard single license - one installation, possibly identified by a license key, on one computer
-
volume (or campus) license - a certain or unlimited number of installations for which one license key is provided
-
computer bound license - a single license for use on a fixed hardware
-
concurrent license - the installations are not limited, the real usage is managed by a license server
-
-
When uninstalling an opsi managed software the assignment of a license (key) is released as well.
-
In addition, license assignments can be edited manually or even by a script, for example, if licenses for software that is not opsi-managed should be integrated.
Overview database model
In the world of non-free software, license management is a complex subject. To represent it, opsi has to implement a relatively complex database model.
The involved tables in the opsi database are sketched in the following diagram. The meaning of the different relations should peu à peu become clear by the following explanations of the opsi LICENSE management concepts and usages.
The blue line in the diagram marks the border of the tables which are automatically generated by the software audit functions and the data which is constructed especially for license management. Only the license pool table has connections to both spheres. This fact hints at the importance of this construct.

Invoking the license management from the opsi-configed
A separate window in the opsi-configed management GUI is used for the license management. It is available by pressing the button "licenses" at the top right corner of the opsi-configed management GUI. If the license management module is disabled, then a note will be displayed. (See the entry for "license management" in the main menu under /Help/Modules).

The opsi license management module is an opsi extension module.
9.10.3. license-pools
The license management frame is constructed similarly to the mainframe, showing a line of tabs that lead to subframes, each subframe handling a specific task.
The first subframe introduces the topic "license pools", and defines their relationship to the data on installed software and opsi packages.
What is a license-pool?
A license-pool has to be defined if licensing is needed to be managed for some kind of software.
The license-pool is a construction that denotes the collection of all allowances for installing some kind of software.
The license-pool is the central element of the opsi license management since it encloses two sides, on one hand, references to installed software items and opsi installation packages, on the other hand, references to the legal and technical constructions of the installation permissions.

Administration of license-pools
At the top of the license-pools window is a table of available license-pools.
The field description can be edited here. More editing functions are available from the context menu (right mouse button). The most important is: creating a New license-pool by adding a new row to the table.
When inserting a row, a (unique) licensePoolId must be entered, e.g. following the scheme softprod_pool.
Please do not use special characters. When saving the new entry, any capital letter will be converted to lower case, therefore avoiding capitals from the beginning is recommended.
The new licensePoolId cannot be changed after it is saved because it is used as the primary key.
After any changes to the data in the window, the green checkmark changes to red, and the cancel option is enabled. The changes can be saved by clicking the red checkmark, or changes can be canceled by clicking the cancel button (also available from the context menu).
license-pools and opsi-products
The standard method to manage licenses is to include the license, from a single license-pool, when installing the software (i.e. using the opsi-product installation software to install Acrobat Writer).
Not unusual is the case that multiple products share the same license pool. This is normal if these products are variants of the same software. For example: the products win10-x64 and opsi-local-image-win10-x64 using the license pool p_win10-x64).
A more complicated situation (which you should avoid) might occur while installing software that requires licenses from several license-pools (i.e. "Designer tools" which installs Adobe Photoshop as well as Acrobat Writer). In this case, the opsi-product requests licenses from several license-pools. At the same time, there might be other opsi-products requesting licenses from the same license-pools (e.g. the Acrobat Writer license-pool). So the relation between opsi-products and license-pools can be ambiguous. This can be avoided by using unambiguous policies when building opsi-products.
Do not integrate more than one license needing software in one opsi product. Assign this product to the license pool which holds the licenses for this product. (Without this assignment the license management will not work together with the opsi WAN extension. See also chapter Section 9.11, “opsi WAN/VPN extension” ) |
The second part of the license-pool tab manages the relationship between license-pools and productIds (from opsi-products).
All tables in the license management module can have their columns sorted by clicking on the column header. Clicking again inverts the order (ascending or descending).
Sorting can be used to display the connections between opsi-products and license-pools. Sorting by opsi-product displays all license-pools connected to a certain opsi-product, whereas sorting by license-pool shows which opsi-products are connected to a license-pool.
The context menu provides an option for inserting a new relationship between opsi-product and license-pool. An empty row is inserted on top of the table. Clicking into the field licensePoolId or productId displays a dropdown with the available options.
license-pools and installed software
The third section of the license-pools tab deals with the correlation between license-pools and installed software found on computers in the opsi network, either installed via opsi or otherwise.
By default, the table in this section contains the identifying attributes of all captured software items. The ID, which is constructed from combining all attributes, acts as a unique key for every software item installed on any computer. The values are determined and transferred to the server via opsi software audit. They are saved in the SOFTWARE_CONFIG
table of the opsi database and added to the collective SOFTWARE
table, provided they are not yet present. This database table is the base for the table shown in the license management and is of importance outside of the license management as well.
The display of the software table is configured by two lists of options. The first one enables the possibility to restrict the display on certain data:
-
Show all software names
-
Show software names without uniform assignments
-
Show software names without any assignments
The other defines what the selection of a row entails:
-
Selection = Complete list of SW items assigned/to assign
-
Selection = SW items to assign (additionally)

The first option in both lists is always set by default.
The software items (from the SOFTWARE
database table ) that are assigned to the selected license-pool (from the LICENSE_POOL
table) are shown by highlighting the respective rows in the tables. This allocation is precisely the data from the AUDIT_SOFTWARE_TO_LICENSE_POOL
table.
The assignment of software items to the license-pool can be edited by changing the highlighted rows:
The assignment of software items to license-pools is edited by changing the various selections, either with Ctrl + click or Shift + click. A single mouse click resets the selection. |
If there is an entry for an allocation of a software item to a license-pool in the database but the software does not seem to exist anymore, then the Missing button is set to active. By clicking the button a new window opens and lists the referred software that seems to be missing. It offers the possibility to tidy up and delete the allocation (from the AUDIT_SOFTWARE_TO_LICENSE_POOL table).
Navigating the Software Table
The navigation of the software table deviates from the usual since selecting an item in the software table entails a change in item allocation. Therefore the location of the cursor in the table is not illustrated by a highlighted row but as a red star at the beginning of the row.

The star, meaning the row cursor, changes position by
-
an implicit search of a table entry (e.g. automatically when showing the assigned software items when the license-pool entry in the license-pools table above is changed),
-
a manual search using the search bar,
-
using the red arrow buttons located directly above the table,
-
clicking directly into the assigned column for the star (the very first column) of the desired row (while clicking any other column of that row resets the entire selection).
The allocation of software items to license-pools as a basis for a compliance check
The main principle is simple: When a software pool is established, the utilized software items for this pool are selected with a few mouse clicks. This forms the data basis (for example for the compliance check from Microsoft) to determine the number of installations linked to a pool. The result of this evaluation can be found in the Statistics tab (Section 9.10.8, “License usages overview”).
The allocation of software items to license-pools has to be maintained meticulously to receive correct results. Especially when software from a license-pool is installed, the specific software item has to be registered to the respective pool.
The different possible configurations of the displays are used to provide functions to support various policies and best practice in data maintenance.
Function: Filtering the assigned software items
The context menu of the table provides the option to switch between viewing all entries (including the highlighted rows) or exclusively the marked ones. Thereby one obtains a list of all assigned software items in the default configuration. This can be helpful since the rows of assigned software items do not necessarily follow each other directly in the overall software list.

After switching to viewing only the marked items:

Instead of using the context menu, one can also click on the filter icon next to the search bar which gives the same result. When all rows are shown this icon appears as an open filter, and when only the highlighted rows are shown the icon appears as a closed filter.
In the filtered view the allocations can be edited as well. In this case, allocated items can only be removed.
Function: Completing the allocations to a software name
When a manufacturer of a software releases a new version or patch, the new version receives a new windowsSoftwareId and therefore shows up as a new entry in the software table (with a new ID). In most cases, the new software can be treated the same way for licensing as the previous version. If a license agreement was required for the old version, the same likely holds for the new one. This means the demand for a license has to be registered via the same license-pool for both versions. Covering the demand can then be organized via the shared license-pool.
It is important to make sure when rolling out a new version that an allocation is added to the respective license-pool. Besides, some software updates itself without active involvement. Then after the update, the correct allocation might be missing maybe even unnoticed. That is why (since version 4.1.9.8) the opsi-configed includes an auxiliary function to simplify the completion of allocations.
As a basis for this we assume that the data field name is often sufficient to identify the license-pool, and differences in components of the software ID can (often) be ignored in this regard. The functions and options in the gray box with the label Alternative view serve for working with this hypothesis. The button Name → Pool opens an additional window.

The additional window contains two auxiliary tables. When prior to calling the window the default setting was left at Show all software names, the first column of the first table now displays the software names in alphabetical order. The second column lists all IDs that are associated with the respective name (although the first part of the ID, being the exact software name, is not repeated for simplicity reasons).
When selecting a name in the first table, the dependent second table displays the corresponding IDs individually and specifies if an allocation to a pool exists, and if so to which pool. The license-pool allocations can be unified across all rows of the table in three ways:
-
Remove all allocations,
-
Allocate the currently (in the main window of the license management) selected pool to all ID variations (this is presumably the standard case),
-
When the different variations are currently assigned to different pools, assign all of them to the pool belonging to the selected row.

Since one would like to systematically check the license-pool allocations, it is recommended to click the option to show software names without uniform assignments prior to calling the window. When this option is set, the upper table is reduced to the software names that correspond to multiple IDs where those IDs are also assigned to different license-pools.
If such allocation differences exist, an "i" in a small Box within the gray Box of the license management appears as an indicator. This information is designed discreetly, since, depending on the licensing case, it can be correct or even needed to have different software variations licensed differently.
To search for possible forgotten license allocations, the additional window can be opened with the third and final option show software names without any assignment.
Function: Recognizing non allocated Software
Instead of relying on the previously depicted process, thorough license management can also be achieved by assigning every registered software to a license-pool.
For this to work in practice, pseudo license-pools like "free Software" or "Operating System components" are needed to which software items that do not have or require any separate licensing can be assigned to.
To simplify the implementation of this strategy, the opsi-configed offers this additional display option (cf. Figure 107, “Software table configuration”):

Assuming the initial situation is that the previously registered software has universally been assigned to license-pools, then the following sequence of steps are expedient:
-
Installing a (new) software on a computer.
-
Running swaudit on the computer.
-
If the software is indeed new, the software table receives a new entry; there can also be multiple entries (for example when libraries are installed).
-
When preselecting a suitable license-pool and activating the option Show software names without uniform assignments, then the new table entries are the only highlighted ones.
-
If the preselected license-pool is suitable, a new entry for this license-pool can be added to the previously registered with "Ctrl + click".
For the distribution of arbitrary, initially not determined software items to license-pools, the following procedure can be used:
-
Activate the option Show software names without any assignments
-
Change to edit mode Selection = SW items to assign (additionally)
-
Select and highlight rows using "Ctrl + click"
-
Select the license-pool that the highlighted software items should be assigned to. The save button is now active.
-
Save the changes
-
Reset the edit mode to Selection = Complete list of SW items assigned/to assign
Please note that when the table filter is active, the functions described here act differently. |
9.10.4. Setting up licenses
Setting up a license or supplying a license to a license-pool requires several steps. These can be performed in the New license tab, the second tab in the license management window.
At the top there is a table of available license-pools to select the license-pool that the new license is to be assigned to.

Before continuing with the next steps, some basic concepts and terms of license management have to be introduced:
Some aspects and terms of the license concept
Licensing means the actual deployment of a permission to use software by installing the software on a client. This might (but does not have to) include the use of a special license key (license key).
The software license is the permission to install and use a software as defined by the license contract. Within the opsi database, a software license is identified by a softwareLicenseId.
There are several types of software licenses (volume license, OEM license, time-limited license, etc.) which are the different license models. A software license is based on a license contract, which defines and documents the juristic aspects of the license.
A license option defines the option to use a software license for a selected license-pool. Within opsi, the license option is defined by a combination of softwareLicenseId and licensePoolId. This includes the actual licenseKey (if required).
Finally, the license usage documents the use of a license by assigning the license option to a client. This is the legal and implemented licensing of software, defined by the combination of softwareLicenseId, licensePoolId, the unique client name hostId, and (if required) the licenseKey.
Registering the license contract
The next step after selecting the license-pool for the new license option is to register the license contract that the license should be based on. Under "Select or enter license contract" (in the "New license" tab) an existing contract can be selected or a new one can be created.
The license contract dataset comes with the data fields partner, conclusion date, notification date, and expiration date. The entry field notes can hold some additional information like the location where the contract document is kept. The unique contract ID (licenseContractId) is for identifying the license contract in the license management database. When entering a new license contract, a new unique ID is automatically constructed based on the current date and time stamp. The default setting can be used if the license contract is implied by purchasing the software or the contract is documented and traceable some other way. Otherwise, the data can and should be edited to ensure orderly tracking of the underlying contract which can be for example through reference to a file number in the notes field.
The contract ID can only be changed before saving the new data set. When saving the data, the opsi service checks whether the ID is unique. In case it is not, a new ID is generated and cannot be changed anymore.
Configuring the license model
The third part of the "New license" tab, "Configure license", is for registering the license model and license data.
Several types of license models are available:
-
Standard license
-
Volume license
-
OEM license
-
Concurrent license
Each option is represented by a button. By clicking one of the buttons the form is filled with data for that type of license model.
The license model Standard license means, that this license is valid for a single installation on an arbitrary client. So the license key (if any) is valid for a single installation only.
A Volume license is valid for a certain number n of installations. In this case, the optional license key is used for that number of installations. Setting n = 0 means, that the number of installations is unlimited within the same network (campus license).
In the case of an OEM license, the license is valid for a dedicated client only. Clients that come with a vendor pre-installed operating system often have this type of license for the pre-installed OS and software packages.
The Concurrent license means that a certain number of licenses is available for a variable set of clients. Within opsi, this situation is handled like an unlimited Volume license. The number of actual installations in use has to be managed by some external license server.
After clicking a button, the automatically generated data include a unique generated ID (derived from date and time stamp). This ID can be changed as desired.
It depends on the type of license model, which of the other fields can or cannot be changed.
The field "Expiration date" defines the expiration date of the license in a technical sense. (This column of the license is for future use).
Saving the data
The "Send" button sends the data to the opsi service to save them permanently to the opsi database (if they are consistent and no errors occur).
While proceeding with this, data records will be generated for the new software license based on the selected software contract and the new license option assigned to that.
The list of available license options at the bottom of the window will be refreshed with the new license option selected. If necessary, the license key can be changed then.
9.10.5. Editing licenses
In ninety percent of the use cases editing the license data with help of the tabs "License pools" and "New license" will do. But there might be some special cases where more specific and explicit editing of the license data is needed. For this, the "Edit licenses" tab presents the license data in three tables, representing the internal data structure and allowing to adapt the data for some special cases.

Based on this direct data access, the following chapter shows how to configure a special license, like the Microsoft Vista or Windows 7 Professional downgrade option for installing Windows XP.
Example downgrade option
The downgrade option means, that instead of the purchased software, the preceding version can also be installed. For instance, installing Windows XP based on a Windows Vista license. In this case, the license key can also be used for an installation, which it was not meant for originally.
In the opsi license model this case can be configured like this:
From the "New license" tab the Vista license is to be registered, as usual, resulting in a new license option, which is displayed in the list of license options at the bottom of the window. This new license option is based on a new software license identified by softwareLicenseId.

This softwareLicenseId is needed for further configuration steps. You can keep it in mind or copy it with drag&drop. You can look for the ID in the "Available license options" list of the "Edit licenses" tab as well. The context menu also supports copying the ID.
The important step now is to connect this softwareLicenseId to an additional license-pool.
For this, a new record has to be registered from the "Available license options" table of the "Edit licenses" tab. The fields of the new record have to be filled with the softwareLicenseId and the ID of the additional license-pool (in this case the pool for Windows XP licenses). To install Windows XP based on this license, an applicable Windows XP license key that is already in use by another client has to be added.
After saving the new record, there are two different license options based on the same software license! The opsi service counts the use of both of them as an installation deducting from the maximum installation count. So in case of a downgrade license (with maxInstallations = 1), the opsi service delivers a license key for a Vista installation or for an XP installation, but not for both of them.
9.10.6. Assignment and release of licenses
Using a license option by installing the software on a client results in the actual licensing.
In the opsi context, installations are done script-based and automatically. The client running the Winst script then invokes calls to the central opsi service.
The following chapters introduce some of these service calls, which are relevant for license management. For further information about Winst and opsi commands see the documentation on Winst and opsi.
opsi service calls for requesting and releasing a license
The opsi service call for requesting a license option and retrieving the license key for doing the installation (as transmitted by a Winst script) is
getAndAssignSoftwareLicenseKey
.
The parameters to be passed are the client hostId (hostID of the client where the software is to be installed) and the ID of the license-pool that the license is requested from. Instead of the licensePoolId, an opsi-product ID or a Windows Software ID can also be passed if they are connected to a license-pool within the opsi license management.
The use of a license option can be released by calling deleteSoftwareLicenseUsage
.
Again the parameters to be passed are the hostId and alternatively the licensePoolId, productId or Windows Software ID. Calling this method releases the license option and returns it to the pool of available license options.
For the complete documentation of opsi service calls see below.
opsi-winst script calls for requesting and releasing of licenses
The opsi-winst provides the client-related calls as opsi-winst commands.
An opsi-winst script can make a call to the function DemandLicenseKey
to get a license key for installing. The parameters to be passed are:
DemandLicenseKey (poolId [, productId [, windowsSoftwareId]])
The return value is the license key (which can be empty) as a string:
set $mykey$ = DemandLicenseKey ("pool_office2007")
The returned license key can be used by other script commands for installing the software.
For releasing a license option and license key (as to be used in an opsi-winst
deinstallation script) the command FreeLicense
is available with the following syntax:
FreeLicense (poolId [, productId [, windowsSoftwareId]])
The boolean function opsiLicenseManagementEnabled
can be used to check
whether the opsi license management is enabled and can be used for scripting:
if opsiLicenseManagementEnabled
set $mykey$ = DemandLicenseKey ("pool_office2007")
else
set $mykey$ = IniVar("productkey")
The service calls can be invoked from the command-line tool opsi-admin
.
Parameters marked with * are optional.
License contracts
method createLicenseContract(*licenseContractId, *partner, *conclusionDate, *notificationDate, *expirationDate, *notes)
This method registers a new license contract record with the ID licenseContractId. If no licenseContractId is passed, it will be generated automatically. Using the licenseContractId of an existing contract, this contract can be edited.
The parameters partner (co-contractor) and notes are strings and can be filled with any information desired.
The parameters conclusionDate (date of conclusion of the contract), notificationDate (date for a reminder) and expirationDate (expiration date of the contract) are passed in the format YYYY-MM-DD
(e.g. 2009-05-18).
The method returns the licenseContractId of the contract.
set $mykey$ = DemandLicenseKey ("pool_office2007")
else
set $mykey$ = IniVar("productkey")
With the string returning functions getLastServiceErrorClass
and getLastServiceErrorMessage
error states can be detected and handled, e.g. if there is no license available:
if getLastServiceErrorClass = "None"
comment "no error"
endif
The error class LicenseMissingError
is returned if a license has been demanded but there is no license available.
The error class LicenseConfigurationError
is returned if the current configuration does not allow assignment of a license pool to a software.
This could be the case if either no assignment exists or no distinct assignment is possible.
Manual administration of license usage
Within the opsi config editor, the licenses registered by the opsi service are listed on the tab "License usages":

From this tab, licenses can also be managed manually. This can be useful, if a licensed software is not integrated into the opsi deployment, but installed manually on just a few clients.
These are the functions for manual license management in detail:
-
"Delete row" (available from the context menu) releases a license option.
-
"Reserve license for client" at the bottom of the window to create a license reservation for a dedicated client.
-
By editing the field "licenseKey" from the "Usage of licenses" table, the license key can be changed.
Preservation and deletion of license usages
If a software packet is reinstalled, the call to the opsi-winst function DemandLicenseKey will return the same license option and license key as used before.
In case this is not favored, the former license option has to be released by calling the opsi-winst command FreeLicense
, or by calling the opsi service call deleteSoftwareLicenseUsage
, or deleting the license use manually.
So, if not explicitly deleted, the license usages are preserved when reinstalling a client.
To release the licenses, they can be deleted from the "License usage" tab or deleted by the service call deleteAllSoftwareLicenseUsages
by passing the client host name as a parameter.
9.10.7. Reconciliation with the software inventory
The tab "Reconciliation" lists for each client and each license-pool whether the use of this license-pool is registered by opsi ("used_by_opsi") and if the software inventory (swaudit) on that client reported a software that requires a license option from that pool (Swinventory_used).
To evaluate the results from swaudit, the relevant software IDs (as found in the client registry) have to be associated with the appropriate license-pool (tab "License pools").
When matching the data with the software inventory, the license management counts not more than one license per client and license-pool. So for example if the license-pool office2010 is connected with ten different patterns from software inventory, indicating that office2010 is installed on this client, this is (regarding the license usages count) counted as a single installation, although all of the detection patterns might be found on the client.

As usual, this table can be copied using Drag & Drop and for instance pasted to a spreadsheet program. If the opsi-configed process has the required access rights (running standalone and not from the applet), the table can also be printed from the context menu.
By virtue of the config configed.license_inventory_extradisplayfields which can be edited in the host parameter page of the server, you may add extra data fields for each client to the table.
9.10.8. License usages overview
The tab "Statistics" displays a summary of the different license-pools, showing the total number of license options (license_options) and how many of them are in use (used_by_opsi) or still available (remaining opsi).

In addition to the number of license-uses registered by opsi (used by opsi) and the currently available licenses (remaining…), the overview also shows the total number of detected installations, that require a license (SWinventory_used).
The data from the column SWinventory_used is based on the registry scans from the opsi-product swaudit and the assignment of the Windows software IDs (as they are found in the registry) to the license-pools (as registered with the opsi license management (tab "License pools", see Section 9.10.3, “license-pools”).
From the context menu, the table can be printed (because of restricted access rights not available from the applet), and using drag&drop data can be copied to e.g. a spreadsheet.
In case of downgrade option
If a downgrade option has been configured (see Section 9.10.5.1, “Example downgrade option”), it appears in the overview and statistics like this:
A single downgrade license results in a license option for at least two different license-pools but only one of them can be requested for an installation. So using a downgrade license option decreases the number of available license options (remaining_opsi) in each of the license-pools concerned by that downgrade option by 1. So it looks like a single installation reduces the number of available license options by 2, which, in this case, actually is the fact.
9.10.9. Service methods for license management
The service methods for license management can be called from the command-line tool opsi-admin, so they are accessible for scripting, e.g. to read license keys from a file.
Examples can be found in the products license-test-….opsi from https://download.uib.de/opsi4.1/misc/license-management/. After installing the packages with opsi-package-manager -i *.opsi, in the directory /var/lib/opsi/depot/<product name> the corresponding scripts: create_license-*.sh can be found.
As an example here the script create_license-mixed.sh
(the current version comes with the download packet).
#!/bin/bash
# This is a test and example script
# (c) uib gmbh licensed under GPL
PRODUCT_ID=license-test-mixed
# read the license key from a file
# myretailkeys.txt has one licensekey per line
MYRETAILKEYS=`cat myretailkeys.txt`
# myoemkeys.txt has one pair: <licensekey> <hostid.domain.tld> per line
MYOEMKEYS=`cat myoemkeys.txt`
# some output
echo "$PRODUCT_ID"
# this is the function to create the oem licenses
#############
createlic ()
{
while [ -n "$1" ]
do
#echo $1
AKTKEY=$1
shift
#echo $1
AKTHOST=$1
shift
echo "createSoftwareLicense with oem key: ${PRODUCT_ID}-oem-${AKTKEY} for host ${AKTHOST}"
MYLIC=`opsi-admin -dS method createSoftwareLicense "" "c_$PRODUCT_ID" "OEM" "1" "${AKTHOST}" ""`
opsi-admin -d method addSoftwareLicenseToLicensePool "$MYLIC" "p_$PRODUCT_ID" "${PRODUCT_ID}-oem-${AKTKEY}"
done
}
#############
# here the script starts
# delete the existing license pool and all connected licenses
# ATTENTION: never (!) do this on a productive system
echo "deleteLicensePool p_$PRODUCT_ID"
opsi-admin -d method deleteLicensePool "p_$PRODUCT_ID" true
# delete the existing license contract
echo "deleteLicenseContract c_$PRODUCT_ID"
opsi-admin -d method deleteLicenseContract "c_$PRODUCT_ID"
# create the new license pool
# the used method has the following syntax:
# createLicensePool(*licensePoolId, *description, *productIds, *windowsSoftwareIds)
echo "createLicensePool p_$PRODUCT_ID"
opsi-admin -d method createLicensePool "p_$PRODUCT_ID" "opsi license test" \'['"'$PRODUCT_ID'"']\' \'['"'$PRODUCT_ID'"']\'
# create the new license contract
# the used method has the following syntax:
# createLicenseContract(*licenseContractId, *partner, *conclusionDate, *notificationDate, *expirationDate, *notes)
echo "createLicenseContract c_$PRODUCT_ID"
opsi-admin -d method createLicenseContract "c_$PRODUCT_ID" "uib gmbh" "" "" "" "test contract"
# create the new license and add the key(s)
# the used methods have the following syntax:
# createSoftwareLicense(*softwareLicenseId, *licenseContractId, *licenseType, *maxInstallations, *boundToHost, *expirationDate)
# addSoftwareLicenseToLicensePool(softwareLicenseId, licensePoolId, *licenseKey)
# create the retail licenses:
for AKTKEY in $MYRETAILKEYS
do
echo "createSoftwareLicense with retail key: ${PRODUCT_ID}-retail-${AKTKEY}"
MYLIC=`opsi-admin -dS method createSoftwareLicense "" "c_$PRODUCT_ID" "RETAIL" "1" "" ""`
opsi-admin -d method addSoftwareLicenseToLicensePool "$MYLIC" "p_$PRODUCT_ID" "${PRODUCT_ID}-retail-${AKTKEY}"
done
# create the oem licenses
createlic $MYOEMKEYS
# create the volume licenses
echo "createSoftwareLicense with volume key: ${PRODUCT_ID}-vol-key"
MYLIC=`opsi-admin -dS method createSoftwareLicense "" "c_$PRODUCT_ID" "VOLUME" "10" "" ""`
opsi-admin -d method addSoftwareLicenseToLicensePool "$MYLIC" "p_$PRODUCT_ID" "${PRODUCT_ID}-vol-key"#
9.10.10. Example products and templates
In the uib download section at https://download.uib.de/opsi4.1/misc/license-management/ are four example products available. One for each type of license model, as there are Retail, OEM and Volume license type, as well as a product combining all of them.
These example products use as an example some licenses and release them again. So using them leaves some marks in the software inventory, that might be of influence to reconciliation and statistics.
All of these products contain a shell script to automatically generate license-pools, license contracts and license options.
The standard template for opsi-winst scripts opsi-template also contains some examples for using the opsi license management.
9.11. opsi WAN/VPN extension
The WAN/VPN extension module allows to integrate clients, that are connected via low speed connections. This chapter is about configuring and maintaining the opsi WAN/VPN extension.
9.11.1. Preconditions for using the WAN/VPN extension
This opsi extension is currently in the cofunding process and not free. For more details see Section 9.1, “Activation of non-free modules”.
There are some preconditions to use the WAN/VPN extension module. The feature product groups is required, which is available with opsi 4.0 and above. Also the packets opsi-client-agent and opsi-configed are required, which come with version 4.0.1.
At the moment, the simultaneous use of both "WAN extension" and "installation on shutdown extension" is not supportet. On the same opsi server with different clients, these opsi extensions can be used.
opsi-Packet | version |
---|---|
opsi-client-agent |
>=4.0.1-1 |
opsi-winst |
>=4.10.8.12 |
python-opsi |
>=4.0.1-7 |
opsi-configed |
>=4.0.1.6-1 |
9.11.2. General overview of the WAN/VPN extension
opsi software deployment is mainly doing the following steps:
-
The opsi-login-blocker at client system startup prevents the users from logging on.
-
The opsiclientd service running on the client connects the opsi-config-server.
-
If any product actions are set for the client, it mounts a share from the opsi-depot.
-
The opsi-winst is starting and also connects to the opsi-config-server.
-
The opsi-winst executes the product actions, using the share from the opsi-depot.
-
If a reboot is required, it executes and the process starts all over.
-
When all the product actions are completed, the log files are transferred to the opsi-config-server and the user logon is unblocked.
Now we will look at the special circumstances of a client, which is located in a remote branch, connected via WAN to the LAN, where the opsi-config-server and opsi-depot-server are:
-
During communication with the opsi-config-server small amounts of data are transferred, so there is no noticeable slowdown of the software deployment in a WAN.
-
But processing the product actions might consume a very long time, depending on the packet sizes, bandwidth and latency of the WAN connection. There also might occur timeouts during file access.
-
Therefore, during the installation is processing, the user has to wait for an unreasonably long time before logon is granted.
As an alternative to providing a dedicated opsi-depot-server in the remote branch network, the remote clients can be connected via WAN/VPN extension module. Using the WAN/VPN extension module, the opsi-client-agent can be configured this way:
-
At system startup, if there are no opsi-products cached and ready for installation, the user can logon immediately.
-
When there are product actions set for the client, the opsiclientd, which is running on the client, starts downloading the required installation files from the opsi-depot to the local file system. This is done in the background while the user is working. The maximum download bandwidth can be configured and also can be dynamically adapted to the current network traffic status.
-
When the synchronization of the opsi-products is completed, a reboot request is triggered.
-
The logged on user can accept the reboot request, or the client will be rebooted at some time later on.
-
At the next system startup, the cache is found to be filled with the opsi-products to be installed and the installation starts. In this case, the installation will use the downloaded files from the local file system, which increases the speed of installation even compared to a standard LAN installation.
Now we examine the situation of a notebook, which at system startup often cannot connect the opsi-config-server:
-
Trying to connect the opsi-config-server at system startup will result in a timeout.
-
Connecting the opsi-config-server might be possible when a user logs on and a VPN connection to the corporate network is established.
-
Without connection the opsi-config-server no software deployment is available.
This situation also can be solved by using the WAN/VPN extension module.
The opsi-client-agent can be configured the following way:
-
At system startup, if there are no opsi-products cached and ready for installation, the user can logon immediately.
-
Triggered by network activation or a by timer event, the opsiclientd running on the client tries to connect the opsi-config-server.
-
If the opsi-config-server is reachable, the opsiclientd starts to:
-
synchronize the configurations
-
download the required files from the opsi-depot to the local file system.
In combination with the opsi extension module Dynamic Depot Selection, the download is done from the best fitting opsi-depot.
-
-
When the synchronization of the opsi-products is completed, a reboot request is triggered.
-
The logged on user can accept the reboot request or the client will be rebooted at some time later on.
-
At the next system startup, the cache is found to be filled with the opsi-products to be installed and the installation starts. In this case, the installation will use the downloaded files from the local file system, which increases the speed of installation even compared to a standard LAN installation. So the opsiclientd takes over the function of both the opsi-config-server and the opsi-depot-server.
-
At the next connect to the opsi-config-server the results of the installation process (configuration change, log files …) will be synchronized.
The download mechanism of product synchronization is multiple interruptible and will continue at the point of interruption. So files that are already downloaded will not have to be downloaded again.
The WAN/VPN extension module allows to connect clients, that are outside of the secure corporate network. Therefore additional security mechanisms are required regarding the communication between client and server.
So the opsiclientd now offers the ability to verify the identity of an opsi-server.
Therefore the key pair of the SSL certificate of the opsiconfd is used.
By this mechansim the opsi-config-server as well as the opsi-depot-server can be verified,
assumed the communication is performed via opsiconfd and SSL.
In case of an opsi-depot the file access must be done by the opsiconfd using HTTPS/WEBDAVS.
Access done via CIFS/SMB will not be checked.
9.11.3. Caching of opsi-products
Caching of opsi-products is done by the ProductCacheService, which is part of the opsiclientd.
The ProductCacheService synchronizes the local copy of an opsi-product with the current version of the corresponding opsi-products on the opsi-depot.
The location of the local product cache can be configured and defaults to %SystemDrive%\opsi.org\cache\depot
.
Communication Protocol for accessing an opsi-depot
For transferring the product files, two different protocols are used:
-
CIFS/SMB
-
HTTP(S)/WEBDAV(S)
In case of using CIFS/SMB, a connection to the depotRemoteUrl will be established as configured with the properties of the opsi-depot. In case of using HTTP(S)/WEBDAV(S), the depotWebdavUrl is connected, which as well is to be configured with the properties of the opsi-depot.
Which protocol is to be used, can be configured client specific by the host parameter clientconfig.depot.protocol
.
Available values to be set as clientconfig.depot.protocol
are cifs
and webdav
.
Also the opsi-linux-bootimage is evaluating this setting and uses the specified protocol. |
With opsiclientd, a different protocol can be used for individual events via the depot_protocol attribute.
|
Using the .files
file for Synchronization
The synchronization process is based on the file <product-id>.files
, which is located in the base directory of each opsi-product on the opsi-depot.
This file contains information about the files, directories ans symbolic links used by an opsi-product.
Each line of that file contains such information. Different types of information are separated by a blank.
The first character of a line defines the type of the following entry. Available values are:
-
d
for a directory -
f
for a file -
l
for a symbolic link
Separated by a blank follows the relative path, which is single quoted.
The next entry gives the sizes of the file (which is 0 for directories and symbolic links).
The final entry in case of a file is the MD5-sum of the file, in case of a symbolic link it is the target referred to by the symbolic link.
Example excerpt of a .files file:
d 'utils' 0
f 'utils/patch_config_file.py' 2506 d3007628addf6d9f688eb4c2e219dc18
l 'utils/link_to_patch_config_file.py' 0 '/utils/patch_config_file.py'
The .files file is generated automatically when installing opsi-product-packages (after running the postinst-Script).
When using the WAN/VPN extension, the files of opsi-products on the opsi-depot should not be changed manually, otherwise the information contained in the .files file would be outdated, causing errors during the synchronization process. |
Internal processing of opsi-product caching
The synchronization of a local copy of an opsi-product processes as follows:
-
The .files file of the opsi-product is transferred to the local client.
-
Then it is checked, whether there is enough local disk space available to cache the opsi-products. If there isn’t enough disc space available, some old opsi-products will be deleted, which haven’t been used (synchronized) for a long time.
-
The local caching directory will be created if it doesn’t exist.
-
Referring to the .files file, any old files and directories, which aren’t in use anymore, will be deleted from the local opsi-product cache.
-
Then the .files file will be processed in the following order.
-
missing directories are created.
-
missing files are transferred.
-
existing files will be checked by size and MD5-sum and be synchronized again if necessary.
-
The synchronization results in an exact local copy of the opsi-product from the opsi-depot.
On windows systems, no symbolic links will be created. Instead of links there will be copies of the link target. |
When the opsi-product has completed successfully,
-
the status of
products_cached
will turn totrue
(and staystrue
in case of a system restart, see: Section 6.1.3.7, “Configuration of different events”). -
a
sync completed
event will be triggered.
Configuring the opsi-product caching
The opsi-product caching is configured in the section [cache_service]
of the opsiclientd.conf
.
-
product_cache_max_size
(integer): The maximum size of the opsi-product cache in byte. This is important to limit the disk space to be used by opsi-product caching. -
storage_dir
(string): the path to the directory, in which the base directorydepot
for the opsi-product caching is to be created.
Further configurations can be done event specific.
Within an event configuration section [event_<event-config-id>]
the following options are available:
-
cache_products
(boolean): if the value of this option istrue
, in case of the event the ProductCacheService will start to cache opsi-products, for which a product action is set. If additionally the value of the optionuse_cached_products
is set totrue
, the further processing of this section will be suspended until the caching of opsi-products is completed. -
cache_max_bandwidth
(integer): the maximum bandwidth in byte/s to be used for caching. If this value is set to 0 or less, the bandwidth is unlimited. -
cache_dynamic_bandwidth
(boolean): if the value of this option is set totrue
, the bandwidth will be adapted dynamically. Therefore the network traffic at the network interface to the opsi-depot will be monitored. If any traffic is detected, which is not caused by the opsi-product caching, the bandwidth for the caching will be sharply reduced, to allow other processes to work at (almost) full speed. If the caching works at reduced bandwidth and no more other network activity but the opsi-product caching is detected, the caching process will continue with unlimited bandwidth. The value ofcache_max_bandwidth
will be used to limit the maximum dynamic bandwidth. -
use_cached_products
(boolean): if the value of this option is set totrue
, the local opsi-product cache will be used for processing product actions. If caching of the opsi-products is not completed, the processing of this event will stop and return an error code.
9.11.4. Caching of configurations
The caching of configurations is done by the ConfigCacheService, which is part of the opsiclientd.
The ConfigCacheService synchronizes a local client-cache-backend with the config backend of the opsi-config-server.
The opsiclientd provides per WebService an access point to the backend and thereby provides quite the same functionality as the opsiconfd.
The local client-cache-backend
The local client-cache-backend is based on SQLite and mainly consists of a local working copy,
a snapshot an a modification tracker, which records all changes of the local working copy.
The base directory of the config cache can be configured and defaults to %SystemDrive%\opsi.org\cache\config
.
The snapshot reflects the configuration status on the opsi-config-server at the time of the last synchronization.
At the start of the processing, the local working copy is a copy of the snapshot, but will be modified during processing.
Internal processing of configuration synchronizing
The synchronization of the local changes of the client-cache-backend with the config backend of the opsi-config-server is processed as follows:
-
The changes of the local working copy registered by the modification-tracker are transferred to the opsi-config-server. Any changes of the configuration on the opsi-config-server since the last synchronization will be detected by comparing to the snapshot. If there are any conflicts deteced, the following rules apply:
-
In case of inventory data, the local client data have priority.
-
For action requests the value of the client is valid, unless the version of the corresponding package has changed in the meantime on the server side. Then the server value is preferred.
-
In case of installation status and action result, the client data have priority.
-
If the opsi licenense management modul is switched on (config: license-management.use=true), the config server tries to find a license pool for the product by the assignment pool to productId. I free license of this pool will be reserved and this license will be replicated. Any unused licences, which have been reserved during replication, will be released again.
-
The new state of host parametern and product properties is only transferred to the server if they have not been changed server-side in the meantime.
-
-
The modification tracker will be cleared.
-
The logfiles will be transferred.
The config backend replication of the opsi-config-server to the client-cache-backend is processed as follows:
-
The replication only takes place, if any action requests are set on the opsi-config-server. The product action
always
does not count in this respect. The replication process will start only if the status of action requests is changed since the last replication. -
The modification tracker and the local working copy are cleared.
-
The configurations required for local processing will be replicated.
-
If action requests are set for opsi-products which are marked as to require a license, the required software license will be reserved from a license pool, which is assigned to that opsi-product.
-
Additionally required data, as there are the
auditHardwareConfig
and themodules
, will be transferred. -
The snapshot and the local working copy will be updated, so they have the same content.