RE: [Fwd: Re: ${clientip} ?]

[Ed Brown]

Hi Wayne,

On Fri, 2004-10-22 at 10:07, Wayne wrote:
> Hi Ed.
> I know tis isn't your issue, but I just thought I'd send some unsolicited
> info anyway.. :>P

I've kind of butted in, and made it my issue too...  (Sorry Tod!)

> We collect data from our clients on every Cfengine run.
> We use the "NFS mount method" of running Cfengine here in the SCC. In other
> words, All clients are built with automounted cfengine common(CFINPUTS,
> master files, etc) and os-specific(bins, libs, etc) directories. They run
> cfagent from cron and a shellcommand collects system info from the clients,
> which write out to a Cfengine client writable directory. This (NFS mount)
> may not be an option for Tod.

Interesting; knew you guys were using cfengine, but didn't know just
how...

> I also had a thought: Add a Cfengine shellcommand to run a logger command to
> send a formatted syslog to a MySql DB on a central server. We are set up
> here to do that by using a central logger running syslog-ng. Syslog-ng is
> much more flexible and feature rich than syslogd. It can send certain logs
> (Cfengine ones, i.e.) to a program, such as a MySql loader, in lieu
> of/addition to a log file. The clients could then interactively SQL select
> rows from that DB and parse the info for whatever purpose. Just a thought.
> Of course, the clients could just run a Perl-Mysql routine and directly add
> info, but that involves write permissions and user control on the DB side.
> Syslog-ng provides the standard syslog interface/format.

Very interesting idea.  We are already using syslog-ng on our central
loghosts, and have a MySQL server available.  And like you say, having
IT write to the DB server solves the hesitation that Tim Nelson
expressed, about setting up users and write permissions for all the
clients. No additional protocols, no additional open ports on the
network... I like it.      

> I don't have my Linux box up, so I can't send "Reply-To" emails to the list
> with my Windows/Outlook box. Feel free to respond to the Cfengine list with
> any/all/none of this info. I just thought I'd share.
> 
> -W

I appreciate it, thanks!
-Ed


> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: help-cfengine-bounces+sweatt=lanl.gov@gnu.org
> [mailto:help-cfengine-bounces+sweatt=lanl.gov@gnu.org] On Behalf Of Ed Brown
> Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 8:50 AM
> To: Mark Burgess
> Cc: Cfengine Mailing List Help
> Subject: Re: [Fwd: Re: ${clientip} ?]
> 
> 
> You're right, cfengine copy is a simpler solution for collecting files to a
> central location than scp, but it does require that cfservd be running on
> all the clients, something we don't do now.  And it requires that the
> datafile to be collected be generated by a process not coupled with the
> collection process.  I'm not very clear about remote methods, but my thought
> was that they might be a way to connect to a remote server, run commands
> there, and return data, all within cfengine, not even necessarily involving
> file transfers. 
> 
> I don't know about Tod's purposes, but I think Tim's comment about updating
> a central database is really the right direction for what I had in mind,
> which is to have a single location for a variety of info(system stats,
> hardware info, installed packages/versions...).  Cfengine could distribute
> and run the script to do this, or a module could provide even tighter
> coupling, to take advantage of defined classes, or to define other
> classes...  
> 
> thanks,
> Ed
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, 2004-10-22 at 00:44, Mark Burgess wrote:
> > I do not understand the logic of using scp here. copy is still a 
> > better solution in that case. I am not sure why you need a remote 
> > method here at all. If you are collecting a file and simply wwant to 
> > copy it to a hostname dependenent place, but put the hostname in the 
> > destination file?
> > 
> > control:
> > 
> >  rhost = ( a:b:c )
> > 
> > copy:
> > 
> >  /from dest=$(rhost)-copy server=$(rhost)
> > 
> > M
> > 
> > On Thu, Oct 21, 2004 at 04:21:48PM -0700, Tod Oace wrote:
> > > On Oct 21, 2004, at 16:12, Ed Brown wrote:
> > > 
> > > >I assume you are talking about 'remote methods'?
> > > 
> > > Yep!
> > > 
> > > >There's not much info in the documentation about it yet, but it 
> > > >sure
> > > >sounds complex, if not to say convoluted.
> > > 
> > > Possibly. I don't have any opinion on that yet.
> > > 
> > > >For one, I'm guessing it requires that cfservd be running 
> > > >everywhere.
> > > 
> > > I don't think so. If I understand it correctly the method call 
> > > contacts
> > > a cfservd which then runs cfagent, runs the method and then returns 
> > > results back to the caller. I just want to collect information on my 
> > > cfengine servers which are already running cfservd. I don't think the 
> > > method call tries to contact a cfservd on the client system.
> > > 
> > > I haven't tried the remote stuff yet. I'm just doing local calls 
> > > while
> > > I develop my module. And right now I'm trying to figure out why this 
> > > isn't matching infotype = syslog (to prevent "../filename"):
> > > 
> > > classes:
> > >         valid_infotype = ( Regcmp("^[A-Za-z0-9]*$","${infotype}") )
> > > 
> > > "^.*$" works but anything I try with "^[...]*$" doesn't. But...this 
> > > is
> > > a separate issue.
> > > 
> > > >When I've considered data gathering schemes, I always end up back 
> > > >at
> > > >the idea of scp-ing info back to the server, or somewhere, an idea 
> > > >with its own limitations and problems.  I'd be interested in hearing 
> > > >if you are able to use cfengine for this.
> > > 
> > > Yeah, I'll probably have to do that if I can't make remote methods
> > > work. It still looks to me like it will, although I'm noticing ReadFile 
> > > produced a bunch of nul padding. So I'll have to figure that out too. 
> > > But aside from that I was able to copy up a file. Locally anyway.  -Tod
> > > 
> > > >-Ed
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >On Thu, 2004-10-21 at 16:02, Tod Oace wrote:
> > > >>>(Dang, I don't understand lists that don't set the reply-to field 
> > > >>>to
> > > >>>go
> > > >>>to the list.  To me, that's the whole point of a list, the 
> > > >>>discussion,
> > > >>>not to get private answers to questions, unless appropriate for some
> > > >>>reason...)
> > > >>
> > > >>Oh, and that case here's my reply to the list:
> > > >>
> > > >>>From: Ed Brown <ebrown@lanl.gov>
> > > >>>Date: October 21, 2004 14:56:55 PDT
> > > >>>To: Tod Oace <tod.r.oace@intel.com>
> > > >>>Subject: Re: ${clientip} ?
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>Where I get stuck right away when considering something like this 
> > > >>>is the question of how to get information from the client to the 
> > > >>>server.
> > > >>>It's
> > > >>>backwards to the normal flow of cfengine.  Did you already have a
> > > >>>mechanism for this in mind?
> > > >>
> > > >>Yeah... A Cfengine method call. There's even an example in the 
> > > >>reference manual passing the first part of /etc/passwd:
> > > >>
> > > >>http://www.cfengine.org/docs/cfengine-Reference.html#methods
> > > >>
> > > >>search for: ReadFile("/etc/passwd"
> > > >>
> > > >>So I *think* that takes care of the communication mechanism. I'm
> > > >>toying
> > > >>with it now. But I'm also thinking about the step after that.  -Tod
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>>-Ed
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>On Thu, 2004-10-21 at 15:41, Tod Oace wrote:
> > > >>>>I'm hoping to create a method to collect small bits of 
> > > >>>>information from systems onto my cfengine servers. It seems like 
> > > >>>>this will work fine but
> > > >>>>I'd also like to prevent systems from being able to clobber each
> > > >>>>others' bits of information.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>I think what I want is to stash information into files named 
> > > >>>>.../somedirectory/${clientip}/${infotype} where ${infotype} 
> > > >>>>comes from the client and ${clientip} is defined on the server 
> > > >>>>end. But I'm unable
> > > >>>>to find a variable like ${clientip}. I see forcereplyto but that's
> > > >>>>defined by the client.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>I would like this in order to collect and analyze files before I 
> > > >>>>put them under central cfengine control. I don't really need 
> > > >>>>information sandboxes for that kind of temporary information, 
> > > >>>>but there is some other system information I would like to 
> > > >>>>protectection for. Stuff defined on the systems that I want 
> > > >>>>persistent across system builds. Any ideas?
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>_______________________________________________
> > > >>>Help-cfengine mailing list
> > > >>>Help-cfengine@gnu.org 
> > > >>>http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-cfengine
> > > >>>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > --
> > > Tod Oace, Intel Corporation <tod@intel.com>
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Help-cfengine mailing list
> > > Help-cfengine@gnu.org 
> > > http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-cfengine
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Help-cfengine mailing list
> Help-cfengine@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-cfengine
>