[Casper] All of Caspers files?

Tue Jun 30 11:12:35 PDT 2009

I just want to clarify a few points to make sure we're all on the same
page.

Issues are as follows;

1.       "Things are not replicating"  I take that as packages, scripts
etc... things that are normally located in your CasperShare folder on
your distribution point are not syncing correctly upon their scheduled
replication time.  Are all of the Distribution points failing to
replicate or just the ones you set up?

a.       Are your servers each set up with your DNS to use FQDN? If so I
would delete them out of the JSS. JSS>Management>Distribution Points,
and re-add them with the FQDN if they were using IP prior, also make
sure that the "Casper Admin" and "Casper Imaging" user accounts
passwords listed for each distribution point match the local user
account passwords on each server Also make sure that permissions are
propagated down the CasperShare for each distribution point.

2.       "Adobe installs don't get listed in Casper Admin. "  Does that
mean they never do or some of them don't show up.    Are you using JAMF
method of creating the adobe installs via the Casper Admin application?
Or are you using Composer and snapshotting?

3.       "Self Service is Super Flakey" is it not showing the packages
that you have set up self service items for, or is it not laying the
packages down correctly? 

4.       "Re-Imaging is skipping the main Disk Image"  What is it
showing in the imaging log for a computer that has skipped the OS
package?   Is it failing on all or just the Distribution points that are
not replicating?

5.       When you are talking about your techs not typing in the FQDN
during imaging do you mean when the Casper Imaging app asks for the
JSS's address?   If so how are you imaging, are you using
netboot/netinstall, recovery partitions, FW boot drives?    The imaging
techs should not need to repeatedly type in this information.  

6.       If you "re-do" everything and change the DNS name of the master
server you should just be able to make a new QuickAdd Package and push
that out with ARD if you have it at your disposal to get the machines
reporting in to the correct JSS address otherwise there are other ways
to update the clients but I'd think that ARD would be the fastest.   

Please correct me if I'm wrong on my interpretation and others on the
listserv please verify my advice.   I tend to do some quirky stuff
sometimes.

From: casper-bounces at list.jamfsoftware.com
[mailto:casper-bounces at list.jamfsoftware.com] On Behalf Of
Rich_Barron at vfc.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 12:14 PM
To: jared.nichols at ll.mit.edu
Cc: casper at list.jamfsoftware.com
Subject: Re: [Casper] All of Caspers files?

This is a new install. When we had our jumpstart, we had just set up 4
servers in a data center about a month ago by a JAMF rep. The other
dozen or so distribution point servers were pre-existing and were not
set up until later by myself. 

Now that we are in production and I have a team of guys doing reimages,
where are the files I need to check to ensure the servers have FQDN's in
the settings? I worked with JAMF to write the FQDN of our master server
to the /private/etc/jamf.conf to ensure any tech who does not enter the
fully qualified domain name of the master server during reimaging will
not cause a major problem. 

So - where are some other file locations to check - maybe something on
the server? Is there any documentation on this? If this is such a
critical issue, would it not make sense to put a preference file
somewhere and have an easy to manage setting in the GUI for this to be
updated after the fact if needed? 

Are there any guides anywhere to what all is involved in 'starting
over'? Is it a simple remove from the master servers and reinstall? Or
do things need to be updated on the clients as well to ensure they are
all synched up properly to the new set up? 

Rich Barron

"Nichols, Jared" <jared.nichols at ll.mit.edu> 

06/30/2009 05:16 AM 

To

"Rich_Barron at vfc.com" <Rich_Barron at vfc.com>,
"casper at list.jamfsoftware.com" <casper at list.jamfsoftware.com> 

cc

Subject

Re: [Casper] All of Caspers files?

Is this a new installation or are you expanding an existing
infrastructure?  If it's new, I'd say back up any packages that you've
made and start over.  Even if you seem to route out all of your
problems, I'd be weary about feeling confident in the installation - if
it were me anyway...

The general gist of your situation tells me dns, dns, dns.  Related, you
should always use FQDNs.  

j

On 6/29/09 20:32 , "Rich_Barron at vfc.com" <Rich_Barron at vfc.com> wrote:

I'm having a ton of problems with our new deployment of Casper 6 to
about 15 servers. Things are not replicating, Adobe installs don't get
listed in Casper Admin, Self Service is super flakey, reimaging is
skipping the main disk image, etc. 

I have a feeling it has something to do with the initial setup/config,
and possibly not using fully qualified domain names. It could also have
something to do with permissions or accounts on the server side or
client side. But there is just too much going wrong for this to be
considered normal. 

Support has been great. I should know - I have called them every day. :)
But short of getting a Casper rep out here to go over the whole system
and find/fix all the bugs, is there a good listing of where all the
config files are stored and what they should look like? On both the
client side and server side? Or maybe someone wrote a doc on what
happens in the background when you, say, schedule a replication from the
master server to another server so when it fails, I can check all the
steps manually, such as making a connection via SSH with the casperadmin
name/pass from the master server to one of the other servers, and where
to apply a fix should a problem be found? 

Rich Barron 

---
Jared F. Nichols
Desktop Engineer, Infrastructure and Operations
Information Services Department
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street
Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781.981.5436 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://list.jamfsoftware.com/pipermail/casper/attachments/20090630/78901986/attachment.htm 