University of Oslo transforms desktops with CFEngine on Ubuntu
CFEngine and Ubuntu go back to College
Users at Oslo University will soon be offered the Ubuntu operating system on their laptops and desktop machines, and it will come with fully automated CFEngine management.
The University of Oslo Computing Service (USIT) has always been quick to embrace developments in Unix system administration. It was in this milieu that CFEngine founder Mark Burgess originally conceived the automation software in 1993. Now CFEngine is the most popular solution for hands-free automation around the world, and USIT is forging ahead by bringing the Ubuntu (GNU/Linux) operating system to its users.
Anders Bruvik of USIT explains: “We are currently in the final phase of a Ubuntu project. We are giving users at the University the opportunity to use Ubuntu on their desktops. Ubuntu is the preferred solution on the Linux platform as Windows and Mac OSX are on other platforms. Users at the University will be able to get whatever system they like.”
Many University users are likely to find an Ubuntu desktop an attractive proposition. GNU/Linux provides many of the tools that academics prefer, such as Latex text formatting and scientific number crunching `out of the box’. Many of these programs were written principally for Unix-like systems.
“It started with a desire to update our configuration management system on all platforms: Linux, Solaris, Mac OSX, etc. At the same time we are being asked to support Linux on the desktop, so we’re killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. CFEngine runs on all these platforms, has good support, and is the all ‘round winner on performance, functionality and re-usability. Ubuntu is the natural choice for desktops with its good driver support. It’s easy to install and runs well on laptops.”
Bruvik explains that USIT’s goal was initially just to simplify server administration using CFEngine, by building on its platform agnostic, self-healing approach to configuration. CFEngine allowed USIT to configure all servers, spanning multiple platforms, with a small set of rules, but then it dawned on the team that the same technology could easily be extended to the desktop.
It’s a radical move. Only a few years ago, it was nonsense to admit that GNU/Linux could match Windows or Macintosh on desktops. Bruvik adds, “CFEngine makes light work of any operating system, but Ubuntu is especially simple. On a desktop you’ve got to have the usability – and that is where Ubuntu has succeeded in our view.”
CFEngine-Ubuntu partnership
Last week the CFEngine and Ubuntu parent companies signed a partnership agreement to integrate and provide solutions for these popular tools.
Anita Bilicka, CFEngine Community Liason puts it like this: “CFEngine and Ubuntu are already a winning combination. Ubuntu is a very popular operating system in the cloud, for instance. We released our Orion Cloud Pack with special support for Ubuntu, knowing it’s such a popular choice. Now we see that there are strong arguments for building on that lead. Desktops are a pretty obvious candidate for this partnership too.”
Indeed, Ubuntu is well known for its user friendly desktop releases, but it now has also a very interesting server product that offers the chance of complete hands-free life-cycle automation from build to retirement. This is a holy grail for many Unix administrators.
Future challenges
Anders Bruvik adds, “We do still have some challenges before the big release for the new academic year. Configuring laptops with dynamic IP addresses and mobility has proved to be a challenge, and there is not really any best practice in this area yet. We’re hoping that the collaboration between CFEngine and Ubuntu will help to develop some of these generic solutions for the wider community.”
Anita Bilicka confirms that CFEngine is already on the ball. “The next release of CFEngine Nova is introducing features that will make the mobility issue easier to handle. The world has already gone mobile – and both Linux and CFEngine are everywhere.”
Back to College!
The University of Oslo is one of the largest in Scandinavia, with close to 6,000 employees and 30,000 students. CFEngine was conceived of in 1993 at the Department of Physics, working closely with USIT’s team – several of whom are still present.
CFEngine founder and CTO Mark Burgess smiles about the project, “For those who say that CFEngine is an academic project, we can now confirm that it’s true!”
