All of Caspers files?

[#1]

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

[jarednichols]

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

[#3]

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

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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

[dustydorey]

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.

1. "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?

2. "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?

3. "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?

4. 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.

5. 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.

[dustydorey]

Sorry forgot this J

-Dusty-

Dustin Dorey

Technology Support Cluster Specialist

Independant School District 196

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools

dustin.dorey at district196.org

651|423|7971

[#6]

See below...

Rich Barron