using Chocolatey for application deployments

CHOCOLATEYSoftware deployments using

Who am i

Owain Perry

Software architect at thetrainline.com

Twitter: owainperryBlog: owainperry.com

What is Chocolatey?

Chocolatey NuGet is a Machine Package Manager, somewhat like apt-get, but built with Windows in mind. - See more at: http://chocolatey.org/#sthash.WI0IhYUd.dpuf

What is a package?

A collection of stuff, glued into one file Msi Self extracting zip exe Zip file Nuget Rpm Etc…

What version is it?

Packages should be versioned? Question: Which is more helpful?

Setup.exe Setup_Notepadpp_1.2.3.4.exe Version.txt inside a zip file.

This is not new

Unix has been doing this for the last 20 years

Windows tried to do this with Msi #fail.

How do we get it there?

What is wrong with this? //installers/files/notepadpp/setup.exe

Share permissions Domain TCP / UDP Ports 135->139 Only works “easily” on windows.

What is installed?

How do we find out what is installed on a machine?

Check the registry (add / remove programs)?

Scan in c:\program files\* C:\program files x86\*

What about stuff installed elsewhere?

How do we replicate?

We have multiple sites – how to replicate?

Use windows file based replication Domain hell if not on one domain

Polled replication every x minutes a pain and slow hard to see current state when is it broken?

Some technology we have been using

Nuget. Zip file containing stuff API for downloading a specific version

via HTTP Wide adoption amongst the .NET

community Written by *Microsoft* Lightweight (single .exe) Large active open source development

community

Artifactory

Multiple repositories Virtual repositories Near real-time replication Simple to browse and search

Thought? - Could use SEMVER and promote packages between repositories (environments)

This can help ops people?

Use the same pattern for installing everything Same command line Single repository of packages easy to

browse Obvious version selection Easy to script Abstract the implementation away – who

cares?

What I want?

Simple and easy to use command line interface

Download via HTTP Download a specific version(s) List packages that have been

installed. Install / upgrade / uninstall options. Simple to create packages using

known language syntax.

Chocolatey

Chocolatey NuGet is a Machine Package Manager, somewhat like apt-get, but built with Windows in mind. - See more at: http://chocolatey.org/#sthash.WI0IhYUd.dpuf

Chocolatey

Nuget packages with extra stuff

Tools/chocolatey-install.ps1

Commands

chocolatey [install [packageName [-source source] [-version version] | pathToPac kagesConfig] | installmissing packageName [-source source] | update

packageName [-source source] [-version version] | list [packageName] [-source source] | hel p | version [packageName] | webpi packageName | windowsfeatures

packageName | ge m packageName [-version version] |uninstall packageName]

example: chocolatey install nunit example: chocolatey install nunit -version 2.5.7.10213 example: chocolatey install packages.config example: chocolatey installmissing nunit example: chocolatey update nunit -source http://somelocalfeed.com/nuget/ example: chocolatey help example: chocolatey list (might take awhile) example: chocolatey list nunit example: chocolatey version example: chocolatey version nunit example: chocolatey uninstall

Commands - shortcuts

Cpack – create a chocolatey package (nuget style)Cpush – push a package Cinst – install Cup – update Clist – list Cuninst – uninstall Cver – display versionCwindowsfeature – add a windows feature

How most chocolatey.org packages work

This is not ideal

Hundreds of machines installing stuff Putting the implementation files into the

package keeps it all in house Provides more control over switches and

install options.

Dependants

Chocolatey like nuget supports pulling down and installing dependants

E.g. getting version 2.1.1.0 of package A to install a package B with version 4.8.0.34

We can build them

What does an install script look like?

It’s just PowerShell. Everything you can do in PowerShell

you have at your finger tips

What does an install script look like?

$packageName = 'notepad++'

$silentArgs = '/S'

$validExitCodes = @(0)

$url = $(Split-Path –parent) $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition) + "\..\data\npp.6.3.Installer.exe"

$url64 = $url

Install-ChocolateyPackage $packageName "exe" "$silentArgs" "$url" "$url64" -validExitCodes $validExitCodes

What is a chocolatey package then?

Nuget package with: /tools/chocolateyinstall.ps1 /tools/chocolateyuninstall.ps1

A bunch of helpers https://github.com/chocolatey/chocolate

y/wiki/HelpersReference

Helpers

Install-ChocolateyPackageInstall-ChocolateyZipPackageInstall-ChocolateyPowershellCommandInstall-ChocolateyVsixPackage - v0.9.8.20+

helpers

Install-ChocolateyPackage

Start-ChocolateyProcessAsAdmin

Install-ChocolateyInstallPackage

Install-ChocolateyPath - when specifying machine path

Install-ChocolateyEnvironmentVariable - when specifying machine path v0.9.8.20+

Install-ChocolateyExplorerMenuItem - v0.9.8.20+ Install-ChocolateyFileAssociation - v0.9.8.20+ Update-SessionEnvironment - v0.9.8.20+

helpers

Install-ChocolateyZipPackage

Install-ChocolateyPowershellCommand

Write-ChocolateySuccess

Write-ChocolateyFailure

Get-ChocolateyWebFile

Get-ChocolateyUnzip

Install-ChocolateyPath - when specifying user path Install-ChocolateyEnvironmentVariable - when specifying user path

v0.9.8.20+ Install-ChocolateyDesktopLink

Install-ChocolateyPinnedTaskBarItem - v0.9.8.20+

Build a package

We have a build script in nuget and a repository layout to make this quick and easy for 3rd party tools.

Quick demo

Install chocolatey

@powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -Command "iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))" && SET PATH=%PATH%;%systemdrive%\chocolatey\bin

cinst

Install a package Cinst <package name> (get from chocolatey.org) Cinst ttl-msysgit –source

http://get.pkgs.ttldev Cinst ttl-msysgit –version 1.2.3.4 –source

http://get.pkgs.ttldev

clist

Get a list of packages via the command line.

Clist (get from chocolatey.org) Clist –source http://get.pkgs.ttldev chocolatey.bat version ttl-msysgit -localonly

Using chef.

Installation using chef is just this.

Or really this…

What’s installed? The chef way

Chocolatey ohai plugin

So…

We should consider using chocolatey to wrap all existing installers

Work is minimal to do this. Near real-time robust replication to

multiple sites Simple consistent interface to install

applications internal or 3rd party Easy to what versions are installed.

Questions?