Quattor

What it does

Architecture

Quattor comprises a configuration management database server, an automated installation infrastructure server, and managed clients; the first two can run on one system.checked 8 Oct 2001

Client configuration

Client tools fetch and validate profiles, cache them locally, and invoke configuration components to apply them.checked 8 Oct 2001

Configuration compiler

The Pan compiler compiles the declarative Pan language into nested tree structures, including XML and JSON output formats.checked 8 Oct 2001

Customization

Well-defined interfaces let users substitute alternative implementations and integrate site-specific tools.checked 7 Oct 2001

Downloads

The downloads page provides client and server RPMs through yum.quattor.org and describes nightly builds for several platforms.checked 7 Oct 2001

Installation

The AII server uses plugins to manage DHCP and PXE boot configuration and to create Kickstart files for EL-derived systems.checked 7 Oct 2001

Installation features

Automated Installation Infrastructure plugins manage DHCP configuration, PXE boot and Kickstart installation files for Enterprise Linux derived systems.checked 8 Oct 2001

Integrations

The overview describes configuration components for core and grid computing services, with examples including general-purpose metaconfig and filecopy components.checked 8 Oct 2001

Intended users

The getting-started guide describes Quattor as a somewhat complex toolkit and says production use requires detailed knowledge of the tools and site configuration.checked 8 Oct 2001

License

Quattor is open-source software provided under the Apache 2.0 license and the EU DataGrid Software License.checked 7 Oct 2001

Lifecycle management

Its tools cover system management from initial installation through configuration to service upgrades.checked 8 Oct 2001

Modular design

Well-defined interfaces allow alternative implementations and integration with site-specific tools.checked 8 Oct 2001

Notable limit

The documentation says the older SCDB configuration database is deprecated, has scaling problems above 2,500 systems, and will receive no further development.checked 8 Oct 2001

Notable limitation

The downloads page cautions that nightly builds may pass unit tests but are not guaranteed to work in a real environment.checked 7 Oct 2001

Purpose

Quattor is a system administration toolkit for automated installation, configuration, and management of clusters, farms, grids, and clouds.checked 8 Oct 2001

Scale

The site says Quattor has been used in academic and commercial environments managing infrastructures from tens of systems to over 30,000.checked 8 Oct 2001

Security

The 26.2.0 release announcement says its RPM packages and repository metadata are signed with a GPG key.checked 8 Oct 2001

Security guidance

The SCDB guide recommends restricting access to profile and Kickstart configuration areas because they may contain sensitive information, including passwords.checked 7 Oct 2001

Support

Quattor is developed and supported by its user community, with discussion through a mailing group and issue or pull request reporting on GitHub.checked 8 Oct 2001

Validation

Quattor includes validation features intended to catch configuration errors before deployment.checked 8 Oct 2001