Cobbler
6.2#4 in bare metal as a service (bmaas) softwareFree planFree planAPILinuxSelf-hosted
VisitCobbler vs xCAT
What both publish
| Fact | Cobbler | xCAT |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations | Cobbler can integrate with external configuration management systems including cfengine3, Puppet, bcfg2 and Chef, and also has an internal lightweight system. | The documentation lists OpenStack and SoftLayer cloud integration and mentions configuring HPC applications including GPFS, Parallel Environment, and LSF. |
| Provisioning | It supports PXE deployments, virtualization with Xen, QEMU/KVM or VMware, and reinstallation of existing Linux systems. | xCAT provisions operating systems on physical or virtual machines using diskful, stateless, or cloned installation methods. |
| Purpose | Cobbler is a Linux installation server for setting up and automating network installation environments. | xCAT automates deployment, scaling, and management of bare metal servers and virtual machines. |
| Security | The security policy says Cobbler has no SELinux or AppArmor profile and advises protecting it because it manages DHCP and TFTP and has broad network control. | The security documentation covers TLS configuration, transmission channels, command access control, auditing, password management, secure zones, and IP-based access control. |
| Support | The project directs users to its mailing list, GitHub issues and community chat for help. | The project encourages GitHub issues for support and also lists an older user email list. |
Cobbler plans
- CobblerFree
xCAT plans
- xCATFree
Pick Cobbler if…
Cobbler suits administrators setting up Linux network installations in small or large environments. It is intended for people comfortable with Linux server administration and protecting systems with broad network control.
Pick xCAT if…
xCAT may suit administrators managing clusters, datacenters, or other large groups of physical or virtual machines, particularly where parallel operations and operating-system provisioning are needed.