New opsi Client Agents for Windows, Linux, and macOS

Over the past few months, we have dedicated extensive efforts to developing a new generation of opsi client agents. We have recently released them in our testing branch. This blog post hilights the new features of the client agents for Windows, Linux, and macOS. The article also discusses the changes in their structure and handling.

Enhanced Compatibility and Performance

The opsi client agents 4.2.x are compatible with opsi 4.1, but some of the new features, such as providing the installer, only work with a current opsi 4.2 config server. Support for all Windows versions starting from NT6.0 is included in opsi-client-agent 4.2.x, while older Windows versions are no longer supported.

Under Windows, file permissions are now set via icacls, resulting in significantly improved performance. icacls (Integrity Control Access Control List) is a command line tool for Windows which manages and modifies file and folder permissions in the operating system. You can use icacls to view, set, modify, or remove permissions for files and directories, including granting or denying specific users or groups various levels of access.

New Installer: Effortless opsi Client Agent Setup

The installation procedures for different modes, including OS installation, service_setup, opsi-deploy-client-agent, and update via service, have been unified and simplified. Now, installations of the opsi client agent always occur in the service context. For OS installations, opsi-deploy-client-agent, and service_setup, a connection to the opsi service is established first. As a result, all configurations, product properties, and more can be retrieved directly from the opsi service, eliminating the need for config files (e.g., config.ini) and duplicate installations during OS installation.

Furthermore, a convenient installer is now available to install the opsi client agent without the requirement to connect to the opsi depot share first. This installer is provided by the opsi config server and can be downloaded from https://<config-server>:4447/public/opsi-client-agent without authentication.

Both the installer and the service_setup now use an installation helper that automatically detects available opsi 4.2 config servers in the LAN via Zeroconf. In most cases, rebooting is no longer necessary during the installation and update processes of the opsi client agents.

Introducing opsi-script: An Advanced Action Processor

The action processor opsi-script, which serves as the successor to opsi-winst, is now included (also for Windows). To enable updates of the action processor, it is recommended to install the opsi package opsi-script on all depots.

The opsiclientd service included in the opsi client agent now utilizes a server certificate issued by the config server through the opsi CA. Clients that trust the opsi Certificate Authority also trust the opsiclientd certificate (client port 4441).

Unified Structure: Consistency across Client Agents

The structure of opsi-client-agent, opsi-linux-client-agent, and opsi-mac-client-agent has been aligned to ensure consistency. For Windows and Linux, an extensible postinst mechanism is available to install the respective opsi client agent after netboot installation and make adjustments if necessary.

All client agents now include the setup.opsiscript directly under CLIENT_DATA, which regulates the installation procedure. Additionally, opsi-deploy-client-agent (and opsi-deploy-client-agent41 for compatibility with very old server operating systems running opsi 4.1) as well as the oca-installation-helper are located there. The latter is used by service_setup (silent_setup) and the installer to assist in configuring a new client. Custom files that should override the defaults can be stored under CLIENT_DATA/files/custom.

On Linux, opsi-script and opsi-client-systray are now compactly located under /opt to facilitate efficient updates. The update_action_processor now extends to the opsi-script libraries, default skin, and locales.

The opsiclientdguard, previously responsible for restarting the opsiclientd service in case of a crash, is no longer necessary and has been removed from the opsi-client-agent package on Windows.

Enhancing Client Agents with Your Feedback

These significant changes were made with the ultimate goal of enhancing the overall user experience with the client agents. By simplifying their structure, improving their efficiency, and streamlining the maintenance processes, we strive to provide a more seamless and intuitive experience for our users.

We hope that the new features meet your expectations and make your usage of the client agents more convenient and productive. We always appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

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