opsi à la Carte: opsiconf 2024 in Mainz

Two days of workshops, presentations, and networking. opsiconf 2024 in Mainz was a culinary delight. From hands-on training sessions and cutting-edge concept studies to an unforgettable social dinner—there was something to satisfy everyone’s taste buds at opsiconf 2024. Here are the highlights.

Set and Ready: The Workshop Day

Day one kicked off with a series of workshops, serving as a delightful appetizer. The organizers offered an “opsi Basic Workshop for Beginners,” with Karsten Köpke delivering the first course at the Mainz headquarters—easy to digest and perfect for those sitting down at the opsi table for the first time.

In the uib GmbH training rooms, another workshop titled “opsi4.3 Depot Server on ARM 64” took place. Thomas Fritzsche demonstrated how versatile opsi can be within ARM64 architecture and Docker environments. His recipe: depot servers on a Single Board Computer (SBC) as a cost-effective solution for small setups. Not even train delays could spoil the broth for participants: when some arrived two hours late, Thomas simply held the workshop again. No one was left hungry for knowledge.

At the conference hotel, Detlef Oertel and Mathias Radtke served up a varied menu. They kicked things off with a workshop report on background software installation, guiding attendees through the challenges of installing software on systems with different usage scenarios: computers running 24/7, school laptops only used during class, and employee laptops that are always closed but never shut down. Detlef also introduced new opsi-setup-detector features.

Next, we moved to the test kitchen. Participants learned about Windows application package formats like Appx and MSIX and how to install them using opsi. Mathias demonstrated Windows installation without WinPE. The day wrapped up with a feedback session where everyone could share their ideas and suggestions for future improvements.

Stylish Service: The Social Dinner

At 6 PM, 62 participants and 22 uib employees made their way to downtown Mainz for the evening festivities. At Zenz Wirtshaus, they were treated to a feast of culinary delights and top-notch service. The tavern staff got some lively help from Fräulein Buschmann and her team from Café Kølbert. The show waiters really livened up the event.

Now everyone knows who the little prince of uib is. One waitress couldn’t help but gush, “Meeting him is like the sun coming out at night!” Meanwhile, her colleague at the next table was stirring up some fun with a teambuilding exercise. She wrapped the group in tape and soon ended up all tangled herself. The evening’s highlight: Singer-songwriter Erol Ülükmen unveiled his new hit, “Ohooop-siiii, ohop-siiii, opsi, opsi!” (Think of it to the tune of “Amazing Grace.”) We’re already looking forward to the English version in two years—it’s going to be a smash!

Today’s Menu: The Presentations

So, the next morning, we got started right on time at 9 AM. The organizers had put together this fantastic multi-course menu of presentations. After Erol Ülükmen’s keynote, Thomas Trapp and Eric Esser gave a talk on “Monitoring with opsi,” breaking down everything you need to know about keeping an eye on opsi environments—from servers and software packages to rollouts, updates, and client monitoring.

“Why not combine the advantages of opsi-script and Python?” Jan Werner posed this question and introduced a new, preliminary concept that benefits both users and developers. The concept includes two easy-to-use interfaces for system administrators: one for standard installations and daily sysadmin tasks, and an advanced interface that merges opsi-script functionality with the full power of Python.

Martin Ewest, who’s on the development team for paed.ML® Windows at the Baden-Württemberg State Media Center (Landesmedienzentrum Baden-Württemberg), introduced us to paed.ML®. It’s this comprehensive all-in-one IT infrastructure solution for school networks that uses opsi for software distribution. As we were wrapping up the conference, we got into how opsi-configed got a major facelift. Nils Otto showed us how the team tackled the two-decade-old codebase and brought it up to speed. And let me tell you, the results are pretty awesome—not just because of the new look and those shiny new icons!

We couldn’t miss out on the delicious birthday cake during the coffee break because this year we’re celebrating a big milestone. Happy 20th birthday, opsi!

All too quickly, opsiconf was over. Those were two fantastic, inspiring, and fun-filled days. Thanks to everyone who worked hard behind the scenes and prepared this opulent feast with such dedication!

Chef’s Special: opsiconf 2024 Gallery