using Chocolatey for application deployments

CHOCOLATEY
Software deployments using

Who am i
Owain Perry
Software architect at thetrainline.com
Twitter: owainperry
Blog: owainperry.com

What is Chocolatey?
 Chocolatey NuGet is a Machine Package
Manager, somewhat like apt-get, but built
withWindows in mind. - See more at:
http://chocolatey.org/#sthash.WI0IhYUd.dpu
f

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
withWindows in mind. - See more at:
http://chocolatey.org/#sthash.WI0IhYUd.dpu
f

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 version
Cwindowsfeature – 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 packageA to
install a package B with version 4.8.0.34

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) +
"..datanpp.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/chocolatey/wiki/He
lpersReference

Helpers
 Install-ChocolateyPackage
Install-ChocolateyZipPackage
Install-ChocolateyPowershellCommand
Install-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.

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

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.

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.

using Chocolatey for application deployments

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