For-IT Automation Framework

For-IT is a lightweight automation framework designed to execute tasks across multiple hosts. It follows a client-server architecture where the server distributes tasks to clients based on playbook configurations.

Features

Client-server architecture for distributed task execution
YAML-based playbook configuration
Real-time task execution and monitoring
Support for conditional task execution
Systemd integration for both server and client
Cross-platform support (Linux and macOS)
DEB and RPM package support

Installation

Using DEB/RPM Packages

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases

Install the server package:

# For Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dpkg -i for-server_*.deb

# For RHEL/CentOS
sudo rpm -i for-server_*.rpm

Install the client package:

# For Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dpkg -i for-client_*.deb

# For RHEL/CentOS
sudo rpm -i for-client_*.rpm

Manual Installation

Download the latest release archive
Extract the archive:
```
tar xzf for-IT_*.tar.gz
```

Copy binaries to /usr/local/bin:

sudo cp for-server /usr/local/bin/
sudo cp for-client /usr/local/bin/

Copy systemd service files:

sudo cp systemd/for-server.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo cp systemd/for-client.service /etc/systemd/system/

Configuration

Directory Structure

The framework uses an Ansible-like directory structure:

/etc/for/
└── environments/
    ├── customer1/
    │   ├── dev.yml       # Development environment config
    │   ├── prod.yml      # Production environment config
    │   └── roles/        # Customer-specific roles
    │       └── mariadb/
    │           └── tasks.yml
    └── roles/            # Global roles
        └── common/       # Common tasks for all customers
            └── tasks.yml

Environment Configuration

Each customer can have multiple environment configurations (e.g., dev.yml, prod.yml):

name: customer1-production
description: Production environment for Customer1

variables:
  APP_ENV: production
  LOG_LEVEL: info
  CUSTOMER: customer1

# Role-specific configurations
mariadb:
  version: "10.11"
  port: 3306
  max_connections: 500

playbooks:
  basic_setup:
    name: Basic System Setup
    description: Install common tools and packages
    include: /etc/for/environments/roles/common/tasks.yml

Roles

Common Role (/etc/for/environments/roles/common/tasks.yml):
- Basic system configurations
- Common package installation
- System-wide settings
Customer-Specific Roles (/etc/for/environments/customer1/roles/*/tasks.yml):
- Service-specific configurations
- Customer-specific packages
- Custom scripts and tools

Server Setup

Create the environments directory:
```
sudo mkdir -p /etc/for/environments
```

Copy your environment configurations and roles:

sudo cp -r environments/* /etc/for/environments/

Start the server:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable for-server
sudo systemctl start for-server

Client Setup

Start the client with your customer name and environment:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable for-client@customer1
sudo systemctl start for-client@customer1

Configure the client environment:

# Edit the client service configuration
sudo systemctl edit for-client@customer1

Add:

[Service]
Environment=FOR_ENVIRONMENT=production  # or development

Usage

Server Command-Line Options

for-server [options]
  --addr string          Server address (default ":8080")
  --playbook-dir string  Directory containing playbook files (default "playbooks")

Client Command-Line Options

for-client [options]
  --server string       Server address (default "localhost:8080")
  --interval duration   Check interval (default 30m)
  --customer string     Customer name (required)
  --environment string  Environment name (required)
  --dry-run            Show what would be executed without making changes
  --run-once           Run once and exit

Logging

Both the server and client log to /var/log/for/:

Server logs:
- /var/log/for/server.log: General server operations
- /var/log/for/server.error.log: Server errors
Client logs:
- /var/log/for/client.log: Task execution and client operations
- /var/log/for/client.error.log: Client errors

The log directory and permissions are automatically managed by the systemd service files.

Debugging

Check server logs:
```
tail -f /var/log/for/server.log
```
This shows:
- Playbook loading and parsing
- Task distribution
- Client connections
Check client logs:
```
tail -f /var/log/for/client.log
```
This shows:
- Task execution results
- Server connection status
- Configuration details

Test task execution:

# Run client once with debug output
for-client -server localhost:8080 -customer customer1 -environment production -run-once

Verify server operation:

# Check if server is running
systemctl status for-server

# View loaded playbooks
ls -R /etc/for/environments/

Playbook Format

name: Playbook Name
customer: customer_name
environment: environment_name
tasks:
  - name: Task Name
    command: command_to_execute
    when: condition  # Optional condition
    variables:       # Optional environment variables
      KEY: value

Development

Building from Source

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/diceone/for-IT.git
cd for-IT

Build the binaries:

go build ./cmd/server
go build ./cmd/client

Running Tests

go test ./...

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.