[hobbit] Feasibility of Windows Client

Wed Mar 1 14:10:06 CET 2006

This e-mail is subject to the disclaimer set out below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Etienne,

I've been playing around with getting the various bit of info, such as disk
usage, cpu, services, etc. using WMI scripts via .vbs. I've attached the
file.

I've not touched it for a month or so, but it might be of some use. The [ps]
section uses the Sysinternals tools plist.

My original idea was to output the data in the same format as the linux
client, so no further coding was required in the hobbit daemon.

Regards,

Peter

-----Original Message-----
From: Etienne Grignon [mailto:etienne.grignon at gmail.com] 
Sent: 01 March 2006 12:53
To: hobbit at hswn.dk
Subject: Re: [hobbit] Feasibility of Windows Client

Hi all,

I wanted to make you the surprise but I think I have to announce it today.

I'm thinking of an open source big brother hobbit client for months and
started to code it 2 month ago.

The client is coded in C++ using the platform SDK, the visual C++ toolkit
(free edition of the compiler). I have written the program with the idea: "I
want to make it work without installing nothing more than a default Windows
2000 installation".

It will work as a native service and it will not be a monolithic program as
the actual quest bbnt.  We are in 2006, I think each program should have
been written to take part of the plug in architecture. So, the service is
actually an engine loading native agent (dll). So, the service loads the
agents and it schedules their execution.

Of course, one of my agent is called externals.dll and will be able to
execute all existing scripts that every one are using with the original
bbnt. But, for the future, every one will be able to develop native agents
(using a small C++ api that I wrote).

So, at first, I'm working on externals agent and with important agents as
cpu, disk and memory (respectively: cpu.dll, disk.dll, memory.dll). For
events, I'm waiting to be able to implement the same thing that Henrik is
making for the unix agent.

 About the configuration, it is done thanks to the registry only for paths
information, and the configuration of the service and each agent is done
with a nice XML configuration file.

 About the installer, it will be a native MSI written using the wix toolkit
to be able to deploy the package very easily. I'm working on it but for the
moment, but my concentration for the moment is really on the service and the
agents.

 Now, let's talk about the project name:

 The software is called bbwin (project already created on bbwin) I will try
to post the source soon after the preview release. (For the moment, I'm
trying to find a nice way to publish posts from my subversion repository to
the cvs sourceforge repository :)  ) 

There will be 2 executables:

 Bbwin.Exe : build as a native service

 Bbwincmd.exe : it is a simple command line client as bb.exe on unix, it is
compiled with my hobbit protocol C++ class implementing 95 % of the
protocol. I posted a preview on sourceforge :
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=136450
<http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=136450&package_id=149
927&release_id=397674> &package_id=149927&release_id=397674 

About compatibility, it should work well on Windows XP, Windows 2000,
Windows 2003 and also on Windows NT 4.0 SP 6. For 64 bits, I have no
hardware to test for the moment. 

Also, Henrik, you told us that you knew someone working on it. Would it be
possible for you to make me in contact with him ? May be we could work
together. Even, if for the moment, I don't have much of native agents, I
think working together could be cool and try to get the best of the 2
windows clients. 

So please, wait some days, I'm preparing a first preview so, you will be
able to judge on it. I will post a new message on the list on March 15th .

Last thing, if you are going to renew your bbnt licence pack, I think you
should wait some time ...  : )

Etienne (aka sharpyy)

>From Paris

2006/3/1, Rich Smrcina <rsmrcina at wi.rr.com <mailto:rsmrcina at wi.rr.com> >:

Yes, the BB windows client does work just fine.  Word is that there is a
Hobbit windows client in development, which we are very eagerly waiting for.

Ralph Mitchell wrote:
> I would expect the Windows BB client to be able to report to Hobbit - 
> after all, the other various BB tests I've tried seem to work just
> fine.  I've never used the Windows client, so I don't know if there'd
> be much advantage in re-inventing it.
>
> Ralph Mitchell 
>
>
> On 3/1/06, Camp, Neil D. (ManTech) CTR <neil.camp at deca.mil
<mailto:neil.camp at deca.mil> > wrote:
>> Question to all,
>>
>> What would be the feasibility of building a windows client? 
>> Would you have to write it from scratch?
>> Could you potentially use cygwin dlls to assist?
>> Could you use the BB windows client?
>>
>> I am curious, and would like to pursue this. I am not a coder especially 
>> for windows, but I would be willing to give it a try. I just need some
>> suggestions and input on what direction to go, and if there would be any
>> interest in a windows client. Thanks!
>>
>> --neil
>>
>> ManTech
>> DeCA Operations Systems Administrator
>> (804) 734-8353
>> neil.camp at deca.mil <mailto:neil.camp at deca.mil> 
>>
>>
>> To unsubscribe from the hobbit list, send an e-mail to
>> hobbit-unsubscribe at hswn.dk <mailto:hobbit-unsubscribe at hswn.dk> 
>>
>>
>>
>
> To unsubscribe from the hobbit list, send an e-mail to 
> hobbit-unsubscribe at hswn.dk <mailto:hobbit-unsubscribe at hswn.dk> 
>
>

--
Rich Smrcina
VM Assist, Inc.
Main: (262)392-2026
Cell: (414)491-6001
Ans Service:  (360)715-2467 
rich.smrcina at vmassist.com <http://vmassist.com> 

Catch the WAVV!  http://www.wavv.org <http://www.wavv.org> 
WAVV 2006 - Chattanooga, TN - April 7-11, 2006

To unsubscribe from the hobbit list, send an e-mail to 
hobbit-unsubscribe at hswn.dk <mailto:hobbit-unsubscribe at hswn.dk> 

-- 
Etienne GRIGNON 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail message is confidential and for use by the addressee only. If
you are not the intended recipient, you must not use, disclose, copy or
forward this transmission.  Please return the message to the sender by
replying to it and then delete the message from your computer.  The Generics
Group provides e-mail services for both itself and a number of its
independent spin-out companies.  The Generics Group shall not be held liable
to any person resulting from the use of any information contained in this
e-mail and shall not be liable to any person who acts or omits to do
anything in reliance upon it. The Generics Group does not accept
responsibility for changes made to this message after it was sent.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.xymon.com/pipermail/xymon/attachments/20060301/a6ed229e/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: hobbit.vbs
Type: application/octet-stream
Size: 5740 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.xymon.com/pipermail/xymon/attachments/20060301/a6ed229e/attachment.obj>