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Re: [hobbit] Feasibility of Windows Client



Steve-

No doubt the Big Brother Windows client lacks a lot of functionality, but the 1.08d version from bb4.org does support notification on yellows events. It was not available in the 1.08b release *I think*. In version 1.08d, they squeezed a Pagelevels box right under the last check box on the left "Forced Registry Close" and above the Msgs Levels box in the GUI. I currently have red and yellow there and receive email notifications just like the *nix servers. I also think there was talk on the mailing list of someone who got the hobbit client running under cygwin. HTH

We are all very excited here in the shire whenever there is talk of a free replacement Windows client. Parting ways with the BB client would be a big step forward. A huge thanks to Henrik and all the people that quietly and freely contribute to Hobbit and FOSS in general for such a quality software and mailing list. There is far better support here than with most commercial vendors. Keep up the great work!

Tony


Aiello, Steve (GE, Corporate, consultant) wrote:
I do know that the bb1.9c code does compile on windows under cygwin. My next check was to see if I could get the bbgen client compiled using cygwin. Maybe see if the hobbit code can compile under cygwin. Once compiled, you do not need the full cygwin resources, but the cygwin dll. I have found the BB win client to be very lacking in some regards. In my current environment I need to stay with BigBrother, and am able not upgrade to Hobbit. So I am left with the test thresholds configured on the client side. With the windows client, configuration & thresholds are handled differently than the *nix clients. Also windows client does not have the option to configure what color status to alert on. Some of my servers need to alert on Yellow. Also, bb windows client does not handle the full bb protocol, I have some custom scripts that need to submit information via 'data'. So to me having a windows client that is configured, and has all the same options a *nix is very needful.
Of late I just have not had the time to dig into this, but figured I would let you all know compiling under cygwin with the existing source is possible.


    -----Original Message-----
    *From:* Norton, Peter [mailto:Peter.Norton (at) Manage5Nines.com]
    *Sent:* Wednesday, March 01, 2006 8:10 AM
    *To:* 'hobbit (at) hswn.dk'
    *Subject:* RE: [hobbit] Feasibility of Windows Client

    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&package_id=149927&release_id=397674
    <http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=136450&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 15^th .


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
    WAVV 2006 - Chattanooga, TN - April 7-11, 2006

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-- Etienne GRIGNON


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