[Fusioninventory-user] Some doubts about FusionInventory Agent command line options

[Tomás Abad]

    Hello Guillaume,

On 18/06/12 10:01, Guillaume Rousse wrote:
> Le 18/06/2012 01:50, Tomás Abad a écrit :
>> Hello,
>>
>> [...]
>>
>> a) The term 'target' is only regarding the contact with a server
>> (--server=url1,url2,...) or is it also used for local destination
>> (--local=absolute_path)? In other words, the options --server and
>> --local indicate both 'targets'?
> Yes. As well as --stdout. Hence the man page or --help output:
>
> Usage: fusioninventory-agent [options] [--server server|--local
> directory|--sdout]
>
> Target definition options -s --server=URI     send tasks result to a
> server -l --local=DIR      write tasks results in a directory
> --stdout            write tasks result on STDOUT
>

    Understood. 'Target' is any destination of the result of the tasks.

    Usage:
       fusioninventory-agent [options] [targets]

          Target definition options
             -s --server=URI[,URI[...]]   Remote targets. Send tasks
                                          result to a server.
             -l --local=<absolute_path>   Local target. Write tasks
                                          result in a local directory.
             --stdout                     Local target. Write tasks
                                          result on STDOUT.

    And one thing is the 'Target' and other thing is the 'Execution mode'.


>> b) Regarding with options --delaytime, --wait and --lazy
>>
>> b.1) All of them have sense only whether FusionInventory Agent runs
>> in Server Mode, isn't it?
> No. Actually, --wait and --lazy are only used in the other execution
>  mode (explicit name still needed), as explicitly said for the last
> one in description. I guess the main purpose of --lazy is to run the
> agent manually alongside an already running agent daemon, without
> sending additional reports to the server.
>
> [...]

    Understood.

       --delaytime, in server mode execution only (background mode).

       --lazy, in no server mode execution only (foreground mode).

       --wait, in no server mode execution only (foreground mode).

    Now I understand much better the purpose of --lazy. It's a clever way
to launch fusioninventory-agent in a foreground mode -with local targets
defined- without disturb any other fusioninventory-agent in a background
mode -with remote targets defined- which was running previously.


>> b.2) Does --wait come into play with local targets (option --local)
>> or only with remote targets (option --server)?
> Any target.

    Sorry Guillaume, one thing is the 'Target' and other thing is the
'Execution mode'.

    By the way, Gonéri Le Bouder says it makes no sense nowadays
(http://forge.fusioninventory.org/issues/1701)


>> b.3) If b.1 is true then there is an error in the official
>> FusionInventory Agent documentation (http://search.cpan.org
>> /~fusinv/FusionInventory-Agent-2.2.2/fusioninventory-agent).
>>
>> [...]
>>
> Wrong. See code in case of doubt: getNextTarget method, in Scheduler
> class.
>
> However, --wait description should have the same mention as --lazy.

    Something like "This option is only available when the agent runs in
foreground mode".


>> c) Regarding with option --backend-collect-timeout
>>
>> c.1) What are exactly the 'inventory modules'? I know there are
>> tasks (Inventory, WakeOnLan, ESX, NetDiscovery, NetInventory and
>> Deploy) but I don't know what are 'inventory modules'.
> The inventory task is implemented as a set of independant piece of
> codes, which are called modules in Perl world. Indeed, that's a poor
>  vocabulary.
>
>> c.2) Are 'inventory modules' the same than 'tasks'?
> No, rather task sub-components (sub tasks ?)
>
>> c.3) Is backend-collect-timeout the timeout for all 'inventory
>> modules' or only for some of them?
> For all.


    This have arisen me new doubts. We have Tasks and Sub-Tasks but then

    c.4) Which is the dependence structure of them?

    c.5) There is a hierarchy of Tasks? What is it?

    c.6) Is --backend-collect-timeout the timeout for the hierarchy like
         a whole or is only for a branch of it?


> Documenting the agent is quite difficult, [...]

    In general, any documentation process is difficult and tedious. ;)


> [...] Any additional contribution in this direction is welcome.

    Yes I know it.


> BTW, Walid also manifested its interest about those issues:
> http://forge.fusioninventory.org/issues/536#change-4521

    Thanks for the information.

    Thanks in advance. Best regards.