Open Distribution Server Technologies

The ODST project aims to deliver an open and automated file distribution solution for IT administrators. The core application of this solution is the Open Distribution Server (ODS).

Warning

This project is currently in an Alpha state and is being actively developed and tested. See Contributing to ODST below to learn more about how you can help!

Features

• Secure and Automatic Bi-Directional File Syncing
• Web Interface
• Admin API for Integrations
• File and Server Stage Taging
• Webhook and Email Notification Options
• Support for Jamf Pro
• And More...

Note

If you use a management solution other than Jamf Pro and would like to see integration features between ODST and your solution, please open a GitHub issue with a description!

The Open Distribution Server

The ODS is a Flask application and Celery worker that connect to a Redis server (for worker queues), a database server (SQLite and MySQL currently supported with MSSQL and PostgreSQL planned), and fronted by a web server (Nginx or Apache).

While single-server installers are planned for Linux (Ubuntu/RHEL), Windows, and macOS, the ODS application can be deployed in many different models, such as the application and worker server connecting to remote Redis and database servers, or running as a containerized server in Docker or Kubernetes.

Note

See the Docker documentation to read more about using the included docker-compose.yml example to launch a development/test instance.

Admin Guide

• Initial Setup
• ODS Registration
• Package Management
• Known Issues

API Reference

• Admin API

Installation Guides

• The Python Environment
• Application Configuration
• Example Docker Compose Setup

Completed Features and Notes

• Admin Web UI Logins

  Default username: admin

  Default password: ods1234!

• Server Admin page (UI)

• Package Management (UI)

• ODS Network (UI)

  ODS registration is functional, instances can make API requests to each other, and one-way syncing is implemented.

• Admin API Endpoints

  • GET /api/admin/about

    Returns application information.

  • GET /api/admin/system

    Returns system information.

  • GET /api/admin/packages

    Returns all files that have been uploaded.

  • POST /api/admin/packages

    Upload a file to the server. The content-type must be multipart/form-data containing file and stage attributes.

Contributing to ODST

The ODST project originated with the Mac Admins community. If you have not, please join the Mac Admins Slack and join the #odst channel to join the conversation. Feedback and putting up feature requests for discussion are entirely welcome and desired!

You can also contribute to the development of the ODST project in any of the following ways:

• Build Testing

  Run the latest version as features are committed and test them. Submit issues, provide logs, and provide details on the application deployment. Testing and submitting issues will ensure quality!

• Optimal Configurations

  Administrators and developers experienced with Redis, Nginx, Apache, MySQL, or any of the other technologies that comprise the ODST stack, can help define the baseline configuration of these services for documentation and to be set as a part of the planned installers.

• Installers

  The ODS application can be custom setup for almost any kind of deployment, but an easy option where an administrator can run an installer on a single server is a goal for the project. If you have experience building installers on any platform please reach out!

• Documentation

  Read and scrutinize this documentation. Feel free to make a pull request to correct errors - spelling and grammatical - and incorrect information.