Cobbler
Cobbler is an open-source Linux installation server that automates operating system installation, management, and provisioning on servers. It helps streamline Linux setups by quickly installing operating systems across large networks of servers.
installation
provisioning
automation
Cobbler: Open-Source Linux Installation Server for Automated OS Setup
Automate Linux server setup with Cobbler, an open-source installation server offering streamlined OS deployment across large networks of servers.
What is Cobbler?
Cobbler is an open-source Linux installation server and provisioning system designed to help automate setup and management of Linux systems across large networks of servers. It streamlines the installation of Linux distributions by allowing an administrator to set up a provisioning system from which a large number of machines may pull their operating system configuration.
Some key features of Cobbler include:
- Automated network installation of Linux distributions including RHEL, CentOS, Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, and more
- Central management of DHCP, DNS, TFTP services integrated with installs
- Kickstart templating to simplify customization of installs
- Bare metal installs as well as virtualized installs
- Integration with configuration management tools like Puppet and Ansible
- Web UI, command line interface, and RESTful API for management
- Built-in monitoring to track events and status of installs
- Role/group management to categorize systems by profiles
- Multi-architecture and multi-distro support including x86_64, x86, ARM
Cobbler allows a Linux administrator to rapidly set up network install environments for deploying large fleets of Linux machines. It is a powerful tool for provisioning data center infrastructure with complex configurations.
Cobbler Features
Features
- Automated OS installation
- Kickstart file management
- DHCP and DNS management
- PXE boot server
- User management
- Package repositories
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Automates Linux deployment
Supports multiple Linux distros
Open source and free
Easy to set up and use
Active community support
Cons
Steep learning curve
Not as feature rich as proprietary solutions
Limited scalability without additional tools
CLI only, no GUI
Official Links
The Best Cobbler Alternatives
Top System & Hardware and Server Management and other similar apps like Cobbler
Here are some alternatives to Cobbler:
Suggest an alternative ❐
Ansible
Ansible, developed by Red Hat, is a powerful and open-source automation tool designed to simplify IT tasks ranging from configuration management to application deployment and task orchestration. Leveraging a simple and human-readable language, Ansible enables users to automate complex workflows, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and scalability across their IT infrastructure. At...
Puppet
Puppet is an open source configuration management and automation tool used to manage IT infrastructure. It helps system administrators automate repetitive tasks, enforce desired state configuration, increase efficiency, and adopt infrastructure as code practices.Key features and benefits of Puppet include:Powerful domain specific language to model infrastructure as codeModular design to...
RunDeck
RunDeck is an open source automation server used to run jobs, processes, and workflows across multiple machines. It allows you to schedule all kinds of tasks, including:Ad hoc scriptsSystem administrationBig data workflowsKey features include:Job scheduling and dispatchResource modeling (create an inventory of nodes)Role-based access controlIntegrations (SSH, LDAP, Active Directory)Remote execution...
Ansible Automation Platform
Ansible Automation Platform is an enterprise-grade, open source automation platform developed by Red Hat. It is designed to automate provisioning, configuration management, application deployments, intra-service orchestration, and other IT tasks. Ansible is agentless, using SSH or Windows Remote Management (WinRM) to connect to client machines.Ansible represents automation tasks with Playbooks,...
DCImanager
DCImanager is an open-source, web-based data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software. It provides a centralized platform to visualize, monitor, and manage all the physical infrastructure in data centers, including:ServersNetwork switches and routersPower distribution unitsCooling systemsRacks and physical spaceCables and connectionsKey features of DCImanager include:Interactive visual map of data center assets...
CTO.ai
CTO.ai is an artificial intelligence-powered software platform designed to help technology executives and product leaders make better decisions about product and technology strategy. The software analyzes data from across the organization - including customer feedback, business objectives, technical debt, and more - and uses machine learning algorithms to provide personalized...
EIP SAM
EIP SAM (Enterprise Infrastructure Planning - System Architecting and Modeling) is an open-source software tool used for modeling large-scale IT infrastructures and enterprise architectures. It provides a flexible and scalable platform for architects, planners, and engineers to design, visualize, analyze and optimize complex technological landscapes and workflows.Key capabilities and benefits...
Cfengine
Cfengine is an open source configuration management software designed to automate IT infrastructure operations and tasks. It takes a policy-based approach, allowing system administrators to define the desired state of their infrastructure and servers through declarative policies.Key capabilities and uses of Cfengine include:Server configuration management - Cfengine can automatically set...
Landscape
Landscape is an open source systems management and monitoring tool developed by Canonical for deploying, managing, and monitoring Ubuntu servers. It provides a web-based interface to manage multiple Ubuntu machines as well as servers running other Linux distributions or cloud instances.Key features of Landscape include:Automatic deployment and configuration of new...
Cdist
cdist is an open source configuration management and deployment tool written in Python. It takes a different approach from other tools like Ansible, Chef or Puppet in that the configuration logic is written in Python instead of a custom domain-specific language.Some key features and capabilities of cdist include:Configuration defined through...
Bcfg2
Bcfg2 is an open-source configuration management system created to help system administrators maintain consistent configurations across a large number of computers. It was originally developed to manage Linux/UNIX systems but also supports managing Windows, Mac OS X, network devices and more.Bcfg2 allows administrators to define the desired configuration states for...
Commando.io
Commando.io is a robust workflow automation platform designed to help teams automate repetitive, manual work between apps and services. With an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface, Commando.io empowers anyone to build, run and manage workflows without coding.Key features include:Connectors for over 100 apps including Salesforce, Slack, Gmail and moreVisual workflow builder with...
Crowbar
Crowbar is an open source software lifecycle management tool originally developed by SUSE for Linux and cloud environments. It provides automated, unattended operating system installation, configuration and maintenance on bare metal systems.Some key capabilities and features of Crowbar include:Automated discovery, provisioning and monitoring of physical serversDeployment of operating systems including...
(R)?ex
(R)?ex is a feature-packed text editor for Windows that balances powerful editing tools with an accessible interface. It works well for both code and prose, making it a flexible option for developers, writers, and anyone who works extensively with text.As a code editor, (R)?ex supports syntax highlighting for over 200...
Sprinkle
Sprinkle is a lightweight, easy-to-use web application monitoring and performance tracking tool designed for developers. It allows you to monitor the real-user performance of your web apps by tracking key metrics like page load times, JavaScript errors, failed requests, and more.Some key features of Sprinkle include:Easy integration with modern JavaScript...
Nlyte Software
Nlyte Software is a leading provider of data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software solutions designed specifically for colocation providers and enterprises with colocation requirements. Founded in 2004, Nlyte has become an established player in the DCIM market with its comprehensive and user-friendly software.Nlyte's DCIM platform provides a central point of...
Propellor
Propellor is an open source configuration management and deployment tool written in the Haskell programming language. Unlike traditional imperative configuration management tools like Ansible, Puppet or Chef, Propellor uses a declarative domain-specific language to define desired system configurations and state.Some key features and benefits of Propellor include:Declarative syntax - Specify...
