BoxStarter

Updated Wiki: About Boxstarter.Chocolatey

gep13 — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:31:32 GMT

TOPIC
AboutBoxstarterChocolatey

SYNOPSIS
Describes how to use Boxstarter's Chocolatey module to setup a new
environment with your favorite Chocolatey packages.

DESCRIPTION
Boxstarter's Chocolatey module compliments the Boxstarter Bootstrap
module by augmenting its unattended script execution environment
with Chocolatey goodness making it easy to setup a new box with
Chocolatey packages.

Installing Chocolatey
Boxstarter will check to ensure if Chocolatey is installed. If
Chocolatey is not installed it will install it before running any
Chocolatey commands. Boxstarter will also check to see if the .Net
4.0 Framework is installed before installing Chocolatey since the
.Net 4 runtime is a prerequisite.

Chocolatey Boxstarter Packages
When calling Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter or just Boxstarter, a
BootstrapperPackage name must be passed to the command. This is a
special Chocolatey package provided by the user that boxstarter asks
Chocolatey to install and it contains the script that is intended to
install all the applications and settings the user wants setup on the
local machine.

This package script has access to all of the Chocolatey helper
functions as well as all Boxstarter logging, WinConfig and
Bootstrapper commands. See AboutBoxstarterBootstrapper and
AboutBoxstarterLogging for information regarding those comands.

Creating Packages
Boxstarter provides some functions to make creation and deployment of
packages easy. Use New-BoxstarterPackage to either create a skeleton
package with a minimal nuspec and ChocolateyInstall.ps1 or to import an
existing package into boxstarter. This will put the package source files
in $($Boxstarter.LocalRepo)\<package name>. To pack these source files
use Invoke-BoxstarterBuild <package name>. You may also pack all package
in your repo with Invoke-BoxstarterBuild -all. If you would like to make
your local repo a network share, use Set-BoxstarterShare.

Consuming Boxstarter Packages
The primary gateway to kicking off a Boxstarter.Chocolatey installation
session is Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter. While you may use this
powershell function, you can also call Boxstarter.bat which takes the
exact same parameters as Invoke-CocolateyBoxstarter. If you installed
Boxstarter.Chocolatey via Chocolatey or the setup.bat installer,
boxstarter.bat is placed in your path. Boxstarter.bat will import the
Boxstarter.Chocolatey module and create a powershell session bypassing
ExecutionPolicy. Boxstarter.bat is ideal for calling Boxstarter
remotely. Simply share the Boxstarter base directory and you can access
it via \\serverName\Boxstarter\Boxstarter.bat.

Package Sources
Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter (or Boxstarter) expects just the name of the
bootstrapping package - just like CINST or Nuget. Boxstarter will search
the following locations in this order:

- $Boxstarter.LocalRepo: This is the local repository that by default is
in the BuildPackages directory in the Boxstarter Base Boxstarter Module
directory ($Boxstarter.BaseDir). You can change the default by adding a
LocalRepo setting to $($Boxstarter.BaseDir)\Boxstarter.Config.

- Chocolatey.org: The public chocolatey feed at http://chocolatey.org/api/v2

- Myget: The Boxstarter Community Feed at http://www.myget.org/F/boxstarter/api/v2

The last two remote sources can be configured by editing
$($Boxstarter.BaseDir)\Boxstarter.Config.

Reboot Detection
Perhaps the most compelling feature of Boxstarter is its way to handle
reboots during an involved environment setup package. Especially when
you are running patches, installing services and downloading complex
applications. Boxstarter intercepts all calls to Chocolatey install
commands and checks for pending reboots prior to calling Chocolatey. If
a pending reboot exists, Boxstarter reboots the machine and automatically
logs on with the credentials you provided providing an unattended
installation session. After the Chocolatey package completes, if the
package fails and returns the common MSI reboot needed exit code of
3010, Boxstarter will reboot which will likely cause the package to
succeed on the next run. See aboutboxstarterbootstrapper for more
details about the rebooting logic and how you can disable or manually
invoke them.

Package Authoring Considerations
Boxstarter can run any Chocolatey package and any valid powershell
inside that package. However, there are a few things to consider
that may make a Boxstarter Chocolatey package a better installation
experience.

- Boxstarter Chocolatey packages should be repeatable. This is
especially true if you anticipate the need to reboot. When Boxstarter
reboots, it starts running the package from the beginning. So ensure
that there is nothing that would cause the package to break if run
twice.

- If you have several Chocolatey packages that you want to install
during the Boxstarter session, it is preferable to call CINST
directly from inside your ChocolateyInstall instead of declaring
them as dependencies. This is because Boxstarter cannot intercept
Chocolatey dependencies so those packages will not have any reboot
protections.

SEE ALSO

Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter
about boxstarter logging
Invoke-Boxstarter
Invoke-Reboot
New-BoxstarterPackage
Invoke-BoxstarterBuild
Set-BoxstarterShare
about the $boxstarter variable in bootstrapper
about boxstarter logging
about the $boxstarter variable in chocolatey

Updated Wiki: Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter

gep13 — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:24:17 GMT

Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter

SYNOPSIS

Invokes the installation of a Boxstarter package

SYNTAX

Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter [-bootstrapPackage <String>] [-localRepo
<String>] -DisableReboots <CommonParameters>

DESCRIPTION

This essentially wraps Chocolatey Install and provides these additional features

Installs chocolatey if it is not already installed
Installs the .net 4.0 framework if it is not installed which is a chocolatey requirement
Turns off the windows update service during installation to prevent installation conflicts and minimize the need for reboots
Imports the Boxstarter.WinConfig module that provides functions for customizing windows
Provides Reboot Resiliency by ensuring the package installation is immediately restarted up on reboot if there is a reboot during the installation.
Ensures everything runs under admin

The .nupkg file for the provided package name is searched in the following locations and order:

.\BuildPackages relative to the parent directory of the module file
The chocolatey feed
The boxstarter feed on myget

This can be configured by editing $($Boxstarter.BaseDir)\Boxstarter.Config

PARAMETER

BootstrapPackage

The package to be installed.
The .nupkg file for the provided package name is searched in the following locations and order:

.\BuildPackages relative to the parent directory of the module file
The chocolatey feed
The boxstarter feed on myget

Localrepo

This is the path to the local boxstarter repository where boxstarter
should look for .nupkg files to install. By default this is located
in the BuildPackages directory just under the root Boxstarter
directory.

DisableReboots

If set, reboots are suppressed.

EXAMPLE

Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter example

This invokes boxstarter and installs the example .nupkg. In pending
reboots are detected, boxstarter will restart the machine. Boxstarter
will prompt the user to enter a password which will be used for
automatic logins in the event a restart is required.

EXAMPLE

Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter win8Install -LocalRepo \\server\share\boxstarter

This installs the Win8Install .nupkg and specifies that it is ok to
reboot the macine if a pending reboot is needed. Boxstarter will look
for the Win8Install .nupkg file in the \\serer\share\boxstarter
directory.

LINK

about boxstarter.chocolatey
About the $Boxstarter Variable

Updated Wiki: Set-BoxstarterShare

gep13 — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:23:53 GMT

Set-BoxstarterShare

SYNOPSIS

Shares the Boxstarter root directory - $Boxstarter.BaseDir

SYNTAX

Set-BoxstarterShare [-shareName <String>] [-accounts <String[]>]
<CommonParameters>

DESCRIPTION

Shares the Boxstarter root directory - $Boxstarter.BaseDir - so that
it can be accessed remotely. This allows remote machines to Invoke
ChocolateyBoxstarter via \\server\shareName\Boxstarter.bat. Unless
specified otherwise, the share name is Boxstarter and Everyone is
given Read permisions.

PARAMETER

ShareName

The name to give to the share. This is the name by which other
machines can access it. Boxstarter is he default.

Accounts

A ist of accounts to be given read access to the share. Everyone is
the default.

EXAMPLE

Set-BoxstarterShare

Shares the Boxstarter root as Boxstarter to everyone.

EXAMPLE

Set-BoxstarterShare BuildRepo

Shares the Boxstrarter Root as BuildRepo to everyone.

EXAMPLE

Set-BoxstarterShare -Accounts "corp\mwrock","corp\gmichaels"

Shares the Boxstarter root as Boxstarter to mwrock and gmichaels in the corp domain.

LINK

about boxstarter.chocolatey
Invoke-ChocolateyBoxstarter
New-BoxstarterPackage
Invoke-BoxstarterBuild

New Post: any sample packages in source control

fschwiet — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:21:40 GMT

Ok, I tried again today starting on a VM. Experimenting a bit more, I found it a lot more natural.

I did put what I'm using on source control if it might be a useful reference for others: https://github.com/fschwiet/fschwiet-boxstarter This takes awhile to test, so its still a work in progress.

New Post: any sample packages in source control

fschwiet — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:55:12 GMT

I've been trying to figure out Boxstarter. My previous efforts at repave automation live here (https://github.com/fschwiet/repave).

Anyhow, the first thing I observe is that new packages get created in the AppData/Roaming folder. I stumbled around trying to avoid this, as I really like to have everything in source control. Do you have any packages you use that are in source control? I'm curious how it works. I am going to try using it again, and maybe put the "Copy to thumb drive" result in source control.

Updated Wiki: Home

mwrock — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:57:53 GMT

BoxStarter

Creates a fresh .Net developer environment from a bare OS utilizing powershell and chocolatey.

Windows development environment creation made easy!

100% Unattended Install with pending reboot detection and automatic logon.
Lots of Windows configuration utilities including installing critical updates, changing windows explorer options, and more.
Easily installs to a Thumb drive or Set-BoxstarterShare to share it on your network.

Build your Uber Geek Environment

#After extracting Boxstarter.1.0.0.zip on MYCOMPUTER
.\setup.bat
Import-Module $env:appdata\boxstarter\Boxstarter.Chocolatey\Boxstarter.Chocolatey.psd1
#Create minimal nuspec and chocolateyInstall
New-BoxstarterPackage MyPackage
#Edit Install script to customize your environment
Notepad (Join-Path $Boxstarter.LocalRepo "MyPackage\tools\ChocolateyInstall.ps1")
#Pack nupkg
Invoke-BoxstarterBuild MyPackage

#share Repo
Set-BoxstarterShare
#Or Copy to thumb drive G
Copy-Item $Boxstarter.BaseDir G:\ -Recurse

#on new bare os
\\MYCOMPUTER\Boxstarter\Boxstarter Mypackage
 
#Enter password when prompted and come back later to new box

Here is an example developer chocolateyInstall.ps1:

Install-WindowsUpdate -AcceptEula
Update-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
Move-LibraryDirectory "Personal" "$env:UserProfile\skydrive\documents"
Set-ExplorerOptions -showHidenFilesFoldersDrives -showProtectedOSFiles -showFileExtensions
Set-TaskbarSmall
Enable-RemoteDesktop

cinstm VisualStudio2012Ultimate
if((Get-Item "$($Boxstarter.programFiles86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe").VersionInfo.ProductVersion -lt "11.0.60115.1") {
    if(Test-PendingReboot){Invoke-Reboot}
    Install-ChocolateyPackage 'vs update 2 ctp2' 'exe' '/passive /norestart' 'http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/9/3/89372D24-6707-4587-A7F0-10A29EECA317/vsupdate_KB2707250.exe'
}
cinstm fiddler
cinstm mssqlserver2012express
cinstm git-credential-winstore
cinstm console-devel
cinstm sublimetext2
cinstm skydrive
cinstm poshgit
cinstm dotpeek
cinstm googlechrome
cinstm Paint.net
cinstm windirstat
cinstm sysinternals
cinstm NugetPackageExplorer
cinstm resharper
cinstm windbg

cinst Microsoft-Hyper-V-All -source windowsFeatures
cinst IIS-WebServerRole -source windowsfeatures
cinst IIS-HttpCompressionDynamic -source windowsfeatures
cinst IIS-ManagementScriptingTools -source windowsfeatures
cinst IIS-WindowsAuthentication -source windowsfeatures
cinst TelnetClient -source windowsFeatures

$sublimeDir = "$env:programfiles\Sublime Text 2"

Install-ChocolateyPinnedTaskBarItem "$env:windir\system32\mstsc.exe"
Install-ChocolateyPinnedTaskBarItem "$env:programfiles\console\console.exe"
Install-ChocolateyPinnedTaskBarItem "$sublimeDir\sublime_text.exe"
Install-ChocolateyPinnedTaskBarItem "$($Boxstarter.programFiles86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"
Install-ChocolateyPinnedTaskBarItem "$($Boxstarter.programFiles86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe"

Install-ChocolateyFileAssociation ".txt" "$env:programfiles\Sublime Text 2\sublime_text.exe"
Install-ChocolateyFileAssociation ".dll" "$($Boxstarter.ChocolateyBin)\dotPeek.bat"

if(!(Test-Path("$sublimeDir\data")){mkdir "$sublimeDir\data"}
copy-item (Join-Path (Get-PackageRoot($MyInvocation)) 'sublime\*') -Force -Recurse "$sublimeDir\data"
move-item "$sublimeDir\data\Pristine Packages\*" -Force "$sublimeDir\Pristine Packages"
copy-item (Join-Path (Get-PackageRoot($MyInvocation)) 'console.xml') -Force $env:appdata\console\console.xml

Install-ChocolateyVsixPackage xunit http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/463c5987-f82b-46c8-a97e-b1cde42b9099/file/66837/1/xunit.runner.visualstudio.vsix
Install-ChocolateyVsixPackage autowrocktestable http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/ea3a37c9-1c76-4628-803e-b10a109e7943/file/73131/1/AutoWrockTestable.vsix
Install-ChocolateyVsixPackage vscommands http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/a83505c6-77b3-44a6-b53b-73d77cba84c8/file/74740/18/SquaredInfinity.VSCommands.VS11.vsix

Leveraging Chocolatey Goodness

The BoxStarter code base has undergone a major reorganization over the past few months in collaboration with Rob Reynolds' awesome Windows Package manager: Chocolatey. Much of BoxStarter's functionality has been improved and ported over directly into the Chocolatey repository as of release 0.9.8.20.

Functionality now in Chocolatey includes:

Creating task bar shortcuts, file associations and windows explorer context menu items.
Adding any "windows feature" available to the OS
Installing Visual Studio extensions

You can create and save BoxStarter packages for different types of installations to suit your distinct needs. The package format follows the Nuget specification so you can save them on your favorite public or private feed. By default, boxstarter searches the local "BuildPackages" folder in the Boxstarter repo, the Chocolatey Nuget Feed, and the MyGet Boxstarter feed.

Get More Information

See the Documentation

Import-Module Boxstarter.Chocolatey
Get-Help Boxstarter

Updated Release: Boxstarter 1.0.33 (Apr 15, 2013)

mwrock — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:37:31 GMT

#After extracting Boxstarter.1.0.0.zip on MYCOMPUTER
.\setup.bat
Import-Module Boxstarter.Chocolatey
#Create minimal nuspec and chocolateyInstall
New-BoxstarterPackage MyPackage
#Edit Install script
Notepad Join-Path $Boxstarter.LocalRepo "tools\ChocolateyInstall.ps1"
#Pack nupkg
Invoke-BoxstarterBuild MyPackage

#share Repo
Set-BoxstarterShare
#Or Copy to thumb drive G
Copy-Item $Boxstarter.BaseDir G:\ -Recurse

#on new bare os
\\MYCOMPUTER\Boxstarter\Boxstarter Mypackage
 
#Enter password when prompted and come back later to new box

Released: Boxstarter 1.0.33 (Apr 15, 2013)

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:37:31 GMT

#After extracting Boxstarter.1.0.0.zip on MYCOMPUTER
.\setup.bat
Import-Module Boxstarter.Chocolatey
#Create minimal nuspec and chocolateyInstall
New-BoxstarterPackage MyPackage
#Edit Install script
Notepad Join-Path $Boxstarter.LocalRepo "tools\ChocolateyInstall.ps1"
#Pack nupkg
Invoke-BoxstarterBuild MyPackage

#share Repo
Set-BoxstarterShare
#Or Copy to thumb drive G
Copy-Item $Boxstarter.BaseDir G:\ -Recurse

#on new bare os
\\MYCOMPUTER\Boxstarter\Boxstarter Mypackage
 
#Enter password when prompted and come back later to new box

Source code checked in, #83a788f33b239478a4ef37a27c996319e8c0fdb3

Matt Wrock — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:30:19 GMT

change build to use latest boxstarter release then fix tests to work around pester bug

Updated Release: Boxstarter 1.0.20 (Apr 15, 2013)

mwrock — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:34:48 GMT

#After extracting Boxstarter.1.0.0.zip on MYCOMPUTER
.\setup.bat
Import-Module Boxstarter.Chocolatey
#Create minimal nuspec and chocolateyInstall
New-BoxstarterPackage MyPackage
#Edit Install script
Notepad Join-Path $Boxstarter.LocalRepo "tools\ChocolateyInstall.ps1"
#Pack nupkg
Invoke-BoxstarterBuild MyPackage

#share Repo
Set-BoxstarterShare
#Or Copy to thumb drive G
Copy-Item $Boxstarter.BaseDir G:\ -Recurse

#on new bare os
\\MYCOMPUTER\Boxstarter\Boxstarter Mypackage
 
#Enter password when prompted and come back later to new box

Released: Boxstarter 1.0.20 (Apr 15, 2013)

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:34:48 GMT

#After extracting Boxstarter.1.0.0.zip on MYCOMPUTER
.\setup.bat
Import-Module Boxstarter.Chocolatey
#Create minimal nuspec and chocolateyInstall
New-BoxstarterPackage MyPackage
#Edit Install script
Notepad Join-Path $Boxstarter.LocalRepo "tools\ChocolateyInstall.ps1"
#Pack nupkg
Invoke-BoxstarterBuild MyPackage

#share Repo
Set-BoxstarterShare
#Or Copy to thumb drive G
Copy-Item $Boxstarter.BaseDir G:\ -Recurse

#on new bare os
\\MYCOMPUTER\Boxstarter\Boxstarter Mypackage
 
#Enter password when prompted and come back later to new box

New Post: Detecting pending reboots (on Windows 8)

mwrock — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:52:30 GMT

Thanks a bunch for the feed back. Will definitely look into this!

New Post: Detecting pending reboots (on Windows 8)

Kristinn — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:39:13 GMT

Hi Matt

Thank you for this brilliant tool!

Just wanted to mention a small problem I ran into, when testing BoxStarter on a (mostly) vanilla Windows 8 Pro laptop using an install script fairly not to far removed from the example on the project home page.

A previous install or Windows update had left a pending reboot flag but the Test-PendingReboot method was returning false, and the VS 2012 install subsequently failed. I saw you used a script from Brian Wilhite on TechNet Gallery that leverages WMI to query for reboot status as the basis for the method, for some reason it was not detecting the appropriate status.

What I did to get around this problem was to switch to using a Powershell module from Michal Gajda that I also found on TechNet, that uses the SystemInfo COM API to get the status. The check for pending reboots then became:

Import-Module PsWindowsUpdate
if(Get-WURebootStatus -Silent){Invoke-Reboot}

The PsWindowsUpdate module is actually very useful for manipulating Windows Update and I have created a Chocolatey package to install it to use with BoxStarter among other things.

I haven't had the opportunity to reproduce this problem on other Windows machines but I wanted to mention this if you or others would came across the same issue.

Kristinn

Reviewed: Boxstarter 1.0.13 (Apr 01, 2013)

Kristinn — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:43:23 GMT

Rated 5 Stars (out of 5) - A very useful tool, leverages the power of Chocolatey but the killer feature is handling reboots. Will save me dozens of hours each year maintaining images for developer rollouts.

Updated Wiki: Test-PendingReboot

mwrock — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 06:47:58 GMT

Test-PendingReboot

SYNOPSIS

Checks to see if Windows is pending a reboot

!!SYNTAX
Test-PendingReboot <CommonParameters>

DESCRIPTION

Uses a script from Brian Wilhite
http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Get-PendingReboot-Query-bdb79542
that queries the registry, Windows Update and System C
onfiguration Manager to determine if a pending reboot is
required.

One may want to check this before installing software
or doing anything that may fail if there is a pending
reboot. If this command returns $true, one may want to
call Invoke-Reboot to restart the local machine.

LINK

http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Get-PendingReboot-Query-bdb79542
Invoke-Reboot
about boxstarter bootstrapper

Commented Issue: Create One Click app Bootstrapper [7]

Jmiller76 — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:09:40 GMT

Never written one so i dont know all the constraints. Thinking of a command like:

Start http://boxstarter.org/{user}/{package}

This downloads the BoxStarter module and away you go.
Comments: I saw a link to this one from issue http://boxstarter.codeplex.com/workitem/10 but looking now, I don't think this really addresses this issue, though it may help with the other.

Commented Issue: Create One Click app Bootstrapper [7]

Jmiller76 — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:44:39 GMT

Never written one so i dont know all the constraints. Thinking of a command like:

Start http://boxstarter.org/{user}/{package}

This downloads the BoxStarter module and away you go.
Comments: I put the attached together for a PowerShell user group Proof of Concept a while back. What it does is create a self running Zip file that then executes one of the PowerShell files inside of it. This may be a good hack to get your installer from EXE or URL going.

Created Issue: Install Finish Message not seen when run from Explorer.exe click [12]

Jmiller76 — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:40:13 GMT

It looks like your intent is for the install BAT to be run from a CMD or PowerShell console.
If you insert something like:
```
$ParrentProcess = GWmi Win32_Process -filter "processid = $PID" | % { Get-Process -id $_.ParentProcessId }
if ($ParrentProcess.ProcessName -eq "explorer") {
Read-Host 'Press Enter to continue...' | Out-Null
}
```
Then you can pause after $successMsg is echoed.

Commented Issue: RFE: make a simplified installed like http://chocolatey.org/install.ps1 [10]

mwrock — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:52:57 GMT

Chocolatey has a command available at [http://chocolatey.org/](http://chocolatey.org/) that a user can run from both cmd and powershell to get chocolatey installed:

```
@powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -Command "iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('http://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))" && SET PATH=%PATH%;%systemdrive%\chocolatey\bin
```

It seems like http://boxstarter.org/ could include a similar kind of script that would enable a 'fresh install' experience.

Even better would be if a person could include (as a replacement or as a parameter) a pointer to their own package and then it would install Boxstarter and run the steps/package pointed to by the parameter.

Currently I'm doing something similar, albeit much more manual, via a powershell script I keep in a public github repo - I'd much rather replace that with a Boxstarter package. :)
Comments: Yes I think I will do this. It will probably just be a wrapper for installing chocolatey if it is not installed and then getting the boxstarter modules via chocolatey and finally loading the modules. Then like you mention it will also begin an install if a package name is passed. I'll put this same logic in the .zip on codeplex so as I rev new versions, I don't have to update the codeplex zip since it will just be a proxy for the chocolatey install. The Holy Grail that I am really after is http://boxstarter.codeplex.com/workitem/7 which is to create a one-click app for the install. Thanks a bunch for all your feedback!!!

Source code checked in, #5b11d862dcde

Matt Wrock — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:18:15 GMT

pushing new download