salty-desktop

A desktop salted with SaltStack

about

This is ubuntu-post-install-todo automated with SaltStack.

It follows the sane defaults and overrides by Pillar conventions as mentioned in SaltStack's docs. This means it's highly configurable and easy to expand with your own wishes.

OS support

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is supported and thoroughly tested, because that is the OS on which this is used.

However SaltStack supports use cases with OS filtering, so you are welcome to add support for other distributions or Ubuntu versions.

Get going

This is a repository that uses a SaltStack masterless minion, also called standalone minion in SaltStack's docs.

It has not been tested in a master/minion setup, you are welcome to test and improve it for that use case.

Scripts-to-rule-them-all is used to install needed dependencies and to start the provisioning with SaltStack. Take note that the script asks for sudo rights and doesn't function without it.

Before firing it up you need to setup your Pillar data. Read on for instructions.

Start

• clone this repository
• cd into it

# adds SaltStack, installs salt-minion and configures the minion, will ask for sudo
./script/bootstrap

Configure

• Create saltstack/pillar/top.sls with the following content:

base:
  '*':
    - data

• Create saltstack/pillar/data.sls
• In data.sls set your preferences, user is required, the following is an example:

user: vagrant
pre_desktop:
  disable_quiet_graphical_boot: true
  locale_system: nl_NL
  timezone: Europe/Amsterdam
  accept_mscorefonts_eula: true
  install_restricted_extras: true
post_desktop:
  autologin: true
customize_desktop:
  third_party_applications:
    - google-chrome
    - spotify
    - sublime-text
    - virtualbox
    - vagrant
    - nodejs
    - dropbox
    - smplayer
  launcher_favorites_applications:
    - firefox
    - spotify
    - sublime_text
  configure_git:
    user:
      name: John Doe
      email: [email protected]
    core:
      editor: vim
    merge:
      tool: kdiff3
  generate_ssh_keys:
    - comment: [email protected]
      identifier: github
    - comment: [email protected]
      identifier: gitlab
install_gems:
  - rubocop
  - git-up
install_packages:
  - shellcheck
  - vim
  - git
  - gdebi-core
  - byobu
  - kdiff3-qt
install_pips:
  - flake8
  - pep257
update_pips: true

The options are kind of self explanatory, open an issue when you have a question.

Lift off

Run ./script/update to start the provisioning with SaltStack, it will ask for sudo. There are 3 phases that all need a reboot from the terminal, if you do a reboot from the unity gui it will overwrite setting like the launcher_favorites_applications.

When the system is rebooted run ./script/update to get to the next phase.

1. pre_desktop, will always run.
2. post_desktop, will only run when pre_desktop has run.
3. customize_desktop, will only run after post_desktop has run and the user that you specified has logged in to Unity at least once.

Try it out with Vagrant and Virtualbox

• Be sure to set user: vagrant in your pillar files.
• run vagrant plugin install vagrant-cachier to activate local caching.
• the first vagrant up will run the bootstrap script, followed by the update script.
• vagrant reload will reboot the machine for you and run the update script to go to the next phase.