Cross-Platform Support

Complete guide to deploying and managing SysManage agents across diverse operating systems including Linux distributions, BSD variants, macOS, and Windows.

Overview

SysManage agent is designed for broad cross-platform compatibility, supporting major operating systems and their package management systems. The agent automatically adapts to platform-specific features while maintaining a consistent management interface.

Supported Platforms

🐧 Linux

Ubuntu / Debian (apt)
RHEL / CentOS / Fedora (yum/dnf)
SUSE / openSUSE (zypper)
Arch Linux (pacman)
Alpine Linux (apk)

🔱 BSD

FreeBSD (pkg)
OpenBSD (pkg_add)
NetBSD (pkgin)
DragonFly BSD

🍎 macOS

Homebrew (brew)
MacPorts (port)
Native macOS features

🪟 Windows

Chocolatey (choco)
Scoop
Windows Package Manager (winget)
PowerShell modules

Linux Support

Linux distributions form the core of SysManage's cross-platform support, with comprehensive package manager integration and system management capabilities.

Distribution-Specific Features

Ubuntu / Debian

Package Management

APT package manager integration
Ubuntu Pro support
Snap package support
Flatpak support
Security update detection

System Services

systemd service management
Upstart compatibility (older versions)
Service status monitoring
Automatic service discovery

Ubuntu-specific Configuration
                                    # Ubuntu-specific agent configuration
collection:
  types:
    ubuntu_pro: true        # Enable Ubuntu Pro status collection
    snap_packages: true     # Include snap packages in inventory
    flatpak_packages: true  # Include flatpak applications

# Ubuntu Pro settings (if applicable)
ubuntu_pro:
  check_status: true
  collect_esm_info: true
                                

RHEL / CentOS / Fedora

Package Management

YUM/DNF package manager
RPM package support
EPEL repository support
Module stream management
Security advisory tracking

System Features

SELinux status monitoring
Firewalld integration
systemd service management
Subscription management (RHEL)

RHEL-specific Configuration
                                    # RHEL/CentOS/Fedora configuration
collection:
  types:
    selinux_status: true    # Monitor SELinux status
    firewall_rules: true    # Collect firewall configuration
    subscription_info: true # RHEL subscription status

# Package manager preferences
package_management:
  prefer_dnf: true          # Use DNF over YUM when available
  check_modules: true       # Check module streams
                                

Alpine Linux

Lightweight Features

APK package manager
OpenRC service management
musl libc compatibility
Container-optimized operation

Alpine Configuration
                                    # Alpine Linux optimized configuration
collection:
  intervals:
    # Reduce collection frequency for containers
    system_info: 600      # 10 minutes
    software: 7200        # 2 hours

# Lightweight logging
logging:
  level: "WARNING|ERROR|CRITICAL"
  format: "%(levelname)s: %(message)s"
                                

BSD Support

BSD systems are fully supported with their unique package management systems and service architectures.

BSD Variants

FreeBSD

Package Management

pkg package manager
Ports collection support
Quarterly and latest repositories
Binary and source packages

System Features

rc.d service management
Jail container support
ZFS filesystem integration
pfSense firewall support

FreeBSD Configuration
                                    # FreeBSD-specific configuration
collection:
                                    types:
    zfs_pools: true         # Monitor ZFS pools and datasets
    jail_status: true       # Collect jail information
    ports_tree: true        # Monitor ports tree status

# Service management
service_management:
  use_service_command: true # Use service(8) command
  rc_conf_monitoring: true  # Monitor /etc/rc.conf changes
                                

OpenBSD

Package Management

pkg_add/pkg_delete tools
Package flavors support
Signature verification
Mirror selection

Security Features

rcctl service management
pf firewall integration
pledge/unveil support
syspatch integration

OpenBSD Configuration
                                    # OpenBSD-specific configuration
collection:
  types:
    pf_rules: true          # Collect pf firewall rules
    syspatch_status: true   # Monitor system patches
    rcctl_services: true    # Service status via rcctl

# Security-focused settings
security:
  enable_pledge: true       # Use pledge for security
  enable_unveil: true       # Use unveil for file access
                                

macOS Support

macOS integration provides comprehensive system management through Homebrew and native macOS features.

macOS-Specific Features

Package Management

Homebrew: Primary package manager with formula and cask support
MacPorts: Alternative package manager support
App Store: Mac App Store application tracking
DMG/PKG: Native installer package support

System Integration

launchd: Service and daemon management
System Preferences: Configuration monitoring
Security Framework: Keychain and security settings
Spotlight: File indexing integration

macOS Configuration Example
                                # macOS-specific configuration
collection:
  types:
    homebrew_packages: true     # Homebrew formula and casks
    app_store_apps: true        # Mac App Store applications
    launchd_services: true      # System and user services
    system_preferences: true    # System configuration

# macOS package management
package_management:
  homebrew_path: "/opt/homebrew/bin/brew"  # Apple Silicon path
  macports_path: "/opt/local/bin/port"     # MacPorts path
  check_app_store: true                    # Include App Store apps

# Service management
service_management:
  use_launchctl: true          # Use launchctl for services
  monitor_user_agents: true    # Monitor user launch agents
                            

Apple Silicon Considerations

Rosetta 2: Intel compatibility layer detection
Universal Binaries: Architecture-specific package tracking
Homebrew Paths: Different installation paths for Intel and Apple Silicon
System Integrity Protection: SIP status monitoring

Windows Support

Windows integration provides package management through Chocolatey, Scoop, and Windows Package Manager.

Windows-Specific Features

Package Managers

Chocolatey: Community package repository
Scoop: User-focused package manager
winget: Microsoft's Windows Package Manager
PowerShell Gallery: PowerShell module management

System Management

Windows Services: Service control and monitoring
Windows Updates: Update status and installation
Registry: Registry key monitoring
Event Logs: Windows event log integration

Windows Configuration Example
                                # Windows-specific configuration
collection:
  types:
    chocolatey_packages: true   # Chocolatey packages
    scoop_packages: true        # Scoop applications
    winget_packages: true       # Windows Package Manager
    windows_services: true      # Windows services
    windows_updates: true       # Update status

# Windows package management
package_management:
  chocolatey_path: "C:\\ProgramData\\chocolatey\\bin\\choco.exe"
  scoop_path: "%USERPROFILE%\\scoop\\shims\\scoop.ps1"
  winget_path: "winget"

# Windows-specific settings
windows:
  check_windows_updates: true  # Monitor Windows Updates
  collect_event_logs: true     # Collect relevant event logs
  monitor_services: true       # Monitor Windows services
                            

PowerShell Integration

Execution Policy: Respect PowerShell execution policies
Module Management: PowerShell module installation and updates
DSC Integration: Desired State Configuration support
WMI/CIM: Windows Management Instrumentation access

Platform Detection

The agent automatically detects the operating system and adapts its behavior accordingly.

Detection Process

Operating System: Detect base OS (Linux, FreeBSD, Darwin, Windows)
Distribution: Identify specific distribution or variant
Version: Determine OS version and release information
Architecture: Detect CPU architecture (x86_64, ARM64, etc.)
Package Managers: Discover available package management tools
Service System: Identify service management system

Platform Detection Output
                            # Example platform detection results
{
  "os_family": "linux",
  "os_name": "Ubuntu",
  "os_version": "22.04.3 LTS",
  "os_codename": "jammy",
  "architecture": "x86_64",
  "kernel_version": "5.15.0-91-generic",
  "package_managers": ["apt", "snap", "flatpak"],
  "service_manager": "systemd",
  "init_system": "systemd",
  "container_runtime": "docker",
  "virtualization": "kvm"
}
                        

Cross-Platform Configuration Strategies

Unified Configuration

Use a single configuration file that adapts to different platforms:

# Universal configuration with platform-specific sections
server:
  hostname: "sysmanage.company.com"
  port: 443
  use_https: true

# Cross-platform collection settings
collection:
  enabled: true
  types:
    software_packages: true
    system_updates: true
    hardware_info: true

# Platform-specific overrides (optional)
platform_overrides:
  linux:
    collection:
      types:
        snap_packages: true
        flatpak_packages: true
  freebsd:
    collection:
      types:
        zfs_pools: true
        jail_status: true
  macos:
    collection:
      types:
        homebrew_packages: true
        app_store_apps: true
  windows:
    collection:
      types:
        chocolatey_packages: true
        windows_services: true

Platform-Specific Configurations

Maintain separate configuration files for different platforms:

configs/
├── sysmanage-agent-linux.yaml
├── sysmanage-agent-freebsd.yaml
├── sysmanage-agent-macos.yaml
└── sysmanage-agent-windows.yaml

Environment-Based Configuration

Use environment variables for platform-specific settings:

# Environment variable configuration
export SYSMANAGE_PACKAGE_MANAGER="apt"
export SYSMANAGE_SERVICE_MANAGER="systemd"
export SYSMANAGE_COLLECTION_INTERVAL="300"

# Platform detection script
#!/bin/bash
case "$(uname -s)" in
  Linux*)     export SYSMANAGE_PLATFORM=linux ;;
  FreeBSD*)   export SYSMANAGE_PLATFORM=freebsd ;;
  Darwin*)    export SYSMANAGE_PLATFORM=macos ;;
  CYGWIN*|MINGW*) export SYSMANAGE_PLATFORM=windows ;;
esac

Deployment Considerations

Package Distribution

Native Packages: Create platform-specific packages (deb, rpm, pkg, msi)
Binary Releases: Provide compiled binaries for each platform
Container Images: Multi-arch container images for consistent deployment
Configuration Management: Ansible, Puppet, Chef recipes for each platform

Testing Strategy

Platform Matrix: Test across all supported platforms and versions
Package Manager Testing: Verify all package manager integrations
Service Integration: Test service management on each platform
Regression Testing: Automated testing for cross-platform compatibility

Cross-Platform Monitoring

Unified Dashboards: Platform-agnostic monitoring views
Platform Metrics: Platform-specific performance indicators
Alert Normalization: Consistent alerting across platforms
Compliance Reporting: Platform-specific compliance checks

Cross-Platform Troubleshooting

Common Cross-Platform Issues

Package Manager Not Found

Symptoms: Agent fails to detect package manager

Solutions:

Verify package manager is installed and in PATH
Check agent user permissions
Update platform detection logic
Add custom package manager paths to configuration

Service Management Failures

Symptoms: Cannot start/stop services on certain platforms

Solutions:

Verify service manager detection (systemd, rc.d, launchd, etc.)
Check user permissions for service control
Test service commands manually
Review platform-specific service configurations

Path and Environment Issues

Symptoms: Commands not found or incorrect behavior

Solutions:

Use absolute paths in configurations
Set platform-specific PATH variables
Check environment variable propagation
Verify shell compatibility

Platform-Specific Debugging

Linux/BSD

# Check system information
uname -a
lsb_release -a  # Linux distributions
freebsd-version # FreeBSD

# Verify package managers
which apt yum dnf pkg pkg_add
dpkg --version
rpm --version

# Check service manager
ps -p 1
systemctl --version
service --version

macOS

# System information
sw_vers
system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType

# Package managers
which brew port
brew --version
port version

# Service manager
launchctl version

Windows

# System information
systeminfo
Get-ComputerInfo

# Package managers
choco --version
scoop --version
winget --version

# Service manager
Get-Service
sc query

Cross-Platform Best Practices

Development Best Practices

Abstraction Layers: Use platform abstraction for common operations
Feature Detection: Detect features rather than platforms when possible
Graceful Degradation: Handle missing features gracefully
Consistent APIs: Maintain consistent behavior across platforms
Documentation: Document platform-specific behaviors and limitations

Deployment Best Practices

Testing Matrix: Test on all target platforms before release
Staged Rollouts: Deploy to platforms incrementally
Platform Validation: Validate platform compatibility during installation
Fallback Mechanisms: Provide fallbacks for platform-specific features
Update Strategies: Plan platform-specific update procedures

Maintenance Best Practices

Platform Monitoring: Monitor agent health across all platforms
Issue Tracking: Track platform-specific issues separately
Performance Optimization: Optimize for each platform's characteristics
Security Updates: Coordinate security updates across platforms
Community Feedback: Gather feedback from users on different platforms

Cross-Platform Support

Overview

Supported Platforms

🐧 Linux

🔱 BSD

🍎 macOS

🪟 Windows

Linux Support

Distribution-Specific Features

Ubuntu / Debian

Package Management

System Services

Ubuntu-specific Configuration

RHEL / CentOS / Fedora

Package Management

System Features

RHEL-specific Configuration

Alpine Linux

Lightweight Features

Alpine Configuration

BSD Support

BSD Variants

FreeBSD

Package Management

System Features

FreeBSD Configuration

OpenBSD

Package Management

Security Features

OpenBSD Configuration

macOS Support

macOS-Specific Features

Package Management

System Integration

macOS Configuration Example

Apple Silicon Considerations

Windows Support

Windows-Specific Features

Package Managers

System Management

Windows Configuration Example

PowerShell Integration

Platform Detection

Detection Process

Platform Detection Output

Cross-Platform Configuration Strategies

Unified Configuration

Platform-Specific Configurations

Environment-Based Configuration

Deployment Considerations

Package Distribution

Testing Strategy

Cross-Platform Monitoring

Cross-Platform Troubleshooting

Common Cross-Platform Issues

Package Manager Not Found

Service Management Failures

Path and Environment Issues

Platform-Specific Debugging

Linux/BSD

macOS

Windows

Cross-Platform Best Practices

Development Best Practices

Deployment Best Practices

Maintenance Best Practices

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