Scripts¶

Definition and Scope¶

Scripts can be used to automate various configuration items on the operating system that Scalr is provisioning. Scalr supports generic scripting, it is not a proprietary language.

Scripts can be created and stored within Scalr or they can be pulled from a Git Repo at the time of execution.

Note

The Git Repository feature supports any repository that uses the Git Protocol, such as git, github, bitbucket etc

Scripts can be created, updated, edited, or deleted at the Scalr, Account, or Environment scopes. To create a script you can click on the Scalr icon on the top left of any of the scopes, in this example it is at the Environment scope:

Creating Scripts in Scalr¶

Once you are in the scripts screen, click on “New Scalr Script”:

Item	Format	Description
Name	String	Name of the script
Description	String	Description of the script
Deprecated	Binary	Scripts can be deprecated to prevent further use
Script Variable	String	Global Variables can be set at the script level. Users will be prompted to input a value before running the script.
Shared	Binary	Determines if a script can be used at a lower level. This is only seen at the Account and Scalr scopes.
Execution Mode	Binary	Blocking: Scalarizr will wait for your Script to finish executing before firing and processing further events Non-Blocking: Scalarizr will not wait for your Script to finish executing before firing and processing further events
Timeout	Integer	Length in seconds before the script should timeout
Script Content	String	Script contents

Linking a Git Script¶

Git repositories can be defined before linking a script by navigating to Git Repositories off the main menu . Repositories can also be defined during the script link dialogue. Basic and SSH authentication are supported along with Public repositories.

To link a git script click on “New Git Script” on the main scripts screen:

The majority of the parameters are the same as for Scalr Scripts. The additional parameters are as follows.

Item	Format	Description
Repository	String	Name of the previously defined Git Repo. You can click on the “+” bar to define a new Git repo.
Path	String	The Path to the script in the Repo
Version	String	The version or Branch to use. “Master” is shown by default. Click the settings button to register additional branches.

Git based scripts can be used in Orchestration Rules and for immediate execution in the same way as Scalr Scripts.

Writing a Script¶

Your Scripts should start with a shebang line: Shebang Info . Scalr will use the interpreter specified in the shebang line and execute your script with it. The script runs on:

Linux - If the first line starts with #! /*
Windows - If the first line starts with a #!windows, #!cmd or a #!powershell
Cross-platform - If the first line is Linux shebang, and the second line is Windows shebang following this format: #!windows command= extension=

Shell:

#!/bin/bash

Python:

#!/usr/bin/env python
import os

Windows batch file:

#!cmd - executes Script as Batch file (.bat)

Powershell:

#!powershell - executes Script in powershell

Cross Platform:

#!/usr/bin/env python
#!windows extension=py

Executing Scripts¶

There are a couple ways to execute scripts in Scalr:

In Orchestration Rules: At all three main scopes and in Roles and Farm Roles a user can create orchestration rules and assign a lifecycle event to trigger the script.
Manually Triggered: Users can select a Farm or Farm Role and manually trigger a script on the running servers within the Farm or Farm Role. A single server within a Farm can also be selected to trigger a script on. This is a good way to test scripts before placing them within Farm Role orchestration.

Using Scripts In Orchestration¶

For details on using scripts in Orchestration Rules please follow the link to the relevant section.

Manually On Farms, Farm Roles, or Servers¶

As mentioned above, scripts created within Scalr can also be manually executed on running servers. There are two ways to do this:

Click on scripts on the main toolbar, find your script, and click execute . Choose whether the script should be executed on the entire Farm, a specific Farm Role, or a specific Server.
Click on the Farm, Farm Role, or Server dropdown and click Execute Script.

Advanced Configuration¶

The advanced configuration section is available through all script execution methods, it allows you to control various aspects of how the Action is executed.

Parameter	Description
Execution Mode	Blocking: Scalarizr will wait for your Script to finish executing before firing and processing further events
	Non-Blocking: Scalarizr will not wait for your Script to finish executing before firing and processing further events
Timeout	Length in seconds before the script should timeout. This should be increased for complex actions, especially those that download from the internet.
Order	Sequence in which rules must be executed. This defaults to the order in which the rules are created.
Run As	For Scripts and Chef only defines the user to execute the script as on the server.

Promoting Scripts to Higher Scopes¶

Scripts can be promoted to higher scopes to make them more widely available.

Any user can promote a script from Environment scope to Account scope using the button. Global Admins can promote scripts from the Account to Scalr scope using the button.

Limit Script Execution¶

It is possible to limit which users can run scripts as root, to do this go to the ACLs section and update the following ACL:

Find out more about managing ACLs here: Access Control Lists