Cockpit: [Question] How to add modules in Ubuntu 16.04

[Endogen]

Is there a way to add additional modules in Ubuntu 16.04? Right from the start i have (translated from german):

• System
• Logs
• Storage
• Network
• Container
• Accounts
• Services
• Terminal

[martinpitt]

Please be more specific what you are looking for. For example, you can install cockpit-packagekit to get "Software Updates", or cockpit-machines to manage libvirt VMs. You can also write and use your own pages, using the API; see e. g. the pinger blog post or the examples.

[Endogen]

Ok, then the question is, which modules are available and how do i install them (meaning, what is the package name). Is there a list somewhere?

[Endogen]

Is that the complete list?

cockpit-bridge - Cockpit bridge server-side component
cockpit-dashboard - Cockpit SSH remoting and dashboard
cockpit-doc - Cockpit deployment and developer guide
cockpit-docker - Cockpit user interface for Docker containers
cockpit-machines - Cockpit user interface for virtual machines
cockpit-networkmanager - Cockpit user interface for networking
cockpit-storaged - Cockpit user interface for storage
cockpit-system - Cockpit admin interface for a system
cockpit-tests - Tests for Cockpit
cockpit-ws - Cockpit Web Service
cockpit-pcp - Cockpit PCP integration
cockpit-shell - Cockpit Shell user interface package
cockpit-packagekit - Cockpit user interface for packages

[martinpitt]

Yes, that looks complete. You can get it in various ways, like apt search cockpit or apt showsrc cockpit and look at Package-List, or on Launchpad: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cockpit

[q2dg]

cockpit-pcp is no longer packaged in artful or bionic Ubuntu versions.
In fact, in https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cockpit it doesn't appear, either.
Do you know why??
Thanks!

[martinpitt]

pcp is in a rather sorry state in Debian, has been for several years, and also not exactly healthy upstream, so we can't have cockpit-pcp in Debian. It has been too cumbersome to build cockpit-pcp on Ubuntu only, as then the packages cannot be in sync any more and need to be maintained separately. Also, pcp isn't maintained in Ubuntu either, just taken as-is from Debian.

The bottom line is that the feature is not important enough and too brittle, so it's not currently supported on Debian/Ubuntu.

[q2dg]

Oooh, thanks a lot for your explanation.
What a pity :-(

[DavidFW1960]

That's a shame particularly seeing as the Cockpit GUI has a link in System to "enable persistent metrics" and that wants to install cockpit-pcp which it can't find a source for. Otherwise loving cockpit though.

[martinpitt]

@DavidFW1960 : cockpit-pcp has been available in Ubuntu (16.04, 18.04, and 18.10) for quite some time now. E. g. on 16.04:

 curl -s http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/xenial-backports/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | xz -d| grep -A10 '^Package: cockpit-pcp'
Package: cockpit-pcp
Architecture: amd64
Version: 178-1~ubuntu16.04.1
Priority: optional
Section: universe/admin
Source: cockpit
Origin: Ubuntu
Maintainer: Ubuntu Developers <[email protected]>
Original-Maintainer: Utopia Maintenance Team <[email protected]>
Bugs: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+filebug
Installed-Size: 233

[DavidFW1960]

I'm on Debian Stretch. I had to install backports to even use cockpit but no sources for cockpit-pcp

[martinpitt]

Eek, indeed. stretch-backports has a recent Cockpit, but it does not build because pcp is just simply not available in stretch. So cockpit-pcp can't be either, but at least I should fix the package to build.

[DavidFW1960]

ok... so I should be able to install it when you fix it to build then?

[martinpitt]

Not cockpit-pcp (as I said, pcp isn't in stretch, so cockpit-pcp cannot be built there either), but surely the other cockpit modules. Although they shoud all be in version 172 already, just at older versions.

[DavidFW1960]

, but at least I should fix the package to build.

So I guess I don't understand what you meant by this then.

The only thing I have found that doesn't work is enabling persistent metrics.. Are you saying you are going to rebuild cockpit to remove this option on Debian?

[martinpitt]

For now I just fixed the recent upload to build at all again. Not offering the install option in that case should be done as well indeed, but I haven't done that yet.