Pan Compiler

The pan "compiler" interprets machine configurations written in the pan configuration language and produces "machine profiles" that describe each machine's configuration. A client machine then retrieves its machine profile and uses the information in it to update its configuration. The configuration typically includes the software packages installed on the machine, what services run on the machine, and how those services are configured.

The word "compiler" is actually a misnomer because the actual compilation of pan templates (files written in the pan configuration language) is a small part of the work. The compiler runs through five stages to produce a machine profile: compilation of pan templates, execution of those templates, insertion of default values, validation of configuration information, and finally serialization of the machine profile.

Installation instructions for pan compiler are available in Download and Install area.

Documentation for the pan compiler and pan language are distributed with each version of the pan compiler:

• Pan Language Manual: Detailed description of pan language syntax and functions.
• Pan Compiler Manual: Detailed information about compiler options.
• Pan Tutorial: A tutorial designed to explain the major features of the pan language.

PDF versions of those manuals can be downloaded from the ​panc section of the ​Quattor SourceForge repository. The installation packages also contain HTML versions of the documentation.

The pan language continues to evolve. It is strongly recommended to consult the version of the Pan Language Manual that corresponds to the exact version of the compiler you are using.