Chocolatey Package Manager

This geneset contains fodder for installing Chocolatey package manager on Windows systems.

Usage

To install Chocolatey in your Windows catlets, add a gene reference:

fodder:
  - source: gene:dbosoft/chocolatey:install

Supported Platforms

• Windows 7 and later (with .NET Framework 4.0+)
• Windows Server 2008 R2 and later
• Windows 10/11
• Windows Server 2016 and later

What it does

The Chocolatey installation fodder performs the following steps:

1. Checks existing installation - Verifies if Chocolatey is already installed
2. Sets execution policy - Temporarily bypasses PowerShell execution policy for installation
3. Downloads and installs Chocolatey - Uses the official installation script from chocolatey.org
4. Handles .NET Framework dependencies - Automatically reboots if .NET Framework update is required
5. Verifies installation - Confirms Chocolatey command is available and functional
6. Environment variable refresh - Updates PATH to ensure choco command is available

Automatic Reboot Handling

This fodder includes intelligent reboot handling for .NET Framework dependencies:

• Detects when .NET Framework update requires a reboot
• Uses cloudbase-init exit code 1003 to request automatic reboot
• Continues installation seamlessly after reboot
• Creates temporary marker files to track installation state

Notes

• The installation process handles all required dependencies automatically
• Chocolatey will be available system-wide after installation
• The fodder uses PowerShell with proper error handling and logging
• Installation is idempotent - safe to run multiple times
• Supports automatic reboots when .NET Framework updates are needed

Using Chocolatey After Installation

Once Chocolatey is installed through this gene, you can use it in subsequent fodder to install applications.

Example: Custom Fodder Using Chocolatey

Here's how to create custom fodder that depends on Chocolatey:

name: my-dev-environment
parent: dbosoft/win11-24h2-enterprise/starter

fodder:
  # First, ensure Chocolatey is installed
  - source: gene:dbosoft/chocolatey:install
  
  # Then use Chocolatey to install applications
  - name: install-dev-tools
    type: shellscript
    filename: install-tools.ps1
    content: |
      Write-Host "Installing development tools with Chocolatey..."
      
      # Install Git
      choco install git --yes
      
      # Install Node.js
      choco install nodejs --yes
      
      # Install Python
      choco install python --yes
      
      # Install Docker Desktop
      choco install docker-desktop --yes
      
      # Install Visual Studio Code
      choco install vscode --yes
      
      Write-Host "Development tools installation completed!"

Common Chocolatey Commands

# Search for packages
choco search <package-name>

# Install a package
choco install <package-name> --yes

# List installed packages
choco list --local-only

# Upgrade packages
choco upgrade all --yes

# Show package information
choco info <package-name>

# Uninstall a package
choco uninstall <package-name> --yes

Popular Chocolatey Packages for Development

• Version Control: git, svn, mercurial
• Editors: vscode, notepadplusplus, atom
• Languages: python, nodejs, golang, dotnet-sdk
• Containers: docker-desktop, kubernetes-cli
• Cloud Tools: awscli, azure-cli, googlecloudsdk
• Databases: postgresql, mongodb, mysql
• Utilities: 7zip, curl, wget, putty, winscp

Package Installation Options

# Silent installation (recommended for automation)
choco install packagename --yes

# Install specific version
choco install packagename --version 1.2.3 --yes

# Install from specific source
choco install packagename --source https://chocolatey.org/api/v2/ --yes

# Force reinstall
choco install packagename --yes --force

# Install with parameters
choco install packagename --yes --params "'/NoDesktopIcon /NoStartMenuIcon'"

Resources

• Chocolatey Official Website
• Chocolatey Documentation
• Browse Available Packages
• Chocolatey CLI Reference
• Package Creation Guide

Versioning

This geneset contains only fodder genes and is versioned with a major-minor version scheme.

There is no patch version - when a bug is fixed, a new minor version will be released.
A new major version is released when a gene is removed from the geneset.

The tag latest is updated with each released version. If you want to have a stable reference, don't use the latest tag, use a specific version tag.

Contributing

This geneset is maintained by dbosoft and is open for contributions.

You can find the repository for this geneset on github.com/dbosoft/eryph-genes.

License

All public dbosoft genesets are licensed under the MIT License.