Linux – Script to automatically install packages

-y or --assume-yes really should do it. Apparently not. :)

I think the thing to do is to put the answer in to the debconf database before installing the package. Then it'll already know the answer and shouldn't prompt. There's an example of doing that here.

Hmm, One way would be to look at writing a wrapper around the systems package manager, i.e. apt-get, and if packages not returned then install with cpan, cpanm, etc.

sub check_pre_req_package {
  my $package = shift;
  system("dpkg -s $package > /dev/null 2>&1");
  if ( $? != 0 ) {
    system("apt-get -y install $package > /dev/null 2>&1");
      if ( $? != 0 ) {
        system("cpanm $package");
      }
  }
  elsif ($? == 0) {
    print "Package $package is already installed \n";
  }
}

my @pre_req_packages = qw(strace nmap gcc);

foreach(@pre_req_packages) {
  check_pre_req_package($_);
}

Of course with that way you'd have to be case sensitive (or change the case) as I believe that debian uses a format of lib(package-name)-perl in all lower case and cpan will want a different format, etc, plus this code is untested and something that just thrown together.

Then there's good old bash scripting, as hell I used system commands in this example

My best suggestion is that you look into using something like cfengine or puppet and/or some other I'm sure is out there system configuration management. Then use svn or git or so... to make changes to push to a repo that will deploy to all your servers. If your going to be managing and making the changes to "numerous" servers then cfengine/puppet/etc will make your life a lot easier once set up. just my two.