Sysadmin

Study Guide
System
Administration
Using Puppet
Certification
Contents
Definitions 1
Introduction 1
Introduction to Puppet 1
Puppet Head First 1
Nodes 1
Installing Puppet 1
Puppet Installation Flags 2
pe.conf 2
Installation Directories 2
Code and Data Directories 2
Puppet Enterprise Logs 3
Puppet Ports 3
Puppet Enterprise Services 3
Puppet Enterprise Logs 4
puppet.conf 4
Resource Abstraction Layer 7
Commands 8
Facter 8
Certificate Signing Request (CSR) 8
Regenerating Certificates 9
Autosigning 9
Building Modules and Classes 9
Class Structure ane Names 9
Module Structure and Names 10
Module Directories 10
Autoloading 11
Example 11
Custom and External Facts 11
Custom Facts 11
External Facts 12
DSL Overview 13
Resource Types 13
Style Guide 13
Spacing, Indentation, and Whitespace 14
Arrays and Hashes 14
Quoting 15
Escape Characters and Comments 15
Module Metadata 15
Resources 16
Classes and Defined Types 17
Chaining Arrow Syntax 17
Nested Classes or Defined Types 17
Parameter 18
Class Inheritance 18
Defined Resource Types 19
Variables 19
Conditionals 20
Data Types 20
Core Data Types 20
Resource and Class References 21
Abstract Data Types 21
The Type Data Type 22
Relationships and Dependencies 22
Relationship Metaparameters 22
Chaining Arrows 22
Chaining Arrows: Operands 23
Ordering 23
Refreshing and Notification 23
Refreshing and Notification 23
Missing Dependencies 24
Failed Dependencies 24
Dependency Cycles 24
Conditional Statements 24
"If" Statements 24
"Unless" statements 26
Case Statements 26
Selectors 28
Variables and Scope 29
Variable Interpolation 30
Arrays and Hashes 31
Scope 31
Metaparameters 32
Iteration and Loops 32
Class Parameters and Defaults 33
params.pp 34
Function Data Provider 34
Puppet Functions 35
Functions 35
Templates 36
Embedded Ruby (ERB) Template Syntax 37
Defined Resource Types 37
Resource Collectors 38
Operators 39
Exported Resources 39
Purpose 39
Declaring an Exported Resource 40
NTP Module 40
Exported Resources 41
Roles and Profiles 41
Overview 41
Profiles 42
Roles 42
Hiera Overview 43
Why use Hiera? 43
Setting Up Hiera 44
Automatic Parameter Lookup 44
Hiera Lookup Functions 45
Managing and Deploying Puppet Code 45
Overview 45
Set Up and Configuring Code Manager 46
Nginx Module 48
Node Classification 49
Node Definition Lookup 49
External Node Classifiers 49
Using Hiera as an ENCs 50
Example: 50
External Node Classifiers (ENCs) & Site.pp Merging 50
Puppet Orchestrator Overview 50
Overview 50
Orchestrator Workflow 51
MCollective Overview 51
Overview 51
Using MCollective 52
Using sudo 52
Adding SSH keys 52
The mco command 52
Host Filters 53
Troubleshooting 53
Common Installer Problems 53
Troubleshooting Connections 54
General Troubleshooting 55
Database Troubleshooting 55
Optimizing the Databases 56
Reporting 56
Puppet Enterprise Roles Based Access Control 57
Removing Nodes 57
Checking Values of Settings 58
Puppet Resource Command 58
Puppet Professional Certification 58
Code Repositories for this Course 58

System Administration Using Puppet Certification Linux Academy
Definitions
Component modules: Normal modules that manage one particular technology. (For example,
puppetlabs/apache.)
FQDN: Fully qualified domain name.
Idempotence: The property of certain operations in mathematics and computer science, that
can be applied multiple times with changing the result beyond the initial application. Catalog can be applied
multiple times without causing issue.
Profiles: Wrapper classes that use multiple component modules to configure a layered technology
stack.
Roles: Wrapper classes that use multiple profiles to build a complete system configuration.
Introduction
Introduction to Puppet
Puppet Head First
Install the Puppet Master: ./puppet-enterprise-installer
Install the Puppet Agent: curl -k https://<puppet-master-fqdn>:8140/packages/

current/install.bash | sudo bash
Puppet module install: puppetlabs-ntp --version 6.0.0
Modules are installed in /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/modules
site.pp is located in /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/manifests
puppet agent -t executes a Puppet run in the foreground.
Nodes
Supported Operating Systems
Installing Puppet
Install the Puppet Master: ./puppet-enterprise-installer
Install the Puppet Agent: curl -k https://<puppet-master-fqdn>:8140/packages/

current/install.bash | sudo bash
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Puppet Installation Flags

-c - Use a pe.conf file to configure the Puppet server.
-D - Displays debugging information.
-h - Display help
-q - Run in quiet mode; the installation process is not displayed. Requires answer file.
-V - display very verbose debugging information
-y - Assumes yes/default and bypass any prompts for user input.
pe.conf
The pe.conf file is a HOCON-formatted file that declares parameters and values needed to install and
configure Puppet Enterprise.
Found in /etc/puppetlabs/enterprise/conf.d.
Sample pe.conf file:
{
"console_admin_password": "password",
"puppet_enterprise::puppet_master_host": "<puppet-master-fqdn>",
"pe_install::puppet_master_dnsaltnames": [
"puppet"
]
}
Installation Directories
Puppet Enterprise configuration files are installed in /etc/puppetlabs/puppet for *nix nodes
and <COMMON_APPDATA>\PuppetLabs for Windows nodes.
Puppet Enterprise software binaries are installed in /opt/puppetlabs
Executable binaries are in /opt/puppetlabs/bin and /opt/puppetlabs/sbin
The installer automatically creates symlinks in /usr/local/bin
Code and Data Directories

R10k: /etc/puppetlabs/r10k
Environments: /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments
modules: Main directory for puppet modules (applies to master only)
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manifests: Contains the main starting point for catalog compilation (applies to master only)
ssl: Contains each nodes certificate infrastructure (all nodes) /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl
Puppet Enterprise Logs

All Puppet Enterprise logs can be found in /var/log/puppetlabs.
Puppet master logs: /var/log/puppetlabs/puppetserver
Puppet agent logs: /var/log/messages or /var/log/system.log
ActiveMQ logs: /var/log/puppetlabs/activemq
MCollective service logs: /var/log/puppetlabs/
Console logs: /var/log/puppetlabs
Installer logs: /var/log/puppetlabs/installer
Database logs: /var/log/puppetlabs/puppetdb and /var/log/puppetlabs/

postgresql
Orchestration logs: /var/log/puppetlabs
Puppet Ports
3000: Used for the web-based installer of the Puppet Master.
8140: The port that the Puppet Master and agent communicate on.
61613: Used by MCollective for orchestration requests by Puppet agents.
443: The web port used to access the Puppet Enterprise Console.
5432: PostgreSQL runs on this port. It is used by PuppetDB in a split stack configuration.
8081: The PuppetDB traffic/request port.
8142: Used by Orchestration services to accept inbound traffic/responses from the Puppet agents.
Puppet Enterprise Services

On CentOS 7 the Puppet Enterprise services are installed in /usr/lib/systemd/system.
pe-activemq: The ActiveMQ message server, which passes messages to the MCollective servers
on agent nodes. Runs on servers with the Puppet master component.
pe-console-services: Manages and serves the PE console.
pe-puppetserver: The Puppet master server, which manages the Puppet master component.
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pe-nginx: Nginx, serves as a reverse-proxy to the PE console.
mcollective: The MCollective daemon, which listens for messages and invokes actions. Runs on
every agent node.
puppet (on EL and Debian-based platforms): The Puppet agent daemon. Runs on every agent
node.
pe-puppetdb and pe-postgresql: Daemons that manage and serve the database components.
Note that pe-postgresql is only created if we install and manage PostgreSQL for you.
pe-orchestration-services: Runs the Puppet orchestration process.
pxp-agent: Runs the Puppet agent PXP process.
Puppet Enterprise Logs

All Puppet Enterprise logs can be found in /var/log/puppetlabs.
Puppet master logs: logs /var/log/puppetlabs/puppetserver
Puppet agent logs: /var/log/messages or /var/log/system.log
ActiveMQ logs: /var/log/puppetlabs/activemq
MCollective service logs: /var/log/puppetlabs/
Console logs: /var/log/puppetlabs
Installer logs: /var/log/puppetlabs/installer
Database logs: /var/log/puppetlabs/puppetdb and /var/log/puppetlabs/

postgresql
Orchestration logs: /var/log/puppetlabs
puppet.conf
The puppet.conf file is located in /etc/puppetlabs/puppet.
Config sections
main is the global section used by all commands and services. It can be overridden by the other
sections.
master is used by the Puppet master service and the Puppet cert command.
agent is used by the Puppet agent service.
user is used by the Puppet apply command
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Note: Settings are loaded at service start time, to apply changes made to puppet.conf a restart to the pe-
puppet service is required.
Interpolating variables
The values of settings are available as variables within puppet.conf, and you can insert them
into the values of other settings. To reference a setting as a variable, prefix its name with a dollar
sign.
Example:
$codedir
$confdir
$vardir
Sample puppet.conf for a Puppet Maser.
[main]
certname = master.vagrant.vm
server = master.vagrant.vm
user = pe-puppet
group = pe-puppet
environment_timeout = 0
app_management = true
module_groups = base+pe_only
environmentpath = /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments
codedir = /etc/puppetlabs/code
[agent]
graph = true
[master]
node_terminus = classifier
storeconfigs = true
storeconfigs_backend = puppetdb
reports = puppetdb
certname = master.vagrant.vm
always_cache_features = true
Sample puppet.conf for an agent node.
[main]
server = master.vagrant.vm
certname = agent1.vagrant.vm
Basic settings
always_retry_plugins: Affects how we cache attempts to load Puppet resource types and
features.
basemodulepath: The search path for global modules. Should be specified as a list of
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directories separated by the system path separator character.
Default: $codedir/modules:/opt/puppetlabs/puppet/modules
ca_server: The server to use for certificate authority requests.
certname: The name to use when handling certificates.
dns_alt_names: A list of hostnames the server is allowed to use when acting as the Puppet
master. The hostname that an agent uses must be included this list or the agent will fail connecting
to master. The hostname can also live in the certname setting.
environment: Defaults to production, is the environment to request but can be overridden by

masters ENC (External Node Classifier).
environmentpath: A search path for directory environments, as a list of directories separated

by the system path separator character.
manifest: The entry-point manifest for puppet master. This can be one file or a directory of
manifests to be evaluated in alphabetical order. Puppet manages this path as a directory if one exists
or if the path ends with a / or .
reports: The list of report handlers to use. When using multiple report handlers, their names
should be comma-separated, with whitespace allowed. (For example, reports = http, log, store.)
http: Send reports via HTTP or HTTPS. This report processor submits reports as POST
requests to the address in the reporturl setting. The body of each POST request is the YAML dump
of a Puppet::Transaction::Report object, and the Content-Type is set as application/x-yaml.
log: Send all received logs to the local log destinations. Usually the log destination is syslog.
store: Store the YAML report on disk. Each host sends its report as a YAML dump and this
just stores the file on disk, in the reportdir directory.
Default: store
rundir: The location where Puppet PID files are stored.
server: The Puppet master server to which the Puppet agent should connect.
ssldir: The location where SSL certs are stored.
vardir: The location where Puppet stores growing information.
Run behavior settings
ignoreschedules: Schedules allow you to only execute a resource if it's during a specific
time period; this setting can disable that feature that might be used when you are doing an initial
setup on a node and everything needs to be executed or enforced the first time around
noop: Agent will not do any work only simulate changes and report to the master.
postrun_command: command to run after Puppet command execute

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prerun_command: command to run before Puppet command executes
priority: The scheduling priority of the process. Valid values are 'high', 'normal', 'low', or
'idle', which are mapped to platform-specific values.
report: Whether to send reports after every transaction.
runinterval: how often the puppet agent daemon runs
tags: Limit the Puppet run to include only resources with certain tags (cool), specific data
centers, etc
usecacheonfailure: Whether to use the cached configuration when the remote

configuration will not compile.
waitforcert: Keep trying to run puppet agent if the certificate is not initially available (gives
time for the master to sign)
Resource Abstraction Layer

Describing/declaring the state of a resource
Providers enforce the desired state
Resource Type:
Every resource is managed by aresource type
atitle
a set ofattributes.
<TYPE> { '<TITLE>':
<ATTRIBUTE> => <VALUE>,
}
Example
user { 'username':
ensure => present,
uid => '102',
gid => 'wheel',
shell => '/bin/bash',
home => '/home/username',
managehome => '',
}
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Commands
puppet describe will provide information about resource types within Puppet
puppet describe -l lists all resource types available
puppet describe -s <type> gives short information about resource type
puppet describe <type> gives a long listing information about resource
puppet resource will describe information about resources already installed on a running node
puppet resource <type>
puppet resource <type> <name>
puppet agent will send a report to the Puppet master with all facts and information about the
node, this is the node object
puppet agent will ensure that the agent's private key file is present
A puppet agent run is started from the node being managed
Facter
facter: Returns a list all facts.
facter <fact>: Returns a particular fact.
facter -p: Allows Facter to load Puppet-specific facts.
Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

Puppet Server includes a certificate authority (CA) service that accepts certificate signing requests (CSRs)
from nodes, serves certificates and a certificate revocation list (CRL) to nodes, and optionally accepts
commands to sign or revoke certificates.
Command:
puppet cert
puppet cert list
puppet cert sign <NAME>
puppet cert revoke <NAME>
DNS altnames:
puppet cert sign (<HOSTNAME> or --all) --allow-dns-alt-names <NAME>
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Regenerating Certificates
On the Puppet Master
puppet cert clean<NAME>
Deleting SSL Certs on Agent

cp -r /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl/ /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl_bak/
Autosigning
Should only be used when the environment can fully trust any computer able to connect to the
Puppet master.
The CA uses a config file containing a whitelist of certificate names and domain names.
$confdir/autosign.conf
.domain.com
Building Modules and Classes

Class Structure ane Names
Class names can have:
Lowercase letters
Digits
Underscores
\A[a-z][a-z0-9_]*\Z
Namespace separator use double colons ( :: )
\A([a-z][a-z0-9_]*)?(::[a-z][a-z0-9_]*)*\Z
[Reserved Variable Names] [Reserved Variable Names]: (https://docs.puppet.com/puppet/4.5/lang_

reserved.html#reserved-variable-names)
Class Syntax:
class <CLASS_NAME> (
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<DATA_TYPE> <PARAM_NAME>
) {
puppet code ...
}
Example:
class ssh {
file { "/etc/ssh/ssh_config":
ensure => file,
source => "puppet:///modules/ssh/ssh_config"
}
}
Module Structure and Names

Module names can have:
Lowercase letters
Numbers
Underscores
Should begin with a lowercase letter.
Module names cannot contain the namespace separator ( :: )
Modules cannot be nested
<MODULE NAME>
manifests
files
templates
lib
facts.d
examples
spec
functions
types
Module Directories
manifests/ Contains all of the manifests in the module.
files/ Contains static files, which managed nodes can download.
lib/ Contains plugins, like custom facts and custom resource types.
facts.d/ Contains external facts, which are an alternative to Ruby-based custom facts.
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templates/ Contains templates, which the module's manifests can use.
examples/ Contains examples showing how to declare the module's classes and defined types.
spec/ Contains spec tests for any plugins in the lib directory.
functions/ Contains custom functions written in the Puppet language.
types/ Contains type aliases.
Autoloading
Names map to the file
First segment in a name identifies the module.
init.pp class will always be the module name.
The last segment identifies the file name.
Any segments between the first and last are subdirectories in the manifests directory.
Example
apache - <MODULE DIRECTORY>/apache/manifests/init.pp
apache::mod - <MODULE DIRECTORY>/apache/manifests/mod.pp
apache::mod::passenger - <MODULE DIRECTORY>/apache/manifests/mod/
passenger.pp
Custom and External Facts

Custom Facts
Custom facts are snippets of Ruby code on the Puppet master.
Usually shell commands are issued as part of the fact to return information.
Executed on the Puppet nodes with the External Facts Plugin Module.
Custom facts are located in <MODULE>lib/facter.
Example:
# hardware_platform.rb
Facter.add('hardware_platform') do
setcode do
Facter::Core::Execution.exc('/bin/uname --hardware-platform')
end
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end
Facts distributed using pluginsync
Enabled in the [main] section of puppet.conf by setting pluginsync=true
External Facts
External facts provide a way to use arbitrary executables or scripts as facts, or set facts statically with
structured data.
In a Module:
<MODULEPATH>/<MODULE>/facts.d/
On Unix/Linux/OS X:
/opt/puppetlabs/facter/facts.d/
/etc/puppetlabs/facter/facts.d/
/etc/facter/facts.d/
On Windows:
C:\ProgramData\PuppetLabs\facter\facts.d\
On Windows 2003:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\PuppetLabs\facter\
facts.d\
STDOUT in the Format:

key1=value1
key2=value2
key3=value3
Structured Data Facts:

yaml
json
txt
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DSL Overview
Resource Types
Resource types are the basic building blocks of the Puppet DSL.
Everyresource type has:
atitle
a set ofattributes
<TYPE> { '<TITLE>':
}
Example Resource Types: file
ensure:
file: make sure it's a normal file
directory: makes sure it is a directory (enables recursive)
link: ensures file is a symlink (requires target attribute)
absent: deletes file if it exists
Attributes:
source
content
target
Review all the resource types by visiting the Resource Type Reference
Style Guide
The style guide is to promote consistent formatting in the Puppet Language, especially across
modules, giving users and developers of Puppet modules a common pattern, design, and style to follow.
Readability matters.
Scoping and simplicity are key.
Your module is a piece of software.
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Version your modules.
Spacing, Indentation, and Whitespace

Module manifests:
Must use two-space soft tabs,
Must not use literal tab characters,
Must not contain trailing whitespace,
Must include trailing commas after all resource attributes and parameter definitions,
Must end the last line with a new line,
Must use one space between the resource type and opening brace, one space between the
opening brace and the title, and no spaces between the title and colon.
Module manifests:
Should not exceed a 140-character line width, except where such a limit would be impractical
Should leave one empty line between resources, except when using dependency chains
May align hash rockets (=>) within blocks of attributes, one space after the longest resource
key, arranging hashes for maximum readability first.
Example:
file { '/tmp/foo': }
Arrays and Hashes

Each element on its on line
Each new element line indented one level
First and last lines used only for the syntax of that data type
Example
# array with multiple elements on multiple lines
service { 'some_service':
require => [
File['some_config_file'],
File['some_sysconfig_file'],
],
}
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Quoting
All strings must be enclosed in single quotes, unless the string:
Contains variables
Contains single quotes
Contains escaped characters not supported by single-quoted strings
Is an enumerable set of options, such as present/absent, in which case the single quotes are
optional
All variables must be enclosed in braces when interpolated in a string.
Double quotes should be used rather than escaping when a string contains single quotes, unless that
would require an inconvenient amount of additional escaping.
Example
file { "/tmp${file_name}": }
"${facts['operatingsystem']} is not supported by ${module_name}"
warning("Class[class_name'] doesn't work they way you expected it too.")
Escape Characters and Comments

Puppet uses backslash as an escape character.
Escaping as \\ would be "\\\\"
Comments must be hash comments (# This is a comment), not /\* \*/
Documentation comments for Puppet Strings should be included for each of your classes, defined
types, functions, and resource types and providers.
Example
# Configures sshd
file { '/etc/ssh/ssh_config': ... }
Module Metadata
Every module must have metadata defined in the metadata.json file.
Hard dependencies must be declared in your module's metadata.json file.
Soft dependencies should in the README.md.
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Example
{
"name": "tthomsen-my_module_name",
"version": "0.1.0",
"author": "Travis N. Thomsen",
"license": "Apache-2.0",
"summary": "It's a modules that does things",
"source": "https://github.com/mygithubaccount/tthomsen-my_module_
name",
"project_page": "https://github.com/mygithubaccount/tthomsen-my_
module_name",
"issues_url": "https://github.com/mygithubaccount/tthomsen-my_module_
name/issues",
"tags": ["things", "and", "stuff"],
"operatingsystem_support": [
{
"operatingsystem":"RedHat",
"operatingsystemrelease": [
"5.0",
"6.0"
]
},
{
"operatingsystem": "Ubuntu",
"operatingsystemrelease": [
"12.04",
"10.04"
]
}
],
"dependencies": [
{ "name": "puppetlabs/stdlib", "version_requirement": ">= 3.2.0
<5.0.0" },
]
}
Resources
All resource names or titles must be quoted.
Hash rockets (=>) in a resource's attribute/value list may be aligned.
Ensure should be the first attribute specified.
Resources should be grouped by logical relationship to each other, rather than by resource type.
Semicolon-separated multiple resource bodies should be used only in conjunction with a local
default body.
Example
file { '/etc/ssh/ssh_config':
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ensure => file,

mode => "0600",
}
Classes and Defined Types

All classes and resource type definitions (defined types) must be separate files in the manifests
directory of the module. Each separate file in the manifest directory of the module should contain
nothing other than the class or resource type definition.
Example
# /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/modules/apache/manifests
# init.pp
class apache { }
# ssl.pp
class apache::ssl { }
# virtual_host.pp
define apache::virtual_host () { }
When a resource or include statement is placed outside of a class, node definition, or defined type, it
is included in all catalogs. This can have undesired effects and is not always easy to detect.
Example
#manifests/init.pp:
class { 'some_class':
include some_other_class
}
Chaining Arrow Syntax

When you have many interdependent or order-specific items, chaining syntax may be used.
Example
# Points left to right
Package['package_name'] -> Service['service_name']
# On the line of the right-hand operand
Package['package_name']
-> Service['service_name']
Nested Classes or Defined Types

Don't define classes and defined resource types in other classes or defined types.
Classes and defined types should be declared as close to node scope as possible.
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Seriously, dude, don't nest classes or defined types!
Example of Bad Behavior:

class some_class {
class a_nested_class { ... }
}
class some_class {
define a_nested_define_type() { ... }
}
Parameter
Declare required parameters before optional parameters.
Optional parameters are parameters with defaults.
Declare the data type of parameters, as this provides automatic type assertions.
For Puppet 4.9.0 and greater, use Hiera data in the module and rely on automatic parameter lookup
for class parameters.
Puppet versions less than 4.9.0, use the "params.pp" pattern. In simple cases, you can also specify
the default values directly in the class or defined type.
Example:
# parameter defaults provided via APL > puppet 4.9.0
class some_module (
String $source,
String $config,) {
... puppet code ...
}
Class Inheritance
Class inheritance should not be used.
Use data binding instead of params.pp pattern.
Inheritance should only be used for params.pp, which is not recommended in Puppet 4.9.
For maintaining older modules inheritance can be used but must not be used across module
namespaces.
Example:
class ssh { ... }
class ssh::client inherits ssh { ... }
class ssh::server inherits ssh { ... }
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Defined Resource Types

Defined resource types are not singletons.
Uniqueness
Can have multiple instances.
Resource names must be unique.
Variables
Referencing facts
When referencing facts, prefer the $facts hash to plain top-scope variables.
It's clearer.
It's easier to read.
Distinguishes facts from other top-scope variables.
Example: $facts['operatingsystem']
Namespacing variables
When referencing top-scope variables other than facts, explicitly specify absolute namespaces
for clarity and improved readability. This includes top-scope variables set by the node classifier and
in the main manifest.
This is not necessary for:
the $facts hash.
the $trusted hash.
the $server_facts hash.
Variable format
Use numbers
Use lowercase letters
Use underscores
Don't use camel case
Don't use dashes
Good Examples:
$this_is_vairable
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$so_is_this
$also_good123
Bad Examples:
$ThisIsNotGood
$neither-is-this
Conditionals
Keep resource declarations simple.
Don't mix conditionals with resource declarations.
Separate conditional code from the resource declarations.
Defaults for case statements and selectors.
Case statements must have default cases.
Case and selector values must be quoted.
Example:
$file_mode = $facts['os']['family'] ? {
'Debian' => '0007',
'RedHat' => '0776',
default => '0700',
}
file { '/tmp/readme.txt':
ensure => file,
content => "Hello World\n",
mode => $file_mode,
}
case $Facts[::operatingsystem] {
'centos': { $version = '1.2.3' }
'debian': { $version = '3.4.5' }
default: { fail("Module ${module_name} is not supported on
${::operatingsystem}") }
}
Review the Puppet Style Guide.
Data Types
Core Data Types
The most common data types:
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String
Integer, Float, and Numeric
Boolean
Array
Hash
Regexp
Undef
Default
Resource and Class References

Resources and classes are implemented as data types.
However, they behave differently from other values.
Abstract Data Types

Abstract data types let you do more sophisticated or permissive type checking.
Scalar
Collection
Variant
Data
Pattern
Enum
Tuple
Struct
Optional
Catalogentry
Type
Any
Callable
- 21 -
The Type Data Type

All data types are of type Type.
Syntax:
Type[<ANY DATA TYPE>]
Example:
Type: matches any data type, such as Integer, String, Any, or Type.
Type[String]: matches the data type String, as well as any of its more specific subtypes like
String[3] or Enum["running", "stopped"].
Type[Resource]: matches any Resource data type - that is, any resource reference.
Relationships and Dependencies

Relationship Metaparameters
By default, Puppet applies resources in the order they're declared in their manifest. However, if a group of
resources must always be managed in a specific order, you should explicitly declare such relationships with
relationship metaparameters, chaining arrows, and the require function.
before: Applies a resource before the target resource.
require: Applies a resource after the target resource.
notify: Applies a resource before the target resource. The target resource refreshes if the notifying
resource changes.
subscribe: Applies a resource after the target resource. The subscribing resource refreshes if the
target resource changes.
Chaining Arrows
You can create relationships between two resources or groups of resources using the -> and ~> operators.
-> ordering arrow: Applies the resource on the left before the resource on the right.
~> notifying arrow: Applies the resource on the left first. If the left-hand resource changes, the
right-hand resource will refresh.
Both chaining arrows have a reversed form (<- and <~).
- 22 -
Chaining Arrows: Operands

The chaining arrows accept the following kinds of operands on either side of the arrow:
Resource references, including multi-resource references
Arrays of resource references
Resource declarations
Resource collectors
Ordering
All relationships cause Puppet to manage one or more resources before one or more other resources.
By default, unrelated resources are managed in the order in which they're written in their manifest file. If
you declare an explicit relationship between resources, it will override this default ordering.
Refreshing and Notification

Some resource types can be refreshed action when a dependency is changed.
Built-in resource types that can refreshed
service
mount
exec
Sometimes package
Rules for notification and refreshing are:
Receiving refresh events
Sending refresh events
No-op
Refreshing and Notification

Certain resource types can have automatic relationships with other resources, using autorequire,
autonotify, autobefore, or autosubscribe.
A complete list can be found in the resource type reference.
Auto relationships between types and resources are established when applying a catalog.
- 23 -
Missing Dependencies
If one of the resources in a relationship is not declared the catalog will fail to compile.
Could not find dependency <OTHER RESOURCE> for <RESOURCE>
Could not find resource '<OTHER RESOURCE>' for relationship on '<RESOURCE>'.
Failed Dependencies
If a resource with dependencies fails to be applied, all dependent resource will be skipped.
notice: <RESOURCE>: Dependency <OTHER RESOURCE> has failures: true
warning: <RESOURCE>: Skipping because of failed dependencies
Dependency Cycles
If two or more resources require each other, Puppet compiles the catalog but it won't be applied
because this causes a loop.
err: Could not apply complete catalog: Found 1 dependency cycle: (<RESOURCE> =>
<OTHER RESOURCE> => <RESOURCE>)
Try the --graph option and opening the resulting .dot file in OmniGraffle or GraphViz
Conditional Statements
Conditional statements let your Puppet code behave differently in different situations. They are most helpful
when combined with facts or with data retrieved from an external source.
Conditionals that alter logic:
if statement
unless statement
case statement
Conditionals that return a value:
selector
"If" Statements
"If" statements take a boolean condition and an arbitrary block of Puppet code, and will only execute the
block if the condition is true. They can optionally include elsif and else clauses.
- 24 -
Syntax:
if condition {
block of code
}
elsif condition {
block of code
}
else {
default option
}
Example:
if $facts['os']['name'] == 'Windows' {
include role::windows
}
elsif ($facts['os']['name'] == 'RedHat') and ($facts['os']['name'] ==
'CentOS') {
include role::redhat
}
elsif $facts['os']['name'] =~ /^(Debian|Ubuntu)$/ {
include role::debian
}
else {
include::generic::os
}
Behavior
The Puppet if statement behaves like if statements in any other language.
If none of the conditions match and there is no else block, Puppet will do nothing.
Conditions
Variables
Expressions, including arbitrarily nested and and or expressions
Functions that return values
Regex capture variables
If you use a regular expression match operator as your condition, any captures from parentheses
in the pattern will be available inside the associated code block as numbered variables ($1, $2, etc.),
and the entire match will be available as $0:
Example:
if $trusted['certname'] =~ /^www(\d+)\./ {
notice("This is web server number $1.")
- 25 -
"Unless" statements
"Unless" is the reversed "if" statements. It takes a boolean condition and an arbitrary block of Puppet code.
It will only execute the block of code if the condition is false. There cannot be a elsif clauses.
Syntax:
unless condition {
block of code
}
Example:
unless $facts['memory']['system']['totalbytes'] > 1073741824 {
$maxclient = 500
}
Behavior
The condition is evaluated first and, if it is false, the code block is executed.
If the condition is true, Puppet will do nothing.
The unless statement is also an expression that produces a value, and can be used wherever a
value is allowed.
Conditions
Variables
Although "unless" statements receive regex capture variables like "if" statements, they usually
aren't used.
Case Statements
Similar to the "if" statements, case statements choose one of several blocks of arbitrary Puppet code.
Syntax:
case condition {
- 26 -
'control expression': { block of code }

default: { block of code }
}
Example:
case $facts['os']['name'] {
'Windows': { include role::windows }
'RedHat', 'CentOS': { include role::redhat }
/^(Debian|Ubuntu)$/: { include role::debian }
default: { include::generic::os }
}
Behavior
Compares the control expression to each of the cases in the order they are defined.
The default case is always evaluated last.
The code block for the first matching case is executed.
A maximum of one code block will be executed.
If none of the cases match, Puppet will do nothing.
Conditions
Variables
Case matching
Most data types == equality operator
Regular expressions =~ matching operator
Data types =~ matching operator
Arrays are compared to the control value recursively.
Hashes compare each key/value pair.
Default matches anything, and unless nested inside an array or hash, is always tested last,
regardless of its position in the list.
When used as a value
In addition to executing the code in a block, a case statement is also an expression that produces
a value, and can be used wherever a value is allowed.
- 27 -
The value of a case expression is the value of the last expression in the executed block, or undef
if no block was executed.
Example:
case $trusted['certname'] {
/www(\d+)/: { notice("This is web server number $1."); }
default: { notice("Now for something completely different") }
}
Selectors
Selector expressions are similar to case statements, but return a value. You should generally only use
selectors in variable assignments.
Syntax:
case condition {
'control expression': { block of code }
default: { block of code }
}
Example:
$role = $facts['os']['name'] ? {
'Windows' => 'role::windows',
/^(Debian|Ubuntu)$/ => 'role::debian',
default => 'role::redhat',
}
Behavior
The entire selector expression is treated as a single value.
The control expression is compared to each of the cases in the order they are defined.
The default case is evaluated last.
The value of the matching case is returned.
If no conditions match the catalog will fail to compile.
Conditions
- 28 -
Variables
Case matching
You cannot use lists of cases.
Most data types == equality operator
Regular expressions =~ matching operator
Data types =~ matching operator
Arrays are compared to the control value recursively.
Hashes compare each key/value pair.
default matches anything, and unless nested inside an array or hash is always tested last,
regardless of its position in the list.
Example:
$role = $facts['os']['name'] ? {
/^(Debian|Ubuntu)$/ => "You are running ${1}",
default => "You are running an unknown operating system!",
}
Variables and Scope

Variables store values so they can be accessed later.
Variables are actually constants and can't be reassigned.
Facts and built-in variables.
Variable names are prefixed with a $ (dollar sign).
They are assigned using the = (equal sign) assignment operator.
Variable names can include:
Uppercase and lowercase letters
- 29 -
Numbers
Underscores
Append a variable by using the + symbol
'$variable = ['a', 'b']'
'$variable += ['c']'
'$variable now equals ['a', 'b', 'c']'
Assigning multiple variables
You can assign multiple variables at once from an array or hash.
Arrays
When using an array you need an equal number of variables and values.
Arrays can be nested.
Hashes
Variables are listed in an array on the left side of the assignment operator.
The hash is on the right of the assignment operator.
Hash keys must match their corresponding variable name.
Variable Assignment Example:

$variable_name1 = "value"
Array Assignment Example:

[$a, $b, $c] = [1,2,3] # $a = 1, $b = 2, $c = 3
[$a, [$b, $c]] = [1,[2,3]] # $a = 1, $b = 2, $c = 3
[$a, $b] = [1, [2]] # $a = 1, $b = [2]
[$a, [$b]] = [1, [2]] # $a = 1, $b = 2
Hash Assignment Example:

[$a, $b] = {a => 10, b => 20} # $a = 10, $b = 20
[$a, $c] = {a => 5, b => 10, c => 15, d => 22} # $a = 5, $c = 15
Variable Interpolation
Variable interpolation is when a variables is resolved in a double-quoted strings.
Inside the double-quoted strings the variable is referenced using a dollar sign with curly braces.
- 30 -
${var_name}
Single quotes will treat the variable as a literal.
Example:
$variable = "${some_other_variable} is being interpolation in here."
Arrays and Hashes

Arrays
Arrays are ordered lists of values.
There are functions that take arrays as parameters, including the iteration functions like each.
Hashes
Hashes map keys to values.
The entries are maintained the order they were added in.
Hashes are merged using the + operator.
Array Example:
$array_variable = [ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
Hash Example:
$hash_variable = { key1 => "value1", key2 => "value2" }
Scope
Scope is a specific area of code that is partially isolated from other areas of code.
Top scope
Code that is outside any class definition, type definition, or node definition exists at top scope.
Variables and defaults declared at top scope are available everywhere.
Node scope
Code inside a node definition exists at node scope. Note that since only one node definition can
match a given node, only one node scope can exist at a time.
Local scopes
Code inside a class definition, defined type, or lambda exists in a local scope.
- 31 -
Variables and defaults declared in a local scope are only available in that scope and its children.
Metaparameters
Metaparameters are attributes that all resource type, custom types and defined types have.
Available Metaparameters
alias
audit
before
consume
export
loglevel
noop
notify
require
schedule
stage
subscribe
tag
Example:
file { '/etc/ssh/sshd_config':
owner => root,
group => root,
alias => 'sshdconfig',
}
service { 'sshd':
subscribe => File['sshdconfig'],
}
Iteration and Loops

Iteration features are implemented as functions that accept blocks of code called lambdas.
List of iteration functions

- 32 -
each: Repeat a block of code any number of times, using a collection of values to provide
different parameters each time.
slice: Repeat a block of code any number of times, using groups of values from a collection
as parameters.
filter: Use a block of code to transform some data structure by removing non-matching
elements.
map: Use a block of code to transform every value in some data structure.
reduce: Use a block of code to create a new value or data structure by combining values from
a provided data structure.
with: Evaluate a block of code once, isolating it in its own local scope. Doesn't iterate, but has
a family resemblance to the iteration functions.
Example:
$values = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e']
# function call with lambda:
$values.each |String $value| {
notice { "Value from a lambda code block: ${value}": }
}
Class Parameters and Defaults

Classes, defined types, and lambdas can all take parameters.
Which is a way for you to pass external data.
Syntax:
Class <CLASS NAME> (
<DATA TYPE> <PARAMETER NAME>,
<DATA TYPE> <PARAMETER NAME> = <VALUE>,
# ...
) {
# ...
}
Example:
class ntp (
Boolean $service_manage = true,
Boolean $autoupdate = false,
String $package_ensure = 'present',
# ...
) {
- 33 -
# ...
}
params.pp
The main classes inherit from a <MODULE>::params class, which only sets variables.
Using the params.pp pattern is now deprecated.
Using a function or Hiera to your defaults data is now the recommended method.
Function Data Provider

The function provider calls a function named <MODULE NAME>::data.
This function is similar to the params.pp file.
It takes no arguments and return a hash.
Set data_provider to function in metadata.json.
Puppet will try to find the requested data as a key in that hash.
The <MODULE NAME>::data function can be one of:
A Puppet language function, located at <MODULE ROOT>/functions/data.pp.
A Ruby function (using the modern Puppet::Functions API), located at <MODULE ROOT>/
lib/puppet/functions/<MODULE NAME>/data.rb.
Example:
# ntp/metadata.json
{
...
"data_provider": "function"
}
# ntp/functions/data.pp
function ntp::data() {
$base_params = {
'ntp::autoupdate' => false,
'ntp::service_name' => 'ntpd',
}
$os_params = case $facts['os']['family'] {
'AIX': {
{ 'ntp::service_name' => 'xntpd' }
}
'Debian': {
{ 'ntp::service_name' => 'ntp' }
}
default: {
{}
- 34 -
}
}
# Merge the hashes and return a single hash.
$base_params + $os_params
}
# ntp/manifests/init.pp
class ntp (
# default values are in ntp/functions/data.pp
$autoupdate,
$service_name,
) {
...
}
Puppet Functions
There are two types of functions in statements and rvalues functions.
Functions
Statements
They do not return arguments.
Rvalues
They return values.
They can only be used in a statement requiring a value.
variable assignment
case statement
Statement Functions
alert: Log a message on the server at level alert.
create_resources: Converts a hash into a set of resources and adds them to the catalog.
err: Log a message on the server at level err.
fail: Fail with a parse error.
hiera_include: Uses an array merge lookup to retrieve the classes array, so every node gets
every class from the hierarchy.
include: Declares one or more classes, causing the resources in them to be evaluated and
added to the catalog.
warning: Log a message on the server at level warning.

- 35 -
Rvalue Functions
defined: Determines whether a given class or resource type is defined and returns a Boolean
value.
file: Loads a file from a module and returns its contents as a string.
generate: Calls an external command on the Puppet master and returns the results of the
command.
hiera: Performs a standard priority lookup of the hierarchy and returns the most specific value
for a given key.
hiera_array: Finds all matches of a key throughout the hierarchy and returns them as a
single flattened array of unique values.
hiera_hash: Finds all matches of a key throughout the hierarchy and returns them in a
merged hash.
regsubst: Perform regexp replacement on a string or array of strings.
sha1: Returns a SHA1 hash value from a provided string.
template: Loads an ERB template from a module, evaluates it, and returns the resulting value
as a string.
Review the [Puppet Function list].
[Puppet Function list]: (https://docs.puppet.com/puppet/latest/function.html)
Templates
template: Loads an ERB template from a module, evaluates it, and returns the resulting value as a
string.
A template is referenced by template(<MODULE NAME>/<TEMPLATE FILE>)
template('modulename/motd.erb')
The file is located in <MODULES DIRECTORY>/<MODULE NAME>/templates/motd.erb
Example:
file { '/etc/motd':
ensure => file,
content => template('modulename/motd.erb')
}
- 36 -
Embedded Ruby (ERB) Template Syntax

ERB is a templating language based on Ruby.
Puppet uses the template and inline_template functions to evaluate a template file.
Expression-printing:
<%= @value %>
If statement:
<% if condition %> ...text... <% end %>
Comments:
<%# This is a comment. %>
Looping:
<% @valuse.each -%>
<% do |values| %>some value <%= value %>
<% end -%>
Defined Resource Types

Defined resource types also called defined types or defines.
Are blocks of code that can be evaluated multiple times with different parameters.
They act like a new resource type.
They are declared like a resource type.
Definitions should be stored in the manifests/ directory.
Defined type instance can include any metaparameter.
Defined type names can consist of one or more namespace segments.
Each namespace segment must begin with a lowercase letter and can include:
Lowercase letters
Digits
Underscores
- 37 -
Namespace segments should match the following regular expression:
\\A[a-z]\[a-z0-9_\]\*\\Z
define_name123
Multiple namespace segments can be joined together in a define type name with the :: (double
colon) namespace separator.
\\A(\[a-z\][a-z0-9_]\*)?(::[a-z]\[a-z0-9_]\*)\*\\Z
module_name::defined_type_name
Syntax:
define name (
<DATA TYPE> <PARAMETER> = <VALUE>,
) {
... puppet code ...
}
Declaring an Instance:
<DEFINED TYPE> { '<TITLE>':
}
Example:
define apache::vhost (
Integer $port,
String[1] $docroot,
String $servername = $title,
String[1] $vhost_name = '*',
) {
# ...
}
apache::vhost {'mywebsite':
port => 80,
docroot => '/var/www/mywebsite',
}
Resource Collectors
Resource collectors also called the spaceship operator.
It selects a group of resources by searching the attributes of every resource in the catalog.
This search is independent of evaluation-order.
- 38 -
Collectors realize virtual resources.
Can be used in chaining statements
Can override resource attributes.
Can function as both a statement and a value.
The resource type, capitalized.
Operators
==
!=
and
or
Syntax:
<RESOURCE TYPE> <| <SEARCH EXPRESSION> |>
Example:
User <| groups == 'admin' |>
Exported Resources
Exported resources require catalog storage and searching to be enabled on your Puppet master.
Formerly known as "storeconfigs".
Both the catalog storage and the searching (among other features) are provided by PuppetDB.
Exported resource declaration specifies a desired state for a resource.
It does not manage the resource on the target system
Publishes the resource for use by other nodes.
Any node can then collect the exported resource and manage its own copy of it.
Purpose
Exported resources allow the Puppet compiler to share information among nodes by combining
information from multiple nodes' catalogs.
- 39 -
This helps you manage things that rely on nodes knowing the states or activity of other nodes.
Syntax:
class <CLASS NAME> {
# Declare:
@@<RESOURCE BEING EXPORTED> { <TITLE>:
}
# Collect:
<REFERENCE RESOURCE BEING EXPORTED> <<| |>>
}
Example:
class ssh {
# Declare:
@@sshkey { $::hostname:
type => dsa,
key => $::sshdsakey,
}
# Collect:
Sshkey <<| |>>
}
Declaring an Exported Resource

To declare an exported resource, prepend @@ (a double "at" sign) to the resource type of a
standard resource declaration:
Syntax:
@@<RESOUCE TYPE> { <TITLE>:
}
NTP Module
ntp.conf.erb
# File Managed by Puppet
# For more information about this file, see the man pages
# ntp.conf(5), ntp_acc(5), ntp_auth(5), ntp_clock(5), ntp_misc(5), ntp_
mon(5).
driftfile /var/lib/ntp/drift
# Permit time synchronization with our time source, but do not
# permit the source to query or modify the service on this system.
restrict default nomodify notrap nopeer noquery
- 40 -
# Permit all access over the loopback interface. This could

# be tightened as well, but to do so would effect some of
# the administrative functions.
restrict 127.0.0.1
restrict ::1
# Hosts on local network are less restricted.
#restrict 192.168.1.0 mask 255.255.255.0 nomodify notrap
# Use public servers from the pool.ntp.org project.
# Please consider joining the pool (http://www.pool.ntp.org/join.ht ml).
<% @servers.each do |server| -%>
<%= server %>
<% end -%>
#broadcast 192.168.1.255 autokey # broadcast server
#broadcastclient # broadcast client
#broadcast 224.0.1.1 autokey # multicast server
#multicastclient 224.0.1.1 # multicast client
#manycastserver 239.255.254.254 # manycast server
#manycastclient 239.255.254.254 autokey # manycast client
# Enable public key cryptography.
#crypto
includefile /etc/ntp/crypto/pw
# Key file containing the keys and key identifiers used when operating
# with symmetric key cryptography.
keys /etc/ntp/keys
# Specify the key identifiers which are trusted.
#trustedkey 4 8 42
# Specify the key identifier to use with the ntpdc utility.
#requestkey 8
# Specify the key identifier to use with the ntpq utility.
#controlkey 8
# Enable writing of statistics records.
#statistics clockstats cryptostats loopstats peerstats
# Disable the monitoring facility to prevent amplification attacks using
ntpdc
# monlist command when default restrict does not include the noquery
flag. See
# CVE-2013-5211 for more details.
# Note: Monitoring will not be disabled with the limited restriction
flag.
disable monitor
Exported Resources
[puppet-sshkeys]
Roles and Profiles

Overview
- 41 -
The roles and profiles are used to build reliable, reusable, configurable, and refactorable system configurations.
They are two extra layers of indirection between your node classifier and your component modules.
(Component modules: Normal modules that manage one particular technology. (For example,
puppetlabs/apache.)
Profiles: Wrapper classes that use multiple component modules to configure a layered technology
stack.
Roles: Wrapper classes that use multiple profiles to build a complete system configuration.
Profiles
A profile is just a normal class stored in the profile module.
Make sure you can safely include any profile multiple times don't use resource-like declarations
on them.
Profiles can include other profiles.
Profiles own all the class parameters for their component classes.
Components class shouldn't use a value from Hiera data.
There are three ways a profile can get the data it needs to configure component classes:
Hardcode it in the profile.
Look it up from Hiera.
Example:
class profiles::apache(
String $apache_vhost_name,
String $apache_vhost_docroot,
Bolean $apache_default_vhost = false,
String $apache_vhost_port = 80,
) {
class { 'apache':
default_vhost => $apache_default_vhost,
}
apache::vhost { $apache_vhost_name:
port => $apache_vhost_port,
docroot => $apache_vhost_docroot,
}
}
Roles
The only thing roles should do is declare profile classes.
- 42 -
Use include <PROFILE NAME>.
Don't declare any component classes or normal resources in a role.
Roles can use conditional logic to decide which profiles to use.
Roles should not have any class parameters of their own.
Roles should not set class parameters for any profiles.
The name of a role should be based on your business's conversational name for the type of node it
manages.
Assigning a role to a node
The PE console node classifier.
The main manifest.
Hiera or Puppet lookup.
Roles Names Example:

role::web
role::jenkins::master
role::jenkins::slave
Example:
class role::web {
include profile::base
include profile::apache
include profile::php
}
Hiera Overview
Hiera is a key/value datastore for looking up data.
Let you set node-specific data without repeating yourself.
Why use Hiera?

Single source of truth for your data.
Configure default data with hierarchal overrides.
Use Puppet modules from the forge.
No need to edit the module, just put the data in Hiera.

- 43 -
Publish your own modules for collaboration.
Keeps your data out of your module before sharing it.
No more clashing variable names.
Setting Up Hiera
The hiera.ya ml file is located in /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/.
:backends: tells Hiera what kind of data sources it should process. In this case, we'll be using
YAML files.
:ya ml: configures the YAML data backend.
:datadir: tells hiera the location of the data sources.
:hierarchy: configures the data sources Hiera be using.
Separate their hierarchies into directories.
More spesific data at the top.
Least spesific at the bottom.
You can use facts in your Hiera lookups.
hiera.yaml
---
:backends:
- yaml
:ya ml:
:datadir: "/etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/%{environment}/hieradata"
:hierarchy:
- "nodes/%{::trusted.certname}"
- common
Automatic Parameter Lookup

Process of automatic parameter lookup:
Look for parameters passed using the class {} declaration
If no pass parameter it will look in hiera data source for the parameter <CLASS
NAMESPACE>::parameter
If not found in hiera data source it will use the default set "default"
- 44 -
Hiera Lookup Functions

hiera:
Performs a standard priority lookup of the hierarchy and returns the most specific value for a given key. The
returned value can be any type of data.
Arguments:
A string key that Hiera searches for in the hierarchy. Required.
An optional default value to return if Hiera doesn't find anything matching the key.
The optional name of an arbitrary hierarchy level to insert at the top of the hierarchy.
hiera_array:
Finds all matches of a key throughout the hierarchy and returns them as a single flattened array of unique
values. If any of the matched values are arrays, they're flattened and included in the results. This is called
an array merge lookup.
Arguments:
hiera_hash:
Finds all matches of a key throughout the hierarchy and returns them in a merged hash. If any of the
matched hashes share keys, the final hash uses the value from the highest priority match. This is called a
hash merge lookup.
Arguments:
Managing and Deploying Puppet Code

Overview
Code Manager and r10k are used to manage and deploying your Puppet code.
- 45 -
Install Puppet modules.
Create and maintain environments.
Deploy new code to your masters.
Keep your module code in Git.
Code Manager automates the management and deployment of your new Puppet code.
Push your code updates to your Git repository.
Puppet creates environments based off of the branch.
Installs modules.
Deploys and syncs the new code to your masters.
All without interrupting agent runs.
You can r10k to manage your Puppet code instead of Code Manager.
You should really Code Manager.
Code Manager works with r10k.
Both tool are built into Puppet Enterprise.
Create a control repository for maintaining your environments and code.
Set up Puppetfiles, if you want to install modules in your environments.
Configure Code Manager (recommended) or r10k.
Existing environments will not preserved.
/etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production will be overwritten.
Set Up and Configuring Code Manager

Create your own control repo.
wget https://github.com/puppetlabs/control-repo/archive/production.zip
yum install unzip -y
unzip production.zip
cd production
Create a control repo in GitHub.
Log in to your Github account.
Click Repositories.
- 46 -
Click the New button.
Enter puppet-control for the Repository name.
Click Create Repository.
Initialize your the control repo.
Check in code.
Add remote repo.
Push code.
git init
git remote add origin <URL_TO_REPOSITORY>
git commit -am "first commit"
git push origin master
Create an rsa key for code manager.
mkdir -p /etc/puppetlabs/puppetserver/ssh
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"
Enter the path to where the rsa key will go.
/etc/puppetlabs/puppetserver/ssh/id_rsa
Press enter for an empty passphrase
Make sure ssh is owned by pe-puppet
chmod -R pe-puppet:pe-puppet /etc/puppetlabs/puppetserver/ssh
Update PE Master node group.
Add the following parameters to the puppet_enterprise::profile::master class:
code_manager_auto_configure to true
update r10k_remote with the URL to your git repo
update r10k_private_key with the path to your rsa key
/etc/puppetlabs/puppetserver/ssh/id_rsa
Execute a puppet agent -t on the Puppet master server.
View code manager configuration.
r10k deploy display --fetch

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Create a deploy user.
Reset the password for your deploy user.
Add the deploy user to the Code Deployers User role.
Create a token for your deploy user.
puppet-access login --service-url https://<HOSTNAME OF PUPPET ENTERPRISE

CONSOLE>:4433/rbac-api --lifetime 180d.
Deploying your code to the master.
puppet-code deploy --all --wait
Git URL Example:

git@<YOUR.GIT.SERVER.COM>:puppet/control.git
RSA Key Example:

"/etc/puppetlabs/puppetserver/ssh/id-control_repo.rsa"
Nginx Module
nginx.conf.erb
user <%= @process_user %>;
worker_processes <%= @processorcount %>;
error_log <%= @log_dir %>/error.log;
pid <%= @pid_file %>;
events {
worker_connections 1024;
}
http {
server_tokens off;
include <%= @config_dir %>/mime.types;
default_type application/octet-stream;
access_log <%= @log_dir %>/access.log;
sendfile on;
#tcp_nopush on;
tcp_nodelay on;
include <%= @confd %>/*.conf;
<% if @vdir_enable %>
include <%= @vdir_enable %>/*;
<% end %>
}
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vhost.conf.erb
server {
listen <%= @port %>;
root <%= @vhost_docroot %>;
server_name <%= @name %> <%= @serveraliases %>;
access_log <%= @log_dir %>/<%= @name %>.access.log;
error_log <%= @log_dir %>/<%= @name %>.error.log;
}
Node Classification
Node Definition Lookup
Node Definition Lookup Example: webserver01.mylabserver.com
Attempt to match webserver01.mylabserver.com
Attempt to webserver01.mylabserver
Attempt to webserver01
Match Default
No Match (if no default)
Note: if a node matches multiple node definitions due to regular expressions, puppet will use ONE of them
with no guarantee as to which one it will use.
External Node Classifiers

ENCs can co-exist with standard node definitions in site.pp, and the classes declared in each
source are effectively merged.
node_terminus: Tells Puppet what the ENC it will be using.
Default node_terminus=classifier
external_nodes: This is the path to the executable of the ENC
Replace node_terminus=console with node_terminus=exec.
Example:
[master]
node_terminus = exec
- 49 -
external_nodes = /usr/local/bin/puppet_node_classifier
Using Hiera as an ENCs

hiera_include: Assigns classes to a node using an array merge lookup that retrieves the value
for a user-specified key from Hiera's data.
You can use Hiera as an ENC by:
Use your default node in sites.pp
Add hiera_include('classes'))
Define classes in your Hiera data.
Example:
# Assuming apache.ya ml:
classes:
- role::apache
# Assuming common.ya ml:
classes:
- role::base
External Node Classifiers (ENCs) & Site.pp Merging

A Puppet catalog is made up of:
ENCs work with the site.pp by merging the node objects
All classes specified in the node object as defined in site.pp OR node_terminus

executable
Any classes or resources which are in the site manifest but outside any node definitions
Puppet Orchestrator Overview

Overview
The Puppet orchestrator is a set of interactive command line tools that give you the ability to
control the rollout of configuration changes when and how you want them.
Tools:
puppet job
Allows you to manage and enforce the order if Puppet agent runs across an environment.
- 50 -
Enforces the order of agent runs by instantiating an application model and assigning nodes
to application components.
puppet app
Lets you view the application models and application instances written and stored on the
Puppet master.
Lets you see what is available to include in an orchestration run.
You control when Puppet runs and where node catalogs are applied.
You no longer need to wait on arbitrary run times to update your nodes.
Orchestrator Workflow
Write Puppet code to be uses with Puppet Application Orchestration.
puppet parser validate command to validate.
puppet app show command to validate that your application or application instances looks
correct.
puppet job plan command to show applications or application instances and the node run order
that would be included in a job.
puppet job run command to enforce change on your infrastructure and configure your
application.
The job with the --noop
puppet job show command to review details about the run.
MCollective Overview
Overview
Puppet Enterprise includes the MCollective.
Which is used to invoke actions in parallel across multiple nodes.
You can write custom plugins to add new actions.
MCollective is built around the idea of predefined actions.
It is essentially a highly parallel remote procedure call (RPC) system.
Actions are distributed in plugins
MCollective Plugins:
- 51 -
package: Install and uninstall software packages.
puppet: Run Puppet agent, get its status, and enable/disable it.
puppetral: View resources with Puppet's resource abstraction layer.
rpcutil: General helpful actions that expose stats and internals to SimpleRPC clients.
service: Start and stop system services.
MCollective Components:
pe-activemq: Service (which runs on the Puppet master server) routes all MCollective-related
messages.
pe-mcollective: Service (which runs on every agent node) listens for authorized commands and
invokes actions in response.
mco command (available to the peadmin user account on the Puppet master server) can issue
authorized commands to any number of nodes.
Using MCollective
To run MCollective commands you must:
Be logged in to the Puppet master server.
Use the peadmin user account.
By default, the peadmin account cannot log in with a password.
Using sudo
sudo -i -u peadmin
Adding SSH keys

You can have other users to run commands.
Add the user's public SSH keys to peadmin's authorized keys file.
/var/lib/peadmin/.ssh/authorized_keys
The mco command

All MCollective actions are invoked with the mco command.
The mco command relies on a config file.
- 52 -
/var/lib/peadmin/.m collective
It is only readable by the peadmin use.
Using mco help

mco help
mco help <SUBCOMMAND>
mco <SUBCOMMAND> --help
Synstax:
mco <SUBCOMMAND> <ACTION>
mco rpc <AGENT PLUGIN> <ACTION> <INPUT>=<VALUE>
Examples:
mco ping
mco rpc rpcutil ping
mco rpc service restart service=puppet
Host Filters
-W, --with FILTER Combined classes and facts filter
-S, --select FILTER Compound filter combining facts and classes
-F, --wf, --with-fact fact=val Match hosts with a certain fact
-C, --wc, --with-class CLASS Match hosts with a certain config management class
-A, --wa, --with-agent AGENT Match hosts with a certain agent
-I, --wi, --with-identity IDENT Match hosts with a certain configured identity
Troubleshooting
Common Installer Problems
Check your DNS
Puppet communicates on ports 8140, 61613, and 443.
If you are installing the console and the Puppet master on separate servers and tried to install the
console first, the installer may fail.
Recovering from a failed install.
- 53 -
If you encounter errors during installation, you can fix them and run the installer again.
Troubleshooting Connections
Troubleshooting connections between components
Is the agent able to reach the Puppet master?
Try 'telnet <puppet master's hostname> 8140'
Make sure the agent can reach the DNS name that is configured in puppet.conf.
Check that the pe-puppetserver service is running.
Make sure the agent has a signed certificate.
Check the logs for:
warning: peer certificate won't be verified in this SSL session
Revoke the certificate and regenerate it.
On the master:
puppet cert clean <NODE NAME>
On the agent:
rm -r $(puppet agent --configprint ssldir) puppet agent -t
(or --test)
Troubleshooting the filebucket:
If you get the following error during a Puppet run:
err: /Stage[main]/Pe_mcollective/File[/etc/puppetlabs/mcollective/
server.cfg]
/content:change from {md5}778087871f76ce08be02a672b1c48bdc to{md5}
e33a27e4b9a
87bb17a2bdff115c4b080 failed: Could not back up/etc/puppetlabs/
mcollective/se
rver.cfg: getaddrinfo: Name or service not known
Example:
# Define filebucket 'main':
filebucket { 'main':
server => '<PUPPET MASTER'S DNS NAME>',
path => false,
}
- 54 -
General Troubleshooting
Use --profil or add profile to true in the agent's puppet.conf file.
Use --logdest and --debug to log additional details to syslog.
Database Troubleshooting
Troubleshoot classification
You can cURL the console to troubleshoot the node classifier.
Determine What Node Groups the NC Has and What Data They Contain:
curl https://$(hostname -f):4433/classifier-api/v1/groups > classifier_
groups.json
--cacert /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl/certs/ca.pem
--cert /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl/certs/<WHITELISTED CERTNAME>.pem
--key /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl/private_keys/<WHITELISTED
CERTNAME>.pem
Determine What Data the NC Will Generate for a Given Node Name:
curl https://$(hostname -f):4433/classifier-api/v1/classified/
nodes/<SOME NODE NAME> > node_classification.json
--cacert /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl/certs/ca.pem
--cert /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl/certs/<WHITELISTED CERTNAME>.pem
--key /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl/private_keys/<WHITELISTED
CERTNAME>.pem
PostgreSQL is taking up too much space
PostgreSQL should have autovacuum=on set by default.
PostgreSQL buffer memory causes PE install to fail
Check /var/log/pe-postgresql/pgstartup.log
FATAL: could not create shared memory segment: No space left
on deviceDETAIL: Failed system call was shmget(key=5432001,
size=34427584512,03600).
Tweaking the machine's shmmax and shmall kernel settings before installing PE.
shmmax should equal 50% of the total RAM.
shmall should be calculated by dividing the new shmmax setting by the PAGE_SIZE.
Get the PAGE_SIZE by running getconf PAGE_SIZE.
- 55 -
To Set the New Kernel Settings by Run:

sysctl -w kernel.shmmax=<your shmmax calculation>
sysctl -w kernel.shmall=<your shmall calculation>
Optimizing the Databases

Changing PuppetDB's parameters.
PuppetDB parameters are set in the jetty.ini.
jetty.ini is managed by PE.
You need to update the setting in the console or they will be overwritten.
Changing the PuppetDB user/password
Stop the pe-puppetdb service.
On the database server, using psql execute:
ALTER USER console PASSWORD '<new password>';
Edit /etc/puppetlabs/puppetdb/conf.d/database.ini and update the password.
Start the pe-puppetdb service.
Vacuuming PostgreSQL
su - pe-postgres -s /bin/bash -c "vacuumdb -z --verbose <DATABASE NAME>"
Backing Up PostgreSQL
sudo -u pe-postgres /opt/puppetlabs/server/apps/postgresql/bin/pg_
dumpall -c -f <BACKUP_FILE>.sql
Reporting
Information found on reports:
Total: Total number of resources being managed.
Skipped: How many resources were skipped (either due to tags or schedule metaparameter).
Scheduled: How many resources met the scheduling restriction, if one is present.
Out of Sync: How many resources were out of sync (not in the desired configuration state).
Applied: How many resources were aelempted to be put into the desired configuration state.
- 56 -
Failed: How many resources were not successfully fixed (put into the desired configuration
state).
Restarted: How many resources were restarted.
Failed restarts: how many resources could not be restarted.
Total time for configuration run (puppet agent execution).
How long it took to retrieve the configuration (compiled catalog) from the puppet master.
Built in report processors
http: send reports to https/http.
log: Send logs to local syslog
store: store reports in yaml form in the location specified in the reportdir setting
Report processors you download
tagmail: send specific reports to specific email addresses.
Puppet Enterprise Roles Based Access Control

RBAC Permissions
Removing Nodes
You will need to do the following step to remove a node from Puppet Enterprise:
Deactivates the node in PuppetDB.
Deletes the Puppet master's information cache for the node.
Frees up the license that the node was using.
Allows you to re-use the hostname for a new node.
On the Agent Node:

service puppet stop
On the Puppet Master:

puppet node purge <CERTNAME>
puppet agent -t
service pe-puppetserver restart
- 57 -
If the deactivated node still shows up, stop MCollective.
On the Agent Node:

service mcollective stop
/etc/puppetlabs/mcollective/ssl/clients.
Checking Values of Settings

puppet master --configprint <CONFIG NAME>
puppet config print <CONFIG NAME>
puppet config print <CONFIG NAME> --section <SECTION NAME>
Puppet Resource Command

puppet resource <RESOURCE NAME>
puppet resource <RESOURCE NAME>
Puppet Professional Certification

About the Puppet certification
Pearson VUE
Puppet Professional 2016 Practice Exam
Code Repositories for this Course

Roles Repository
Profiles Repository
Control Repository
NTP Repository
SSH Repository
Nginx Repository
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Study Guide

Puppet Head First 1

Puppet Installation Flags 2

Code and Data Directories 2

Puppet Enterprise Logs 3

Puppet Enterprise Services 3

Puppet Enterprise Logs 4

Resource Abstraction Layer 7

Certificate Signing Request (CSR) 8

Building Modules and Classes 9

Class Structure ane Names 9

Module Structure and Names 10

Custom and External Facts 11

Spacing, Indentation, and Whitespace 14

Arrays and Hashes 14

Escape Characters and Comments 15

Classes and Defined Types 17

Chaining Arrow Syntax 17

Nested Classes or Defined Types 17

Defined Resource Types 19

Core Data Types 20

Resource and Class References 21

Abstract Data Types 21

The Type Data Type 22

Relationships and Dependencies 22

Chaining Arrows: Operands 23

Refreshing and Notification 23

Refreshing and Notification 23

Variables and Scope 29

Arrays and Hashes 31

Iteration and Loops 32

Class Parameters and Defaults 33

Function Data Provider 34

Embedded Ruby (ERB) Template Syntax 37

Defined Resource Types 37

Declaring an Exported Resource 40

Roles and Profiles 41

Why use Hiera? 43

Automatic Parameter Lookup 44

Hiera Lookup Functions 45

Managing and Deploying Puppet Code 45

Set Up and Configuring Code Manager 46

Node Definition Lookup 49

External Node Classifiers 49

Using Hiera as an ENCs 50

External Node Classifiers (ENCs) & Site.pp Merging 50

Puppet Orchestrator Overview 50

Adding SSH keys 52

The mco command 52

Common Installer Problems 53

Optimizing the Databases 56

Puppet Enterprise Roles Based Access Control 57

Checking Values of Settings 58

Puppet Resource Command 58

Puppet Professional Certification 58

Code Repositories for this Course 58

FQDN: Fully qualified domain name.

Install the Puppet Agent: curl -k https://<puppet-master-fqdn>:8140/packages/

Puppet Head First 1

Puppet Installation Flags 2

Code and Data Directories 2

Puppet Enterprise Logs 3

Puppet Enterprise Services 3

Puppet Enterprise Logs 4

Resource Abstraction Layer 7

Certificate Signing Request (CSR) 8

Building Modules and Classes 9

Class Structure ane Names 9

Module Structure and Names 10

Custom and External Facts 11

Spacing, Indentation, and Whitespace 14

Arrays and Hashes 14

Escape Characters and Comments 15

Classes and Defined Types 17

Chaining Arrow Syntax 17

Nested Classes or Defined Types 17

Defined Resource Types 19

Core Data Types 20

Resource and Class References 21

Abstract Data Types 21

The Type Data Type 22

Relationships and Dependencies 22

Chaining Arrows: Operands 23

Refreshing and Notification 23

Refreshing and Notification 23

Variables and Scope 29

Arrays and Hashes 31

Iteration and Loops 32

Class Parameters and Defaults 33

Function Data Provider 34

Embedded Ruby (ERB) Template Syntax 37

Defined Resource Types 37

Declaring an Exported Resource 40

Roles and Profiles 41

Why use Hiera? 43

Automatic Parameter Lookup 44

Hiera Lookup Functions 45

Managing and Deploying Puppet Code 45

Set Up and Configuring Code Manager 46

Node Definition Lookup 49

External Node Classifiers 49

Using Hiera as an ENCs 50

External Node Classifiers (ENCs) & Site.pp Merging 50

Puppet Orchestrator Overview 50

Adding SSH keys 52

The mco command 52

Common Installer Problems 53

Optimizing the Databases 56

Puppet Enterprise Roles Based Access Control 57

Checking Values of Settings 58

Puppet Resource Command 58

Puppet Professional Certification 58

Code Repositories for this Course 58