Puppet is an open source tool for server configuration management and application deployment. It allows users to define the desired state of IT infrastructure and automatically enforces that state. Key features include enforcing consistent configurations across thousands of nodes, increased productivity through automation, and visibility into infrastructure changes. Puppet works by defining resources like packages, files, and services using a declarative language and enforcing that configuration through an agent-master architecture.

1. PUPPET FUNDAMENTALS

2. About Puppet
• Puppet is an infrastructure automation and
configuration management tool
• Created by Luke Kanies in 2003 using Ruby.
• First commercial product released by
PuppetLabs in 2011
• 4000+ community members
• 50000+ nodes managed by largest deployments.
• Support for RedHat, ubuntu, Debian, Suse,
Solaris 10, Windows, MacOSX

3. WHY PUPPET ?

4. Common issues in traditional IT Ops
• Manually configure new nodes (servers)
• Custom scripts are written for specific OS,
environments
• Managing packages, patches across large
infrastructure.
• Configuration consistency across all nodes.
• Managing large infrastructure becomes
expensive.

5. Using puppet
• Enforces a defined state of the infrastructure
• Manages, automate tasks on 1000s of nodes
• Enable Infrastructure as a code
• Configuration consistency
• Increased productivity.
• Visibility of the infrastructure changes.
• Operational efficiency.
• Scalability

6. How Puppet works

7. Example: define
Pa kage { sshd :
Ensure => installed.
}
file { /et /sshd/sshd_config :
ensure => file,
owner => root,
group => root,
}
“e i e { sshd :
ensure => running.
enable => true.
}

8. Use Case
• You need to manage an user max
> verify user exist ?
> what is the primary group
> what is the secondary group
> what is the home directory

9. Existing Tools in *nix
• useradd
• usermod
• groupadd
• groupmod
• mkdir
• chmod
• chgrp
• chown

10. Command line concerns
• Do I have to use useradd or adduser
• What are the options to use ( -l or –L )
• If I run the same command again, does it
work?

11. Use a script
#! /bin/sh
USER=$1; GROUP=$2; HOME=$3
If [ 0 –ne $(getent passwd $USER > /dev/null)$? ]
then useradd $USER –home $HOME –gid $GROUP –n; fi
OLDGID=`getent passwd $USER | awk –F: {p i t $ } `
OLDGROUP=`getent group $OLDGID | awk –F: {p i t $ } `
OLDHOME=`getent passwd $USER | awk –F: {p i t $ } `
If [ $G‘OUP != $OLDGID ] && [ $G‘OUP != $OLDG‘OUP ]
then usermod –gid $GROUP $USER; fi
if [ $HOME != $OLDHOME ]
then usermod –home $HOME $USER; fi

12. But What about
• Readability
• What if Windows & other OS support
• Robust error checking and logging
• How about other complex tasks

13. Puppet way
user { max :
ensure => present,
gid => admin,
home => /data/max ,
managehome => true,
}

14. Desired State
Desired State
Use { elmo :
Ensure => present,
Gid => staff ,
Home => /mnt/home/elmo ,
...
}
Convergence
gid => sysadmin ,
home => /mnt/home/elmo ,
Drift
Node State
Use { elmo :
Ensure => present,
Gid => staff ,
Home => /ho e/elmo ,
}

15. Desired State
• Any convergence are reported back to the
server
• Provision a node, pupet configure it and
maintain the state.
• Puppet enforce the desired state in an
idempotent way.

16. Resource Abstraction Layer
File Package Service User
Ruby Apt
Yum
Gems
Dev
RPM
Redhat
Launched
SMF
Debian
Useradd
Ldap
Netinfo
Resource abstraction Layer

17. Facter
• Puppet uses facter to gather information
about node.
• Run $facter to know what are the facters on
your system
• The returned key-value pairs are called facts
• You can use these facts in your puppet
manifest.

18. Catalog compilation

19. Module structure
[root@master puppet]# tree modules/
modules/
`-- hello_world
|-- files
| `-- hello_world
|-- manifests
| `-- init.pp
|-- templates
`-- tests
`-- init.pp

20. Puppet Classes
Classes define a collection of resources that are managed together as a single Unit.
# /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/modules/ssh/manifests/init.pp
Class ssh {
Pa kage { openssh- lie ts :
Ensure => present,
}
File { /et /ssh/ssh_config :
O e => oot ,
G oup => oot ,
Mode => ,
‘e ui e => pa kage [ openssh- lie ts ],
“ou e => puppet:/// odules/ssh/ssh_ o fig ,
}
“e i e { sshd :
Ensure => stopped,
Enable => false,
}
}

21. Node Definition
Multiple classes are declared together to represent a Role
node agent.example.com {
include ssh
include mysql
include apache
}
Note: You can also use like below
class { ssh : }

22. include ssh
include ha_proxy_mbr
include apache
include web_app
include ssh
include ha_proxy
include ssh
include mysql
Node
web1.example.com
Node
lb.example.com
Node
db.example.com
Classes can be re-used

23. Class Naming Convention
• Class name must be unique
• Can be used only once on a given node
• Classes cannot be re-declared
• Ex – class hello_world
class apache::virtual_host
class myusers::group::finance
• Validate a class
puppet parser validate init.pp

24. Class Auto loading
• Classes load as per the modulepath
Read #man 5 puppet.conf for more details

25. Your First Module: Exercise
• Create a module for managing your user
account
• Steps:
> Create the module structure & support files
> Validate the syntax of your class
> Test the class on one of the agent node

26. Resources
• File
• Package
• User
• Service
#puppet resource file /etc/passwd
#puppet resource service sshd
#puppet describe user

27. Resource Abstraction Layer
File Package Service User
Ruby Apt
Yum
Gems
Dev
RPM
Redhat
Launched
SMF
Debian
Useradd
Ldap
Netinfo
Providers
•Providers are the interface between underlying OS and
resources.

28. Resource Relationship
• require
• subscribe
• notify
• before

29. (2) Containing Resource
(1) Reference
^
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require
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A containing resource can require a referenced resource to be applied first
require

30. Example
Pa kage { openssh :
Ensure => present,
}
“e i e { sshs :
Ensure => running,
Enable => true,
‘e ui e => Pa kage[ openssh ],
}

31. (1) Containing Resource
(2) Reference
A containing resource can request to be applied before a referenced resource
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before
^
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before

32. Example
Pa kage { openssh :
Ensure => present,
Befo e => se i e[ sshd ],
}
“e i es { sshd :
Ensure => running,
Enable => true,
}

33. Refresh Events
• Resource changes can refresh other events
• A change in configuration file must refresh
the service associated to it
• The subscribe and notify meta-parematers
can do it.

34. subscribe
(1) Reference
^
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subscribe
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(2) Containing Resource
refresh

35. Example:
Pa kage { ntp :
Ensure => present,
}
File { /et /ntp.conf :
O e => oot ,
G oup => oot ,
Mode => ,
“ou e => puppet:/// odules/ tp/ tp. o f ,
‘e ui e => Pa kage[ ntp ],
}
“e i es { ntpd :
Ensure => running,
Enable => true,
“u s i e => File[ /et /ntp.conf ],
}

36. notify
(1) Reference
^
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notify
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(2) Containing Resource
refresh

37. Common Use Case
• Package | File | Service
• One of the common design pattern used in
production
• Reasonable workflow
> Install a package
> configure one or more config files
> Enable the service

38. Language Constructs (DSL)
• How variables are used in Puppet
• How to use Arrays
• Conditional logic options in DSL
• Create a puppet manifest that works in
multiple OS

39. Variables
• Variables are prefixed with $
Ex: $application =
/var/tmp/prodevans.war
$confdir = /etc/httpd/conf.d
You can use double quote while using a string.
$string = My httpd config directory is
$confdir

40. Variable Example
$httpd_dir = /et /httpd/conf.d
File {
O e => oot ,
G oup => oot ,
Mode => ,
}

41. Scope
• Scope is a specific area of the code which is
isolated from other area
Ex:
Class example
Class example::other
Local scope locally override the variables
defined in the parent.

42. Global variables
• All facts are global variables
• :: is the scope operator for top scope facts
Ex:
$string = This is the home page for ${::hostname}
• Variables are constants, cannot be
reassigned.

43. Namevar
• Each resource has a special attribute called namevar.
• It is the unique identifier for the resource
• When it is omitted, by default it is same as that of title.
Ex: user { Max Anderson :
ensure => present,
name => max ,
gid => wheel .
}
• For packages package name is the namevar
• For files the path is the namevar
• The title of the resource can be different from the namevar

44. Arrays
• Puppet support Simple array.
Ex: $sample_array = [ one , two , three ]
File { [ /tmp/o e , /tmp/o e/t o , /tmp/o e/t o/th ee ] :
Ensure => directory
O e => oot ,
G oup => oot ,
Mode => ,
}

45. Conditional statements
• Puppet supports three conditional
expression.
> The selector
> case statement
> if-else / elsif statements
• Selectors return a value
• If-else & case alter the logic flow of puppet
code

46. Selector Values
• The value returned by selector can be used
Ex: package { ssh :
ensure => present ,
name => $::operatingsystem ? {
Ubuntu => ssh ,
default => openssh ,
},
}
• Selectors return a value, but do not evaluate a block of code
• Ideal for setting a variable or an attribute.

47. Case statement
• Case statements can be used around resources or a
collection of resources or other logical constructs
case $::operatingsystem {
debian : { $ssh_name = ssh }
RedHat : { $ssh_name = sshd }
default: { warning ( OS not supported ) }
}
• Always use the default match to avoid compilation issues.

48. Example:
Case $::operatingsystem {
ubuntu : {
$ssh_pkg = ssh
}
solaris : {
$ssh_pkg = [ SUNWsshcu , SUNWsshdr , SSNWsshu ]
}
# default assumes CentOs, RedHat
Default: {
$ssh_pkg = [ openssh , openssh- lie t , openssh-se e ]
}
}
Package { $ssh_pkg:
Ensure => present,
}

49. If-else / elsif
• These conditions act on boolean expressions
• Following values return false
> Undefined or nil value
>
> false
• Ex: if $mailserver {
file { /etc/mail : ensure => present }
}
else {
file { /etc/mail : ensure => absent }
}

50. Conditional expressions
• Boolean expressions
and , or , not
• Comparison expressions
== , != , =~ , < , >, <= , >=
• Arithmetic expressions
+ , - , / , *, << , >>

51. Example:
$server = ProdDBlapp01
if $server =~ /ProdDB/ {
notify { This is a database instance : }
}
else {
notify { This is not a database instance : }
}

52. ERB Templates
• Manage configuration files with dynamic
contents
• Use this technique to manage configuration
file for apache or tomat or JBoss

53. Templates
• Templates are usually text files
• Inserting ERB tags allows you to display or act
on content of the variable
• Ex: The system IP address is <%= @ipaddress %>
• Can be assigned to an attribute
File { /et / a i g :
ensure => present,
content =>
te plate apa he / a i g.e ,
}

54. Example:
• ssh_config template, enable X11 forwarding
only for CentOS hosts
#Puppet managed ssh_config file
Host *
GSSAPIAuthentication yes
<% if @operatingsystem == Ce tO“ then -%>
ForwardX11 yes
forwardX11Trusted yes
# virtually no client support untrusted mode
<% else -%>
Forward X11 no
<%end -%>
SendEnv LANG LC_*

55. Puppet Forge
• Puppet modules shared by community
• Search modules in the forge
• Share modules with others using the forge
• forge.puppetlabs.com
• From command line search
#puppet module search <modulename>
• Install a module
#puppet module install <modulename>
• Verify installed modules
#puppet module list --tree

56. Custom facts
• Facts written in ruby programming language
• Usually shell commands are issued as part of
the fact to return value
• Environment variable FACTERLIB
• use pluginsync = true in the main section of
/etc/puppet/puppet.conf

57. Hiera
• Installed by default after pupet 3.0 or later
• Hiera is a key-value lookup tool to provide
node specific data
• Easy to configure data on per node basis
• Keep node configuration in one place and
managing the node specific variables/data
will be easy
• Hiera implies hierarchical data

58. Hiera configuration
• /etc/hiera.yaml
(Config file for puppet opensource )
• /etc/puppetlabs/puppet/hiera.yaml
( Config file for enterprise puppet )
• Use hiera command to find out specific data
from hiera
• Referred inside puppet module as
$package_name = hiera( package_name )

59. Troubleshooting & Best practice

60. Managing puppet certificates
• puppet cert list
• puppet cert list –a
• puppet cert sign <hostname>
• puppet cert sign all
• puppet cert clean <hostname>

61. debug
• Agent run with –debug –verbose
• Verify the classname
• Verify if you have proper node classification
in site.pp or nodes.pp
• Verify agent configuration

62. Best practice
• Follow Package | config | service model
• Each small components must be created as
module and include them in other classes.
• Use editor to avoid syntax issue