Puppet is a configuration management tool that allows systems to be provisioned in a consistent, automated way. It uses manifests and resources to describe a system's configuration. Resources include packages, services, files and users. Modules contain reusable sets of resources. Templates allow variables to be used when generating configuration files. Puppet can be used with Vagrant for development and provisioning, and in production via a Puppet master to distribute configuration to clients.

1. Provisioning with Puppet
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vasta/4463786284/

2. $ whoami
Joe Ray
Senior Systems Developer
Future Publishing
@jr261

3. Overview
• Why you should use provisioners
• What is Puppet?
• How do you use it?
• Using Puppet with Vagrant
• Using Puppet in production

4. Why use provisioners?
• Reproducible setup
• Write less documentation
• Same config for multiple platforms
• Scale your setup
• Easily move from development to
production
• Distribute amongst team
• SSH access not necessary
• Use associated tools

5. What is Puppet?
• Configuration management tool
• Platform-agnostic (supports Linux, Free/OpenBSD,
OSX, Windows, Solaris)
• Description of systems' configuration using
manifests
• Idempotent

6. Resources
• Building blocks of configuration:
• packages
• services
• files
• users / groups

7. Resources
package { 'nginx':
ensure => present,
}
user { 'joe':
ensure => present,
shell => '/bin/zsh',
home => '/home/joe',
}

8. Modules
• Self-contained, reusable sets of resources
• Typical pattern:
• Install package
• Manage service
• Provide configuration helpers (defined
types)
• http://forge.puppetlabs.com

9. Modules
class nginx($workers=1, $ensure=present) {
package { nginx:
ensure => $ensure,
}
service { nginx:
ensure => $ensure,
subscribe => File["/etc/nginx/nginx.conf"],
require => File["/etc/nginx/nginx.conf"],
}
file { "/etc/nginx/nginx.conf":
ensure => $ensure,
content => template("nginx/nginx.conf.erb"),
require => Package[nginx],
}
}

10. Templates
server {
! listen 80;
! server_name <%= domain %>;
! root <%= root %>;
! access_log /var/log/nginx/<%= domain %>.access.log;
! keepalive_timeout 5;
! location / {
index index.html index.htm;
! }
}

11. Using modules
include nginx
class { 'nginx':
'workers' => 5,
}
nginx::site { 'www.mywebsite.com':
'config' => 'www.mywebsite.com',
'root' => '/data/www.mywebsite.com',
}

12. Using with
Vagrant::Config.run do |config|
config.vm.provision :puppet do |puppet|
puppet.manifests_path = "manifests"
puppet.manifest_file = "my_manifest.pp"
end
end

13. Facts
• How Puppet knows about your system
$ facter
architecture => amd64
domain => vagrantup.com
facterversion => 1.6.17
fqdn => debian6.vagrantup.com
hardwareisa => unknown
hardwaremodel => x86_64
hostname => debian6
id => vagrant
interfaces => eth0,lo
ipaddress => 10.0.2.15
etc...

14. Using with
Vagrant::Config.run do |config|
config.vm.provision :puppet, :facts =>
{"vagrant" => "vagrant"} do |puppet|
puppet.manifests_path = "manifests"
puppet.manifest_file = "my_manifest.pp"
end
end

15. Using with
server {
! listen 80;
! server_name <%= domain %>;
! root <%= root %>;
<% if @vagrant %>
satisfy any;
deny all;
allow 192.168.33.1;
allow 10.0.2.2;
<% end %>
! access_log /var/log/nginx/<%= domain %>.access.log;
! keepalive_timeout 5;
! location / {
index index.html index.htm;
! }
}

16. Using Puppet in production
manifests / git / svn
Puppetmaster
modules / files or whatever
REST over HTTPS Reports
Client Client Client

17. What next?
• Example Puppet project at: github.com/
josno/puppet-example
• Read the docs: docs.puppetlabs.com