[Puppet Users] Re: Managing untemplatable configuration files

2012-10-24 Thread llowder


On Wednesday, October 24, 2012 1:24:07 PM UTC-5, David Reagan wrote:

 I'm brand new to Puppet. Just read through the tutorial online, and the 
 first couple chapters of Pro Puppet.

 As I've experimented with managing Apache, I ended up storing my wildcard 
 ssl cert on the puppetmaster. Since my Apache hosts will all use it.

 I'm also looking at managing Shibboleth with Puppet. I don't know the 
 application well enough to figure out how to template the various 
 configuration files correctly. So it seems like I might want to store them 
 on the puppetmaster.

 I'm sure I'll run into other applications with the same problem.

 So, does it make sense to store files with host specific configuration in 
 them on the puppet master? Files that are either unable to be turned into 
 templates, or that I don't know enough about the application to make 
 templates. Or is there a better way?


For complex configs, I either use ageaus or a define that builds fragments 
to be put together using puppet-concat.
I also wind up having to spend a lot of time studying docs and existing 
configs so that I can properly build the config files.
 

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[Puppet Users] Re: Managing untemplatable configuration files

2012-10-24 Thread jcbollinger


On Wednesday, October 24, 2012 1:24:07 PM UTC-5, David Reagan wrote:

 I'm brand new to Puppet. Just read through the tutorial online, and the 
 first couple chapters of Pro Puppet.

 As I've experimented with managing Apache, I ended up storing my wildcard 
 ssl cert on the puppetmaster. Since my Apache hosts will all use it.

 I'm also looking at managing Shibboleth with Puppet. I don't know the 
 application well enough to figure out how to template the various 
 configuration files correctly. So it seems like I might want to store them 
 on the puppetmaster.

 I'm sure I'll run into other applications with the same problem.

 So, does it make sense to store files with host specific configuration in 
 them on the puppet master? Files that are either unable to be turned into 
 templates, or that I don't know enough about the application to make 
 templates. Or is there a better way?



It makes a certain amount of sense to do that, but it does present a 
scaling and maintenance problem.  Also, since you don't understand the 
files, you must be planning on creating them on the client via some 
automated tool, then uploading them to the master.  In the end, then, all 
you really get for the work is Puppet ensuring that any changes to those 
files are reverted automatically.  That's a lot less valuable than being 
able to change a template or verbatim file on the master and having it 
pushed out to the appropriate clients.

I suggest that you study the target applications or their config files 
enough to template them.  Comparing two or three generated for different 
servers should get you most of the way to where you want to be.  
Alternatively, maybe these particular files don't really need to be under 
Puppet management at all?


John

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