Puppet is an open source (commercial Enterprise version) systems management tool providing a centralised configuration for all your UNIX, Linux and Apple systems even on the other side of your firewall. But what makes it different is that it speaks the local language of your target hosts allowing Puppet to define tasks with generic instructions. These are called recipes and are so portable that they can be shared on the Puppet website and used by all. It is also flexible; being open source you can alter the code to suit your circumstances. And it’s extensible. We will show you just how easy it is to add and amend functions. Finally, it is better than most configuration tools because Puppet uses Facter, which allows you to query host information and define custom facts on a host which can be used as variables by the Puppet system.
This course is aimed at showing you how to set up and configure Puppet and to make the most from it, be it the open source or enterprise version. As well as looking at the core features of Puppet and to understand its configuration language we will also provide you with a chance to go through a configuration of your own and manage a couple of nodes.
Unix/Linux systems administrators looking to automate their infrastructure, and have some scripting knowledge (bash, sh, ksh, Perl or Python).
The course work is based on lecture/lab environment with all chapters containing exercises to help understand what you have just covered. Toward the end of the course a workshop will help you fully utilise the knowledge acquired so far to set up 2 or 3 clients and a Puppet master.
An experienced Unix/Linux systems administrator with a broad understanding of the various system tasks relating to setting up and supporting Unix/Linux systems. Knowledge of Ruby is not essential to see this product in action, since Ruby is only required to extend the current Puppet system.
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Day: Start 9:30am - Finish 5:00pm
Subsequent: Start 9:30am - Finish 5:00pm
Defining what Puppet is and does, terminology and structure, references to online resources.
What is required to install Puppet, dependancies and order of installation, checking Puppet works, and steps to run before starting the master.
Command line options, files related to start up, file locations, minimum configuration to make Puppet start, starting the server and clients, working with certificates.
Puppets configuration files, understanding the different sections, what the values mean, a simple manifest.
Understand what a resource is, define and create resources using various types, apply to hosts in the network or all, work with system variables using Facter and define a Puppet file server.
Understand classes and how they work, apply them and understand the rules of inheritance. Work with variables, metaparameters and arrays.
Understand and use the various constructs for decision making in Puppet, and use virtual resources.
Understand the different types of functions within Puppet and their uses. Find out where to keep up to date on new functions.
Use tags, templates and modules to manage your infrastructure, creating templates for varying file data of particular format.
Understand the default environments provided by Puppet, defining your own and using them. Working with stored configurations.
Install and work with the Puppet dashboard as well as rrd graphing and custom reporting.
Enhancing the open source version to suit your enterprise, work with other systems containing host information, add custom facts to facter, create and use types and providers and some general ideas for best design and security of puppet configurations
Understand the differences between the open source and enterprise versions. Learn how to install and configure the Enterprise version of Puppet, and manage systems with the web interface.
Working with MCollective to control and manage your Puppet environment and nodes. Security configurations, and use of the web live management interface.
Integrating hiera into puppet to empower your definitions to work with variable data provided through the hiera data structure. Install, configure and create hiera data to integrate with puppet.
Here we will put Puppet through its paces and configure some agent nodes to configure;