[[!meta title="cdist - usable configuration management"]] .. . .x+=:. s dF @88> z` ^% :8 '88bu. %8P . = 2.0.4)](man) ### OS support cdist was tested or is know to run on at least * [Archlinux](http://www.archlinux.org/) * [Debian](http://www.debian.org/) * [CentOS](http://www.centos.org/) * [Fedora](http://fedoraproject.org/) * [Gentoo](http://www.gentoo.org/) * [Mac OS X](http://www.apple.com/macosx/) * [OpenBSD](http://www.openbsd.org) * [Redhat](http://www.redhat.com/) * [Ubuntu](http://www.ubuntu.com/) * [XenServer](http://www.citrix.com/xenserver/) ## Requirements ### Server * A posix like shell * Python (>= 3.2 required) * SSH client * Asciidoc (for building the manpages) ### Client ("target host") * A posix like shell * SSH server ## Installation ### Preparation Ensure you have Python 3.2 installed on the machine you use to **deploy to the targets** (the ***source host***). #### Archlinux Archlinux already has python >= 3.2, so you only need to do: pacman -S python #### CentOS See the "From source" section #### Debian For Debian >= wheezy: aptitude install python3 On squeeze you can add following line in **/etc/apt/sources.list** deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian wheezy main And add pinning entry in **/etc/apt/preferences.d/wheezy**: Package: * Pin: release n=wheezy Pin-Priority: 1 Please be aware that both **openssh-server** and **openssh-client** might be removed on **python3.2** installation. You surely want to reinstall them: apt-get install -t wheezy openssh-server openssh-client For older Debian versions, installing python 3.2 manually is required. #### Fedora For Fedora >= 15: yum install python3 #### FreeBSD For the port: cd /usr/ports/lang/python32/ && make install clean For the package: pkg_add -r python32 #### Gentoo Gentoo only provides python 3.2 in testing packages (http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=3&chap=3). If you want to ensure nothing breaks you must set back the python version to what was default before. emerge -av =python-3.2.2 --autounmask-write emerge -av =python-3.2.2 eselect python list eselect python list set python3.2 #### Max OS X You can choose between Homebrew and Macports, either way works: [Homebrew](http://mxcl.github.com/homebrew/) variant: brew install python3 [Macports](http://www.macports.org/install.php) variant: port install python32 ln -s /opt/local/bin/python3.2 /opt/local/bin/python3 #### From Source For those operating systems not yet support Python 3.2: pyversion=3.2.3 wget http://www.python.org/ftp/python/$pyversion/Python-${pyversion}.tar.bz2 tar xvfj Python-${pyversion}.tar.bz2 cd Python-${pyversion} ./configure make sudo make install This installs python 3.2 to /usr/local/bin. Ensure this directory is in your PATH environment variable. ### Get cdist You can clone cdist from git, which gives you the advantage of having a version control in place for development of your own stuff as well. To install cdist, execute the following commands: git clone git://git.schottelius.org/cdist cd cdist export PATH=$PATH:$(pwd -P)/bin # If you want the manpages ./build man export MANPATH=$MANPATH:$(pwd -P)/doc/man ### Available versions There are at least the following branches available: * Development: master * 2.0: Python rewrite of cdist core [stable branch] Old versions: * 1.7: Bugfixes, cleanups, new type and explorer rename * 1.6: New types, cleaned up \_\_package* types, internal cleanup * 1.5: Focus on object orientation instead of global stage orientation * 1.4: Support for redefiniton of objects (if equal) * 1.3: Support for local and remote code execution (current stable) * 1.2: Dependencies supported * 1.1: \_\_file to \_\_file, \_\_directory, \_\_link migration * 1.0: First official release Other branches may be available for features or bugfixes, but they may vanish at any point. To select a specific branch use # Generic code git checkout -b origin/ # Stay on a specific version version=2.0 git checkout -b $version origin/$version ### Mirrors * git://github.com/telmich/cdist.git ([github](https://github.com/telmich/cdist)) * git://git.code.sf.net/p/cdist/code ([sourceforge](https://sourceforge.net/p/cdist/code)) ## Update To upgrade cdist in the current branch use git pull # Also update the manpages ./build man export MANPATH=$MANPATH:$(pwd -P)/doc/man If you stay on a version branche (i.e. 1.0, 1.1., ...), nothing should break. The master branch on the other hand is the development branch and may not be working, break your setup or eat the tree in your garden. ### Upgrading from 1.7 to 2.0 * Ensure python (>= 3.2) is installed on the server * Use "cdist config host" instead of "cdist-deploy-to host" * Use "cdist config -p host1 host2" instead of "cdist-mass-deploy" * Use "cdist banner" for fun * Use **\_\_object_fq** instead of **\_\_self** in manifests ### Upgrading from 1.6 to 1.7 * If you used the global explorer **hardware_type**, you need to change your code to use **machine** instead. ### Upgrading from 1.5 to 1.6 * If you used **\_\_package_apt --preseed**, you need to use the new type **\_\_debconf_set_selections** instead. * The **\_\_package** types accepted either --state deinstalled or --state uninstaaled. Starting with 1.6, it was made consistently to --state removed. ### Upgrading from 1.3 to 1.5 No incompatiblities. ### Upgrading from 1.2 to 1.3 Rename **gencode** of every type to **gencode-remote**. ### Upgrading from 1.1 to 1.2 No incompatiblities. ### Upgrading from 1.0 to 1.1 In 1.1 the type **\_\_file** was split into **\_\_directory**, **\_\_file** and **\_\_link**. The parameter **--type** was removed from **\_\_file**. Thus you need to replace **\_\_file** calls in your manifests: * Remove --type from all \_\_file calls * If type was symlink, use \_\_link and --type symbolic * If type was directory, use \_\_directory ## Support ### IRC You can join the development ***IRC channel*** [#cstar on irc.freenode.net](irc://irc.freenode.org/#cstar). ### Mailing list Bug reports, questions, patches, etc. should be send to the [cdist mailing list](http://l.schottelius.org/mailman/listinfo/cdist). ### Linkedin If you have an account at [Linked in](http://www.linkedin.com/), you can join the [cdist group](http://www.linkedin.com/groups/cdist-configuration-management-3952797). ### Commercial support You can request commercial support for cdist from [my company](http://firma.schottelius.org/english/). ## Used by If you're using cdist, feel free to send a report to the mailing list. Interesting information are for instance * Which services do you manage? * How many machines do you manage? * What are the pros/cons you see in cdist? * General comments/critics ### Nico Schottelius, Systems Group ETH Zurich, local.ch and privately Yes, I'm actually eating my own dogfood and currently managing * [plone](http://plone.org/) (cms) * [moinmoin](http://moinmo.in/) (wiki) * [apache](http://httpd.apache.org/) (webserver) * [kerberos (mit)](http://web.mit.edu/kerberos/) (authentication) * [nss-pam-ldapd](http://arthurdejong.org/nss-pam-ldapd/) (authentication) * [ircd-hybrid](http://www.ircd-hybrid.org/) (chat) * [stunnel](http://stunnel.mirt.net/) (SSL tunnel) * [mercurial-server](http://www.lshift.net/mercurial-server.html) (version control) * [xfce](http://www.xfce.org/) (lightweight desktop environment) * [slim](http://slim.berlios.de/) (graphical login manager for X11) with cdist on more than **60** production machines of the [Systems Group](http://www.systems.ethz.ch) at the [ETH Zurich](http://www.ethz.ch) as well at home. ### Steven Armstrong, CBRG ETH Zurich The CBRG is managing most of their compute clusters with cdist. [[!tag cdist unix]]