Add Agents

With the same code on every server, the nodes you actually want to manage can get their catalogs from the compiler. This page adds one with ovadm, then turns on the agent service so Puppet runs on a schedule everywhere.

What you’ll learn:

• Adding an agent pointed at a compiler
• Turning on the agent service on every node

Prerequisites

Before you start, you’ll need:

• The servers from Same Code on Every Server, with codavox running
• A machine with nothing installed, reachable from your workstation over SSH and listed in your OpenBolt inventory
• Port 8140 open from the agent to the compiler and to the main server

Add an agent

From your workstation:

bolt plan run ovadm::add_agent server_host=puppet.example.com agent_hosts=agent01.example.com agent_server=compiler01.example.com

agent_server is where the agent gets its catalogs: here the compiler. Leave it out and the agent uses the main server. Name several agents in agent_hosts, separated by commas.

The plan adds the OpenVox package repository, installs the agent, and points it at agent_server. Then it runs the agent once to send a certificate request, signs it on the main server, and runs the agent again, so the new node has applied its first catalog when the plan finishes.

That catalog came from the compiler, and its configuration version is the one codavox deployed:

$ ssh root@agent01 'puppet agent -t'
Notice: Requesting catalog from compiler01.example.com:8140 (192.168.57.14)
Notice: Catalog compiled by compiler01.example.com
Info: Applying configuration version 'production-821a20908b17'
Notice: Applied catalog in 0.06 seconds

Run Puppet on a schedule

Nothing runs Puppet on a schedule yet: ovadm ran the agent once, and every run so far was started by hand. openvox_agent can keep the agent service running.

openvox_server already declares openvox_agent on the servers, so only your other nodes need it in their role:

# site-modules/role/manifests/agent.pp
class role::agent {
  include openvox_agent

  file { '/etc/motd':
    ensure => file,
    source => 'puppet:///modules/role/motd',
  }
}

Then turn the service on for every node in data/common.yaml:

openvox_agent::service_ensure: 'running'
openvox_agent::service_enable: true

Left unset, openvox_agent leaves the service as it found it.

Commit, push, and deploy with codavox:

ssh root@puppet 'codavox deploy production --wait'

Each node’s next Puppet run starts the service and enables it at boot, and from then on Puppet runs every 30 minutes on its own:

$ ssh root@agent01 'puppet agent -t'
Notice: Catalog compiled by compiler01.example.com
Info: Applying configuration version 'production-d71e15a49470'
Notice: /Stage[main]/Openvox_agent::Service/Service[puppet]/ensure: ensure changed 'stopped' to 'running'

Watch it