Getting Started with Salt (PyCon 2014)

Salt is the new kid on the block in the configuration management space. Unlike the Ruby-based Chef and Puppet, Salt is written in Python, making it easy to debug and extend for Python developers.

This talk introduces Salt as well as exploring some of the things that make it unique.

Transcript

1. Getting Started with Salt.
2. Peter Baumgartner Founder of Lincoln Loop
3. What is SaltStack?
4. “SaltStack delivers a dynamic infrastructure communication bus used for orchestration, remote execution, configuration management and much more.”
5. SaltStack is: Configuration Management
6. Configuration Management
7. Before Configuration Management root@server:~# ls /etc/nginx/nginx* /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
8. Before Configuration Management root@server:~# ls /etc/nginx/nginx* /etc/nginx/nginx.conf /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.OLD
9. Before Configuration Management root@server:~# ls /etc/nginx/nginx* /etc/nginx/nginx.conf /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.OLD /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.BAK
10. Before Configuration Management root@server:~# ls /etc/nginx/nginx* /etc/nginx/nginx.conf /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.OLD /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.BAK /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.20130617.bak
12. After Configuration Management
13. Getting Started with Salt. Version control your servers Self-documenting Repeatable Reusable Benefits
14. SaltStack is: Remote Execution
15. Remote Execution Run command(s) against remote server(s) ! e.g. Fabric, Capistrano, Func
16. Remote Execution Examples Deploy your code Run one-off scripts Critical package updates System monitoring
17. Why Choose SaltStack?
18. Familiar Tools Python YAML Jinja2
19. Community Great Documentation (>800 pages) ! Insanely responsive (IRC, GitHub) ! Backed by for-profit org
20. Why Choose SaltStack?
21. Why Not Choose SaltStack?
22. Caution Young Project Moves Fast Not SSH 
 (SSH support is “alpha”)
23. Let’s Learn Salt!
24. First... a vocabulary lesson
25. Everything is Terrible Chef: knife, recipe, cookbook Puppet: terminus, metaparameters Ansible: playbook, inventory
26. Everything is Terrible Chef: knife, recipe, cookbook Puppet: terminus, metaparameters Ansible: playbook, inventory ! Salt might be the worst offender…
27. Mas•ter ˈmastər (noun) Server that manages the whole stack (auth, states, pillars)
28. Min•ion ˈminyən (noun) A server controlled by the master
29. State stāt (noun) A declarative representation of system state
 (how you want the minion configured)
30. Grain grān (noun) Static information about a minion (RAM, CPUs, OS, etc.)
31. Pil•lar ˈpilər (noun) Variables for one or more minions 
 (ports, file paths, configuration parameters)
33. Top File täp fīl (noun) Matches states or pillars to minions
34. High•state hīstāt (noun) All the state data for a minion
36. Let’s Really Get Started
37. Installation Options Binaries for most distros Pip install (for bleeding edge) http://bootstrap.saltstack.org
 (it probably does what you want)
38. Master Server root@master:~# apt-get install salt-master ...or run master-less
39. Minion # apt-get install salt-minion # echo "salt 10.10.1.1" >> /etc/hosts # salt-key -a minion.lincolnloop.com Accept the minion key on the master Point minion to the master
40. Write Your First State
41. Install a Package nginx: pkg.installed /srv/salt/mystate.sls
42. Create your Top File
43. base: myserver: - mystate /srv/salt/top.sls 
 The Top File
44. Highstate!
45. # salt 'myserver' state.highstate # salt-call state.highstate ...or pull from the minion Push from the master Highstate ...or master-less # salt-call state.highstate --local
46. [INFO ] Loading fresh modules for state activity [INFO ] Running state [nginx] at time 13:12:03.314726 [INFO ] Executing state pkg.installed for nginx [INFO ] Executing command "dpkg-query --showformat='${Status} ${Package} $ {Version} ${Architecture}\n' -W" in directory '/home/pete' [INFO ] Executing command 'grep-available -F Provides -s Package,Provides -e "^.+ $"' in directory '/home/pete' [INFO ] Executing command 'apt-get -q update' in directory '/home/pete' [INFO ] Executing command ['apt-get', '-q', '-y', '-o', 'DPkg::Options::=--force- confold', '-o', 'DPkg::Options::=--force-confdef', 'install', 'nginx'] in directory '/home/pete' [INFO ] Executing command "dpkg-query --showformat='${Status} ${Package} $ {Version} ${Architecture}\n' -W" in directory '/home/pete' [INFO ] In stalled Packages: libgd3 changed from absent to 2.1.0-2 libxpm4 changed from absent to 1:3.5.10-1 ttf-dejavu-core changed from absent to 2.33+svn2514-3ubuntu1 nginx-common changed from absent to 1.4.1-3ubuntu1.3 libvpx1 changed from absent to 1.2.0-2 fonts-dejavu-core changed from absent to 2.33+svn2514-3ubuntu1 nginx-full changed from absent to 1.4.1-3ubuntu1.3 fontconfig-config changed from absent to 2.10.93-0ubuntu1 libxslt1.1 changed from absent to 1.1.28-2 libtiff5 changed from absent to 4.0.2-4ubuntu3 libjpeg-turbo8 changed from absent to 1.3.0-0ubuntu1.1 libjbig0 changed from absent to 2.0-2ubuntu1 nginx changed from absent to 1.4.1-3ubuntu1.3 libjpeg8 changed from absent to 8c-2ubuntu8 libfontconfig1 changed from absent to 2.10.93-0ubuntu1 ! [INFO ] Loading fresh modules for state activity [INFO ] Completed state [nginx] at time 13:13:32.491024
47. local: ---------- ID: nginx Function: pkg.installed Result: True Comment: The following packages were installed/updated: nginx. Changes: ---------- fontconfig-config: ---------- new: 2.10.93-0ubuntu1 old: fonts-dejavu-core: ---------- new: 2.33+svn2514-3ubuntu1 old: libfontconfig1: ---------- new: 2.10.93-0ubuntu1 old: libgd3: ---------- new: 2.1.0-2 old: libjbig0: ---------- new: 2.0-2ubuntu1 old:
48. libjpeg-turbo8: ---------- new: 1.3.0-0ubuntu1.1 old: libjpeg8: ---------- new: 8c-2ubuntu8 old: libtiff5: ---------- new: 4.0.2-4ubuntu3 old: libvpx1: ---------- new: 1.2.0-2 old: libxpm4: ---------- new: 1:3.5.10-1 old: libxslt1.1: ---------- new: 1.1.28-2 old:
49. nginx: ---------- new: 1.4.1-3ubuntu1.3 old: nginx-common: ---------- new: 1.4.1-3ubuntu1.3 old: nginx-full: ---------- new: 1.4.1-3ubuntu1.3 old: ttf-dejavu-core: ---------- new: 2.33+svn2514-3ubuntu1 old: ! Summary ------------ Succeeded: 1 Failed: 0 ------------ Total: 1
52. Leveling Up Your States
53. Create a User pete: user.present: - shell: /bin/bash - home: /home/pete - groups: - sudo
54. Add an SSH Key pete: user.present: - shell: /bin/bash - home: /home/pete - groups: - sudo ssh_auth.present: - user: pete - source: salt://pete.pub - require: - user: pete
55. Checkout a Repo git@github.com/ipmb/mysite.git: git.latest: - rev: develop - target: /usr/local/src/mysite - require: - pkg: git-core
56. Run Arbitrary Commands python manage.py syncdb --noinput: cmd.run: - cwd: /usr/local/src/mysite - require: - git: git@github.com/ipmb/mysite.git
57. Built-in States Over 50 built-in pip, virtualenv mysql, postgres services, files, cron ...or build your own (in Python)
58. Using Pillars
59. Pil•lar ˈpilər (noun) Variables for one or more minions 
 (ports, file paths, configuration parameters)
60. mysite: - branch: develop /srv/pillar/mysite.sls Example Pillar
61. base: 'myserver': - mysite /srv/pillar/top.sls Pillar Top File
62. base: '*': - default '*.lincolnloop.com': - lincoln_loop 'os:Ubuntu': - match: grain - pkgs.ubuntu /srv/pillar/top.sls Advanced Pillar Top File
63. git@github.com/ipmb/mysite.git: git.latest: - rev: {{ pillar.mysite.branch }} - target: /usr/local/src/mysite - require: - pkg: git-core Adding Pillars to a State
64. git@github.com/ipmb/mysite.git: git.latest: - rev: {{ pillar.mysite.get('branch', 'master') }} - target: /usr/local/src/mysite - require: - pkg: git-core Setting a Default
65. redis_maxmemory: {{ (grains.mem_total * 0.5)|int }}mb Using Grains in a Pillar
66. /etc/redis.conf: file.managed: - template: jinja - source: salt://redis_server/redis.conf.jinja - defaults: maxmemory: {{ pillar.redis_maxmemory }} Using Pillars in Files
67. daemonize yes pidfile /var/run/redis.pid port 6379 bind 127.0.0.1 maxmemory {{ maxmemory }} ... Using Pillars in Files /srv/salt/redis_server/redis.conf.jinja

68. Advanced Topics Salt-cloud Custom Modules Scheduler Renderers Returners Reactor
69. Tips & Tricks
70. Tips & Tricks output_mode: mixed
71. Tips & Tricks Jinja2 is powerful Don't go nuts
72. Tips & Tricks Update often ...and review the change log
73. Tips & Tricks Test before you deploy Make friends with Vagrant or Docker
74. Thank you! Questions? ! Peter Baumgartner http://lincolnloop.com @ipmb