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.
   

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2. Peter Baumgartner
   Founder of Lincoln Loop
   

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3. What is SaltStack?
   

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4. “SaltStack delivers a dynamic
   infrastructure communication bus
   used for orchestration, remote
   execution, configuration
   management and much more.”
   

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5. SaltStack is:
   Configuration Management
   

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6. Configuration Management
   

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7. Before Configuration Management
   root@server:~# ls /etc/nginx/nginx*
   /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
   

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8. Before Configuration Management
   root@server:~# ls /etc/nginx/nginx*
   /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
   /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.OLD
   

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9. Before Configuration Management
   root@server:~# ls /etc/nginx/nginx*
   /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
   /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.OLD
   /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.BAK
   

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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
    

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12. After Configuration Management
    

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13. Getting Started with Salt.
    Version control your servers
    Self-documenting
    Repeatable
    Reusable
    Benefits
    

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14. SaltStack is:
    Remote Execution
    

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15. Remote Execution
    Run command(s)
    against remote server(s)
    !
    e.g. Fabric, Capistrano, Func
    

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16. Remote Execution Examples
    Deploy your code
    Run one-off scripts
    Critical package updates
    System monitoring
    

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17. Why Choose SaltStack?
    

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18. Familiar Tools
    Python
    YAML
    Jinja2
    

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19. Community
    Great Documentation
    (>800 pages)
    !
    Insanely responsive
    (IRC, GitHub)
    !
    Backed by for-profit org
    

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20. Why Choose SaltStack?
    

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21. Why Not Choose SaltStack?
    

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22. Caution
    Young Project
    Moves Fast
    Not SSH 

    (SSH support is “alpha”)
    

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23. Let’s Learn Salt!
    

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24. First...
    a vocabulary lesson
    

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25. Everything is Terrible
    Chef: knife, recipe, cookbook
    Puppet: terminus, metaparameters
    Ansible: playbook, inventory
    

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26. Everything is Terrible
    Chef: knife, recipe, cookbook
    Puppet: terminus, metaparameters
    Ansible: playbook, inventory
    !
    Salt might be the worst offender…
    

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27. Mas•ter
    ˈmastər (noun)
    Server that manages the whole stack
    (auth, states, pillars)
    

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28. Min•ion
    ˈminyən (noun)
    A server controlled by the master
    

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29. State
    stāt (noun)
    A declarative representation of
    system state

    (how you want the minion configured)
    

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30. Grain
    grān (noun)
    Static information about a minion
    (RAM, CPUs, OS, etc.)
    

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31. Pil•lar
    ˈpilər (noun)
    Variables for one or more minions 

    (ports, file paths, configuration parameters)
    

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33. Top File
    täp fīl (noun)
    Matches states or pillars to minions
    

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34. High•state
    hīstāt (noun)
    All the state data for a minion
    

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36. Let’s Really Get Started
    

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37. Installation Options
    Binaries for most distros
    Pip install (for bleeding edge)
    http://bootstrap.saltstack.org

    (it probably does what you want)
    

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38. Master Server
    root@master:~# apt-get install salt-master
    ...or run master-less
    

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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
    

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40. Write Your First
    State
    

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41. Install a Package
    nginx:
    pkg.installed
    /srv/salt/mystate.sls
    

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42. Create your
    Top File
    

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43. base:
    myserver:
    - mystate
    /srv/salt/top.sls 

    The Top File
    

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44. Highstate!
    

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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
    

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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
    

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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:
    

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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:
    

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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
    

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52. Leveling Up Your
    States
    

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53. Create a User
    pete:
    user.present:
    - shell: /bin/bash
    - home: /home/pete
    - groups:
    - sudo
    

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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
    

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55. Checkout a Repo
    git@github.com/ipmb/mysite.git:
    git.latest:
    - rev: develop
    - target: /usr/local/src/mysite
    - require:
    - pkg: git-core
    

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56. Run Arbitrary Commands
    python manage.py syncdb --noinput:
    cmd.run:
    - cwd: /usr/local/src/mysite
    - require:
    - git: git@github.com/ipmb/mysite.git
    

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57. Built-in States
    Over 50 built-in
    pip, virtualenv
    mysql, postgres
    services, files, cron
    ...or build your own (in Python)
    

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58. Using
    Pillars
    

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59. Pil•lar
    ˈpilər (noun)
    Variables for one or more minions 

    (ports, file paths, configuration parameters)
    

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60. mysite:
    - branch: develop
    /srv/pillar/mysite.sls
    Example Pillar
    

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61. base:
    'myserver':
    - mysite
    /srv/pillar/top.sls
    Pillar Top File
    

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62. base:
    '*':
    - default
    '*.lincolnloop.com':
    - lincoln_loop
    'os:Ubuntu':
    - match: grain
    - pkgs.ubuntu
    /srv/pillar/top.sls
    Advanced Pillar Top File
    

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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
    

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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
    

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65. redis_maxmemory: {{ (grains.mem_total * 0.5)|int }}mb
    Using Grains in a Pillar
    

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66. /etc/redis.conf:
    file.managed:
    - template: jinja
    - source: salt://redis_server/redis.conf.jinja
    - defaults:
    maxmemory: {{ pillar.redis_maxmemory }}
    Using Pillars in Files
    

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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

    

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68. Advanced Topics
    Salt-cloud
    Custom Modules
    Scheduler
    Renderers
    Returners
    Reactor
    

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69. Tips & Tricks
    

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70. Tips & Tricks
    output_mode: mixed
    

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71. Tips & Tricks
    Jinja2 is powerful
    Don't go nuts
    

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72. Tips & Tricks
    Update often
    ...and review the change log
    

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73. Tips & Tricks
    Test before you deploy
    Make friends with Vagrant or Docker
    

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74. Thank you!
    Questions?
    !
    Peter Baumgartner
    http://lincolnloop.com
    @ipmb
    

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