mcollective

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Module Description - What the module does and why it is useful
3. Setup - The basics of getting started with mcollective
   • What the mcollective module affects
   • Beginning with mcollective
4. Usage - Configuration options and additional functionality
5. Reference - An under-the-hood peek at what the module is doing and how
6. Limitations - OS compatibility, etc.
7. Development - Guide for contributing to the module

Overview

The mcollective module installs, configures, and manages the mcollective agents, clients, and middleware of an mcollective cluster.

Module Description

The mcollective module handles installing and configuring mcollective across a range of operating systems and distributions. Where possible we follow the standards laid down by the MCollective Standard Deployment guide.

MCollective Terminology

A quick aside, mcollective's terminology differs a little from what you might be used to in puppet. There are 3 main components, the client (the mco commands you run to control your servers), the server (a daemon that runs on all of your managed nodes and executes the commands), and the middleware (a message broker the servers and agent connect to).

If it helps to map these to puppet concepts you loosely have:

• Middleware -> Puppet Master
• MCollective Server -> Puppet Agent
• MCollective Client -> no direct equivalent

Setup

What the mcollective module affects

On a server

• mcollective package
• mcollective server configuration file
• mcollective service

On a client

• mcollective-client package
• mcollective client configuration file
• optionally user configuration files (~/.mcollective and ~/.mcollective.d)

On a middleware host

• broker installation
• broker configuration

Beginning with mcollective

Your main entrypoint to the mcollective module is the mcollective class, so assuming you have your middleware configured on a node this is all you need to add a server to mcollective.

class { '::mcollective':
  middleware_hosts => [ 'broker1.example.com' ],
}

Usage

Your primary interaction with the mcollective module will be though the main mcollective class, with secondary configuration managed by the defined types mcollective::user, mcollective::plugin, mcollective::actionpolicy, and mcollective::actionpolicy::rule.

I just want to run it, what's the minimum I need?

node 'broker1.example.com' {
  class { '::mcollective':
    middleware       => true,
    middleware_hosts => [ 'broker1.example.com' ],
  }
}

node 'server1.example.com' {
  class { '::mcollective':
    middleware_hosts => [ 'broker1.example.com' ],
  }
}

node 'control1.example.com' {
  class { '::mcollective':
    client            => true,
    middleware_hosts => [ 'broker1.example.com' ],
  }
}

This default install will be using no TLS, a set of well-known usernames and passwords, and the psk securityprovider. This is against the recommendataion of the standard deploy guide but does save you from having to deal with ssl certificates to begin with.

I'd like to secure the transport channel and authenticate users, how do I do that?

Gather some credentials for the server and users. You'll need the ca certificate, and a keypair for the server to use, and a keypair for each user to allow.

See the standard deploy guide for more information about how to generate these.

node 'broker1.example.com' {
  class { '::mcollective':
    middleware         => true,
    middleware_hosts   => [ 'broker1.example.com' ],
    middleware_ssl     => true,
    securityprovider   => 'ssl',
    ssl_client_certs   => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/client_certs',
    ssl_ca_cert        => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/certs/ca.pem',
    ssl_server_public  => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/certs/server.pem',
    ssl_server_private => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/private_keys/server.pem',
  }
}

node 'server1.example.com' {
  class { '::mcollective':
    middleware_hosts   => [ 'broker1.example.com' ],
    middleware_ssl     => true,
    securityprovider   => 'ssl',
    ssl_client_certs   => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/client_certs',
    ssl_ca_cert        => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/certs/ca.pem',
    ssl_server_public  => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/certs/server.pem',
    ssl_server_private => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/private_keys/server.pem',
  }

  mcollective::actionpolicy { 'nrpe':
    default => 'deny',
  }

  mcollective::actionpolicy::rule { 'vagrant user can use nrpe agent':
    agent    => 'nrpe',
    callerid => 'cert=vagrant',
  }
}

node 'control.example.com' {
  class { '::mcollective':
    client             => true,
    middleware_hosts   => [ 'broker1.example.com' ],
    middleware_ssl     => true,
    securityprovider   => 'ssl',
    ssl_client_certs   => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/client_certs',
    ssl_ca_cert        => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/certs/ca.pem',
    ssl_server_public  => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/certs/server.pem',
    ssl_server_private => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/private_keys/server.pem',
  }

  mcollective::user { 'vagrant':
    certificate => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/client_certs/vagrant.pem',
    private_key => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/private_keys/vagrant.pem',
  }
}

The ::mcollective:: class

The mcollective class is the main entry point to the module. From here you can configure the behaviour of your mcollective install of server, client, and middleware.

Parameters

The following parameters are available to the mcollective class:

server

Boolean: defaults to true. Whether to install the mcollective server on this node.

client

Boolean: defaults to false. Whether to install the mcollective client application on this node.

middleware

Boolean: defaults to false. Whether to install middleware that matches $mcollective::connector on this node.

activemq_template

String: defaults to 'mcollective/activemq.xml.erb'. Template to use when configuring activemq middleware.

activemq_console

Boolean: defaults to false. Whether to enable the jetty admin console when configuring the activemq middleware.

activemq_config

String: defaults to undef. If supplied the contents of the activemq.xml configuration file to use when configuring activemq middleware. Bypasses mcollective::activemq_template

activemq_confdir

String: default based on distribution. The directory to copy ssl certificates to when configuring activemq middleware with mcollective::middleware_ssl.

rabbitmq_confdir

String: defaults to '/etc/rabbitmq'. The directory to copy ssl certificates to when configuring rabbitmq middleware with mcollective::middleware_ssl.

rabbitmq_vhost

String: defaults to '/mcollective'. The vhost to connect to/manage when using rabbitmq middleware.

delete_guest_user

Boolean: defaults to 'false'. Whether to delete the rabbitmq guest user when setting up rabbitmq middleware.

manage_packages

Boolean: defaults to true. Whether to install mcollective and mcollective- client packages when installing the server and client components.

version

String: defaults to 'present'. What version of packages to ensure when mcollective::manage_packages is true.

ruby_stomp_ensure

String: defaults to 'installed'. What version of the ruby-stomp package to ensure when mcollective::manage_packages is true. Only relevant on the Debian OS family.

main_collective

String: defaults to 'mcollective'. The name of the main collective for this client/server.

collectives

String: defaults to 'mcollective'. Comma seperated list of collectives this server should join.

connector

String: defaults to 'activemq'. Name of the connector plugin to use.

Currently supported are activemq, rabbitmq, and redis

securityprovider

String: defaults to 'psk'. Name of the security provider plugin to use. 'ssl' is recommended but requires some additional setup.

psk

String: defaults to 'changemeplease'. Used by the 'psk' security provider as the pre-shared key to secure the collective with.

factsource

String: defaults to 'yaml'. Name of the factsource plugin to use on the server.

yaml_fact_path

String: defaults to '/etc/mcollective/facts.yaml'. Name of the file the 'yaml' factsource plugin should load facts from.

classesfile

String: defaults to '/var/lib/puppet/state/classes.txt'. Name of the file the server will load the configuration management class for filtering.

rpcauthprovider

String: defaults to 'action_policy'. Name of the RPC Auth Provider to use on the server.

rpcauditprovider

String: defaults to 'logfile'. Name of the RPC Audit Provider to use on the server.

registration

String: defaults to undef. Name of the registration plugin to use on the server.

core_libdir

String: default is based on platform. Path to the core plugins that are installed by the mcollective-common package.

site_libdir

String: default is based on platform. Path to the site-specific plugins that the mcollective::plugin type will install with its source parameter.

This path will be managed and purged by puppet, so don't point it at core_libdir or any other non-dedicated path.

middleware_hosts

Array of strings: defaults to []. Where the middleware servers this client/server should talk to are.

middleware_user

String: defaults to 'mcollective'. Username to use when connecting to the middleware.

middleware_password

String: defaults to 'marionette'. Password to use when connecting to the middleware.

middleware_port

String: defaults to '61613'. Port number to use when connecting to the middleware over an unencrypted connection.

middleware_ssl_port

String: defaults to '61614'. Port number to use when connecting to the middleware over a ssl connection.

middleware_ssl

Boolean: defaults to false. Whether to talk to the middleware over a ssl protected channel. Highly recommended. Requires mcollective::ssl_ca_cert, mcollective::ssl_server_public, mcollective::ssl_server_private parameters for the server/client install.

middleware_admin_user

String: defaults to 'admin'. Username for the middleware admin user.

middleware_admin_password

String: defaults to 'secret'. Password to for the middleware admin user.

server_config_file

String: default is '/etc/mcollective/server.cfg'. Path to the server configuration file.

server_logfile

String: defaults to '/var/log/mcollective.log'. Logfile the mcollective server should log to.

server_loglevel

String: defaults to 'info'. Level the mcollective server should log at.

server_daemonize

String: defaults to '1'. Should the mcollective server daemonize when started.

client_config_file

String: defaults to '/etc/mcollective/client.cfg'. Path to the client configuration file.

client_logger_type

String: defaults to 'console'. What type of logger the client should use.

client_loglevel

String: defaults to 'warn'. Level the mcollective client should log at.

ssl_ca_cert

String: defaults to undef. A file source that points to the ca certificate used to manage the ssl keys of the mcollective install.

ssl_server_public

String: defaults to undef. A file source that points to the public key or certificate of the server keypair.

ssl_server_private

String: defaults to undef. A file source that points to the private key of the server keypair.

ssl_client_certs

String: defaults to 'puppet:///modules/mcollective/empty'. A file source that contains a directory of user certificates which are used by the ssl security provider in authenticating user requests.

mcollective::user defined type

mcollective::user installs a client configuration and any needed client certificates in a users home directory.

Parameters

username

String: defaults to $name. The username of the user to install for.

group

String: defaults to $name. The group of the user to install for.

homedir

String: defaults to "/home/${name}". The home directory of the user to install for.

certificate

String: defaults to undef. A file source for the certificate of the user. Used by the 'ssl' securityprovider to set the identity of the user.

private_key

String: defaults to undef. A file source for the private key of the user. Used when mcollective::middleware_ssl is true to connect to the middleware and by the 'ssl' securityprovider to sign messages as from this user.

mcollective::plugin defined type

mcollective::plugin installs a plugin from a source uri or a package. When installing from a source uri the plugin will be copied to mcollective::site_libdir

mcollective::plugin { 'puppet':
  package => true,
}

mcollective::plugin { 'myplugin':
  source => 'puppet:///modules/site_mcollective/plugins',
}

Parameters

name

String: the resource title. The base name of the plugin to install.

source

String: will default to "puppet:///modules/mcollective/plugins/${name}". The source uri that will be copied to mcollective::site_libdir

package

Boolean: defaults to false. Whether to install the plugin from a file copy or a package install.

type

String: defaults to 'agent'. The type of the plugin package to install.

has_client

Boolean: defaults to true. When installing from a package, whether to attempt to install mcollective-${name}-client on the client node.

mcollective::actionpolicy defined type

mcollective::actionpolicy configures an agent for use with actionpolicy in conjunction with mcollective::actionpolicy::rule.

Parameters

name

String: the resource title. The name of the agent to set up an actionpolicy for.

default

String: defaults to 'deny'. The default actionpolicy to apply to the agent.

mcollective::actionpolicy::rule defined type

mcollective::actionpolicy::rule represents a single actionpolicy policy entry.

Parameters

name

String: the resource title. A descriptive name for the rule you are adding.

agent

String: required, no default. The name of the agent you are adding a rule for.

action

String: defaults to 'allow'. What to do when the other conditions of this line are matched.

callerid

String: defaults to '*'. What callerids should match this rule.

actions

String: defaults to '*'. What actions should match this rule.

facts

String: defaults to '*'. What facts should match this rule.

classes

String: defaults to '*'. What classes should match this rule.

mcollective::common::setting defined type

mcollective::common::setting declares a setting that is common between server and client.

Parameters

setting

String: defaults to the resource title. The name of the setting to set.

value

String: no default. The value to set.

order

String: default '10'. The order in which to merge this setting.

mcollective::server::setting defined type

mcollective::server::setting declares a setting that is exclusive to a server.

Parameters

setting

String: defaults to the resource title. The name of the setting to set.

value

String: no default. The value to set.

order

String: default '30'. The order in which to merge this setting.

mcollective::client::setting defined type

mcollective::client::setting declares a setting that is common to clients and users.

Parameters

setting

String: defaults to the resource title. The name of the setting to set.

value

String: no default. The value to set.

order

String: default '30'. The order in which to merge this setting.

mcollective::user::setting defined type

mcollective::user::setting declares a setting that is specific to a user.

Parameters

username

String: required, no default. Which user to set this value for.

setting

String: required, no default. The name of the setting to set.

value

String: no default. The value to set.

order

String: default '70'. The order in which to merge this setting.

Reference

Configuration merging

The configuration of the server and client are built up from the various calls to mcollective::common::setting, mcollective::server::setting, mcollective::client::setting, and mcollective::user::setting.

Settings for the server will be a merge of mcollective::common::setting and mcollective::server::setting, highest order of the setting wins.

Settings for the client will be a merge of mcollective::common::setting, and mcollective::client::setting, highest order of the setting wins.

Settings for a specific user will be a merge of mcollective::common::setting, mcollective::client::setting and mcollective::user::setting for that specific user, highest order of setting wins.

Overriding existing options

You can override an existing server setting from outside of the module by simply specifying that setting again with a higher order than the default of that type, for example to make a server's loglevel be debug (without simply setting mcollective::server_loglevel) you could write:

mcollective::server::setting { 'override loglevel':
  setting => 'loglevel',
  value   => 'debug',
  order   => '50',
}

Troubleshooting

Why do I have no client.cfg?

I said to install the client, so why when I run mco ping am I seeing this:

$ mco ping
Failed to generate application list: RuntimeError: Cannot find config file '/etc/mcollective/client.cfg'

You've enabled the ssl security provider, which implies each user will have their own ssl credentials to use in the collective. In order to avoid incomplete configuration of clients in this mode we delete the system-wide /etc/mcollective/client.cfg and only generate user configuration files with the mcollective::user definition.

Limitations

This module has been built on and tested against Puppet 3.0 and higher.

The module has been tested on:

• CentOS 6
• Ubuntu 12.04

Testing on other platforms has been light and cannot be guaranteed.

Development

Puppet Labs modules on the Puppet Forge are open projects, and community contributions are essential for keeping them great. We can’t access the huge number of platforms and myriad of hardware, software, and deployment configurations that Puppet is intended to serve.

We want to keep it as easy as possible to contribute changes so that our modules work in your environment. There are a few guidelines that we need contributors to follow so that we can have a chance of keeping on top of things.

You can read the complete module contribution guide on the Puppet Labs wiki.

Current build status is: