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dty
Asked: 2011-12-11 15:29:13 +0800 CST

How to add a file to the home directories of all existing and future users

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I'm starting to use puppet to manage a couple of servers and I'm not sure how to achieve the following.

I've got a users module which I use to create common users across all servers. I've got a git module which I use to install git and set up a system-wide config in /etc/gitconfig. What I'd like to do is:

  1. On servers which are configured to install git (not all of them), go and drop a (templated) .gitconfig into the home directories of all existing users. And obviously manage this for changes to the template.
  2. Add the .gitconfig for all future users. But I don't feel this belongs in the users module - I think it belongs in the git module. It feels like I want to know when any user has been added (not just a given instance of user), and then be able to access the parameters of that user creation (e.g. home directory, real name and username).

Essentially, part 2 would be easy if I just deployed a templated .gitconfig to all users created by the users module. But I don't really want users to have a .gitconfig file if git isn't installed on the system. So what I'm really trying to say is "for all managed users on this system, if git is installed, manage a .gitconfig file".

Thanks!

puppet

4 Answers

  1. Yo will need to use two procedures , first for already created accounts :

    http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/linux-unix-shell-batch-copy.html

    and another one for future users :

    http://linuxers.org/howto/how-set-default-content-new-users-home-directory-using-etcskel

    • 2

  2. It'll be easier if users and nodes that need to have git are managed by puppet:

    class git {
  packakge { "git":
    ensure => installed,
  }
}

class users {
  user { ... }
  file { "/home/${user}/.gitconfig":
    ensure => present,
    content => template("gitconfig"),
    require => Class["git"],
  }
}

    Then for each git node, include class git.

    • 2

  3. for all managed users on this system,

    So you either have to define this on the users module, or export a virtual resource from it. Given the usage, I don't see a way to do it with virtual resources.

    if git is installed,

    Strictly speaking, create a custom fact to check if it is installed. For example:

    # git.rb
Facter.add("git") do
        setcode do
                %x{/usr/bin/test -x /usr/bin/git && /bin/echo yes || /bin/echo no}.chomp
        end
end

    On the other hand, the git module could export a virtual resource, such as the .gitconfig file, and the user module could realize it. I don't think it is possible to realize the same resource in a parameterized (user's home directory) way.

    manage a .gitconfig file

    Well, that you know how to do.

    • 2

  4. If you want to just ensure a base file, use tags. The virtual file resource will only get realized if the git class has been included. You could set this up with a template to add in the user name and email. This can cause problems if users want to customize their git config though (puppet will overwrite their changes).

    class git {
   @file { 'git_user_config':
     tag     => 'git_user_config',
     path    => '/tmp/.gitconfig',
     content => template("git/gitconfig.erb"),
     require => Package["git"],
  }
}

class user {
  # user defs here

  File <| tag == 'git_user_config' |> {
    path => "/home/${user}/.gitconfig",
  }
}

    You may also be able to leverage the puppet-stdlib (https://forge.puppetlabs.com/puppetlabs/stdlib) getparam feature.

    Untested code, not sure if this would work. Generally I like the tagged virtual resources a lot.

    class users {
  user {...}

  if ( (defined(Package['git']) && (getparam(Package['git'],'ensure') == 'present') ) {
    file {
      "/home/${user}/.gitconfig":
        ensure => present,
        content => template("git/gitconfig.erb"),
        require => Class["git"],
    }
  }
    • 1