Layout

Layout

• Relative to the top makina-states clone folder.

 bin/ansible                    -> wrapper to ansible
 bin/ansible-galaxy             -> wrapper to ansible-galaxy
 bin/ansible-playbook           -> wrapper to ansible-playbook
 bin/salt-call                  -> wrapper to salt-call
 ansible/                       -> ansible plays, roles, modules & etc
 etc/                           -> configuration
   etc/ansible/                 -> ansible configuration
   etc/salt/                    -> saltstack configuration
   etc/makina-states/           -> makina-states  configuration
 pillar/                        -> saltstack pillar files
     pillar/pillar.d/           -> saltstack pillar files (global)
     pillar/private.pillar.d/   -> saltstack pillar files
                                  (for the current node)
     pillar/<$minion>.pillar.d/ -> saltstack pillar files
                                  (for a specific minion)
 salt/makina-states/            -> saltstack states
   makina-states/               -> makina-states saltstack states
   salt/_modules/               -> custom salt modules
   salt/_pillar/                -> custom extpillar modules

Salt pillar

• Saltstack configuration is based on pillars.
• To facilitate configuration of the Top file, we added those features:
  • Any JSON file can be used as pillar data.
  • Any SLS/json file dropped inside pillar/pillars.d/ will be loaded for all minion as pillar data
  • Any SLS/json file dropped inside pillar/private.pillars.d will be only loaded for the current node of operation.
  • Any SLS/json file dropped inside pillar/<$minionid>.pillars.d will be only loaded for the “\$minionid” host

Salt + Ansible bridge notes

• Makina-states has better to use an ansible dynamic inventory that bridges the salt pillar with ansible via a salt module: mc_remote_plllar.

• This module is pluggable and will search in the salt modules installed those who have declared special named functions:

  get_masterless_makinastates_hosts()

  return a list of host to manage

  get_masterless_makinastates_groups(minionid, pillar)

  return a list of groups for the specific minion id

• For each host found by all get_masterless_makinastates_hosts functions:

  • Get its pillar by calling mc_remote_pillar.get_pillar($host)
  • Extract/generate from informations in the pillar relevant ansible host vars for this minion. saltpillar ansible hostvar is the pillar of this minion.
  • Generate ansible groups from those hostvars by calling eac get_masterless_makinastates_groups function

• By default, we use the mc_pillar ext pillar which loads a file: etc/makina-states/database.sls which describe our infractructure and this will:

  • list all nodes that are configured as ansible targets
  • generate pillar info for all nodes (and per se fall inside the ansible inventory of those related hosts.

Custom extpillar

• In other words, to add your custom way of managing your hosts:
  • Create an ext_pillar to complete the pillar for a specific minion depending on its minion id and that’s why the easiest way is to adopt a minionid/hostname naming scheme.
  • Create a module that implement the get_masterless_makinastates_hosts && get_masterless_makinastates_groups functions
  • register the pillar and module to the local makina-states installation (see bellow)

• Take example on:

  • module : (search for get_masterless_makinastates_groups && get_masterless_makinastates_hosts
  • extpillar

• To load your extpillar, you ll have to add it to the local salt configuration.
  You can add a file this way

  $WC/etc/salt/minion.d/99_extpillar.conf 
      ext_pillar:
          - mc_pillar: {}
          - mc_pillar_jsons: {}
          - mycustompillar: {}
  

• To load your custom module, place it under $WC/salt/_modules

• To load your custom pillar, place it under $WC/salt/_pillar

Verify the pillar for a minion

• Use this command:

  bin/salt-call mc_remote_pillar.get_pillar <minion_id>
  

Verify the groups for a minion

• Use this command:

  bin/salt-call mc_remote_pillar.get_groups <minion_id>
  

(OPTIONAL) Add a cron to speed up pillar generation

• To generate regularly the cron for all the configured minion, to speed up regular ansible calls (the pillar will already be cached at the call time), you can register a cron that does that.

• /etc/cron.d/refresh_ansible

  15,30,45,00 * * * * root /srv/makina-states/_scripts/refresh_makinastates_pillar.sh