Jira (PUP-9075) File type "replace => false" doesn't allow to remove the file if "ensure => absent"

[Vincent Lours (JIRA)]

Vincent Lours created an issue

Puppet / PUP-9075 File type "replace => false" doesn't allow to remove the file if "ensure => absent" Issue Type: Bug Affects Versions: PUP 5.5.3 Assignee: Unassigned Components: Catalog Application Created: 2018/08/20 7:55 PM Priority: Normal Reporter: Vincent Lours Original Estimate: 4 hours Remaining Estimate: 4 hours Puppet Version: 5.5.4 Puppet Server Version: PE-2018.1.3.1 OS Name/Version: Centos 7.5 You can manage files in puppet with the option "replace => false". Which allow you to not change the content. However, if you decide to remove this file later, by only changing the ensure value, the file will not be removed. How to reproduce: From a Centos docker image, I've created a simple manifest to create a file with "replace => false" apply the manifest change the content to check that the replace is working apply the manifest, with no change Set the file to be 'absent' apply the manifest, file was not removed Set 'replace => true' in the manifest apply the manifest, the file was removed Desired Behavior: From my perspective any files set to "ensure => absent" should be removed, even if the option replace has been set to false. The "ensure" option should take over the "replace" option, as "ensure" is about the presence of the file and the "replace" option is about the content of the file. Actual Behavior: It looks like the "replace" option is taking over the "ensure" option. Test in a Centos Docker container sh-4.2# pwd /git sh-4.2# cat replace_test/manifests/init.pp class replace_test ( String $file_ensure = 'file' ){   file { '/tmp/puppet_test': ensure => $file_ensure, content => 'this is a test', replace => false, } } sh-4.2# /opt/puppetlabs/bin/puppet apply --modulepath=/git/ -e "include replace_test" Notice: Compiled catalog for c8f7f3fc1f75 in environment production in 0.11 seconds Notice: /Stage[main]/Replace_test/File[/tmp/puppet_test]/ensure: defined content as '{md5}54b0c58c7ce9f2a8b551351102ee0938' Notice: Applied catalog in 0.05 seconds sh-4.2# cat /tmp/puppet_test this is a testsh-4.2# date > /tmp/puppet_test sh-4.2# cat /tmp/puppet_test Tue Aug 21 02:46:35 UTC 2018 sh-4.2# /opt/puppetlabs/bin/puppet apply --modulepath=/git/ -e "include replace_test" Notice: Compiled catalog for c8f7f3fc1f75 in environment production in 0.11 seconds Notice: Applied catalog in 0.04 seconds sh-4.2# vi replace_test/manifests/init.pp sh-4.2# cat replace_test/manifests/init.pp class replace_test ( String $file_ensure = 'absent' ){   file { '/tmp/puppet_test': ensure => $file_ensure, content => 'this is a test', replace => false, } } sh-4.2# /opt/puppetlabs/bin/puppet apply --modulepath=/git/ -e "include replace_test" Notice: Compiled catalog for c8f7f3fc1f75 in environment production in 0.11 seconds Notice: Applied catalog in 0.04 seconds sh-4.2# vi replace_test/manifests/init.pp sh-4.2# cat replace_test/manifests/init.pp class replace_test ( String $file_ensure = 'absent' ){   file { '/tmp/puppet_test': ensure => $file_ensure, content => 'this is a test', replace => true, } } sh-4.2# /opt/puppetlabs/bin/puppet apply --modulepath=/git/ -e "include replace_test" Notice: Compiled catalog for c8f7f3fc1f75 in environment production in 0.11 seconds Notice: /Stage[main]/Replace_test/File[/tmp/puppet_test]/ensure: removed Notice: Applied catalog in 0.10 seconds Add Comment

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[Eric Sorenson (JIRA)]

Eric Sorenson commented on PUP-9075

Re: File type "replace => false" doesn't allow to remove the file if "ensure => absent" I think this is happening because of this check in lib/puppet/type/file/ensure.rb # We have to treat :present specially, because it works with any # type of file. def insync?(currentvalue) unless currentvalue == :absent or resource.replace? return true end   if self.should == :present return !(currentvalue.nil? or currentvalue == :absent) else return super(currentvalue) end end I am reluctant to change this because it has behaved liked this since at least 2011 and there have been no other reports of a problem. So maybe there are other people who rely on the current behaviour and would experience a breaking change. Can you just remove your replace parameter when it's time to delete the files?

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[Eric Sorenson (JIRA)]

Eric Sorenson assigned an issue to Vincent Lours

Puppet / PUP-9075

File type "replace => false" doesn't allow to remove the file if "ensure => absent"

Change By: Eric Sorenson Assignee: Vincent Lours

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[Vincent Lours (JIRA)]

Vincent Lours assigned an issue to Unassigned

Puppet / PUP-9075 File type "replace => false" doesn't allow to remove the file if "ensure => absent"

Change By: Vincent Lours Assignee: Vincent Lours

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[Vincent Lours (JIRA)]

Vincent Lours commented on PUP-9075

Re: File type "replace => false" doesn't allow to remove the file if "ensure => absent" Hi Eric Sorenson, Thanks for your answer, and I can understand why you don't want to change it. However I cannot imagine what should be the "normal" behaviour expected by people who set a file 'absent', other than to get it removed. I'm pretty sure that nobody already noticed that the file was not removed after changing the ensure status of this kind of "file" in the hiera config. From my point of view the true behaviour should be to remove it, no matter what. Furthermore, I cannot imagine to remove the "replace" from my manifest, as the file ensure can be different depending of the server type.

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[Vincent Lours (JIRA)]

Vincent Lours assigned an issue to Eric Sorenson

Puppet / PUP-9075

File type "replace => false" doesn't allow to remove the file if "ensure => absent"

Change By: Vincent Lours Assignee: Eric Sorenson

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[Josh Cooper (JIRA)]

Josh Cooper commented on PUP-9075

Re: File type "replace => false" doesn't allow to remove the file if "ensure => absent" The original behavior comes from https://projects.puppetlabs.com/issues/1750: If I have a File with ensure=>link and replace=>false, and it already exists as a directory, puppet correctly does not change the directory, but also logs an error about not being able to remove the existing directory. The behavior of ensure => absent in combination with replace => false is unspecified in documentation. However, to Eric Sorenson's point, someone is probably relying on the current behavior of never deleting (in addition to modifying) an existing file/link/directory when replace is false.

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[Josh Cooper (Jira)]

Josh Cooper commented on PUP-9075

Re: File type "replace => false" doesn't allow to remove the file if "ensure => absent"

Based on the comments above, I'm to close this as won't fix.

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