Hiera and ENC-set top-scope variables

[Matthew Ceroni]

I am trying to use an ENC-set top-scope variable in my Hiera hierarchy. However it doesn't seem to be working.

Here is what is returned by my ENC script (it is the foreman ENC script) for a node:

parameters: 

  san_rafael-spacewalk: mai01-sprxy-02v

  puppet_ca: mai01-pmstr-02v

  group: engineering

  spacewalk_type: site

  san_rafael_dmz-spacewalk: mai01-sprxy-01v

  hostgroup: base/production/engineering/quality_assurance/locked

  san_rafael_dmz-proxy: mai01-dprxy-01v

  spacewalk_host: mai02-swalk-01v

  santa_rosa_dmz-spacewalk: mai02-sprxy-01v

  root_pw: $1$ubWDPsM+$lzyZdN91QCk6dZAhMXBlM/

  foreman_env: production

  santa_rosa_dmz-proxy: mai02-dprxy-01v

  activation_key: 5-839beb8c567b98c0720db37f19ecb64d

  puppetmaster: mai01-pmstr-02v

environment: production

classes: 

  security::access: 

  security::users: 

Then in my hiera.yaml file I have:

---

:backend:

  - yaml

:hierarchy:

  - %{::clientcert}

  - %{::group}

  - %{::dc_location}_%{::is_dmz}

  - %{::operatingsystem}

  - common

:yaml:

  :datadir: '/var/lib/hiera'

Then within /var/lib/hiera I added an engineering.yaml file. But it doesn't seem to be referenced when Hiera goes through the hierarchy. One way I verified this (to ensure something else funky wasn't going on) is that i purposely put an error in the engineering.yaml file and Puppet runs without issue. 

Is it not possible to use a variable returned from ENC?

Thanks

[Josh]

Hi,

I'm trying to do the exact same thing without success.  If I understand the Hiera documentation correctly [1], this should be possible (although, I may be misunderstanding this documentation).  The only workaround I have currently is to turn the top-scope variable (provided by my ENC) into a fact using something like:

file { "/etc/puppetlabs/facter/facts.d/group.txt":

  content => "group=$group",

}

However, this has it's disadvantages, because the $::group fact doesn't become available until after the puppet run that declares the file resource.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Josh

[1] http://docs.puppetlabs.com/hiera/1/variables.html

[jcbollinger]

On Friday, November 22, 2013 11:34:24 AM UTC-6, Matthew Ceroni wrote:

I am trying to use an ENC-set top-scope variable in my Hiera hierarchy. However it doesn't seem to be working.

I thought that was supported.

 

In the doc that Josh cited, I find this notable tidbit: "In YAML files, any string containing an interpolation token must be quoted in order to comply with the YAML spec. (Under Ruby 1.8, interpolation tokens in unquoted strings will sometimes work anyway, but this can’t be relied on.)"  That would apply to your hiera.yaml file, which does not quote the interpolations it uses.  You ought to fix that in any case, and maybe doing so will even resolve your problem.

John

[Nick Walker]

I was able to get this to work without issue using the Puppet Enterprise console as my ENC.  I did the following: 

Created a top-scope variable via the console called group and set it to engineering.  

[root@master310-centos ~]# /etc/puppetlabs/puppet-dashboard/external_node master310-centos

--- 

name: master310-centos

classes: 

parameters: 

  group: engineering

I have the following hiera.yaml file.  You will note that I did double quote my variable for interpolation. 

---

:backends:

  - yaml

:hierarchy:

  - "%{group}"

  - global

:yaml:

  :datadir:

I placed a file called engineering.yaml in /var/lib/hiera with the following contents:

test: testvalue

Finally, I created the following test manifest.  

class test {

  notify { "group is $group": }

  $test = hiera(test)

  notify { "test is $test": }

}

And as I was hoping, I get the output of 'testvalue' for the variable test.  

[root@master310-centos ~]# puppet agent -t

...

Notice: test is testvalue

Notice: /Stage[main]/Test/Notify[test is testvalue]/message: defined 'message' as 'test is testvalue'

Notice: group is engineering

Notice: /Stage[main]/Test/Notify[group is engineering]/message: defined 'message' as 'group is engineering'

Notice: Finished catalog run in 10.09 seconds