init config once

[Steve McKuhr]

I'd like to initialize a user config file once, at software install time, then allow application admins to manage the file contents via web interface (add/remove users, etc.) - I have come up with the following:

file { 'users':

  ensure => present,

  content => template('my-template'),

  validate_cmd => '/bin/test ! -f users.control',

}

file { 'users.control':

  ensure => present,

  content => "puppet managed",

  require => File['users'],

}

The above code works ok, however I was wondering if there is a more elegant solution.

Thanks,

Steve

[Ben Ford]

Yep, just use the replace attribute on the file resource. https://puppet.com/docs/puppet/latest/types/file.html#file-attribute-replace

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[Martin Alfke]

and please use ensure => file !
this is more clear.
you can set the file ensure attribute to one of the following: file, directory, link, absent

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[Steve McKuhr]

I've just realized that my problem statement was slightly misleading. A
'users' file gets installed as part of the software package, and the
goal is replacing its contents during the first Puppet run. The next
Puppet runs should ignore any changes.

[Steve McKuhr]

In an effort to avoid errors triggered by validate_cmd, I ended up using
a conditional based on a File.exists custom fact. I'm still open to
suggestions, this is all new territory to me.

[Benjamin Ridley]

You might be better off using something like Puppet Bolt to deploy the file as a one off task at provisioning, rather than trying to manage it declaratively through Puppet. 

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[Martin Alfke]

A custom fact is the best way to report the status of the file on the node to the master and have the file managed by Puppet based on the fact value.

Bolt needs ssh access to the systems (unless you are using Puppet Enterprise which does not need ssh but uses a message queue on the master and the pxp-agent on the nodes.).

Besides this: Bolt must be executed manually

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[Ben Ford]

I do have a kind of terrible module that does exactly this.... I make no guarantees whatsoever about how well it works. I ended up not using it for much longer after building it.

https://forge.puppet.com/modules/binford2k/manageonce

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[Justin Stoller]

Just to pile on. If you want the content updated whenever the package is updated and you are managing the package with puppet you can "subscribe" to the package resource to have the file resource only applied when the package changes.

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[Steve McKuhr]

Thanks for that, it *is* useful, although not in this particular
scenario. It's sitting now in my Puppet toolbox.