Puppet for System Administrators Training Course

Who should attend

Unix/Linux systems administrators looking to automate their infrastructure, and have some scripting knowledge (bash, sh, ksh, Perl or Python).

Prerequisites

Delegates should have good experience in Unix/Linux systems administration, with a broad understanding of the various system tasks relating to setting up and supporting Unix/Linux systems. Knowledge of Ruby is not essential but would be useful (as would knowledge of other scripting languages).

Live, instructor-led online and on-site training

This Puppet course is available for private / custom delivery for your team - face-to-face, on-site at your location of choice, or remotely via MS Teams, Zoom or your own platform - get in touch to find out how we can deliver tailored training which focuses on your project requirements and learning goals.

Introduction to Linux Training Course Syllabus

Introduction to Puppet

Defining what Puppet is and does, terminology and structure, references to online resources.

Installation

What is required to install Puppet, dependancies and order of installation, checking Puppet works, and steps to run before starting the master.

Starting Puppet

Command line options, files related to start up, file locations, minimum configuration to make Puppet start, starting the server and clients, working with certificates.

Configuring the Server

Puppets configuration files, understanding the different sections, what the values mean, a simple manifest.

Resources

Understand what a resource is, define and create resources using various types, apply to hosts in the network or all, work with system variables using Facter and define a Puppet file server.

Classes

Understand classes and how they work, apply them and understand the rules of inheritance. Work with variables, metaparameters and arrays.

Conditions

Understand and use the various constructs for decision making in Puppet, and use virtual resources.

Functions

Understand the different types of functions within Puppet and their uses. Find out where to keep up to date on new functions.

Tags, Templates, Modules

Use tags, templates and modules to manage your infrastructure, creating templates for varying file data of particular format.

Environments and Stored Configurations

Understand the default environments provided by Puppet, defining your own and using them. Working with stored configurations.

Language Patterns and Reporting

Install and work with the Puppet dashboard as well as rrd graphing and custom reporting.

Best Practices

Enhancing the open source version to suit your enterprise, work with other systems containing host information, add custom facts to facter, create and use types and providers and some general ideas for best design and security of puppet configurations

Puppet Enterprise

Understand the differences between the open source and enterprise versions. Learn how to install and configure the Enterprise version of Puppet, and manage systems with the web interface.

MCollective

Working with MCollective to control and manage your Puppet environment and nodes. Security configurations, and use of the web live management interface.

Hiera

Integrating hiera into puppet to empower your definitions to work with variable data provided through the hiera data structure. Install, configure and create hiera data to integrate with puppet.

Workshop

Here we will put Puppet through its paces and configure some agent nodes to configure;

• DNS
• DHCP
• NFS

We will also take a look at how you can install and start Puppet from Kickstart enabling your entire Enterpise from the install with minimal touch.