MSI properties

If you install Windows agents from the command line using the .msi package, you can optionally specify these properties.

If you set a non-default value for PUPPET_SERVER, PUPPET_CA_SERVER, PUPPET_AGENT_CERTNAME, or PUPPET_AGENT_ENVIRONMENT, the installer replaces the existing value in puppet.conf and re-uses the value at upgrade unless you specify a new value. Therefore, if you've customized these properties, don't change the setting directly in puppet.conf; instead, re-run the installer and set a new value at installation.
Property Definition Setting in pe.conf Default
INSTALLDIR Location to install Puppet and its dependencies. n/a

  • 32-bit — C:\Program Files\Puppet Labs\Puppet

  • 64-bit — C:\Program Files \Puppet Labs\Puppet
ENABLE_LONG_PATHS Long filename support. Set to TRUE and set HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\LongPathsEnabled to 1 n/a No value
PUPPET_SERVER Hostname where the primary server can be reached. server puppet
PUPPET_CA_SERVER Hostname where the CA server can be reached, if you're using multiple servers and only one of them is acting as the CA. ca_server

Value of

PUPPET_SERVER
PUPPET_AGENT_CERTNAME

Node's certificate name, and the name it uses when requesting catalogs.

For best compatibility, limit the value of certname to lowercase letters, numbers, periods, underscores, and dashes.

 certname Value of facter fdqn
PUPPET_AGENT_ENVIRONMENT Node's environment.
If a value for the environment variable already exists in puppet.conf, specifying it during installation does not override that value.
 environment production
PUPPET_AGENT_STARTUP_MODE Whether and how the agent service is allowed to run. Allowed values are:
  • Automatic — Agent starts up when Windows starts and remains running in the background.
  • Manual — Agent can be started in the services console or with net start on the command line.
  • Disabled — Agent is installed but disabled. You must change its startup type in the services console before you can start the service.
n/a Automatic
PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_USER

Windows user account the agent service uses. This property is useful if the agent needs to access files on UNC shares, because the default LocalService account can't access these network resources.

The user account must already exist, and can be either a local or domain user. The installer allows domain users even if they have not accessed the machine before. The installer grants Logon as Service to the user, and if the user isn't already a local administrator, the installer adds it to the Administrators group.

If you specify PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_USER, you must also specify PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_PASSWORD and PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_DOMAIN unless the node is under a gMSA. For gMSAs, you must specify PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_USER (the user for the gMSA) and PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_DOMAIN. Do not specify PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_PASSWORD.

 n/a LocalSystem
PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_PASSWORD Password for the agent's user account. n/a No value
PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_DOMAIN Domain of the agent's user account. n/a .
REINSTALLMODE A default MSI property used to control the behavior of file copies during installation.
If you need to downgrade agents, use REINSTALLMODE=amus when calling msiexec.exe at the command line to prevent removing files that the application needs.
n/a

amus
SKIP_NSSM_REGISTRY_CLEANUP

Setting to true skips the Non-Sucking Service Manager (NSSM) registry cleanup. This allows you to install in a restrictive User Account Control (UAC) context, or when the installer does not have the necessary permissions to read certain registry keys.

This might cause a restart of DHCP Server or other services.

 n/a No value
To install the agent with the primary server at puppet.acme.com:
msiexec /qn /norestart /i puppet.msi PUPPET_SERVER=puppet.acme.com
To install the agent to a domain user ExampleCorp\bob:
msiexec /qn /norestart /i puppet-<VERSION>.msi PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_DOMAIN=ExampleCorp PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_USER=bob PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_PASSWORD=password