Manage Apache configuration on *nix targets

Your nodes need applications and services to perform their intended functionality. Not all nodes need all software, and different types of nodes require different software configurations. Puppet Enterprise (PE) help you deploy relevant software and configurations to your nodes by grouping related nodes and allowing you to specify relevant software and configurations for each node group.

Here we demonstrate how to distribute Apache services to a node group by installing the apache module, creating a node group for the Apache nodes, creating profiles to specify Apache and webserver configurations, bundling the profiles into a role, and assigning the role to the node group. Once this is done, PE distributes the role to the individual nodes and ensures the individual nodes have the Apache service and the desired configurations.

• Install the apache module

  Modules are self-contained, shareable bundles of code and data. Each module manages a specific task in your infrastructure, such as installing and configuring a piece of software. With Puppet Enterprise (PE), a lot of your infrastructure is supported by modules, so it is important to learn how to install, build, and use them. To practice working with modules, try installing the puppetlabs/apache module, which automates installing, configuring, and managing Apache services.

• Set up Apache node groups

  Tell Puppet Enterprise (PE) your desired infrastructure configuration by creating node groups to categorize related nodes based on their function. Before you begin, decide which of your inventory nodes you want to have Apache services.

• Organize webserver configurations with roles and profiles

  The roles and profiles method is a reliable way to build reusable, configurable, and refactorable system configurations.