MSI properties

You can use these MSI properties if you install Windows agents with the msiexec command.

The following MSI properties define puppet.conf settings:
  • PUPPET_SERVER corresponds with server
  • PUPPET_CA_SERVER corresponds with ca_server
  • PUPPET_AGENT_CERTNAME corresponds with certname
  • PUPPET_AGENT_ENVIRONMENT corresponds with environment

If you use msiexec to specify a non-default value for these properties, the installer replaces the default value in puppet.conf and re-uses your specified value at upgrade. Therefore, if you need to change these properties after setting them with msiexec, don't change them directly in puppet.conf; instead, you need to re-run the installer and set a new value.

Customize the install script provides more details on puppet.conf settings.

Property Definition Default value
INSTALLDIR Location to install Puppet and its dependencies.

For 32-bit systems: C:\Program Files\Puppet Labs\Puppet

For 64-bit systems: C:\Program Files \Puppet Labs\Puppet
PUPPET_SERVER Hostname where the primary server can be reached. puppet
PUPPET_CA_SERVER Hostname where the CA primary server can be reached if you're using multiple primary servers and only one of them is acting as the CA. Value of PUPPET_SERVER
PUPPET_AGENT_CERTNAME The agent node's certificate name and the name it uses when requesting catalogs.
Only use lowercase letters, numbers, periods, underscores, and dashes.
 Value of facter fdqn
PUPPET_AGENT_ENVIRONMENT The agent node's environment.
If the node already has a puppet.conf file containing a value for the environment variable, specifying it during installation doesn't override that value.
 production
PUPPET_AGENT_STARTUP_MODE Whether and how the agent service is allowed to run. Allowed values are:
  • Automatic: The agent service when Windows starts and remains running in the background.
  • Manual: The agent service can be started in the services console or with net start on the command line.
  • Disabled: The agent service is installed but disabled. You must change its startup type in the services console before you can start the service.
 Automatic
PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_USER

The Windows user account the agent service uses.

Use this property when 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.
  • Grants Logon as Service to the user.
  • Add the user to the Administrators group, if the user isn't already a local administrator.

If you specify this property, you must also specify PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_PASSWORD and PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_DOMAIN unless the node is under a gMSA.

For gMSAs, you must also specify PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_DOMAIN, but do not specify PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_PASSWORD.

 LocalSystem
PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_PASSWORD Password for the agent's user account.

Do not specify this property for nodes running under gMSAs.

 No value
PUPPET_AGENT_ACCOUNT_DOMAIN Domain of the agent's user account. .
REINSTALLMODE A default MSI property that controls file copy behavior during installation.
If you need to downgrade agents, use REINSTALLMODE=amus when calling msiexec.exe at the command line to prevent removing required files.

From puppet-agent version 1.10.10 and 5.3.4: amus

Prior releases: omus