Console services

The console services includes the console, role-based access control (RBAC) and activity services, and the node classifier.

The console

The console is the web-based user interface for managing your systems.

The console can:

  • browse and compare resources on your nodes in real time.
  • analyze events and reports to help you visualize your infrastructure over time.
  • browse inventory data and backed-up file contents from your nodes.
  • group and classify nodes, and control the Puppet classes they receive in their catalogs.
  • manage user access, including integration with external user directories.

The console leverages data created and collected by PE to provide insight into your infrastructure.

RBAC

In PE, you can use RBAC to manage user permissions. Permissions define what actions users can perform on designated objects.

For example:

  • Can the user grant password reset tokens to other users who have forgotten their passwords?
  • Can the user edit a local user's role or permissions?
  • Can the user edit class parameters in a node group?

The RBAC service can connect to external LDAP directories. This means that you can create and manage users locally in PE, import users and groups from an existing directory, or do a combination of both. PE supports OpenLDAP and Active Directory.

You can interact with the RBAC and activity services through the console. Alternatively, you can use the RBAC service API and the activity service API. The activity service logs events for user roles, users, and user groups.

PE users generate tokens to authenticate their access to certain command line tools and API endpoints. Authentication tokens are used to manage access to the following PE services and tools: Puppet orchestrator, Code Manager , Node Classifier, role-based access control (RBAC), and the activity service.

Authentication tokens are tied to the permissions granted to the user through RBAC, and provide users with the appropriate access to HTTP requests.

Node classifier

PE comes with its own node classifier (NC), which is built into the console.

Classification is when you configure your managed nodes by assigning classes to them. Classes provide the Puppet code—distributed in modules—that enable you to define the function of a managed node, or apply specific settings and values to it. For example, you might want all of your managed nodes to have time synchronized across them. In this case, you would group the nodes in the NC, apply an NTP class to the group, and set a parameter on that class to point at a specific NTP server.

You can create your own classes, or you can take advantage of the many classes that have already been created by the Puppet community. Reduce the potential for new bugs and to save yourself some time by using existing classes from modules on the Forge, many of which are approved or supported by Puppet by Perforce.

You can also classify nodes using the NC API.

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