puppetmanaged.org

Puppetmanaged.org is a collection of modules for Puppet, the next-generation enterprise configuration management suites. When we say "configuration management" however, we are not talking about the ITIL or ITSM configuration management. Read more on what configuration management also means.

The Value of Modules

Using modules for Puppet can help you in a variaty of ways. For one, modules are supposed to be portable between different environments because they let you adjust the exact configuration applied to a node. The portability allows efficient development, and effective deployment. Secondly, environments that apply configuration management through the use of modules are often more consistent, which makes all of our lives a lot easier.

When using modules however, you would want to choose to share that module with others, so that the module may evolve and become better, while helping others solve their problems very efficiently as well.

Some will argue that Puppet modules you get from the Internet will never work exactly the way you want them too, but luckily some of the module developers use the Open Source development model; you can contribute back –and you should.

Modules for Puppet can be created using three different approaches, or a mixture thereof:

1. File-based Distribution
   Override anything on a per-file basis, putting the right configuration file in the right location on the Puppet master.
2. Module Function Logic
   Set variables (in the node manifest) to influence the end-result (file) that is generated from a template.
3. Per Setting
   Let Puppet control only some settings in a configuration file through Augeas, leaving the rest of the (original) file intact.

There is something to say for each of these methods. Each of them may have its advantages and disadvantages. Also, none of these different types of approaches is mutually exclusive with any other approach. However, I would recommend that you stick with one single approach for an entire environment as much as you can.

A given module (including those from puppetmanaged.org) using either of the aforementioned approaches can still include one or two types using the other method. For example, the puppetmanaged.org webserver module allows you to specify a template for a webserver's virtualhost.