DevOps Puppet Interview Q/A

What is a Puppet?

Puppet is a configuration management tool used in DevOps to automate the setup and maintenance of software systems. It helps to improve collaboration and communication between development and operations teams by defining and enforcing the desired state of systems using declarative configuration files (Puppet manifests).

What are the Features of Puppet?

Puppet features include declarative configuration management, model-based infrastructure, extensible and modular design, agent/server architecture, cross-platform support, and scalability and performance. It is a versatile tool for automating and managing infrastructure.

How does Puppet work?

Puppet works by using Puppet manifests to define the desired state of infrastructure. The Puppet master stores these manifests and serves them to managed nodes. Each managed node has a Puppet agent that periodically checks in with the master, and retrieves and applies configurations, ensuring systems match the desired state.

What is Puppet Module and How it is different from Puppet Manifest?

A Puppet module is a collection of related code and data for managing specific aspects of infrastructure, while a manifest is the actual code specifying the desired state. Modules organize and reuse code, making it easier to manage various infrastructure components.

What is Facter in Puppet?

Facter is a tool that collects system information, such as the operating system, hostname, IP address, and installed packages. This data can be used in Puppet manifests to make configuration decisions, enabling flexible automation in Puppet.

What is the Puppet Catalog?

A Puppet catalog is a compiled version of a manifest that details the desired state of a node's resources. Puppet agents use catalogs to apply configurations to ensure the system complies with the desired state, a key element of infrastructure as code.

What size organizations should use Puppet?

Puppet is typically suitable for medium to large organizations managing numerous servers or devices. It's ideal when automation and collaboration between development and operations teams are necessary, as in DevOps environments.

How should I upgrade Puppet and Facter?

Upgrading Puppet and Facter involves determining the current versions, checking compatibility, creating backups, installing new versions, testing, and having a rollback plan in case of issues.

What is the Command to check requests of Certificates from Puppet Agent to Puppet Master?

To check certificate requests from Puppet agents to the Puppet master, you can use the 'Puppet cert list' command. It lists pending certificate requests, and you can verify their status or view signed requests using various flags.

What is the use of etckeeper-commit-post and etckeeper-commit-pre on Puppet Agent?

These scripts are used with the etckeeper tool to manage changes to the /etc directory. 'etckeeper-commit-pre' runs before a commit, and 'etckeeper-commit-post' runs after. They are employed for tasks related to configuration management and version control.

What characters are permitted in a class name? In a module name? In other identifiers?

Class and module names should start with a lowercase letter or underscore and can include alphanumeric characters and underscores. Other identifiers, such as variable and function names, follow similar conventions.

Does Puppet run on Windows?

Yes, Puppet can run on Windows operating systems. Puppet Agent can be installed on Windows systems to automate configuration management and ensure compliance with desired configurations.

Which Version of Ruby Does Puppet Support?

The supported Ruby versions can vary, but for Puppet 6, versions 2.5 to 2.7 are supported. The specific supported versions may depend on the Puppet version and the operating system.

Which open-source or community tools do you use to make Puppet more powerful?

Open-source tools like Hiera, R10K, PuppetDB, Puppet Debugger, and Puppet Visualize can be used to enhance the capabilities of Puppet and extend its functionality, depending on specific requirements.

Tell me about a time when you used collaboration and Puppet to help resolve a conflict within a team.

Share a relevant experience where collaboration, along with Puppet, was used to resolve a conflict within a team. Mention how Puppet's role in configuration management contributed to resolving the conflict effectively.

Can I access environment Variables with Facter in Puppet?

Yes, you can access environment variables using Facter in Puppet. Facter gathers information, including environment variables, which can be utilized in Puppet manifests for configuring systems.

What is the use of Virtual Resources in Puppet?

Virtual resources in Puppet allow specifying the desired state of a resource without creating it. They are useful for defining dependencies between resources or ensuring a resource's presence without immediate instantiation.

What are Puppet Manifests?

Puppet manifests are files written in the Puppet DSL that specify the desired state of resources on systems. These resources can be anything that Puppet manages, and manifests are crucial for automating configurations and ensuring system compliance with desired settings.