[chef] Getting into chef

[Marcus Bointon < >]

Hi,

I'm very much taken with the promise of chef, but I'm finding it really hard 
to get into. I've got a server and client talking, but I could have set up 
about 20 whole servers manually in that time, and I still don't seem to be 
anywhere useful. The rubygems install and bootstrap is messy and complicated 
- I'm looking forward to Ubuntu Lucid packages.

Now they're running, the docs tell me that the repo doesn't live the in the 
server, clients are not nodes, and clients live in the repo! What's the 
server for if not to provide access to a repo for clients? How does a node 
talk to a server if it's not a client? If clients are in the repo, how do 
nodes ever get started? If clients can talk to the repo, why do I need a 
server? This is all very confusing, and that's just the getting started guide!

I'm finding the docs are good on detail, but I'm entirely missing a bigger 
picture of the structure and everyday practicalities of working with chef. 
Can anyone give me some better pointers?

Thanks,

Marcus
-- 
Marcus Bointon
Synchromedia Limited: Creators of http://www.smartmessages.net/
UK resellers of 

 
 CRM solutions

 
 | http://www.synchromedia.co.uk/