[chef] Re: Re: Re: Re: Ruby, Chef, Omnibus and you!

["Burkholder, Peter" < >]

Hi Joshua,

I've tried the omnibus approach but I'm using the FrameOS build now because I 
need libselinux-ruby and I couldn't get that to build against the 1.9.1 Ruby 
in Omnibus.      I like the idea of having Chef neatly walled off in a 
chef-full RPM, but it didn't suffice for me.  (We're using RHEL5 as our 
platform).

Cheers,

Peter
> >
> > On Dec 27, 2011, at 11:13 AM, Joshua Timberman wrote:
> >
> >> Ohai!
> >>
> >> I'd like to start a conversation and collect feedback about how Chef
> >> should manage Ruby at an OS/app level, in particular when Chef is
> >> installed using the "Omnibus" full stack installer[0]. Feedback
> >> collected will better help us in providing cookbooks that work with
> >> Ruby applications besides Chef.
> >>
> >> The Omnibus full stack installation of Chef includes Ruby for Chef to
> >> use. This is convenient for Chef, but it means that the system
> >> (typically) will not have Ruby installed anywhere for other tools or
> >> applications. While you *can* use the Ruby in the omnibus
> >> installation for your applications or other tools, we don't recommend
> >> it as it may not match the version of Ruby that you need for your
> >> applications.
> >>
> >> In the past, we assumed that the Ruby installed as a package or
> >> otherwise with "knife bootstrap" templates is used by Chef. For many
> >> use cases that works fine, however on certain platforms, the default
> >> version of Ruby that is available as a native OS package is an
> >> outdated version.
> >>
> >> The Ruby community and the various platform distributors have
> >> different goals when it comes to getting Ruby installed on the system,
> >> and there are three main approaches. Each of these approaches has
> >> different implementation in Chef cookbooks, and indeed different
> >> cookbooks exist for each.
> >>
> >> * Distribution packages
> >> * Rvm
> >> * rbenv & ruby-build
> >>
> >> Each approach also has different pros and cons.
> >>
> >> Distribution packages are very convenient, because typically all you
> >> need is "apt-get install ruby" or "yum install ruby" (or
> >> equivalent). Compiling source is not required, and all the benefits of
> >> using the local package manager are realized. However, they may be out
> >> of date for the needs of a particular application. They are also quite
> >> different between distributions when it comes to the default packages
> >> available in the base repositories, and in the past some have altered
> >> the way that Ruby (particularly RubyGems) works. Also, remaining
> >> "purely" in package management is difficult because not all the
> >> RubyGems you might want to use are packaged, which introduces another
> >> layer of complexity for managing systems and applications with
> >> Chef. In the past, we managed system packages of Ruby with the
> >> `ruby`[1] cookbook beyond what the "bootstrap" process did.
> >>
> >> Rvm is a set of shell scripts that help install and manage different
> >> versions of Ruby and RubyGems. It's flexibility and features have made
> >> it a very popular way to deploy and manage Ruby for
> >> applications. However, it does assume compiling Ruby versions from
> >> source. This is time consuming, and in some environments against
> >> security policy (no compilers on production machines). There are at
> >> least two cookbooks[3] for managing Rubies through Rvm with Chef.
> >>
> >> Rbenv is a newer project that can be used to manage versions of
> >> Ruby. I personally have not used it, but some folks are switching from
> >> Rvm to Rbenv. Rbenv does not install Rubies itself, but it has a
> >> helper called `ruby-build` to assist[4]. There are a couple cookbooks
> >> for using Rbenv to manage Ruby with Chef[5].
> >>
> >> What are you doing in your environment to manage Ruby? Are you using
> >> the same installation of Ruby with Chef *and* your application? If you're
> >> using the Omnibus full-stack installer, are you managing a separate
> >> Ruby for your applications?
> >>
> >> [0]: http://github.com/opscode/omnibus and ;
> >> http://opscode.com/chef/install
> >> [1]: http://community.opscode.com/cookbooks/ruby and
> >> http://tickets.opscode.com/browse/COOK-409
> >> [3]: http://community.opscode.com/cookbooks/rvm OR
> >> https://github.com/fnichol/chef-rvm
> >> [4]: https://github.com/sstephenson/ruby-build
> >> [5]: http://community.opscode.com/cookbooks/rbenv OR
> >> https://github.com/fnichol/chef-rbenv
> >>
> >> --
> >> Opscode, Inc
> >> Joshua Timberman, Technical Program Manager
> >> IRC, Skype, Twitter, Github: jtimberman
> >
> 

--
Peter Burkholder | Sr. System Administrator (consultant)
AARP | Digital Strategy & Operations | 601 E Street NW | Washington, DC 20049

 
 | aim: peterbtech | w: 202-434-3530 | c: 202-344-7129
 For optimal efficiency, I check email at 2-hour intervals during the workday
 (except when on-call). Please use IM or phone to contact me for urgent 
matters