[chef] Chef Exception Handlers and gem dependancies

[Aaron Bento < >]

Hey Everyone,

I'm a bit confused on how to get a gem (or other resource) installed on a machine that is a dependency for a Chef Exception Handler.

I'm using the EmailMe example from the wiki to familiarize myself with writing handlers:

http://wiki.opscode.com/display/chef/Exception+and+Report+Handlers

I have the example working if I already have the pony gem installed, but once I try to perform a run on a clean machine, I get:

FATAL: LoadError: no such file to load -- pony

After reading the following wiki page, I thought the proper place was to put it above the handler code.

http://wiki.opscode.com/display/chef/Evaluate+and+Run+Resources+at+Compile+Time

However that results in:

FATAL: NoMethodError: chef_handler[MyOrganization::EmailMe] (chef_handler::email_me line 25) had an error: NoMethodError: undefined method `gem_package' for main:Object

I seem to be caught in a catch-22. The handler is evaluated during the compile stage, but I need to install a gem which doesn't happen until the execute. How are others doing this with gems or other dependancies not on the system?

I'm using the chef_handler cookbook and pulling the chef handler via the LWRP in a recipe.

Where is the best place to call gem_package? Thanks!

-- 

Aaron Bento