[chef] Re: intermittent problems with default attributes

[AJ Christensen < >]

It's probably the node.save in your attribute file (at a glance), only
a hunch though!

Please post the relevant (full) debug logs. Alternately, reduce this
to the simplest example -- a template with an attribute; repeat your
tests. If you use an override attribute for the port in a role, does
it still happen? How about a 'set' attribute on the node?

--AJ

On 4 July 2012 22:52, Jonathan Dye 
<
 >
 wrote:
> something i'm doing with attributes is not quite right, and here's the
> proof:
>
> 
 
>  opt]# while [[ 1 ]]; do chef-client -E chefenv1 2>/dev/null
> 1>/dev/null; if [[ "$?" != "0" ]]; then echo -n 'E'; elif grep 42559
> /opt/moab/etc/moab.cfg >/dev/null && grep 42559
> /opt/mws/etc/mws-config.groovy >/dev/null; then echo -n '.'; else echo -n
> '!'; fi; done
> !!!!!!!.!!!...!!!!!..!.......!!!!!!.!!!!!..!!!!^CE^C
>
> so, i'm running chef over and over without changing cookbooks, run lists,
> override attributes, or anything else in between.  if the run fails it
> should print 'E', if the expected attributes are in the config files it's
> writing out it should print '.' , and if the attributes are not in the file
> it should print '!'.  as you can see, the results are not the same in
> subsequent runs.  this is not because the chef runs are failing-- the value
> simply ends up being nil on some runs all else seemingly being equal.  i've
> confirmed this manually many times, it can succeed the client run but
> produce unexpected output.
>
> here's what i'm doing, and it seems pretty straightforward.  there is a
> default attributes file that sets the 'sched_port' as a default attribute,
> and it is consumed by a template in that cookbook where it's set (mwm) and
> in a template from another cookbook which is also run on the same node
> (mws):
>
> =====  mwm/attributes/default.rb =====
> ::Chef::Node.send(:include, Opscode::OpenSSL::Password)
>
> set_unless['mcs']['mwm']['secret_key'] = secure_password
> node.save
> default['mcs']['mwm']['sched_port'] = '42559'
> =======
>
> ====== mwm/recipes/default.rb =======
> ...
> # write out the templated moab config
> template "/opt/moab/etc/moab.cfg" do
>         source "moab-cfg.erb"
>         mode 0600
>         owner "root"
>         group "root"
>         action :create
> end
> ...
> ==========
>
> ===== mwm/templates/default/moab-cfg.erb =====
> ...
> SCHEDCFG[Moab]                      SERVER=<%= node['hostname'] %>:<%=
> node['mcs']['mwm']['sched_port'] %>
> ...
> =======
>
> ===== mws/recipes/default.rb =======
> ...
> # write mws config file
> template "/opt/mws/etc/mws-config.groovy" do
>         source "mws-config-groovy.erb"
>
>         mode 0600
>         owner "tomcat"
>         group "tomcat"
>
>         variables(
>                 :moab_secretkey => node['mcs']['mwm']['secret_key'],
>                 :moab_server => node['hostname'],
>                 :moab_port => node['mcs']['mwm']['sched_port'],
>                 :mws_username => node['mcs']['mws']['username'],
>                 :mws_password => node['mcs']['mws']['password'],
>                 :mongo_host => mongo_node['hostname'],
>                 :mongo_port => mongo_node['mongodb']['port'],
>                 :mongo_database => node['mcs']['mws']['mongo_dbname']
>         )
>         action :create
> end
> =======
>
> ====== mws/templates/default/mws-config-groovy.erb ====
> moab.secretKey = "<%= @moab_secretkey %>"
> moab.server = "<%= @moab_server %>"
> moab.port = <%= @moab_port %>
> ...
> ======
>
> also, it disappears from either file.  every time i've checked it disappears
> from both files at once:
> 
 
>  opt]# while [[ 1 ]]; do chef-client -E chefenv1 2>/dev/null
> 1>/dev/null; if [[ "$?" != "0" ]]; then echo -n 'E'; elif grep 42559
> /opt/moab/etc/moab.cfg >/dev/null; then echo -n '.'; else echo -n '!'; fi;
> done
> .!!!!!!..!!!.!^CE^C
> 
 
>  opt]# while [[ 1 ]]; do chef-client -E chefenv1 2>/dev/null
> 1>/dev/null; if [[ "$?" != "0" ]]; then echo -n 'E'; elif grep 42559
> /opt/mws/etc/mws-config.groovy >/dev/null; then echo -n '.'; else echo -n
> '!'; fi; done
> !!.!!!!!!!!.!!...!!!..!.......!!!!
>
> i've wrestled through several other attribute-related issues (one i detailed
> here
> http://www.devopstonoops.com/2012/07/04/what-ive-learned-from-using-chef-part-1/),
> but i'm baffled about this one.  any help would be appreciated.
>
> - jonathan