[chef] Proper Berksfile, Berksfile.lock usage?

["Fouts, Chris" < >]

I have Berksshelf working now, so that is NOT the issue. Neither is this about the Berks workflow blogged by Seth Vargo. I just don’t think I’m using it properly since it feels cumbersome the way I’m using, so it must be the way I’m using.

 

I have the following setup:

 

Git server: http://git-server.domain.com

BerksAPI server: http://chef-server.domain.com:26200

Chef dev organization: https://chef-server.domain.com:443/organization/dev

Chef QA organization: https://chef-server.domain.com:443/organization/qa

 

Step 1:

When I submit cookbooks and cookbook updates into my git server, I run a Jenkins job that fetches the HEAD (for now) and does a berks install and berks upload to my BerksAPI server. I use a Berksfile/metadata.rb that has ALL my cookbooks. I have have 50 cookbooks in these files. This generates a Berksfile.lock file

 

Step 2:

Now I want to fetch my cookbooks from the BerksAPI server, and upload them to my Chef dev organization. I use a different set of Berksfile/metadata.rb files that ONLY contains the top level role cookbooks to take advantage of Berksshelf’s transitive cookbook dependency resolution. So I may only have 10 cookbooks in this files, and these 10 cookbooks, via Berkshelf dependency management, will eventually install/upload all 50 cookbooks to my chef server. This process generates a Berksfile.lock file too.

 

Step 3:

Now I want to fetch my cookbooks from the BerksAPI server, and upload them to my Chef QA organization. I use a different set of Berksfile/metadata.rb files that ONLY contains the top level role cookbooks to take advantage of Berksshelf’s transitive cookbook dependency resolution. So I may only have 10 cookbooks in this files, and these 10 cookbooks, via Berkshelf dependency management, will eventually install/upload all 50 cookbooks to my chef server. This process generates a Berksfile.lock file too.

 

So it seems like I’m repeating the SAME process in all 3 steps, or at least Steps 2 and 3, and I feel like I shouldn’t? I feel like I’m missing the concept of using the generated Berksfile.lock file?

 

Can you fine ladies and gentlemen elaborate your process?

 

Chris