Running tasks on hosts

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Install Puppet agents
Manage packages
Run shell commands
Manage system services

Run ad-hoc tasks on target Linux and Windows hosts to install Puppet agents, manage packages or system services, or to execute shell commands.

Before you begin

To run tasks on Linux hosts, your SSH credentials must be for the root account on each target host. See Secure Shell (SSH).

There are a number of ways to select a task:

On the dashboard menu.
On any hosts summary page.
On any host or package details page.

When selecting to run a task from either a summary or details page, some of the selected hosts may not be eligible to run the task on. An eligible host must be accessible using the SSH or WinRM credentials you added, or if running the install Puppet agent task, an eligible host doesn't have the agent installed.

Click Run task, and select the task:
- Install Puppet agent.
- Run a shell command.
- Manage package.
- Manage service.
Enter the values for the task parameters (see below).
Click Select hosts.
Select the hosts to run the task on, and click Select credentials.
Select the credentials for accessing the hosts, and click Review task summary.
Review the tasks details, your credentials, the list of target hosts, and click Run task.

Tip: To view the status of the task run, click Activity feed, and select Status. For more information, see View discovery and task status.

Install Puppet agents

Install a Puppet Enterprise agent to regularly pull configuration catalogs from a Puppet master, and apply them to your target Linux or Windows hosts. The agent maintains the host configuration you want.

Restriction: If you enter an invalid value for the optional cacert_content parameter, the task fails, and you must enter a valid value for the task to run. An empty value is not accepted.


Parameter	Description
`cacert_content`	The master CA certificate content (optional). If not specified, the master's identity is not verified during the agent installation.
`certname`	The unique certificate name for the Puppet agent (optional).
`custom_attribute`	The custom attribute setting added to `puppet.conf` and included in the `custom_attributes` section of `csr_attributes.yaml`. For more information, see custom attributes. Important: Values must be entered as an array.
`dns_alt_names`	The alternative DNS names for generating the agent certificate.
`environment`	The environment to install with the Puppet agent (optional).
`extension_request`	The extension attribute setting added to `puppet.conf` and included in the `extension_requests` section of `csr_attributes.yaml`. For more information, see extension requests. Important: Values must be entered as an array.
`master`	The required hostname for the Puppet master. The FQDN must be fully resolvable by the node on which you're installing the agent.

Manage packages

Install, upgrade, or uninstall packages on discovered hosts without installing an agent.

Remember: To run the manage package task on target hosts, the following package management systems are required:

APT or YUM for Linux hosts.
Chocolatey for Windows hosts.


Parameter	Description
`action`	The action to be applied to the package: install the package. To install a specific version of the package, specify the value in the `version` parameter. If installing the package for the first time, the package repository on each target host must have the package stored. uninstall the package. To uninstall a specific version of the package, specify the value in the `version` parameter. upgrade the version of the package. This is particularly useful for upgrading vulnerable packages to secure versions. To upgrade to a specific version, choose install, and specify the value in the `version` parameter.
`name`	The name of the package.
`provider`	The name of the provider to use for managing or inspecting the package.
`version`	The version, and if applicable, the release value of the package. A version number range or a semver pattern are not permitted. For example, to install the `bash-4.1.2-29.el6.x86_64.rpm` package, enter `4.1.2-29.el6`. Tip: To install or upgrade to the latest version of a package, leave the `version` parameter blank.

Run shell commands

Execute an arbitrary shell command on discovered hosts without installing an agent.


Paramter	Description
`command`	The command to execute on the target hosts. Linux example: `echo "Hello, World ${USER}" > /hello.txt` Windows example: `echo "Hello, World $env:UserName" > C:\hello.txt` To execute commands, Windows tasks use the command prompt. To run PowerShell commands, you must invoke PowerShell. For example: `powershell Get-Process`
`failonfail`	By default, the task fails when the command returns a non-zero. To disable this default setting, select the checkbox.
`interleave`	By default, content from `stdout` and `stderr` is interleaved. To disable this default setting, select the checkbox.

Manage system services

Manage and inspect system services on discovered hosts.


Parameter	Description
`action`	The action to be applied to the service: stop the service. start the service. restart the service. enable the service. disable the service. View the current status of the service (Windows only).
`name`	The name of the service.
`provider`	The name of the provider to use for managing or inspecting the service.