Installing Puppet Enterprise

You can install PE using express install, which relies on defaults, text install, where you provide a pe.conf file with installation parameters, or using a guided web install. Any of these methods is appropriate for installing infrastructure components on your master.

Download and verify the installation package

PE is distributed in downloadable packages specific to supported operating system versions and architectures. Installation packages include the full installation tarball and a GPG signature (.asc) file used to verify authenticity.

Before you begin

You must have GnuPG installed.

  1. Download the tarball appropriate to your operating system and architecture.
  2. Import the Puppet public key. 
    wget -O - https://downloads.puppetlabs.com/puppet-gpg-signing-key.pub | gpg --import
  3. Print the fingerprint of the key. 
    gpg --fingerprint 0x7F438280EF8D349F

    The primary key fingerprint displays: 6F6B 1550 9CF8 E59E 6E46 9F32 7F43 8280 EF8D 349F.

  4. Verify the release signature of the installation package. 
    $ gpg --verify puppet-enterprise-<version>-<platform>.tar.gz.asc
    The result is similar to:
    gpg: Signature made Tue 18 Sep 2016 10:05:25 AM PDT using RSA key ID EF8D349F
gpg: Good signature from "Puppet, Inc. Release Key (Puppet, Inc. Release Key)"
    Note: If you don't have a trusted path to one of the signatures on the release key, you receive a warning that a valid path to the key couldn't be found.

Install using express install

Express installation relies on default settings to install PE, so you don't have to edit a pe.conf file before or during installation. At the end of the installation process, you're prompted to provide a console admininstrator password, which is the only user-required value.

Perform these steps logged in as root.
  1. Unpack the installation tarball: 
    tar -xf <TARBALL_FILENAME>
  2. From the installer directory, run the installer: 
    sudo ./puppet-enterprise-installer
  3. When prompted, select express install mode.
  4. After installation completes, follow the prompts to specify a password, or run: puppet infra console_password --password=<MY_PASSWORD>
  5. Run Puppet twice: puppet agent -t.

You must restart the shell before you can use PE client tool subcommands.

Install using text install

When you run the installer in text mode, you provide a configuration file (pe.conf) to the installer. The pe.conf file contains values for the parameters needed for installation.

Perform these steps logged in as root.
  1. Unpack the installation tarball: 
    tar -xf <TARBALL_FILENAME>
  2. From the installer directory, run the installer. The installation steps vary depending on the method you choose.
    • To use a pe.conf file that you've previously populated, run the installer with the -c flag pointed at the pe.conf file.: 
      sudo ./puppet-enterprise-installer -c <FULL PATH TO pe.conf>
    • To have the installer open a copy of pe.conf for you to edit and install with, run the installer without the -c flag: 
      sudo ./puppet-enterprise-installer

      1. Select text-mode when prompted.

      2. Specify required installation parameters. If you're installing with specialized configuration, such as external PostgreSQL or an independent intermediate certificate authority, add parameters required for those configurations.

      3. Save and close the file. Installation begins.

  3. After installation completes, if you didn't specify a console admin password in your pe.conf file, follow the prompts to specify a password, or run: puppet infra console_password --password=<MY_PASSWORD>
  4. Run Puppet twice: puppet agent -t.

You must restart the shell before you can use PE client tool subcommands. 

Text install options

When you run the installer in text mode, you can use the -c option to specify the full path to an existing pe.conf file. You can pair these additional options with the -c option.

Option Definition
-D Display debugging information
-q Run in quiet mode. The installation process isn't displayed. If errors occur during the installation, the command quits with an error message.
-y Run automatically using the pe.conf file at /etc/puppetlabs/enterprise/conf.d/. If the file is not present or is invalid, installation or upgrade fails.
-V Display verbose debugging information.
-h Display help information.
force For upgrades only, bypass PostgreSQL migration validation. This option must appear last, after the end-of-options signifier (--), for example sudo ./puppet-enterprise-installer -c pe.conf -- --force

Install using web install

Web-based installation uses a web server to guide you through installation.

Before you begin

Review the Web install prerequisites.

  1. Optional: If necessary, forward ports to the web-based installer.

    The web-based installer requires access to port 3000 on the machine you're running the installer from. If you can't connect directly to port 3000 — for example, if you're installing PE on a virtual machine or have firewall rules that prevent direct access — you can port forward, or "tunnel," to the installer using SSH.

    • *nix 
      ssh -L 3000:localhost:3000 jumphost.exmple.tld
    • Windows

      1. Open PuTTY, select Sessions and in the Host Name field, enter the FQDN of the host you want to run the installer from.

      2. Select Tunnels and in the Source Port field, enter 3000.

      3. In the Destination field, enter localhost:3000.

      4. Select Local, click Add, and then click Open. 

  2. Unpack the installation tarball: 
    tar -xf <TARBALL_FILENAME>
  3. From the installer directory, run the installer: 
    sudo ./puppet-enterprise-installer
  4. When prompted, choose guided installation

    The installer starts a web server and provides an installer URL.

    The default installer URL is https://<INSTALL_PLATFORM_HOSTNAME>:3000. If you forwarded ports in step 1, the URL is https://localhost:3000.

  5. In a browser, access the installer URL and accept the security request.

    The installer uses a default SSL certificate. You must add a security exception in order to access the installer.

    Important: Leave your terminal connection open until the installation is complete or else installation fails.
  6. Follow the prompts to configure your installation.
  7. On the validation page, verify the configuration and, if there aren't any outstanding issues, click Deploy now.

    Installation begins. You can monitor the installation as it runs by toggling Log View and Summary View. If you notice errors, check /var/log/puppetlabs/installer/install_log.lastrun.<hostname>.log on the machine from which you're running the installer.

    When the installation completes, the installer script that was running in the terminal closes.

  8. Click Start using Puppet Enterprise to log into the console.

Web install prerequisites

Review these prerequisites and tips before beginning a web-based installation.

  • If you've previously installed Puppet or Puppet Enterprise, make sure that the machine you're installing on is free of any artifacts left over from the previous installation.

  • Make sure that DNS is properly configured on the machines you're installing on.

    • All nodes must know their own hostnames, which you can achieve by properly configuring reverse DNS on your local DNS server, or by setting the hostname explicitly. Setting the hostname usually involves the hostname command and one or more configuration files, but the exact method varies by platform.

    • All nodes must be able to reach each other by name, which you can achieve with a local DNS server, or by editing the /etc/hosts file on each node to point to the proper IP addresses.

  • You can run the installer from a machine that is part of your deployment or from a machine that is outside your deployment.

  • The machine you run the installer from must have the same operating system and architecture as your deployment.

  • The web-based installer does not support sudo configurations with Defaults targetpw or Defaults rootpw. Make sure your /etc/sudoers file does not contain, or comment out, those lines.

  • For Debian users, if you gave the root account a password during installation of Debian, sudo may not have been installed. In this case, you must either install as root, or install sudo on any nodes on which you want to install.

SSH prerequisites

SSH requirements very depending on your installation method.

You don't need to take additional steps to configure SSH if you:
  • Choose Install on this server during installation.
  • Have a properly configured SSH agent with agent forwarding enabled.
If you're using SSH keys to authenticate across nodes, the public key for the user account performing the installation must be included in the authorized_keys file for that user account on each infrastructure node, including the machine from which you're running the installer. This requirement applies to root or non-root users.
Installation method Requirements Prerequisites
Root with a password The installer requires the username and password for each infrastructure node. Remote root SSH login must be enabled on each infrastructure node, including the node from which you're running the installer.
Non-root with a password Sudo must be enabled for the non-root user on each infrastructure node.
Root with an SSH key The installer requires the username, private key path, and key passphrase (as needed) for each infrastructure node.

  • Remote root SSH login must enabled on each node, including the node from which you're running the installer.

  • The public root ssh key must be added to authorized_keys on each infrastructure node.

Non-root with an SSH key

  • The non-root user must be granted sudo access on each infrastructure node.

  • The non-root user SSH key must be added to authorized_keys on each infrastructure node.

Web install options

Use this reference when providing values in the web-based installer.

SSH details are required only if you opt to install on another server. 
Setting Value
Puppet master FQDN

Fully qualified domain name of the server you're installing on. This FQDN is used as the name of the master certificate. This FQDN must be resolvable from the machine on which you're running the installer. 

To ensure you're using the proper FQDN for the master, run sudo /opt/puppetlabs/bin/puppet config print certname when the installation completes. If the installation fails because the FQDN value is incorrect, run the config print certname command and re-run the installer with the correct value.

DNS altnames Comma-separated list of static, valid, DNS altnames so agents can trust the master. Make sure that this static list contains the DNS name or alias you’re be configuring your agents to contact. The default settings include puppet.
SSH username Username to use when connecting to the master. This user must either be root or have sudo access. The default value is root.
SSH password Password associated with the SSH username. This password is used only if the user requires a password for sudo access.
SSH key file path Absolute path to the SSH key on the machine you're performing the installation from. This value is used if an SSH password is not specified. Defaults to the root SSH key path.
SSH key passphrase Passphrase for the SSH key, if applicable.

Configuration parameters and the pe.conf file

A pe.conf file is a HOCON formatted file that declares parameters and values needed to install, upgrade, and configure PE.

You can create or obtain a pe.conf file by:

  • Using the example pe.conf file provided in the conf.d directory in the installer tarball.
    Tip: In most cases, you can use the example pe.conf file without making any changes.
  • Selecting the text-mode installation option when prompted by the installer. This option opens your default text editor with the example pe.conf file, which you can modify as needed. Installation proceeds using that pe.conf after you quit the editor.
  • Using the web-based installer to create a pe.conf file. After you run the web-based installer, you can find the file at /etc/puppetlabs/enterprise/conf.d. You can also download the file by following the link provided on the confirmation page of the web-based installer.

The following are examples of valid paramater and value expressions:

Type Value
FQDNs "puppet_enterprise::puppet_master_host": "master.example.com"
Strings "console_admin_password": "mypassword"
Arrays [ "puppet", "puppetlb-01.example.com" ]
Booleans "puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::run_service": true

Valid Boolean values are true or false (case sensitive, no quotation marks).

Note: Don't use Yes (y), No (n), 1, or 0.
JSON hashes "puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::java_args": {"Xmx": "256m", "Xms": "256m"}
Integer "puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_session_timeout": "60"
Important: Don't use single quotes on parameter values. Use double quotes as shown in the examples.

Installation parameters

These parameters are required for installation.

Tip: To simplify installation, you can keep the default value of %{::trusted.certname} for your master and provide a console administrator password after running the installer.
puppet_enterprise::puppet_master_host
The FQDN of the node hosting the master, for example master.example.com.
Default: %{::trusted.certname}

Database configuration parameters

These are the default parameters and values supplied for the PE databases.

This list is intended for reference only; don't change or customize these parameters.
puppet_enterprise::activity_database_name
Name for the activity database.
Default: pe-activity
puppet_enterprise::activity_database_read_user
Activity database user that can perform only read functions.
Default: pe-activity-read
puppet_enterprise::activity_database_write_user
Activity database user that can perform only read and write functions.
Default: pe-activity-write
puppet_enterprise::activity_database_super_user
Activity database superuser.
Default: pe-activity
puppet_enterprise::activity_service_migration_db_user
Activity service database user used for migrations.
Default: pe-activity
puppet_enterprise::activity_service_regular_db_user
Activity service database user used for normal operations.
Default: pe-activity-write
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_name
Name for the classifier database.
Default: pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_read_user
Classifier database user that can perform only read functions.
Default: pe-classifier-read
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_write_user
Classifier database user that can perform only read and write functions.
pe-classifier-write
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_super_user
Classifier database superuser.
pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::classifier_service_migration_db_user
Classifier service user used for migrations.
Default: pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::classifier_service_regular_db_user
Classifier service user used for normal operations.
Default: pe-classifier-write
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_name
Name for the orchestrator database.
Default: pe-orchestrator
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_read_user
Orchestrator database user that can perform only read functions.
Default: pe-orchestrator-read
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_write_user
Orchestrator database user that can perform only read and write functions.
Default: pe-orchestrator-write
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_super_user
Orchestrator database superuser.
Default: pe-orchestrator
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_service_migration_db_user
Orchestrator service user used for migrations.
Default: pe-orchestrator
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_service_regular_db_user
Orchestrator service user used for normal operations.
Default: pe-orchestrator-write
puppet_enterprise::puppetdb_database_name
Name for the PuppetDB database.
Default: pe-puppetdb
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_name
Name for the RBAC database.
Default: pe-rbac
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_read_user
RBAC database user that can perform only read functions.
Default: pe-rbac-read
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_write_user
RBAC database user that can perform only read and write functions.
Default: pe-rbac-write
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_super_user
RBAC database superuser.
Default: pe-rbac
puppet_enterprise::rbac_service_migration_db_user
RBAC service user used for migrations.
pe-rbac
puppet_enterprise::rbac_service_regular_db_user
RBAC service user used for normal operations.
Default: pe-rbac-write

External PostgreSQL parameters

These parameters are required to install an external PostgreSQL instance. Password parameters can be added to standard installations if needed.

puppet_enterprise::database_host
Agent certname of the node hosting the database component. Don't use an alt name for this value.
puppet_enterprise::database_port
The port that the database is running on.
Default: 5432
puppet_enterprise::database_ssl
true or false. For unmanaged PostgreSQL installations don't use SSL security, set this parameter to false.
Default: true
puppet_enterprise::database_cert_auth
true or false.
Important: For unmanaged PostgreSQL installations don't use SSL security, set this parameter to false.
Default: true
puppet_enterprise::puppetdb_database_password
Password for the PuppetDB database user. Must be a string, such as "mypassword".
puppet_enterprise::classifier_database_password
Password for the classifier database user. Must be a string, such as "mypassword".
puppet_enterprise::classifier_service_regular_db_user
Database user the classifier service uses for normal operations.
Default: pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::classifier_service_migration_db_user
Database user the classifier service uses for migrations.
Default: pe-classifier
puppet_enterprise::activity_database_password
Password for the activity database user. Must be a string, such as "mypassword".
puppet_enterprise::activity_service_regular_db_user
Database user the activity service uses for normal operations.
Default: "pe-activity"
puppet_enterprise::activity_service_migration_db_user
Database user the activity service uses for migrations.
Default: pe-activity"
puppet_enterprise::rbac_database_password
Password for the RBAC database user. Must be a string, such as "mypassword".
puppet_enterprise::rbac_service_regular_db_user
Database user the RBAC service uses for normal operations.
Default: "pe-rbac"
puppet_enterprise::rbac_service_migration_db_user
Database user the RBAC service uses for migrations.
Default: "pe-rbac"
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_database_password
Password for the orchestrator database user. Must be a string, such as "mypassword".
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_service_regular_db_user
Database user the orchestrator service uses for normal operations.
Default: pe-orchestrator
puppet_enterprise::orchestrator_service_migration_db_user
Database user the orchestrator service uses for migrations.
Default: "pe-orchestrator"

Master parameters

Use these parameters to configure and tune the master.

pe_install::puppet_master_dnsaltnames
An array of strings that represent the DNS altnames to be added to the SSL certificate generated for the master.
Default: ["puppet"]
puppet_enterprise::profile::certificate_authority
Array of additional certificates to be allowed access to the /certificate_statusAPI endpoint. This list is added to the base certificate list.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::code_manager_auto_configure
true to automatically configure the Code Manager service, or false.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::r10k_remote
String that represents the Git URL to be passed to the r10k.yaml file, for example "git@your.git.server.com:puppet/control.git". The URL can be any URL that's supported by r10k and Git. This parameter is required only if you want r10k configured when PE is installed; it must be specified in conjunction with puppet_enterprise::profile::master::r10k_private_key.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::r10k_private_key
String that represents the local file system path on the master where the SSH private key can be found and used by r10k, for example "/etc/puppetlabs/puppetserver/ssh/id-control_repo.rsa". This parameter is required only if you want r10k configured when PE is installed; it must be specified in conjunction with puppet_enterprise::profile::master::r10k_remote.
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::check_for_updates
true to check for updates whenever the pe-puppetserver service restarts, or false.
Default: true

Console and console-services parameters

Use these parameters to customize the behavior of the console and console-services. Parameters that begin with puppet_enterprise::profile can be modified from the console itself. See the configuration methods documents for more information on how to change parameters in the console or Hiera.

puppet_enterprise::profile::console::classifier_synchronization_period
Integer representing, in seconds, the classifier synchronization period, which controls how long it takes the node classifier to retrieve classes from the master.
Default: "600" (seconds).
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_failed_attempts_lockout
Integer specifying how many failed login attempts are allowed on an account before that account is revoked.
Default: "10" (attempts).
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_password_reset_expiration
Integer representing, in hours, how long a user's generated token is valid for. An administrator generates this token for a user so that they can reset their password.
Default: "24" (hours).
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::rbac_session_timeout
Integer representing, in minutes, how long a user's session may last. The session length is the same for node classification, RBAC, and the console.
Default: "60" (minutes).
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::session_maximum_lifetime
Integer representing the maximum allowable period that a console session may be valid. May be set to "0" to not expire before the maximum token lifetime.
Supported units are "s" (seconds), "m" (minutes), "h" (hours), "d" (days), "y" (years). Units are specified as a single letter following an integer, for example "1d"(1 day). If no units are specified, the integer is treated as seconds.
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::console_ssl_listen_port
Integer representing the port that the console is available on.
Default: [443]
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::ssl_listen_address
Nginx listen address for the console.
Default: "0.0.0.0"
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::classifier_prune_threshold
Integer representing the number of days to wait before pruning the size of the classifier database. If you set the value to "0", the node classifier service is never pruned.
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::classifier_node_check_in_storage
"true" to store an explanation of how nodes match each group they're classified into, or "false".
Default: "false"
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::display_local_time
"true" to display timestamps in local time, with hover text showing UTC time, or "false" to show timestamps in UTC time.
Default: "false"
Modify these configuration parameters in Hiera or pe.conf, not the console:
puppet_enterprise::api_port
SSL port that the node classifier is served on.
Default: [4433]
puppet_enterprise::console_services::no_longer_reporting_cutoff
Length of time, in seconds, before a node is considered unresponsive.
Default: 3600 (seconds)
console_admin_password
The password to log into the console, for example "myconsolepassword".
Default: Specified during installation.

Orchestrator and orchestration services parameters

Use these parameters to configure and tune the orchestrator and orchestration services.

puppet_enterprise::profile::agent::pxp_enabled
true to enable the Puppet Execution Protocol service, which is required to use the orchestrator and run Puppet from the console, or false.
Default: true
puppet_enterprise::profile::bolt_server::concurrency
An integer that determines the maximum number of concurrent requests orchestrator can make to bolt-server.
CAUTION: Do not set a concurrency limit that is higher than the bolt-server limit. This can cause timeouts that lead to failed task runs.
Default: The default value is set to the current value stored for bolt-server.
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::global_concurrent_compiles
Integer representing how many concurrent compile requests can be outstanding to the master, across all orchestrator jobs.
Default: "8" requests
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::job_prune_threshold
Integer representing the days after which job reports should be removed.
Default: "30" days
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::pcp_timeout
Integer representing the length of time, in seconds, before timeout when agents attempt to connect to the Puppet Communications Protocol broker in a Puppet run triggered by the orchestrator.
Default: "30" seconds
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::run_service
true to enable orchestration services, or false.
Default: true
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::task_concurrency
Integer representing the number of tasks that can run at the same time.
Default: "250" tasks
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::use_application_services
true to enable application management, or false.
Default: false
puppet_enterprise::pxp_agent::ping_interval
Integer representing the interval, in seconds, between agents' attempts to ping Puppet Communications Protocol brokers.
Default: "120" seconds
puppet_enterprise::pxp_agent::pxp_logfile
String representing the path to the Puppet Execution Protocol agent log file. Change as needed.
Default: /var/log/puppetlabs/pxp-agent/pxp-agent.log (*nix) or C:/ProgramData/PuppetLabs/pxp-agent/var/log/pxp-agent.log (Windows)

PuppetDB parameters

Use these parameters to configure and tune PuppetDB.

puppet_enterprise::puppetdb::command_processing_threads
Integer representing how many command processing threads PuppetDB uses to sort incoming data. Each thread can process a single command at a time.
Default: Half the number of cores in your system, for example "8".
puppet_enterprise::profile::master::puppetdb_report_processor_ensure
present to generate agent run reports and submit them to PuppetDB, or absent
Default: present
puppet_enterprise::puppetdb_port
Integer in brackets representing the SSL port that PuppetDB listens on.
Default: "[8081]"
puppet_enterprise::profile::puppetdb::node_purge_ttl
“Time-to-live” value before deactivated or expired nodes are deleted, along with all facts, catalogs, and reports for the node. For example, a value of "14d"  sets the time-to-live to 14 days.
Default: "14d"

Java parameters

Use these parameters to configure and tune Java.

puppet_enterprise::profile::master::java_args
JVM (Java Virtual Machine) memory, specified as a JSON hash, that is allocated to the Puppet Server service, for example {"Xmx": "4096m", "Xms": "4096m"}.
puppet_enterprise::profile::puppetdb::java_args
JVM memory, specified as a JSON hash, that is allocated to the PuppetDB service, for example {"Xmx": "512m", "Xms": "512m"}.
puppet_enterprise::profile::console::java_args
JVM memory, specified as a JSON hash, that is allocated to console services, for example {"Xmx": "512m", "Xms": "512m"}.
puppet_enterprise::profile::orchestrator::java_args
JVM memory, set as a JSON hash, that is allocated to orchestration services, for example, {"Xmx": "256m", "Xms": "256m"}.