Run tasks

Run ad hoc tasks on target nodes to upgrade packages, restart services, execute shell commands, or perform any other type of single-action executions on your nodes.

Tasks are similar to scripts, but they are kept in modules and can have metadata. For more information, see Bolt tasks.

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

  1. On the sidebar, click Run tasks, and select the task:
    • Install Puppet agent.
    • Run a shell command.
    • Manage package.
    • Manage service.
  2. Enter the values for the task parameters (see below).
  3. Click Select nodes.
  4. Select the nodes to run the task on, and click Select credentials.
  5. Select the credentials for accessing the hosts, and click Review task summary.
  6. Review the tasks details, your credentials, the list of target nodes, and click Run task.
    Tip: To view the status of the task run, on the left hand pane, click Recent events.

Running shell commands

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

Note: If you are using Remediate on Linux, the Remediate user must be added without a password to the /etc/sudoers file and configured to not require a tty. For example:
Defaults:myuser !requiretty
Parameter Description
command The command to execute on the target nodes.

example:

echo "Hello, World ${USER}" > /hello.txt

example:

echo "Hello, World $env:UserName" > C:\hello.txt

To execute commands, tasks use the command prompt. To run commands, you must invoke . 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.

Managing packages

Install, upgrade, or uninstall packages on discovered nodes 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 hosts.

  • Chocolatey for 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 node 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.

Managing system services

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

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 ( only).
name The name of the service.
provider The name of the provider to use for managing or inspecting the service.