Add the SaltStack Config resource to the cloud template

As a cloud template developer, you can add properties to the YAML that install the Salt minion when you deploy the template.

The core properties that you add to the template include remote access for the machine you want to deploy and configuration properties for the SaltStack Config resource. The procedure only includes selected properties. The YAML includes other SaltStack Config resource properties that are not used in this example. For more information, review the schema.

Although this example shows how to add the username and password for the remote access properties, you can configure a secret property and add it to the template. For an example, see Secret Automation Assembler properties.

If the Salt minion is deployed in a Windows environment, review Spinning up Windows Minions for additional dependency requirements.

Procedure

1. In Automation Assembler, select Design > Cloud Templates.
2. Open an existing template.
3. Locate the SaltStack Config resource and drag it to the canvas.
4. Attach the SaltStack Config resource to the machine the minion will be installed on.
5. In the code pane, add properties to the SaltStack Config resource.
   You are not required to include all of the possible properties. The values used in this example are explained in the table.

   Note: By default, the createTimeout property is set to 30 minutes. You can update this as needed using the min/hour format, for example: 30m or 1h.

   Cloud_SaltStack_1:
       type: Cloud.SaltStack
       properties:
         masterId: saltstack_enterprise_installer
         hosts:
           - ${resource["Cloud_VM_1".id}
         saltEnvironment: sse
         stateFiles:
           - /doe.sls
         variables: 
           user: joe
         additionalMinionParams:
           grains:
             roles:
               - webserver
               - database   
          additionalAuthParams:
            profile:
               tmp_dir: /var/run

   Here is a description of the Cloud_SaltStack_1 properties used in this example.

   Property	Description
   masterId	In the example schema, the masterId value is saltstack_enterprise_installer. You might have master IDs defined in Automation Config in Administration > Master Keys.
   hosts	The hosts value is the ID of the machine or cluster of machines you want to install the minion on. By default, the machine's name is passed in as the minion ID in Automation Config. It is recommended that you choose machine names that are 15 characters or less, especially if you are deploying minions on Windows. Windows does not permit hostnames that exceed 15 characters. If you want to define a custom naming convention for the machines you want to deploy, see Custom naming for deployed resources in Automation Assembler.
   saltEnvironment	In this example, sse is a file location for the state files. You might have your state files in other file server locations in Automation Config in Config > File Server.
   stateFiles	In this example, doe.sls is a state file provided in the file server directory specified as the saltEnvironment.
   variables	Variables defined in the cloud template are passed as pillars to Salt states. In this example, the variable user is passed to the doe.sls file. Variables can be referenced in state files using Jinja, as the following example shows: {% set username = pillar.get('user', 'random') %} friend: user.present: - names: - {{username}} The doe.sls file ensures that a user, represented by the variable user in the cloud template, exists. If the variable is not specified in the cloud template, it ensures the user random is present.
   additionalMinionParams	Use this property to pass additional configuration parameters for the minion. These parameters must be passed in as a dictionary: grains: Use this property to assign custom Salt grains to the minion. One or more key:value pairs are accepted. The values can be a string, an array, or a map. You can only assign custom grain data when provisioning a new machine. You cannot assign custom grain data when running the Attach SaltStack Resource or Update Salt Configuration day 2 actions.
   additionalAuthParams	Use this property to pass additional authorization parameters for provisioning the minion that will be merged/overridden with the default salt-cloud configuration. These parameters must be passed in as a dictionary. One or more key:value pairs are accepted as a string, an array, or a map. For an example of how this property is used, see Use Case: How do I deploy minions using the API in a Linux environment. Note: You cannot assign additional authorization parameters when running the Update Salt Configuration day 2 action.

6. Add remoteAccess properties to the machine that hosts the Salt minion.
   • If you are deploying a Salt minion to a Linux machine, the value for the authentication key can be usernamePassword or generatedPublicPrivateKey. publicPrivateKey is unsupported.
   • If you are deploying a Salt minion to a Windows machine, the value for the authentication key must be usernamePassword..

    remoteAccess:
           authentication: usernamePassword
           username: adminUser
           password: adminPassword
           skipUserCreation: true

   Note: The skipUserCreation property is for remote access. A user is created by default if this property is not defined in the cloud template or if the value is false. Setting the value to true as in this example, skips the creation of a new user.
7. Verify that your YAML includes the properties similar to the following sample.

   resources:
     Cloud-Network:
       type: Cloud.Network
       properties:
         networkType: existing 
     Cloud_VM_1:
       type: Cloud.vSphere.Machine
       properties:
         image: ubuntu
         flavor: small
         remoteAccess:
           authentication: usernamePassword
           username: adminUser
           password: adminPassword
           skipUserCreation: true
         networks:
           - network: ${resource["Cloud-Network"].id}
     Cloud_SaltStack_1:
       type: Cloud.SaltStack
       properties:
         masterId: saltstack_enterprise_installer
         hosts:
           - ${resource["Cloud_VM_1"].id}
         saltEnvironment: sse
         stateFiles:
           - /doe.sls
         variables: 
           user: joe
         additionalMinionParams:
           grains:
             roles:
               - webserver
               - database

8. Test and deploy the cloud template.
   If your minion deployment fails, see Troubleshoot minion deployments.
9. Verify the Salt Configuration properties for the deployed machine.
   1. Select Deployments > Deployments and open the deployment details.
   2. On the Topology tab, click the machine and expand the Salt Configuration properties in the right-hand pane.
      
      
      

Verify the minion in Automation Config

After you install the minion on the virtual machine, locate the minion and run any jobs or commands on the resource.

Procedure

1. To open Automation Config, click the applications menu in the upper-right corner and click Cloud Services Console.
2. Open the VMware Aria Automation service.
3. Click the Config service tile.
4. In Automation Config, expand Minion Keys and click Accepted.
5. In the Minion ID column, click the filter icon and enter the name of the minion.
   The minion's name defaults to the virtual machine's hostname. In this example, the minion ID is salt-vm-010.
   
   
6. To view the details, click the minion's name.
   You can run jobs or commands on the minion. For example, Sample Disk Usage. This job returns disk usage statistics for a minion.
   
   

View Salt grain data

After you finish deploying a Salt minion on your virtual machines, you can view the minion's grains in Automation Assembler.

Salt grains are collected for the minion's operating system, domain name, IP address, kernel, OS type, memory, and many other system properties. If you do not have access to Automation Config, or want to quickly view grain data without leaving the Automation Assembler user interface, you can use the Topology tab to view grain data. See Salt grains to learn more about grain data.

To view a minion's grains:

1. In Automation Assembler, select Resources > Deployments, and locate your deployment.
2. On the Topology tab, select the virtual machine that is attached to the SaltStack Config resource.
3. Locate the Salt Configuration section in the right pane and scroll down to view the list of grain data.

A minion's grain data is retrieved after you deploy the minion. To see when the grain data was last updated, you can scroll to the bottom of the Salt Configuration section.

Note: Alternatively, you can view the Salt Grain data by clicking Resources > Virtual Machines and selecting the desired VM to view machine configurations and attributes.