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cf-remote

cf-remote is a tool to deploy CFEngine. It works by contacting remote hosts with SSH and using ssh / scp to copy files and run commands. Commands for provisioning hosts in the cloud (AWS or GCP) are also available.

Requirements

cf-remote requires python 3.6 or greater. SSH must already be configured and running on the remote host.

Installation

Install with pip3:

$ pip3 install cf-remote

Examples

See information about remote host

The info command can be used to check basic information about a system.

$ cf-remote info -H 34.241.203.218

ubuntu@34.241.203.218
OS            : ubuntu (debian)
Architecture  : x86_64
CFEngine      : 3.12.1
Policy server : 172.31.42.192
Binaries      : dpkg, apt

(You must have ssh access).

Installing and bootstrapping CFEngine Enterprise Hub

The install command can automatically download and install packages as well as bootstrap both hubs and clients.

$ cf-remote install --hub 34.247.181.100 --bootstrap 172.31.44.146 --demo

ubuntu@34.247.181.100
OS            : ubuntu (debian)
Architecture  : x86_64
CFEngine      : Not installed
Policy server : None
Binaries      : dpkg, apt

Package already downloaded: '/Users/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/packages/cfengine-nova-hub_3.12.1-1_amd64.deb'
Copying: '/Users/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/packages/cfengine-nova-hub_3.12.1-1_amd64.deb' to '34.247.181.100'
Installing: 'cfengine-nova-hub_3.12.1-1_amd64.deb' on '34.247.181.100'
CFEngine 3.12.1 was successfully installed on '34.247.181.100'
Bootstrapping: '34.247.181.100' -> '172.31.44.146'
Bootstrap successful: '34.247.181.100' -> '172.31.44.146'
Transferring def.json to hub: '34.247.181.100'
Copying: '/Users/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/json/def.json' to '34.247.181.100'
Triggering an agent run on: '34.247.181.100'
Disabling password change on hub: '34.247.181.100'
Triggering an agent run on: '34.247.181.100'
Your demo hub is ready: https://34.247.181.100/ (Username: admin, Password: password)

Note that this demo setup (--demo) is notoriously insecure. It has default passwords and open access controls. Don't use it in a production environment.

Spawning instances in AWS EC2

cf-remote spawn can create cloud instances on demand, for example in AWS EC2, but you'll have to add some credentials and settings:

$ cf-remote spawn --init-config
Config file /home/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/cloud_config.json created, please complete the configuration in it.
$ cat /home/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/cloud_config.json
{
  "aws": {
    "key": "TBD",
    "secret": "TBD",
    "key_pair": "TBD",
    "security_groups": [
      "TBD"
    ],
    "region": "OPTIONAL (DEFAULT: eu-west-1)"
  },
  "gcp": {
    "project_id": "TBD",
    "service_account_id": "TBD",
    "key_path": "TBD",
    "region": "OPTIONAL (DEFAULT: europe-west1-b)"
  }
}

You can skip the gcp values if you will only be using AWS. After filling out those 4, it should just work:

$ cf-remote spawn --count 1 --platform ubuntu-20-04-x64 --role hub --name hub
Spawning VMs....DONE
Waiting for VMs to get IP addresses..........DONE
Details about the spawned VMs can be found in /home/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/cloud_state.json

You can now install nightlies, and use the --demo to make testing easier (Not secure for production use). Referring to the group names set by spawn, makes the commands a lot shorter and easier to script:

$ cf-remote --version master install --hub hub --bootstrap hub --demo

ubuntu@52.214.209.170
OS            : ubuntu (debian)
Architecture  : x86_64
CFEngine      : Not installed
Policy server : None
Binaries      : dpkg, apt

Downloading package: '/home/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/packages/cfengine-nova-hub_3.18.0a.a24173342~12762.ubuntu18_amd64.deb'
Copying: '/home/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/packages/cfengine-nova-hub_3.18.0a.a24173342~12762.ubuntu18_amd64.deb' to 'ubuntu@52.214.209.170'
Installing: 'cfengine-nova-hub_3.18.0a.a24173342~12762.ubuntu18_amd64.deb' on 'ubuntu@52.214.209.170'
CFEngine 3.18.0a.a24173342 (Enterprise) was successfully installed on 'ubuntu@52.214.209.170'
Bootstrapping: '52.214.209.170' -> '172.31.5.84'
Bootstrap successful: '52.214.209.170' -> '172.31.5.84'
Transferring def.json to hub: 'ubuntu@52.214.209.170'
Copying: '/home/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/json/def.json' to 'ubuntu@52.214.209.170'
Triggering an agent run on: '52.214.209.170'
Disabling password change on hub: 'ubuntu@52.214.209.170'
Triggering an agent run on: '52.214.209.170'
Your demo hub is ready: https://52.214.209.170/ (Username: admin, Password: password)

Mission portal will be available at that IP, using the username and password from the last log message.

When you are done, you can decommision your spawned instance(s) using:

$ cf-remote destroy --all
Destroying all hosts

Deploying a version of masterfiles you're working on locally

The deploy command allows you to deploy your local checkout of masterfiles, to test policy while working on it:

$ cf-remote deploy --hub hub ~/code/northern.tech/cfengine/masterfiles

ubuntu@18.202.238.128
OS            : ubuntu (debian)
Architecture  : x86_64
CFEngine      : 3.18.0a.a24173342 (Enterprise)
Policy server : None
Binaries      : dpkg, apt

Copying: '/home/olehermanse/.cfengine/cf-remote/masterfiles.tgz' to 'ubuntu@18.202.238.128'
Running: 'systemctl stop cfengine3 && rm -rf /var/cfengine/masterfiles && mv masterfiles /var/cfengine/masterfiles && systemctl start cfengine3 && cf-agent -Kf update.cf && cf-agent -K'
$

Specify an SSH key

If you have more than one key in ~/.ssh you may need to specify which key cf-remote is to use.

$ export CF_REMOTE_SSH_KEY="~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub"

Working on the local host

cf-remote can work on the local host when the target host is localhost. In this case, it executes commands locally without connecting over SSH.

$ cf-remote info -H localhost

ubuntu@localhost
OS            : ubuntu (debian)
Architecture  : x86_64
CFEngine      : 3.12.1
Policy server : 172.31.42.192
Binaries      : dpkg, apt

When performing actions locally, cf-remote may require your password to run commands with sudo:

$ cf-remote install --clients localhost
ubuntu@localhost
OS            : debian
Architecture  : x86_64
CFEngine      : Not installed
Policy server :
Binaries      : dpkg, apt
Installing: '/home/ubuntu/.cfengine/cf-remote/packages/cfengine-nova_3.15.3-1.debian10_amd64.deb' on 'localhost'
[sudo] password for ubuntu:
CFEngine 3.15.3 (Enterprise) was successfully installed on 'localhost'

Contribute

Feel free to open pull requests to expand this documentation, add features or fix problems. You can also pick up an existing task or file an issue in our bug tracker.

Development

To install cf-remote so that it reflects any changes in this source directory use:

$ pip install --editable .

cloud_data.py tips

In order to find AWS images for a particular owner to work on cloud_data.py name_pattern list the names for an owner with the following aws command:

aws ec2 describe-images --region us-east-2 --owners 801119661308 --query 'Images[*].[Name]' --output text