Review: Packt - Puppet Book - Chapter 1

packt_puppet_book_chapter_1.md

Packt - Puppet Book Review

---

Table of contents

• How to do it/How it works/See Also
  • Actual subsection heading?

Chapter 1

• Page 1
  • Static URL prone to outdating
    • Use https://puppet.com/docs/puppet/latest/type.html instead
• Page 2
  • Node definition containing resource classification is an anti-pattern
    • Good example would include a role or a profile rather than a resource type
  • Reference to a book for Puppet 3
    • Is there any concern that consumers will mix information in both books badly?
• Page 3
  • Uptime command comparison
    • Why not show output of uptime command line vs uptime facter?
      • There is value in showing the outputs first time then pushing user to be interactive
  • Variables
    • Should be mentioned variables are immutable
• Page 4
  • puppet facts should be used
    • facter -p puppetversion yields no results
      • puppet facts | grep puppetversion does work
• Page 7
  • Ordering vs Refresh events
    • Calling out ordering metaparameters and refresh metaparameters
      • Tends to help users understand how refresh inherits and has extra function
• Page 9
  • NamedVirtualHost configuration file
    • Might be worth referencing Apache NamedVirtualHost docs
• Page 11
  • Style Guide
    • Use https:/​/​puppet.​com/​docs/​puppet/​latest/​style_​guide.​html instead
• Page 12
  • Quoting
    • Literal vs interpolated terms should be used
• Page 13
  • Parameters
    • Trailing comments always enforced regardless of number of attributes
  • Last file resource type
    • Missing ensure directory or file
• Page 14
  • No mention of where to retrieve PE installer
• Page 16
  • Scaffolding
    • Should PDK be referenced this early rather than later in book
      • Teaching to use this tool early saves time later
      • Allows for consistent use of PDK throughout books
      • Avoids having to run pdk convert later
  • site.pp
    • Use of cat seems to convolute simple code entry into profile
• Page 17
  • puppet-lint
    • Section could be covered by installing PDK and running PDK validate
• Page 20
  • puppet module generate
    • PDK module scaffolding should be used
• Page 21
  • package
    • package resource for memcached should not be on one line
  • file
    • ensure => file missing
    • missing single quote at end
  • resource types
    • types should have spaces between resources
• Page 24
  • file
    • ensure => file missing
• Page 25
  • URL
    • use https://puppet.com/docs/puppet/latest/modules_fundamentals.html instead
• Page 27
  • include lines
    • each class included should be on a separate line
  • cron
    • Hashrockets should line up
• Page 28
  • Hiera
    • lookup function from reference should be used over former scope.lookup function
• Page 29
  • Iteration
    • Style of iteration is deprecated
      • Use new style described in reference
• Page 37
  • Case statement
    • Basic example should be provided before example with regular expression on Page 38
• Page 38
  • Default
    • All conditionals with an option to provide a default action should be given in examples

Overall

General concerns

• Consistency
  • There are sections that seem to mix both old and new Puppet syntax which makes the direction of the book and this chapter confusing to the reader
  • Types
    • End of chapter 1 discusses Sensitive type but none of the other basic or abstract types
    • Usage of the various types are not discussed nor the value that is provided by declaring a type for a given attributes
• Differentiation
  • Puppet 3/4/5
    • Page 42
      • Section on Puppet 5 changes before Puppet 4/5 changes is confusing the way it is stated on this page.
        • Feels like an entire section should be dedicated to the nuances between the various versions of Puppet users have been exposed to in the past