Best Practice to enable report handlers

Chef Infra (archive)
1

report handlers question: why NOT enable them in client.rb? I have a
large environment, and I want to ensure that it’s run EACH AND EVERY
time.

–
Judd Maltin
T: 917-882-1270
F: 501-694-7809
what could possibly go wrong?

2

There's no reason not to put them in client.rb. I usually use the LWRP
just because it's easier to add and remove them via run list.

Well, I guess there's no reason except that if you somehow distribute a
broken handler to all your nodes, you then (IIRC from early ~10.0
experimentation) effectively kill their ability to check in until you can
roll back the broken handler or the client.rb that calls it.

So using the LWRP / recipe / run list method, your nodes are still checking
in and getting updated code. If the code says, "Add this handler" and the
handler raises a big stinky exception, you modify the cookbook or take the
recipe/role that adds the handler out of the run list.

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 9:13 AM, Judd Maltin judd@newgoliath.com wrote:

report handlers question: why NOT enable them in client.rb? I have a
large environment, and I want to ensure that it's run EACH AND EVERY
time.

--
Judd Maltin
T: 917-882-1270
F: 501-694-7809
what could possibly go wrong?

3

Good point. My report handler code will likely go through revisions,
making it potentially unstable, and possible blocker. Thanks, Steve.

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 1:10 PM, steve . leftathome@gmail.com wrote:

There's no reason not to put them in client.rb. I usually use the LWRP just
because it's easier to add and remove them via run list.

Well, I guess there's no reason except that if you somehow distribute a
broken handler to all your nodes, you then (IIRC from early ~10.0
experimentation) effectively kill their ability to check in until you can
roll back the broken handler or the client.rb that calls it.

So using the LWRP / recipe / run list method, your nodes are still checking
in and getting updated code. If the code says, "Add this handler" and the
handler raises a big stinky exception, you modify the cookbook or take the
recipe/role that adds the handler out of the run list.

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 9:13 AM, Judd Maltin judd@newgoliath.com wrote:

report handlers question: why NOT enable them in client.rb? I have a
large environment, and I want to ensure that it's run EACH AND EVERY
time.

--
Judd Maltin
T: 917-882-1270
F: 501-694-7809
what could possibly go wrong?

--
Judd Maltin
T: 917-882-1270
F: 501-694-7809
what could possibly go wrong?

4

By "enable them in the client.rb" I'm assuming you mean using the
'manual install' method as described in the docs [1]

As Steve mentioned it's definitely preferable to manage report
handlers via the LWRP, which is provided by the chef_handler cookbook
[2]. You can more easily enable/disable specific handlers that way
without needing to editing the client.rb

[1] http://docs.opscode.com/essentials_handlers_install.html
[2] GitHub - chef-boneyard/chef_handler: DEPRECATED: Development repository for Chef Cookbook chef_handler

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 10:19 AM, Judd Maltin judd@newgoliath.com wrote:

Good point. My report handler code will likely go through revisions,
making it potentially unstable, and possible blocker. Thanks, Steve.

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 1:10 PM, steve . leftathome@gmail.com wrote:

There's no reason not to put them in client.rb. I usually use the LWRP just
because it's easier to add and remove them via run list.

Well, I guess there's no reason except that if you somehow distribute a
broken handler to all your nodes, you then (IIRC from early ~10.0
experimentation) effectively kill their ability to check in until you can
roll back the broken handler or the client.rb that calls it.

So using the LWRP / recipe / run list method, your nodes are still checking
in and getting updated code. If the code says, "Add this handler" and the
handler raises a big stinky exception, you modify the cookbook or take the
recipe/role that adds the handler out of the run list.

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 9:13 AM, Judd Maltin judd@newgoliath.com wrote:

report handlers question: why NOT enable them in client.rb? I have a
large environment, and I want to ensure that it's run EACH AND EVERY
time.

--
Judd Maltin
T: 917-882-1270
F: 501-694-7809
what could possibly go wrong?

--
Judd Maltin
T: 917-882-1270
F: 501-694-7809
what could possibly go wrong?

5

You can also add handlers to client.rb using the chef-client::config
recipe, so it doesn't have to be manual.

I agree with Steve, however, and would like it to always run even if the
handler breaks.
On Jan 25, 2013 3:55 PM, "Sean Escriva" sean.escriva@gmail.com wrote:

By "enable them in the client.rb" I'm assuming you mean using the
'manual install' method as described in the docs [1]

As Steve mentioned it's definitely preferable to manage report
handlers via the LWRP, which is provided by the chef_handler cookbook
[2]. You can more easily enable/disable specific handlers that way
without needing to editing the client.rb

[1] http://docs.opscode.com/essentials_handlers_install.html
[2] GitHub - chef-boneyard/chef_handler: DEPRECATED: Development repository for Chef Cookbook chef_handler

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 10:19 AM, Judd Maltin judd@newgoliath.com wrote:

Good point. My report handler code will likely go through revisions,
making it potentially unstable, and possible blocker. Thanks, Steve.

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 1:10 PM, steve . leftathome@gmail.com wrote:

There's no reason not to put them in client.rb. I usually use the LWRP
just
because it's easier to add and remove them via run list.

Well, I guess there's no reason except that if you somehow distribute a
broken handler to all your nodes, you then (IIRC from early ~10.0
experimentation) effectively kill their ability to check in until you
can
roll back the broken handler or the client.rb that calls it.

So using the LWRP / recipe / run list method, your nodes are still
checking
in and getting updated code. If the code says, "Add this handler" and
the
handler raises a big stinky exception, you modify the cookbook or take
the
recipe/role that adds the handler out of the run list.

On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 9:13 AM, Judd Maltin judd@newgoliath.com
wrote:

report handlers question: why NOT enable them in client.rb? I have a
large environment, and I want to ensure that it's run EACH AND EVERY
time.

--
Judd Maltin
T: 917-882-1270
F: 501-694-7809
what could possibly go wrong?

--
Judd Maltin
T: 917-882-1270
F: 501-694-7809
what could possibly go wrong?