# Installing a Chef Server via the cookbook

**URL:** <https://discourse.chef.io/t/installing-a-chef-server-via-the-cookbook/4556>\
**Category:** Chef Infra (archive)\
**Created:** [October 11, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/installing-a-chef-server-via-the-cookbook/4556 "2013-10-11T14:16:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stephen\_Corbesero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Stephen\_Corbesero](https://discourse.chef.io/u/Stephen_Corbesero)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/installing-a-chef-server-via-the-cookbook/4556/1 "2013-10-11T14:16:27Z")

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Would it be possible to use the chef server cookbook to install chef on a system which is not one of the few possible platform choices? I want to run a small chef server at home for experimentation. I happen to have an older machine that is not a 64-bit platform, but should be just fine to serve a dozen or so client nodes.

If so, can someone suggest a series of steps.

If not, why not?

In a perfect world, I would also like to apply the same approach to install a chef server on a FreeBSD system.

–  
Stephen Corbesero, Performance Engineer  
Synchronoss - Mobile Innovation for a Connected World  
[stephen.corbesero@synchronoss.com](mailto:stephen.corbesero@synchronoss.com) | [www.synchronoss.com](http://www.synchronoss.com)

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**Author:** ![Torben\_Knerr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@Torben\_Knerr](https://discourse.chef.io/u/Torben_Knerr)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/installing-a-chef-server-via-the-cookbook/4556/2 "2013-10-11T14:26:22Z")

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You might want to take a look at the knife-server plugin:  
[http://fnichol.github.io/knife-server/](http://fnichol.github.io/knife-server/)

Not sure though if your specific platform is supported...

HTH, Torben  
On Oct 11, 2013 4:16 PM, "Stephen Corbesero" \<  
[Stephen.Corbesero@synchronoss.com](mailto:Stephen.Corbesero@synchronoss.com)\> wrote:

> Would it be possible to use the chef server cookbook to install chef on a  
> system which is not one of the few possible platform choices? I want to  
> run a small chef server at home for experimentation. I happen to have an  
> older machine that is not a 64-bit platform, but should be just fine to  
> serve a dozen or so client nodes.\*\*\*\*
> 
> * * *
> 
> If so, can someone suggest a series of steps. \*\*\*\*
> 
> * * *
> 
> If not, why not? \*\*\*\*
> 
> * * *
> 
> In a perfect world, I would also like to apply the same approach to  
> install a chef server on a FreeBSD system.\*\*\*\*
> 
> * * *
> 
> * * *
> 
> --\*\*\*\*
> 
> Stephen Corbesero, Performance Engineer\*\*\*\*
> 
> Synchronoss - Mobile Innovation for a Connected World\*\*\*\*
> 
> [stephen.corbesero@synchronoss.com](mailto:stephen.corbesero@synchronoss.com) | [www.synchronoss.com](http://www.synchronoss.com)\*\*\*\*
> 
> * * *

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**Author:** ![Mark\_Mzyk\_OLD2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.chef.io/mark_mzyk_old2/32/368_2.png) [@Mark\_Mzyk\_OLD2](https://discourse.chef.io/u/Mark_Mzyk_OLD2)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/installing-a-chef-server-via-the-cookbook/4556/3 "2013-10-11T15:11:43Z")

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Stephen,

While I'm not clear on using a chef server cookbook to do the install,  
perhaps pointing you to resources that got Chef client running on  
FreeBSD will help.

Here is a gist on some of the tweaks done to get the client on FreeBSD:

> <https://gist.github.com/aglarond/5320940>

which also links to this mailing list thread on FreeBSD:

[http://lists.opscode.com/sympa/arc/chef-dev/2013-03/msg00027.html](http://lists.opscode.com/sympa/arc/chef-dev/2013-03/msg00027.html)

You might also want to look at the omnibus-chef project to see how the  
install packages are put together for chef server:

> **[GitHub - chef-boneyard/omnibus-chef-server: Deprecated: Omnibus packaging for...](https://github.com/chef-boneyard/omnibus-chef-server)**
>
> Deprecated: Omnibus packaging for Opscode Chef Server (OSC 11.x only). - GitHub - chef-boneyard/omnibus-chef-server: Deprecated: Omnibus packaging for Opscode Chef Server (OSC 11.x only).

(omnibus-chef is the same packaging that is done for the client, see the  
gist above).

Maybe with these resources you can look at modifying the packaging to  
support FreeBSD (I realize the server is a much more complicated beast  
than the client), or perhaps these resources can point to what changes  
you need to make to get the chef server cookbook updated to support  
FreeBSD or any other package you want to support.

- Mark Mzyk

> Torben Knerr [mailto:ukio@gmx.de](mailto:ukio@gmx.de)  
> October 11, 2013 10:26 AM
> 
> You might want to take a look at the knife-server plugin:  
> [Knife::Server by fnichol](http://fnichol.github.io/knife-server/)
> 
> Not sure though if your specific platform is supported...
> 
> HTH, Torben
> 
> Stephen Corbesero [mailto:Stephen.Corbesero@synchronoss.com](mailto:Stephen.Corbesero@synchronoss.com)  
> October 11, 2013 10:16 AM
> 
> Would it be possible to use the chef server cookbook to install chef  
> on a system which is not one of the few possible platform choices? I  
> want to run a small chef server at home for experimentation. I happen  
> to have an older machine that is not a 64-bit platform, but should be  
> just fine to serve a dozen or so client nodes.
> 
> If so, can someone suggest a series of steps.
> 
> If not, why not?
> 
> In a perfect world, I would also like to apply the same approach to  
> install a chef server on a FreeBSD system.
> 
> --
> 
> Stephen Corbesero, Performance Engineer
> 
> Synchronoss - Mobile Innovation for a Connected World
> 
> [stephen.corbesero@synchronoss.com](mailto:stephen.corbesero@synchronoss.com) | [www.synchronoss.com](http://www.synchronoss.com)