# Intermittent problems with default attributes

**URL:** <https://discourse.chef.io/t/intermittent-problems-with-default-attributes/2976>\
**Category:** Chef Infra (archive)\
**Created:** [July 4, 2012, 10:52am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/intermittent-problems-with-default-attributes/2976 "2012-07-04T10:52:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Dye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@Jonathan\_Dye](https://discourse.chef.io/u/Jonathan_Dye)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 10:52am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/intermittent-problems-with-default-attributes/2976/1 "2012-07-04T10:52:35Z")

</div>

something i’m doing with attributes is not quite right, and here’s the  
proof:

[root@headnode opt]# while [[1]]; do chef-client -E chefenv1 2\>/dev/null  
1\>/dev/null; if [[“$?” != “0”]]; then echo -n ‘E’; elif grep 42559  
/opt/moab/etc/moab.cfg \>/dev/null && grep 42559  
/opt/mws/etc/mws-config.groovy \>/dev/null; then echo -n ‘.’; else echo -n  
’!’; fi; done  
!!!.!!!..!!!..!..!!!.!!!..!!!^CE^C

so, i’m running chef over and over without changing cookbooks, run lists,  
override attributes, or anything else in between. if the run fails it  
should print ‘E’, if the expected attributes are in the config files it’s  
writing out it should print ‘.’ , and if the attributes are not in the file  
it should print ‘!’. as you can see, the results are not the same in  
subsequent runs. this is not because the chef runs are failing-- the value  
simply ends up being nil on some runs all else seemingly being equal. i’ve  
confirmed this manually many times, it can succeed the client run but  
produce unexpected output.

here’s what i’m doing, and it seems pretty straightforward. there is a  
default attributes file that sets the ‘sched\_port’ as a default attribute,  
and it is consumed by a template in that cookbook where it’s set (mwm) and  
in a template from another cookbook which is also run on the same node  
(mws):

===== mwm/attributes/default.rb =====  
::Chef::Node.send(:include, Opscode::OpenSSL::Password)

# set\_unless[‘mcs’][‘mwm’][‘secret\_key’] = secure\_password node.save default[‘mcs’][‘mwm’][‘sched\_port’] = ‘42559’

====== mwm/recipes/default.rb =======  
…

# write out the templated moab config

# template “/opt/moab/etc/moab.cfg” do source "moab-cfg.erb" mode 0600 owner "root" group "root" action :create end …

# ===== mwm/templates/default/moab-cfg.erb ===== … SCHEDCFG[Moab] SERVER=\<%= node[‘hostname’] %\>:\<%= node[‘mcs’][‘mwm’][‘sched\_port’] %\> …

===== mws/recipes/default.rb =======  
…

# write mws config file

template “/opt/mws/etc/mws-config.groovy” do  
source “mws-config-groovy.erb”

```
    mode 0600
    owner "tomcat"
    group "tomcat"

    variables(
            :moab_secretkey => node['mcs']['mwm']['secret_key'],
            :moab_server => node['hostname'],
            :moab_port => node['mcs']['mwm']['sched_port'],
            :mws_username => node['mcs']['mws']['username'],
            :mws_password => node['mcs']['mws']['password'],
            :mongo_host => mongo_node['hostname'],
            :mongo_port => mongo_node['mongodb']['port'],
            :mongo_database => node['mcs']['mws']['mongo_dbname']
    )
    action :create

```

# end

# ====== mws/templates/default/mws-config-groovy.erb ==== moab.secretKey = "\<%= @moab\_secretkey %\>" moab.server = "\<%= @moab\_server %\>" moab.port = \<%= @moab\_port %\> …

also, it disappears from either file. every time i’ve checked it  
disappears from both files at once:  
[root@headnode opt]# while [[1]]; do chef-client -E chefenv1 2\>/dev/null  
1\>/dev/null; if [[“?" != "0"]]; then echo -n 'E'; elif grep 42559 /opt/moab/etc/moab.cfg \>/dev/null; then echo -n '.'; else echo -n '!'; fi; done .!!!!!!..!!!.!^CE^C [root@headnode opt]# while [[1]]; do chef-client -E chefenv1 2\>/dev/null 1\>/dev/null; if [["?” != “0”]]; then echo -n ‘E’; elif grep 42559  
/opt/mws/etc/mws-config.groovy \>/dev/null; then echo -n ‘.’; else echo -n  
’!’; fi; done  
!!.!!!.!!..!!!..!..!!!

i’ve wrestled through several other attribute-related issues (one i  
detailed here  
[http://www.devopstonoops.com/2012/07/04/what-ive-learned-from-using-chef-part-1/](http://www.devopstonoops.com/2012/07/04/what-ive-learned-from-using-chef-part-1/)),  
but i’m baffled about this one. any help would be appreciated.

- jonathan

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AJ\_Christensen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.chef.io/aj_christensen/32/525_2.png) [@AJ\_Christensen](https://discourse.chef.io/u/AJ_Christensen)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 11:31am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/intermittent-problems-with-default-attributes/2976/2 "2012-07-04T11:31:01Z")

</div>

It's probably the node.save in your attribute file (at a glance), only  
a hunch though!

Please post the relevant (full) debug logs. Alternately, reduce this  
to the simplest example -- a template with an attribute; repeat your  
tests. If you use an override attribute for the port in a role, does  
it still happen? How about a 'set' attribute on the node?

--AJ

On 4 July 2012 22:52, Jonathan Dye [chef@lulz.bz](mailto:chef@lulz.bz) wrote:

> something i'm doing with attributes is not quite right, and here's the  
> proof:
> 
> [root@headnode opt]# while [[1]]; do chef-client -E chefenv1 2\>/dev/null  
> 1\>/dev/null; if [["$?" != "0"]]; then echo -n 'E'; elif grep 42559  
> /opt/moab/etc/moab.cfg \>/dev/null && grep 42559  
> /opt/mws/etc/mws-config.groovy \>/dev/null; then echo -n '.'; else echo -n  
> '!'; fi; done  
> !!!!!!!.!!!...!!!!!..!.......!!!!!!.!!!!!..!!!!^CE^C
> 
> so, i'm running chef over and over without changing cookbooks, run lists,  
> override attributes, or anything else in between. if the run fails it  
> should print 'E', if the expected attributes are in the config files it's  
> writing out it should print '.' , and if the attributes are not in the file  
> it should print '!'. as you can see, the results are not the same in  
> subsequent runs. this is not because the chef runs are failing-- the value  
> simply ends up being nil on some runs all else seemingly being equal. i've  
> confirmed this manually many times, it can succeed the client run but  
> produce unexpected output.
> 
> here's what i'm doing, and it seems pretty straightforward. there is a  
> default attributes file that sets the 'sched\_port' as a default attribute,  
> and it is consumed by a template in that cookbook where it's set (mwm) and  
> in a template from another cookbook which is also run on the same node  
> (mws):
> 
> ===== mwm/attributes/default.rb =====  
> ::Chef::Node.send(:include, Opscode::OpenSSL::Password)
> 
> # set\_unless['mcs']['mwm']['secret\_key'] = secure\_password node.save default['mcs']['mwm']['sched\_port'] = '42559'
> 
> ====== mwm/recipes/default.rb =======  
> ...
> 
> # write out the templated moab config
> 
> # template "/opt/moab/etc/moab.cfg" do source "moab-cfg.erb" mode 0600 owner "root" group "root" action :create end ...
> 
> # ===== mwm/templates/default/moab-cfg.erb ===== ... SCHEDCFG[Moab] SERVER=\<%= node['hostname'] %\>:\<%= node['mcs']['mwm']['sched\_port'] %\> ...
> 
> ===== mws/recipes/default.rb =======  
> ...
> 
> # write mws config file
> 
> template "/opt/mws/etc/mws-config.groovy" do  
> source "mws-config-groovy.erb"
> 
> ```
> mode 0600
> owner "tomcat"
> group "tomcat"
> 
> variables(
> :moab_secretkey => node['mcs']['mwm']['secret_key'],
> :moab_server => node['hostname'],
> :moab_port => node['mcs']['mwm']['sched_port'],
> :mws_username => node['mcs']['mws']['username'],
> :mws_password => node['mcs']['mws']['password'],
> :mongo_host => mongo_node['hostname'],
> :mongo_port => mongo_node['mongodb']['port'],
> :mongo_database => node['mcs']['mws']['mongo_dbname']
> )
> action :create
> 
> ```
> 
> # end
> 
> # ====== mws/templates/default/mws-config-groovy.erb ==== moab.secretKey = "\<%= @moab\_secretkey %\>" moab.server = "\<%= @moab\_server %\>" moab.port = \<%= @moab\_port %\> ...
> 
> also, it disappears from either file. every time i've checked it disappears  
> from both files at once:  
> [root@headnode opt]# while [[1]]; do chef-client -E chefenv1 2\>/dev/null  
> 1\>/dev/null; if [["$?" != "0"]]; then echo -n 'E'; elif grep 42559  
> /opt/moab/etc/moab.cfg \>/dev/null; then echo -n '.'; else echo -n '!'; fi;  
> done  
> .!!!!!!..!!!.!^CE^C  
> [root@headnode opt]# while [[1]]; do chef-client -E chefenv1 2\>/dev/null  
> 1\>/dev/null; if [["$?" != "0"]]; then echo -n 'E'; elif grep 42559  
> /opt/mws/etc/mws-config.groovy \>/dev/null; then echo -n '.'; else echo -n  
> '!'; fi; done  
> !!.!!!!!!!!.!!...!!!..!.......!!!!
> 
> i've wrestled through several other attribute-related issues (one i detailed  
> here  
> [http://www.devopstonoops.com/2012/07/04/what-ive-learned-from-using-chef-part-1/](http://www.devopstonoops.com/2012/07/04/what-ive-learned-from-using-chef-part-1/)),  
> but i'm baffled about this one. any help would be appreciated.
> 
> - jonathan