# \[Pre-Release Announcement\] Chef 14.4.56

**URL:** <https://discourse.chef.io/t/pre-release-announcement-chef-14-4-56/13540>\
**Category:** Chef Release Announcements\
**Created:** [August 28, 2018, 4:35am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/pre-release-announcement-chef-14-4-56/13540 "2018-08-28T04:35:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tas50](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.chef.io/tas50/32/941_2.png) [@tas50](https://discourse.chef.io/u/tas50)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 4:35am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/pre-release-announcement-chef-14-4-56/13540/1 "2018-08-28T04:35:38Z")

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Ohai Chefs!

We have selected 14.4.56 as our Chef v14.4 release candidate which is scheduled for release on Wednesday August 29, 2018.

# Release Highlights

## Knife configuration profile management commands

Several new commands have been added under `knife config` to help manage multiple  
profiles in your `credentials` file.

`knife config get-profile` will display the active profile.

`knife config use-profile PROFILE` will set the workstation-level default  
profile. That default can still be overridden by the `--profile` command line  
option or the `$CHEF_PROFILE` environment variable.

`knife config list-profiles` will display all your available profiles along with  
summary information on each.

```bash
$ knife config get-profile
staging
$ knife config use-profile prod
Set default profile to prod
$ knife config list-profiles
 Profile Client Key Server
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 staging myuser ~/.chef/user.pem https://example.com/organizations/staging
*prod myuser ~/.chef/user.pem https://example.com/organizations/prod

```

Thank you [@coderanger](https://github.com/coderanger) for this contribution.

## New Resources

The following new previous resources were added to Chef 14.4. Cookbooks with the same resources will continue to take precedent until the Chef 15.0 release.

### Cron\_d

Use the cron\_d resource to manage cron definitions in /etc/cron.d. This is similar to the `cron` resource, but it does not use the monolithic /etc/crontab. file.

See [cron\_d](https://docs.chef.io/resource_cron_d.html) resource documentation for full usage.

### Cron\_access

Use the cron\_access resource to manage the /etc/cron.allow and /etc/cron.deny files. This resource previously shipped in the `cron` community cookbook and has fully backwards compatibility with the previous `cron_manage` definition in that cookbook.

See [cron\_access](https://docs.chef.io/resource_cron_access.html) resource documentation for full usage.

### openssl\_x509\_certificate

Use the openssl\_x509\_certificate resourc to generate signed or self-signed, PEM-formatted x509 certificates. If no existing key is specified, the resource will automatically generate a passwordless key with the certificate. If a CA private key and certificate are provided, the certificate will be signed with them. This resource previously shipped in the `openssl` cookbook as `openssl_x509` and is fully backwards compatible with the legacy resource name.

See [openssl\_x509\_certificate](https://docs.chef.io/resource_openssl_x509_certificate.html) resource documentation for full usage.

Thank you [@juju482](https://github.com/juju482) for updating this resource so it could be included here.

### openssl\_x509\_request

Use the openssl\_x509\_request resource to generate PEM-formatted x509 certificates requests. If no existing key is specified, the resource will automatically generate a passwordless key with the certificate.

See [openssl\_x509\_request](https://docs.chef.io/resource_openssl_x509_request.html) resource documentation for full usage.

Thank you [@juju482](https://github.com/juju482) for contributing this resource.

### openssl\_x509\_crl

Use the openssl\_x509\_crl resource to generate PEM-formatted x509 certificate revocation list (CRL) files.

See [openssl\_x509\_crl](https://docs.chef.io/resource_openssl_x509_crl.html) resource documentation for full usage.

Thank you [@juju482](https://github.com/juju482) for contributing this resource.

### openssl\_ec\_private\_key

Use the openssl\_ec\_private\_key resource to generate ec private key files. If a valid ec key file can be opened at the specified location, no new file will be created.

See [openssl\_ec\_private\_key](https://docs.chef.io/resource_openssl_ec_private_key.html) resource documentation for full usage.

Thank you [@juju482](https://github.com/juju482) for contributing this resource.

### openssl\_ec\_public\_key

Use the openssl\_ec\_public\_key resource to generate ec public key files given a private key.

See [openssl\_ec\_public\_key](https://docs.chef.io/resource_openssl_ec_public_key.html) resource documentation for full usage.

Thank you [@juju482](https://github.com/juju482) for contributing this resource.

## Resource improvements

### windows\_package

The windows\_package resource now supports setting the `sensitive` property to avoid showing errors if a package install fails.

### sysctl

The sysctl resource will now update the on-disk systctl.d file even if the current sysctl value matches the desired value.

### windows\_task

The windows\_task resource now supports setting the task priority of the scheduled task with a new `priority` property. Additionally windows\_task now supports managing the behavior of task execution when a system is on battery using new `disallow_start_if_on_batteries` and `stop_if_going_on_batteries` properties.

### ifconfig

The ifconfig resource now supports setting the interface's VLAN via a new `vlan` property on RHEL platform\_family and setting the interface's gateway via a new `gateway` property on RHEL/Debian platform\_family.

Thank you [@tomdoherty](https://github.com/tomdoherty) for this contribution.

### route

The route resource has been improved to support additional RHEL platform\_family systems as well as Amazon Linux.

### systemd\_unit

The systemd\_unit resource now supports specifying options multiple times in the content hash. Instead of setting the value to a string you can now set it to an array of strings.

Thank you [@dbresson](https://github.com/dbresson) for this contribution.

## Security Updates

### OpenSSL

OpenSSL updated to 1.0.2p to resolve:

- Client DoS due to large DH parameter ([CVE-2018-0732](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-0732))
- Cache timing vulnerability in RSA Key Generation ([CVE-2018-0737](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-0737))

Please see the [CHANGELOG](https://github.com/chef/chef/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md) for the complete list of changes.

# Get the Build

As always, you can download binaries directly from [downloads.chef.io](https://downloads.chef.io/chef/current/14.4.56) or by using the `mixlib-install`:

```auto
$ mixlib-install download chef -v 14.4.56 -c current

```

Alternatively, you can install Chef using one of the following command options:

```auto
# In Shell
$ curl https://omnitruck.chef.io/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- -P chef -v 14.4.56 -c current

# In Windows Powershell
. { iwr -useb https://omnitruck.chef.io/install.ps1 } | iex; install -project chef -version 14.4.56 -channel current

```

If you want to give this version a spin in Test Kitchen, create or add the following to your `kitchen.yml` file:

```auto
provisioner:
  product_name: chef
  channel: current
  product_version: 14.4.56

```

Enjoy,  
Tim (@tas50)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MattRay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.chef.io/mattray/32/47_2.png) [@MattRay](https://discourse.chef.io/u/MattRay)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/pre-release-announcement-chef-14-4-56/13540/2 "2018-09-04T01:00:58Z")

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Here's the latest ARM build if you're so inclined.

[https://leastresistance.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/chef-14-arm-on-the-beaglebone-black/](https://leastresistance.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/chef-14-arm-on-the-beaglebone-black/)