Perhaps this happens:
chef-server-api/app/controllers/clients.rb:
POST /clients
def create
params[:name] ||= params[:inflated_object].name
begin
Chef::ApiClient.cdb_load(params[:name])
rescue Chef::Exceptions::CouchDBNotFound
exists = false
end
raise Conflict, "Client already exists" if exists
Although not 100% sure, i'm guessing that params[:name] comes from
node_name in chef-client's POST request:
#
# === Returns
# rest<Chef::REST>:: returns Chef::REST connection object
def register
if File.exists?(Chef::Config[:client_key])
Chef::Log.debug("Client key #{Chef::Config[:client_key]} is
present - skipping registration")
else
Chef::Log.info("Client key #{Chef::Config[:client_key]} is not
present - registering")
Chef::REST.new(Chef::Config[:client_url],
Chef::Config[:validation_client_name],
Chef::Config[:validation_key]).register(node_name,
Chef::Config[:client_key])
end
# We now have the client key, and should use it from now on.
self.rest = Chef::REST.new(Chef::Config[:chef_server_url],
node_name, Chef::Config[:client_key])
end
So... it would seem that perhaps my initial assumption about the ip
address was unfounded. Node_name might not be getting set correctly,
or is an empty string "", etc, some other problem. Some of extra
logging won't hurt, should help to figure it out.
On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 12:16 PM, Dreamcat4 dreamcat4@gmail.com wrote:
On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 12:14 PM, Dreamcat4 dreamcat4@gmail.com wrote:
Hi!
I'm trying to register a Virtual Machine as new node. As we know -
chef-client sends up the validation.pem to download a new client.pem
file and register itself as a new node...
An error occurs at the point where the client is expecting to receive
its new client.pem file from the server:
"/var/lib/gems/1.8/gems/chef-0.9.12/bin/../lib/chef/rest.rb:80:in
`register': The response from the server did not include a private
key! (Chef::Exceptions::CannotWritePrivateKey)"
Full log:
full-log · GitHub
Could this be because the chef server thinks the node is already
registered (because the host node shares the same IP address as the
Virtual Machine)?
Another thing...
In the mean time (as a work-around) I can create new VM nodes manually
with "knife create client && knife create node".
Then copy over the client.pem file into the Virtual Machine. However
creating a node in that manner seems not to be ideal. All the Ohai
attributes are missing. They are never uploaded / synced to the
chef-server. Only the original attributes get updated (the run_list,
node_name).
However I think thats an entirely different issue to the original
problem. They're missing probably just as only existing json
attributes are being synced / updated. For my manually created nodes -
by default do not start life with the ohai attributes. So no FQDN,
uptime, ohai_time or anything else... 
Anyway. It would be great to better understand the initial problem
regarding downloading the client.pem. I.e - Whats happening during the
client validation / handshake. However its proving rather tough-going
for me with all that encryption / security stuff going on in there! -
Any help appreciated 
Regards
dreamcat4
dreamcat4@gmail.com