CentOS 7 - License key not in config file and other issues

[djoos-cookbooks]

CentOS 7 - License key not in config file and other issues

[tatemz]

I'm experiencing the same results and ended up just running some execute providers per the NewRelic tutorial

# Set newrelic license
node.default["newrelic"]["license"] = data_bag_item( "api_keys", "newrelic" )["license"]

# Install newrelic
# include_recipe "newrelic" # Boo! :-( I wish this worked!

execute "rpm -Uvh https://yum.newrelic.com/pub/newrelic/el5/x86_64/newrelic-repo-5-3.noarch.rpm"

yum_package "newrelic-sysmond" do
    action :install
end

execute "nrsysmond-config --set license_key=#{node["newrelic"]["license"]}"

service "newrelic-sysmond" do
    supports :start => true, :stop => true, :status => true, :restart => true, :reload => true
    action :start
end

[djoos]

Hi @tatemz,

it seems that the issue that @silverl is experiencing is with the start of the service, which you do in a similar way as the cookbook. Would you mind double-checking whether your issue is not just the (other) issue of @silverl of the license not being set unless setting "node.default['newrelic']['server_monitoring']['license'] = data_bag_item( "api_keys", "newrelic" )["license"]"?

Would you mind giving the following a try?

# Set newrelic license
node.default['newrelic']['server_monitoring']['license'] = data_bag_item( "api_keys", "newrelic" )["license"]

# Install newrelic
include_recipe "newrelic" # does this work?

Thanks in advance!

Kind regards,
David

[djoos]

Hi @silverl,

would you mind checking /etc/newrelic/nrsysmond.cfg, especially whether the license is filled out correctly? I'd like to know why newrelic-sysmond fails to start...
(FYI: "Job for newrelic-sysmond.service failed. See 'systemctl status newrelic-sysmond.service' and 'journalctl -xn' for details.")

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Kind regards,
David

[jolexa]

@djoos @tatemz The original problem here is actually a Chef issue that pops up often in wrapper cookbooks and nested attributes https://tickets.opscode.com/browse/CHEF-4234 Hopefully something is addressed in Chef 12 regarding attribute precedence.

There are a few workarounds for wrapper cookbooks, but none of them should be needed in this case. I'd suggest re-factoring the license bits in this cookbook since the server/plugin license key is always the same to one attribute instead of 3. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Aupajo]

Running into the same issue here (Ubuntu 12.04, Chef-Client 11.12.8).

Recipe attributes/default.rb:

default['newrelic']['license'] = '...'

The issue was that the newrelic.cfg had a line that read:

license_key=

(The license key was empty.)

I suspect this happens because the newrelic recipe has:

default['newrelic']['license'] = nil
default['newrelic']['server_monitoring']['license'] = node['newrelic']['license']
default['newrelic']['application_monitoring']['license'] = node['newrelic']['license']
default['newrelic']['plugin_monitoring']['license'] = node['newrelic']['license']

Which is to say, when I set my own default['newrelic']['license'], it's already too late; the nil has already been copied into the other values, which don't get updated.

[jolexa]

Yea, it could be moved to late binding interpolation, but I think it'd be easier to just simplify and have one var for the key. I've since moved to managing my own recipe for the daemon, it is really a simple thing to install and template with notifies restart.

[djoos]

Hi @Aupajo,

"Which is to say, when I set my own default['newrelic']['license'], it's already too late"
How exactly are you setting your license attribute?

FYI: this works like a treat (environments/production.rb - but in a role works fine as well):

default_attributes(
{
    "newrelic" => {
        "license" => "xyz"
    }
}

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Kind regards,
David

[jolexa]

Well, not everyone sets attrs in roles/env - it fails when set in a wrapper cookbook

[djoos]

"it fails when set in a wrapper cookbook"
How exactly do you set it in your wrapper cookbook? Via node.override it should work there, no?

[jolexa]

Maybe it does with override - i haven't checked, but I would prefer not to do add a bunch of override attrs to my landscape.

Does the cookbook need 3 attrs for the same value or would one suffice and eliminate this issue for people?

[Aupajo]

@djoos That error happens when I set the license in attributes/default.rb of another recipe that includes the newrelic recipe.

[djoos]

Hi @Aupajo,

"That error happens when I set the license in attributes/default.rb of another recipe that includes the newrelic recipe."
via node.default? If so, a default has been set already. Could you give node.override a go?

Kind regards,
David

[djoos]

Hi @jolexa,

"I would prefer not to do add a bunch of override attrs to my landscape."
No problem, you can then use...

default_attributes(
{
    "newrelic" => {
        "license" => "xyz"
    }
}

to achieve that!

"Does the cookbook need 3 attrs for the same value or would one suffice and eliminate this issue for people?"
It's not only this particular attribute, it's a wider "issue" with Chef, as a default is provided in the cookbook attributes. In this particular case the license-attribute. The cookbook only needs 1 value to be set correctly, namely: license - that's it! The other 2 will be using this value then if there isn't a (very) specific need to have different values for application and agent monitoring.
Just make sure to set the license attribute correctly and you're good to go...

Hope this helps!
David

[djoos]

Hi guys,

have you been able to resolve the issues you were experiencing?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Kind regards,
David

[Aupajo]

@djoos Yes, thanks. I'd resolved the issue by specifying the license in the role prior to posting the second comment.

Two cents: late binding (i.e. determining the derived license key at the time the template is rendered rather than in the default attributes) might be helpful here, plus it wouldn't break or change the behaviour of any existing set-up.

[shairontoledo]

I got same issue, I had to replaced all node[] by node.default[] at https://github.com/escapestudios-cookbooks/newrelic/blob/master/resources/yml.rb, now it's working fine.

I find the change so simple to create a PR.

[djoos]

Hi guys,

this thread covered quite a few things... I'll close the issue now, but please do send me a PR with additional info if you deem there's still any outstanding items you encountered here that needs resolving!

Kind regards,
David