Automate your computing systems with Puppet, the popular configuration management framework. Through code samples and real-world examples, this concise introduction shows you how to use Puppet tools and templates to organize and execute configuration plans on your *nix servers. Learn how to manage pools of servers and virtual instances, and discover how Puppet helps you administer access control. If you're familiar with system administration and Ruby language basics, this book is the ideal way to get up to speed on this open source framework. Install Puppet and learn its manifest syntax and built-in functions Store configurations in a central location with Puppet Master, and define which configurations apply to which nodes Build a framework to create user accounts in place of LDAP or Kerberos KDC Apply techniques to execute and manage server configurations with MCollective Use Puppet as an auditing tool to ensure that configurations are correct Gather information on the nodes you manage with the Facter library