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How to Use This Guide
=====================
This guide is largely a pointer to smaller, more focused guides, although it
includes unique information when no appropriate smaller guide exists.

Introduction to Puppet
=======================

Puppet is a declarative *language* for expressing system configuration, a
*client and server* for distributing it, and a *library* for realizing the
configuration.

The Puppet [Introduction](intro.html) covers the basic architecture and design goals,
including whether and why you should be using Puppet on your network.


Installation
===============
There is an [Installation Guide](installation.html) meant for installation of
Puppet across a network.

There is also a guide for [using Puppet from source](fromsvn.html), and one for
[testing Puppet](testing.html), to get an idea of what you can do without making a full
deployment.

Command Line Executables
==========================

This section will eventually have links to full man-pages for each executable,
but for now the man pages can be found by running the respective executable
with the '--help' flag (this requires the Rdoc::usage module, which is
often missing).

However, most arguments for the executables are in the form of configuration
parameters used internally in the library.  All of the executables are
written to accept any of these configuration parameters, and they
are all defined in the
[Puppet Executable Reference](puppet-executable-reference.html).

puppet
    Stand alone Puppet Site Manifest Script evaluator. Parses, evaluates,
    and implements a Site Manifest locally.

puppetmasterd
    Puppet Site Manifest Server Daemon. Runs on each host
    serving/providing configurations to Puppet client hosts.

puppetd
    Puppet Client Host Configuration Daemon. Runs on each host whose
    configuration is managed by Puppet. Requests a Host Specific Manifest
    from a Puppet Manifest Server and implements it locally.

puppetca
    SSL Certificate Authority Server used for receiving cerification
    requests from puppet clients. Puppet Client Hosts are required to have
    their SSL certs signed by their Puppet Manifest Server's Authority
    before they can be authenticated and authorized to recieve
    configurations.

puppetdoc
    Command line tool for printing Puppet Default and Local Type Library
    reference documentation.  This is really only used internally.

Type and Language Reference
==============================
The Puppet reference is split into two pieces:

* [Language Tutorial](languagetutorial.html)

  A simple description of how the Puppet language functions, with multiple
  examples.

* [Type Reference](typedocs.html)

  A reference of all available Puppet Types.  The types defined in this
  reference represent the total ability of Puppet to manage your system -- if
  an object is not in this reference, then Puppet cannot currently manage it.

* [Language Reference](structures.html)

  A reference to all available language structures within Puppet.  This
  reference presents the limits of and options for expressibility within
  Puppet.

API Documentation
=================
Until I have time to write tutorials on how to extend Puppet, you might find
some benefit in perusing the [API docs](/downloads/puppet/apidocs).
They're woefully incomplete as of the middle of 2006, but I'll be
updating them over time.

Configuration
================
Puppet configuration can be done through per-process configuration
files (e.g., ``puppetd.conf``) or on the command-line via switches.
Much of the documentation is available via ``--help`` switches on each
executable, but most of the useful switches are common to all
executables and are thus documented in the [executable reference](puppetd-executable-reference.html).

There are some guides already, though:

* [File Serving Configuration](fsconfigref.html)

* [Puppet Certificates and Security](security.html)

Additional Documentation
========================
While the above links represent the standard, recommended documentation, there
is additional information available for those who are interested:

* [Puppet Internals](howitworks.html)

* [How Cfengine compares to Puppet](notcfengine.html)

*$Id$*