Chocolatey Package Provider for Puppet

Build Status

Travis	AppVeyor

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Module Description - What the module does and why it is useful
   • Why Chocolatey
3. Setup - The basics of getting started with Chocolatey
   • What Chocolatey affects
   • Setup requirements
   • Beginning with Chocolatey provider
4. Usage - Configuration options and additional functionality
5. Reference - An under-the-hood peek at what the module is doing and how
6. Limitations - OS compatibility, etc.
7. Development - Guide for contributing to the module
8. Attributions

Overview

This is a Puppet package provider for chocolatey, which is like apt-get, but for Windows. This should be compatible with a wide range of Puppet versions.

Module Description

This is the official module for working with the Chocolatey package manager.

This module will ultimately be able to

• install Chocolatey
• work with custom location installations
• configure Chocolatey
• use Chocolatey as a package provider

Why Chocolatey

Chocolatey is a nicer abstraction because it nearly mimics how package managers on other operating systems work. If you can imagine the built in provider for Windows versus Chocolatey, let's take a look at the use case of installing git:

# Using built-in provider
package { "Git version 1.8.4-preview20130916":
  ensure    => installed,
  source    => 'C:\temp\Git-1.8.4-preview20130916.exe',
  install_options => ['/VERYSILENT']
}

# Using Chocolatey (set as default for Windows)
package { 'git':
  ensure   => latest,
}

The built-in provider has the following needs:

• Package name must match exactly the name from installed programs. See package name must be DisplayName
• Package name has issues with unicode characters
• Source must point to the location of the executable installer. See source is required.
• No ensure => latest - see handling versions and upgrades

Chocolatey's provider on the other hand:

• Package name only has to match the name of the package, which can be whatever you choose.
• The package is a nice abstraction
• Package knows how to install the software silently
• Package knows where to get the executable installer
• Source is free to specify different Chocolatey feeds
• Chocolatey makes package more platform agnostic since it looks exactly like other platforms.

Setup

What Chocolatey affects

Chocolatey affects your system and what software is installed on it, ranging from tools and portable software to natively installed applications.

Setup Requirements

Chocolatey requires the following components

• Powershell v2+
  • intalled on most systems by default
• .NET Framework v4+

NOTE: The module does not yet offer an installation option for Chocolatey, so you will need to install that as well.

Beginning with Chocolatey provider

Install this module via any of these approaches:

• puppet forge
• git-submodule (tutorial)
• librarian-puppet
• r10k

Usage

Set Chocolatey as Default Windows Provider

If you want to set this provider as the site-wide default, add to your site.pp:

if $::kernel == windows {
  # default package provider
  Package { provider => chocolatey, }
}

# OR

case $operatingsystem {
  'windows':
    Package { provider => chocolatey, }
}

With All Options

package { 'notepadplusplus':
  ensure            => installed|latest|'1.0.0'|absent,
  provider          => 'chocolatey',
  install_options   => ['-pre','-params','"','param1','param2','"'],
  uninstall_options => ['-r'],
  source            => 'https://myfeed.example.com/api/v2',
}

• this is versionable so ensure => '1.0' works
• this is upgradeable
• supports latest (checks upstream), absent (uninstall)
• supports install_options for pre-release, other cli
• soon: supports 'holdable'

Simple install

package { 'notepadplusplus':
  ensure   => installed,
  provider => 'chocolatey',
}

Ensure always the newest version available

package { 'notepadplusplus':
  ensure   => latest,
  provider => 'chocolatey',
}

Ensure specific version

package { 'notepadplusplus':
  ensure   => '6.7.5',
  provider => 'chocolatey',
}

Specify custom source

package { 'notepadplusplus':
  ensure   => '6.7.5',
  provider => 'chocolatey',
  source   => 'C:\local\folder\packages',
}

package { 'notepadplusplus':
  ensure   => '6.7.5',
  provider => 'chocolatey',
  source   => '\\unc\source\packages',
}

package { 'notepadplusplus':
  ensure   => '6.7.5',
  provider => 'chocolatey',
  source   => 'https://custom.nuget.odata.feed/api/v2/',
}

package { 'notepadplusplus':
  ensure   => '6.7.5',
  provider => 'chocolatey',
  source   => 'C:\local\folder\packages;https://chocolatey.org/api/v2/',
}

Install options with spaces

Spaces in arguments must always be covered with a separation. The example below covers -installArgs "/VERYSILENT /NORESTART".

package {'launchy':
  ensure          => installed,
  provider        => 'chocolatey',
  install_options => ['-override', '-installArgs', '"', '/VERYSILENT', '/NORESTART', '"'],
}

Install options with quotes / spaces

The underlying installer may need quotes passed to it. This is possible, but not as intuitive. The example below covers passing /INSTALLDIR="C:\Program Files\somewhere".

For this to be passed through with Chocolatey, you will need a set of double quotes surrounding the argument and two sets of double quotes surrounding the item that must be quoted (see how to pass/options/switches). This makes the string look like -installArgs "/INSTALLDIR=""C:\Program Files\somewhere""" for proper use with Chocolatey.

Then for Puppet to handle that appropriately, we must split on every space. Yes, on every space we must split the string or the result will come out incorrectly. So this means it will look like the following:

install_options => ['-installArgs',
  '"/INSTALLDIR=""C:\Program', 'Files\somewhere"""']

Make sure you have all of the right quotes - start it off with a single double quote, then two double quotes, then close it all by closing the two double quotes and then the single double quote or a possible three double quotes at the end.

package {'mysql':
  ensure          => latest,
  provider        => 'chocolatey',
  install_options => ['-override', '-installArgs',
    '"/INSTALLDIR=""C:\Program', 'Files\somewhere"""'],
}

You can split it up a bit for readability if it suits you:

package {'mysql':
  ensure          => latest,
  provider        => 'chocolatey',
  install_options => ['-override', '-installArgs', '"'
    '/INSTALLDIR=""C:\Program', 'Files\somewhere""',
    '"'],
}

Note: The above is for Chocolatey v0.9.9+. You may need to look for an alternative method to pass args if you have 0.9.8.x and below.

Reference

• Chocolatey provider (lib/puppet/provider/package/chocolatey.rb)
• params.pp (manifests/params.pp)
• install.pp (manifests/install.pp)
• config.pp (manifests/config.pp)

Chocolatey Provider

Chocolatey implements a package type with a resource provider, which is built into Puppet.

This provider supports the install_options and uninstall_options attributes, which allow command-line options to be passed to the choco command. These options should be specified as documented below.

• Required binaries: choco.exe, usually found in C:\Program Data\chocolatey\bin\choco.exe.
  • The binary is searched for using the Environment Variable ChocolateyInstall, then by two known locations (C:\Chocolatey\bin\choco.exe and C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\bin\choco.exe).
  • On Windows 2003 you should install Chocolatey to C:\Chocolatey or somewhere besides the default. NOTE: the root of C:\ is not a secure location by default, so you may want to update the security on the folder.
• Supported features: install_options, installable, uninstall_options, uninstallable, upgradeable, versionable.

Properties/Parameters

ensure

(Property: This attribute represents concrete state on the target system.)

What state the package should be in. You can choose which package to retrieve by specifying a version number or latest as the ensure value. This defaults to installed.

Valid options: present (also called installed), absent, latest or a version number.

install_options

An array of additional options to pass when installing a package. These options are package-specific, and should be documented by the software vendor. One commonly implemented option is INSTALLDIR:

package {'launchy':
  ensure          => installed,
  provider        => 'chocolatey',
  install_options => ['-installArgs', '"', '/VERYSILENT', '/NORESTART', '"'],
}

The above method of single quotes in an array is the only method you should use in passing install_options with the Chocolatey provider. There are other ways to do it, but they are passed through to Chocolatey in ways that may not be sufficient.

This is the only place in Puppet where backslash separators should be used. Note that backslashes in double-quoted strings must be double-escaped and backslashes in single-quoted strings may be double-escaped.

name

(Namevar: If ommitted, this attribute's value will default to the resource's title.)

The package name. This is the name that the packaging system uses internally.

provider

The specific backend to use for the package resource. Chocolatey is not the default provider for Windows so it must be specified (or by using a resource default, shown in Usage). Valid options for this provider are 'chocolatey'.

source

Where to find the package file. Chocolatey maintains default sources in its configuration file that it will use by default. Use this to override the default source(s).

Chocolatey accepts different values for source, including accept paths to local files/folders stored on the target system, URLs (to OData feeds), and network drive paths. Puppet will not automatically retrieve source files for you, and usually just passes the value of source to the package installation command.

You can use a file resource if you need to manually copy package files to the target system.

uninstall_options

An array of additional options to pass when uninstalling a package. These options are package-specific, and should be documented by the software vendor.

package {'launchy':
  ensure          => absent,
  provider        => 'chocolatey',
  uninstall_options => ['-uninstallargs', '"', '/VERYSILENT', '/NORESTART', '"'],
}

The above method of single quotes in an array is the only method you should use in passing uninstall_options with the Chocolatey provider. There are other ways to do it, but they are passed through to Chocolatey in ways that may not be sufficient.

This is the only place in Puppet where backslash separators should be used. Note that backslashes in double-quoted strings must be double-escaped and backslashes in single-quoted strings may be double-escaped.

Limitations

Works with Windows only.

Development

See CONTRIBUTING.md

Attributions

A special thanks goes out to Rich Siegel who wrote the original provider and continues to contribute to the development of this provider.

2015-05-22 Release 0.5.3:

• Fix manifest issue
• Fix choco path issue
• Update ReadMe - fix/clarify how options with quotes need to be passed.

2015-04-23 Release 0.5.2:

• Update ReadMe
• Add support for Windows 10.
• Fixes #56 - Avoiding puppet returning 2 instead of 0 when there are no changes to be done.

2015-03-31 Release 0.5.1

• Fixes #54 - Blocking: Linux masters throw error if module is present

2015-03-30 Release 0.5.0

• Provider enhancements
• Better docs
• Works with both compiled and powershell Chocolatey clients
• Fixes #50 - work with newer compiled Chocolatey client (0.9.9+)
• Fixes #43 - check for installed packages is case sensitive
• Fixes #18 - The OS handle's position is not what FileStream expected.
• Fixes #52 - Document best way to pass options with spaces (#15 also related)
• Fixes #26 - Document Chocolatey needs to be installed by other means