# Chef Node Bootstrap

The Chef server works as a mediator between the workstation and node, there is a need to interconnect for both the workstation and node should be in the same AZ.

Two actions will be done while bootstrapping,

1. Adding a node to the chef server
    
2. Installing chef package.
    

### Connecting workstation with Chef-Server:

1. First, we download the starter kit from [**chefManage.io**](http://chefManage.io).
    
2. This will be downloaded in the form of zip file. If we extract this zip file, we will get the chef-repo folder.
    
    This folder need to place this in the chef workstation. Inside the chef-repo folder, we can see a total of three folders .chef, cookbooks, and roles.
    
3. The .chef folder is responsible to establish communication between the chef-server and chef workstation. Because, inside the " .chef " folder, we can see two files. They are "knife.rb " and " privatekey.pem ". Inside "knife.rb ", there will be the URL (address) of the chef-server. Because of this URL, communication will be established between the chef-server and chef workstation. This is how we connect Chef Workstation to Chef Server.
    
4. Create a chef account on “[**manage.chef.io**](http://manage.chef.io/)”.
    
    Create New **Organization** and download the **starter kit** for that organization.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1716108230602/3457b291-b91c-4f64-8f6e-ac82ce54a5d3.png align="center")
    
5. Go to download and extract file chef-repo, after extracting we get more files inside chef-repo such as (.chef, cookbooks, gitignore, [**README.md**](http://readme.md/), roles)
    
    **Send chef-repo file to Linux Workstation machine,**
    
    1. Using the software called **WinSCP**.
        
    2. Enter Login Details,
        
        **Hostname** - Public DNS of workstation machine
        
        **Username** - ec2-user
        
        **Advance** --> **SSH** --> **Authentication** --> Private key of workstation machine
        
    3. **Login**
        
6. Drag Chef-repo from the left window and drop to right Linux window.
    
7. In the **chef-repo/.chef/config.rb** file, In config.rb file, contains the URL of the chef server.
    
    `cat config.rb`
    
    Due to the presence of a URL in the workstation machine, the workstation gets connected to the chef server.
    
8. To verify the workstation is connected to the server
    
    `knife ssl check`
    

### Bootstrapping the Node

1. Create Linux machine for (node1) in the same AZ of the workstation with a new security group and new key pair name <node1-key>, and save Private IP for further knife bootstrap commands.
    
2. With the help of WinSCP, transfer the downloaded node1-key.pem to Chef-repo for bootstrap command.
    
3. Now go to the chef workstation in chef-repo directory and execute the **Bootstrap command** to attach node1 to the chef-server.
    
    `knife bootstrap <privateIP(node1)> -–ssh-user ec2-user -–sudo -i node-1key.pem -N node1`
    
4. To check the Node connection with the chef-server
    
    `knife node list`
    
5. Upload apache-cookbook to chef-server
    
    Inside the chef-repo directory,
    
    `knife cookbook upload apache-cookbook`
    
    Confirm Uploading,
    
    `knife cookbook list`
    
6. **Now we will attach the recipe on node1 which we would like to run on node1, by this Run\_list command,**
    
    `knife node run_list set node1 “recipe[apache-cookbook::apache-recipe]`  
    
    In this way, Node1 will get updated according to the chef-server configuration But in the above process whenever we update any recipe there is a need to upload the cookbook to the chef-server, and each time we have to call the chef-client at the Node terminal.
    

### **Automation for Node Upgradation**

**To automate this process:**

We need to automate the above process. For this, **we use the “cron tool” which is the default tool in all Linux machines used to schedule tasks to be executed automatically at frequent intervals**. So in this “crontab” file, we give a chef-client command and we need to set the timing as per our requirement. Then onwards chef-client runs automatically after every frequent interval. It is only one-time effort. When we purchase any new server in a company, along with Bootstrap, we automate chef-client then and there.

**Steps :**

1. Take access of the Node terminal.
    
2. On node1 open "crontab" file with `vi/etc/crontab`.
    
3. With the help of this command automation will start no need to call the chef-client again.
    
4. Chef-client command to execute periodically according to “\*/n crontab method”
    
    `***** root chef-client`
    
    \- 5 Star denote \*/n, (HR DAY MONTH YEAR WEEK)
    
5. To verify this automation make some changes in your recipe on workstation and save the file.
    
6. Upload the cookbook with `knife cookbook upload apache-cookbook`
    
7. Open the browser and check public ip of node1, you will see updated content.