registry

Table of Contents

1. Overview - What is the registry module?
2. Module Description - What registry does and why it is useful
3. Setup - The basics of getting started with registry
   • Beginning with registry
4. Usage - Configuration options and additional functionality
5. Reference
   • Defined types
   • Types/Providers
6. Limitations
7. Development - Guide for contributing to registry

Overview

This module supplies the types and providers you'll need to manage the Registry on your Windows nodes.

Module Description

The Registry is a hierarchical database built into Microsoft Windows. It stores settings and other information for the operating system and a wide range of applications. This module lets Puppet manage individual Registry keys and values, and provides a simplified way to manage Windows services.

Setup

This module must be installed on your Puppet master. We've tested it with Puppet agents running on Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012, and 2012 R2.

Beginning with registry

Use the registry_key type to manage a single registry key:

registry_key { 'HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Puppet':
    ensure => present,
}

Usage

The registry module works mainly through two types: registry_key and registry_value. These types combine to let you specify a Registry container and its intended contents.

Manage a single Registry value

registry_value { 'HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Puppet\Description':
  ensure => present,
  type   => string,
  data   => "The Puppet Agent service periodically manages your configuration",
}

Manage a single Registry value with a backslash in the value name

registry_value { 'HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Puppet\\\ValueWithA\Backslash':
  ensure     => present,
  type       => string,
  data       => "The Puppet Agent service periodically manages your configuration",
}

Manage a single Registry value with a different resource title

registry_value { 'PuppetDescription':
  path       => 'HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Puppet\Description',
  ensure     => present,
  type       => string,
  data       => "The Puppet Agent service periodically manages your configuration",
}

Manage a Registry value and its parent key in one declaration

class myapp {
  registry::value { 'puppetmaster':
    key  => 'HKLM\Software\Vendor\PuppetLabs',
    data => 'puppet.puppet.com',
  }
}

Puppet looks up the key 'HKLM\Software\Vendor\PuppetLabs' and makes sure it contains a value named 'puppetmaster' containing the string 'puppet.puppet.com'.

Set the default value for a key

registry::value { 'Setting0':
  key   => 'HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Puppet',
  value => '(default)',
  data  => "Hello World!",
}

You can still add values in a string (or array) beyond the default, but you can only set one default value per key.

Purge existing values

By default, if a key includes additional values besides the ones you specify through this module, Puppet leaves those extra values in place. To change that, use the purge_values => true parameter of the registry_key resource. Enabling this feature deletes any values in the key that are not managed by Puppet.

The registry::purge_example class provides a quick and easy way to see a demonstration of how this works. This example class has two modes of operation determined by the Facter fact PURGE_EXAMPLE_MODE: 'setup' and 'purge'.

To run the demonstration, make sure the registry::purge_example class is included in your node catalog, then set an environment variable in PowerShell. This sets up a Registry key that contains six values.

  PS C:\> $env:FACTER_PURGE_EXAMPLE_MODE = 'setup'
  PS C:\> puppet agent --test

  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_key[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge]/ensure: created
  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value3]/ensure: created
  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value2]/ensure: created
  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_key[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\SubKey]/ensure: created
  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value5]/ensure: created
  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value6]/ensure: created
  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\SubKey\Value1]/ensure: created
  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value1]/ensure: created
  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\SubKey\Value2]/ensure: created
  notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value4]/ensure: created
  notice: Finished catalog run in 0.14 seconds

Switching the mode to 'purge' causes the class to only manage three of the six registry_value resources. The other three are purged because they are not specifically declared in the manifest. Notice how Value4, Value5 and Value6 are being removed.

PS C:\> $env:FACTER_PURGE_EXAMPLE_MODE = 'purge'
PS C:\> puppet agent --test

notice: /Registry_value[hklm\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value4]/ensure: removed
notice: /Registry_value[hklm\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value6]/ensure: removed
notice: /Registry_value[hklm\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value5]/ensure: removed
notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value3]/data: data changed 'key3' to 'should not be purged'
notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value2]/data: data changed '2' to '0'
notice: /Stage[main]/Registry::Purge_example/Registry_value[HKLM\Software\Vendor\Puppet Labs\Examples\KeyPurge\Value1]/data: data changed '1' to '0'
notice: Finished catalog run in 0.16 seconds

Manage Windows services

The registry::service define manages entries in the Microsoft service control framework by automatically manipulating values in the key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\$name\.

This is an alternative approach to using INSTSRV.EXE 1.

registry::service { puppet:
  ensure       => present,
  display_name => "Puppet Agent",
  description  => "Periodically fetches and applies configurations from a Puppet master server.",
  command      => 'C:\PuppetLabs\Puppet\service\daemon.bat',
}

Reference

Defined types

registry::value

Manages the parent key for a particular value. If the parent key doesn't exist, Puppet automatically creates it.

Parameters

All parameters are required unless otherwise stated.

key

Specifies a Registry key for Puppet to manage. If any of the parent keys in the path don't exist, Puppet creates them automatically.

If Puppet is running on a 64-bit system, manage the 32-bit Registry key using a prefix, for example: 32:HKLM\Software.

Valid options: a string containing a Registry path.

data

Provides the contents of the specified value. Valid options: a string by default; an array if specified through the type parameter.

type

Optional. Sets the data type of the specified value. Valid options: 'string', 'array', 'dword', 'qword', 'binary' and 'expand'. Default value: 'string'.

value

Optional. Determines what Registry value(s) to manage within the specified key. To set a Registry value as the default value for its parent key, name the value '(default)'. Valid options: a string. Default value: the title of your declared resource.

registry::service

Manages entries in the Microsoft service control framework by manipulating values in the key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\$name\.

Parameters

All parameters are required unless otherwise stated.

ensure

Tells Puppet whether the service should or shouldn't exist. Valid options: 'present' and 'absent'. Default value: 'present'.

display_name

Optional. Provides a Display Name for the service. Valid options: a string. Default value: the title of your declared resource.

description

Optional. Provides a description of the service. Valid options: a string. Default value: blank.

command

Specifies the command to execute when starting the service. Valid options: a string containing the absolute path to an executable file.

start

Specifies the starting mode of the service. Valid options: 'automatic', 'manual' and 'disabled'.

Puppet's native service resource can also be used to manage this setting.

Types/Providers

registry_key

Manages individual Registry keys.

Parameters

All parameters are required unless otherwise stated.

ensure

Tells Puppet whether the key should or shouldn't exist. Valid options: 'present' and 'absent'. Default value: 'present'.

path

Specifies a Registry key for Puppet to manage. If any of the parent keys in the path don't exist, Puppet creates them automatically. Valid options: a string containing a Registry path. For example: HKLM\Software or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Vendor.

If Puppet is running on a 64-bit system, manage the 32-bit Registry key using a prefix, for example: 32:HKLM\Software.

purge_values

Optional. Specifies whether to delete any values in the specified key that are not managed by Puppet. Valid options: true and false. Default value: false.

For more on this parameter, see the Purge existing values section under Usage.

registry_value

Manages individual Registry values.

The title of the resource determines the path and value name that will be managed, for example:

The manifest below manages the value called 'foo' in the key 'HKLM\Software'

registry_value { 'HKLM\Software\foo':
  ...
}

You can also manage the default value of a key by adding a backslash at the end of the path. The manifest below manages the default value in the key 'HKLM\Software\Vendor'

registry_value { 'HKLM\Software\Vendor\\':
  ...
}

Use a double backslash between the registry path and value name when managing a value with a back slash in the name. For example the manifest below manages a value called 'A\Backslash' in the registry path 'HKLM\Software\Vendor'

registry_value { 'HKLM\Software\Vendor\\\A\Backslash':
  ...
}

Note that the resource title has a triple backslash instead of the suggested double. Unfortunately the backslash character can also be an escape sequence character in the text string. In the example above '\' will actually be interpreted by Puppet as '\'

See the single quoted strings documention for more information.

Parameters

All parameters are required unless otherwise stated.

path

The path to the registry value to manage. For example: 'HKLM\Software\Value1', 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Vendor\Value2'. If Puppet is running on a 64-bit system, the 32-bit registry key can be explicitly managed using a prefix. For example: '32:HKLM\Software\Value3'. Use a double backslash between the value name and path when managing a value with a backslash in the name.

ensure

Tells Puppet whether the value should or shouldn't exist. Valid options: 'present' and 'absent'. Default value: 'present'.

type

Optional. Sets the data type of the specified value. Valid options: 'string', 'array', 'dword', 'qword', 'binary' and 'expand'. Default value: 'string'.

data

Provides the contents of the specified value. Valid options: a string by default; an array if specified through the type parameter.

Limitations

• Keys within HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (hklm), HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (hkcr) or HKEY_USERS (hku) are supported. Other predefined root keys (e.g., HKEY_CURRENT_USER) are not currently supported.
• Puppet doesn't recursively delete Registry keys.

Please report any issues through our Module Issue Tracker.

Development

Puppet Inc modules on the Puppet Forge are open projects, and community contributions are essential for keeping them great. We can't access the huge number of platforms and myriad of hardware, software, and deployment configurations that Puppet is intended to serve.

We want to keep it as easy as possible to contribute changes so that our modules work in your environment. There are a few guidelines that we need contributors to follow so that we can have a chance of keeping on top of things.

For more information, see our module contribution guide.

Contributors

To see who's already involved, see the list of contributors.