Provided by: bcfg2_1.3.5-4ubuntu1_all 
NAME
bcfg2.conf - Configuration parameters for Bcfg2
DESCRIPTION
bcfg2.conf includes configuration parameters for the Bcfg2 server and client.
FILE FORMAT
The file is INI-style and consists of sections and options. A section begins with the name of the
sections in square brackets and continues until the next section begins.
Options are specified in the form "name=value".
The file is line-based each newline-terminated line represents either a comment, a section name or an
option.
Any line beginning with a hash (#) is ignored, as are lines containing only whitespace.
SERVER OPTIONS
These options are only necessary on the Bcfg2 server. They are specified in the [server] section of the
configuration file.
repository
Specifies the path to the Bcfg2 repository containing all of the configuration specifications. The
repository should be created using the bcfg2-admin init command.
filemonitor
The file monitor used to watch for changes in the repository. The default is the best available
monitor. The following values are valid:
inotify
gamin
fam
pseudo
fam_blocking
Whether the server should block at startup until the file monitor backend has processed all
events. This can cause a slower startup, but ensure that all files are recognized before the first
client is handled.
ignore_files
A comma-separated list of globs that should be ignored by the file monitor. Default values are:
*~
*#
#*
*.swp
*.swpx
*.swx
SCCS
.svn
4913
.gitignore
listen_all
This setting tells the server to listen on all available interfaces. The default is to only
listen on those interfaces specified by the bcfg2 setting in the components section of bcfg2.conf.
plugins
A comma-delimited list of enabled server plugins. Currently available plugins are:
Account
Base
Bundler
Bzr
Cfg
Cvs
Darcs
DBStats
Decisions
Deps
Editor
FileProbes
Fossil
Git
GroupPatterns
Guppy
Hg
Hostbase
Ldap
Metadata
NagiosGen
Ohai
Packages
Pkgmgr
POSIXCompat
Probes
Properties
PuppetENC
Reporting
Rules
SEModules
ServiceCompat
Snapshots
SSHbase
SSLCA
Statistics
Svn
TCheetah
TemplateHelper
TGenshi
Trigger
Descriptions of each plugin can be found in their respective sections below.
prefix Specifies a prefix if the Bcfg2 installation isn't placed in the default location (e.g.
/usr/local).
backend
Specifies which server core backend to use. Current available options are:
cherrypy
builtin
best
The default is best, which is currently an alias for builtin. More details on the backends can be
found in the official documentation.
user The username or UID to run the daemon as. Default is 0.
group The group name or GID to run the daemon as. Default is 0.
vcs_root
Specifies the path to the root of the VCS working copy that holds your Bcfg2 specification, if it
is different from repository. E.g., if the VCS repository does not hold the bcfg2 data at the top
level, you may need to set this option.
umask The umask to set for the server. Default is 0077.
SERVER PLUGINS
This section has a listing of all the plugins currently provided with Bcfg2.
Account Plugin
The account plugin manages authentication data, including the following.
• /etc/passwd
• /etc/group
• /etc/security/limits.conf
• /etc/sudoers
• /root/.ssh/authorized_keys
Base Plugin
The Base plugin is a structure plugin that provides the ability to add lists of unrelated entries into
client configuration entry inventories. Base works much like Bundler in its file format. This structure
plugin is good for the pile of independent configs needed for most actual systems.
Bundler Plugin
The Bundler plugin is used to describe groups of inter-dependent configuration entries, such as the
combination of packages, configuration files, and service activations that comprise typical Unix daemons.
Bundles are used to add groups of configuration entries to the inventory of client configurations, as
opposed to describing particular versions of those entries.
Bzr Plugin
The Bzr plugin allows you to track changes to your Bcfg2 repository using a GNU Bazaar version control
backend. Currently, it enables you to get revision information out of your repository for reporting
purposes.
Cfg Plugin
The Cfg plugin provides a repository to describe configuration file contents for clients. In its simplest
form, the Cfg repository is just a directory tree modeled off of the directory tree on your client
machines.
Cvs Plugin (experimental)
The Cvs plugin allows you to track changes to your Bcfg2 repository using a Concurrent version control
backend. Currently, it enables you to get revision information out of your repository for reporting
purposes.
Darcs Plugin (experimental)
The Darcs plugin allows you to track changes to your Bcfg2 repository using a Darcs version control
backend. Currently, it enables you to get revision information out of your repository for reporting
purposes.
DBStats Plugin
Direct to database statistics plugin.
Decisions Plugin
The Decisions plugin has support for a centralized set of per-entry installation decisions. This approach
is needed when particular changes are deemed "high risk"; this gives the ability to centrally specify
these changes, but only install them on clients when administrator supervision is available.
Defaults Plugin
The Defaults plugin can be used to populate default attributes for entries. Defaults is not a Generator
plugin, so it does not actually bind an entry; Defaults are applied after an entry has been bound, and
only populate attributes that are not yet set.
Deps Plugin
The Deps plugin allows you to make a series of assertions like "Package X requires Package Y (and
optionally also Package Z etc.)"
Editor Plugin
The Editor plugin attempts to allow you to partially manage configuration for a file. Its use is not
recommended and not well documented.
FileProbes Plugin
The FileProbes plugin allows you to probe a client for a file, which is then added to the Cfg
specification. If the file changes on the client, FileProbes can either update it in the specification or
allow Cfg to replace it.
Fossil Plugin
The Fossil plugin allows you to track changes to your Bcfg2 repository using a Fossil SCM version control
backend. Currently, it enables you to get revision information out of your repository for reporting
purposes.
Git Plugin
The Git plugin allows you to track changes to your Bcfg2 repository using a Git version control backend.
Currently, it enables you to get revision information out of your repository for reporting purposes.
GroupPatterns Plugin
The GroupPatterns plugin is a connector that can assign clients group membership based on patterns in
client hostnames.
Guppy Plugin
The Guppy plugin is used to trace memory leaks within the bcfg2-server process using Guppy.
Hg Plugin (experimental)
The Hg plugin allows you to track changes to your Bcfg2 repository using a Mercurial version control
backend. Currently, it enables you to get revision information out of your repository for reporting
purposes.
Hostbase Plugin
The Hostbase plugin is an IP management system built on top of Bcfg2.
Ldap Plugin
The Ldap plugin makes it possible to fetch data from an LDAP directory, process it and attach it to your
metadata.
Metadata Plugin
The Metadata plugin is the primary method of specifying Bcfg2 server metadata.
NagiosGen Plugin
The NagiosGen plugin dynamically generates Nagios configuration files based on Bcfg2 data.
Ohai Plugin (experimental)
The Ohai plugin is used to detect information about the client operating system. The data is reported
back to the server using JSON.
Packages Plugin
The Packages plugin is an alternative to Pkgmgr for specifying package entries for clients. Where Pkgmgr
explicitly specifies package entry information, Packages delegates control of package version information
to the underlying package manager, installing the latest version available from through those channels.
Pkgmgr Plugin
The Pkgmgr plugin resolves the Abstract Configuration Entity "Package" to a package specification that
the client can use to detect, verify and install the specified package.
POSIXCompat Plugin
The POSIXCompat plugin provides a compatibility layer for 1.3 POSIX Entries so that they are compatible
with older clients.
Probes Plugin
The Probes plugin gives you the ability to gather information from a client machine before you generate
its configuration. This information can be used with the various templating systems to generate
configuration based on the results.
Properties Plugin
The Properties plugin is a connector plugin that adds information from properties files into client
metadata instances.
PuppetENC Plugin
The PuppetENC plugin is a connector plugin that adds support for Puppet External Node Classifiers.
Reporting Plugin
The Reporting plugin enables the collection of data for use with Bcfg2's dynamic reporting system.
Rules Plugin
The Rules plugin provides literal configuration entries that resolve the abstract configuration entries
normally found in the Bundler and Base plugins. The literal entries in Rules are suitable for consumption
by the appropriate client drivers.
SEModules Plugin
The SEModules plugin provides a way to distribute SELinux modules via Bcfg2.
ServiceCompat Plugin
The ServiceCompat plugin converts service entries for older clients.
Snapshots Plugin
The Snapshots plugin stores various aspects of a client’s state when the client checks in to the server.
SSHbase Plugin
The SSHbase generator plugin manages ssh host keys (both v1 and v2) for hosts. It also manages the
ssh_known_hosts file. It can integrate host keys from other management domains and similarly export its
keys.
SSLCA Plugin
The SSLCA plugin is designed to handle creation of SSL privatekeys and certificates on request.
Statistics
The Statistics plugin is deprecated (see Reporting).
Svn Plugin
The Svn plugin allows you to track changes to your Bcfg2 repository using a Subversion backend.
Currently, it enables you to get revision information out of your repository for reporting purposes.
TCheetah Plugin
The TCheetah plugin allows you to use the cheetah templating system to create files. It also allows you
to include the results of probes executed on the client in the created files.
TGenshi Plugin
The TGenshi plugin allows you to use the Genshi templating system to create files. It also allows you to
include the results of probes executed on the client in the created files.
Trigger Plugin
The Trigger plugin provides a method for calling external scripts when clients are configured.
CACHING OPTIONS
These options are specified in the [caching] section.
client_metadata
The following four caching modes are available for client metadata:
• off: No caching of client metadata objects is performed. This is the default.
• initial: Only initial metadata objects are cached. Initial metadata objects are created only
from the data in the Metadata plugin, before additional groups from other plugins are merged
in.
• cautious: Final metadata objects are cached, but each client’s cache is cleared at the start
of each client run, immediately after probe data is received. Cache is also cleared as in
aggressive mode. on is a synonym for cautious.
• aggressive: Final metadata objects are cached. Each plugin is responsible for clearing cache
when appropriate.
CLIENT OPTIONS
These options only affect client functionality. They can be specified in the [client] section.
decision
Specify the server decision list mode (whitelist or blacklist). (This settiing will be ignored
if the client is called with the -f option).
drivers
Specify tool driver set to use. This option can be used to explicitly specify the client tool
drivers you want to use when the client is run.
paranoid
Run the client in paranoid mode.
profile
Assert the given profile for the host.
COMMUNICATION OPTIONS
Specified in the [communication] section. These options define settings used for client-server
communication.
ca The path to a file containing the CA certificate. This file is required on the server, and
optional on clients. However, if the cacert is not present on clients, the server cannot be
verified.
certificate
The path to a file containing a PEM formatted certificate which signs the key with the ca
certificate. This setting is required on the server in all cases, and required on clients if
using client certificates.
key Specifies the path to a file containing the SSL Key. This is required on the server in all
cases, and required on clients if using client certificates.
password
Required on both the server and clients. On the server, sets the password clients need to use
to communicate. On a client, sets the password to use to connect to the server.
protocol
Communication protocol to use. Defaults to xmlrpc/ssl.
retries
A client-only option. Number of times to retry network communication. Default is 3 retries.
retry_delay
A client-only option. Number of seconds to wait in between retrying network communication.
Default is 1 second.
serverCommonNames
A client-only option. A colon-separated list of Common Names the client will accept in the SSL
certificate presented by the server.
timeout
A client-only option. The network communication timeout.
user A client-only option. The UUID of the client.
COMPONENT OPTIONS
Specified in the [components] section.
bcfg2 URL of the server. On the server this specifies which interface and port the server listens on.
On the client, this specifies where the client will attempt to contact the server.
e.g. bcfg2 = https://10.3.1.6:6789
encoding
Text encoding of configuration files. Defaults to UTF-8.
lockfile
The path to the client lock file, which is used to ensure that only one Bcfg2 client runs at a
time on a single client.
LOGGING OPTIONS
Specified in the [logging] section. These options control the server logging functionality.
debug Whether or not to enable debug-level log output. Default is false.
path Server log file path.
syslog Whether or not to send logging data to syslog. Default is true.
verbose
Whether or not to enable verbose log output. Default is false.
MDATA OPTIONS
Specified in the [mdata] section. These options affect the default metadata settings for Paths with
type='file'.
owner Global owner for Paths (defaults to root)
group Global group for Paths (defaults to root)
mode Global permissions for Paths (defaults to 644)
secontext
Global SELinux context for Path entries (defaults to __default__, which restores the expected
context)
paranoid
Global paranoid settings for Paths (defaults to false)
sensitive
Global sensitive settings for Paths (defaults to false)
important
Global important settings for Paths. Defaults to false.
PACKAGES OPTIONS
The following options are specified in the [packages] section.
resolver
Enable dependency resolution. Default is 1 (true).
metadata
Enable metadata processing. Default is 1 (true). If metadata is disabled, it’s implied that
resolver is also disabled.
yum_config
The path at which to generate Yum configs. No default.
apt_config
The path at which to generate APT configs. No default.
gpg_keypath
The path on the client where RPM GPG keys will be copied before they are imported on the
client. Default is /etc/pki/rpm-gpg.
version
Set the version attribute used when binding Packages. Default is auto.
The following options are specified in the [packages:yum] section.
use_yum_libraries
By default, Bcfg2 uses an internal implementation of Yum’s dependency resolution and other
routines so that the Bcfg2 server can be run on a host that does not support Yum itself. If you
run the Bcfg2 server on a machine that does have Yum libraries, however, you can enable use of
those native libraries in Bcfg2 by setting this to 1.
helper Path to bcfg2-yum-helper. By default, Bcfg2 looks first in $PATH and then in
/usr/sbin/bcfg2-yum-helper for the helper.
The following options are specified in the [packages:pulp] section.
username
The username of a Pulp user that will be used to register new clients and bind them to
repositories.
password
The password of a Pulp user that will be used to register new clients and bind them to
repositories.
All other options in the [packages:yum] section will be passed along verbatim to the Yum configuration if
you are using the native Yum library support.
PARANOID OPTIONS
These options allow for finer-grained control of the paranoid mode on the Bcfg2 client. They are
specified in the [paranoid] section of the configuration file.
path Custom path for backups created in paranoid mode. The default is in /var/cache/bcfg2.
max_copies
Specify a maximum number of copies for the server to keep when running in paranoid mode. Only
the most recent versions of these copies will be kept.
SNAPSHOTS OPTIONS
Specified in the [snapshots] section. These options control the server snapshots functionality.
driver sqlite
database
The name of the database to use for statistics data.
e.g.: $REPOSITORY_DIR/etc/bcfg2.sqlite
SSLCA OPTIONS
These options are necessary to configure the SSLCA plugin and can be found in the [sslca_default] section
of the configuration file.
config Specifies the location of the openssl configuration file for your CA.
passphrase
Specifies the passphrase for the CA’s private key (if necessary). If no passphrase exists, it
is assumed that the private key is stored unencrypted.
chaincert
Specifies the location of your ssl chaining certificate. This is used when pre-existing
certifcate hostfiles are found, so that they can be validated and only regenerated if they no
longer meet the specification. If you’re using a self signing CA this would be the CA cert that
you generated.
DATABASE OPTIONS
Server-only, specified in the [database] section. These options control the database connection of the
server.
engine The database engine used by the statistics module. One of the following:
postgresql
mysql
sqlite3
ado_mssql
name The name of the database to use for statistics data. If 'database_engine' is set to 'sqlite3'
this is a file path to the sqlite file and defaults to $REPOSITORY_DIR/etc/brpt.sqlite.
user User for database connections. Not used for sqlite3.
password
Password for database connections. Not used for sqlite3.
host Host for database connections. Not used for sqlite3.
port Port for database connections. Not used for sqlite3.
options
Various options for the database connection. The value is expected as multiple key=value pairs,
separated with commas. The concrete value depends on the database engine.
REPORTING OPTIONS
config Specifies the location of the reporting configuration (default is /etc/bcfg2-web.conf.
time_zone
Specifies a time zone other than that used on the system. (Note that this will cause the Bcfg2
server to log messages in this time zone as well).
web_debug
Turn on Django debugging.
SEE ALSO
bcfg2(1), bcfg2-server(8)
1.3 July 19, 2013 BCFG2.CONF(5)