knife node

A node is any device—physical, virtual, cloud, network device, etc.—that is under management by Chef Infra.

Use the knife node subcommand to manage the nodes that exist on a Chef Infra Server.

Note

Review the list of common options available to this (and all) knife subcommands and plugins.

bulk delete

Use the bulk delete argument to delete one or more nodes that match a pattern defined by a regular expression. The regular expression must be within quotes and not be surrounded by forward slashes (/).

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node bulk delete REGEX

Options

This command does not have any specific options.

Examples

The following examples show how to use this knife subcommand:

Bulk delete nodes

Use a regular expression to define the pattern used to bulk delete nodes:

knife node bulk delete "^[0-9]{3}$"

Type Y to confirm a deletion.

create

Use the create argument to add a node to the Chef Infra Server. Node data is stored as JSON on the Chef Infra Server.

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node create NODE_NAME

Options

This command does not have any specific options.

Examples

The following examples show how to use this knife subcommand:

Create a node

To add a node named node1, enter:

knife node create node1

In the $EDITOR enter the node data in JSON:

{
   "normal": {
   },
   "name": "foobar",
   "override": {
   },
   "default": {
   },
   "json_class": "Chef::Node",
   "automatic": {
   },
   "run_list": [
      "recipe[zsh]",
      "role[webserver]"
   ],
   "chef_type": "node"
}

When finished, save it.

delete

Use the delete argument to delete a node from the Chef Infra Server. If using Chef Client 12.17 or later, you can delete multiple nodes using this subcommand.

Note

Deleting a node will not delete any corresponding API clients.

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node delete NODE_NAME

Options

This command does not have any specific options.

Examples

The following examples show how to use this knife subcommand:

Delete a node

To delete a node named node1, enter:

knife node delete node1

edit

Use the edit argument to edit the details of a node on a Chef Infra Server. Node data is stored as JSON on the Chef Infra Server.

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node edit NODE_NAME (options)

Options

This argument has the following options:

-a, --all: Display a node in the $EDITOR. By default, attributes that are default, override, or automatic, are not shown.

Examples

The following examples show how to use this knife subcommand:

Edit a node

To edit the data for a node named node1, enter:

knife node edit node1 -a

Update the role data in JSON:

{
   "normal": {
   },
   "name": "node1",
   "override": {
   },
   "default": {
   },
   "json_class": "Chef::Node",
   "automatic": {
   },
   "run_list": [
      "recipe[devops]",
      "role[webserver]"
   ],
   "chef_type": "node"
}

When finished, save it.

environment set

Use the environment set argument to set the environment for a node without editing the node object.

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node environment_set NODE_NAME ENVIRONMENT_NAME (options)

Options

This command does not have any specific options.

Examples

None.

from file

Use the from file argument to create a node using existing node data as a template.

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node from file FILE

Options

This command does not have any specific options.

Examples

The following examples show how to use this knife subcommand:

Create a node using a JSON file

To add a node using data contained in a JSON file:

knife node from file "PATH_TO_JSON_FILE"

list

Use the list argument to view all of the nodes that exist on a Chef Infra Server.

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node list (options)

Options

This argument has the following options:

-w, --with-uri: Show the corresponding URIs.

Note

See config.rb for more information about how to add certain knife options as settings in the config.rb file.

Examples

The following examples show how to use this knife subcommand:

View a list of nodes

To verify the list of nodes that are registered with the Chef Infra Server, enter:

knife node list

to return something similar to:

i-12345678
rs-123456

policy set

Use the policy set argument to set the policy group and policy name for a node.

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node policy set NODE POLICY_GROUP POLICY_NAME

Examples

Set the policy group and policy name for a node named test-node:

knife node policy set test-node 'test-group' 'test-name'

run_list add

A run-list defines all of the information necessary for Chef to configure a node into the desired state. A run-list is:

An ordered list of roles and/or recipes that are run in the exact order defined in the run-list; if a recipe appears more than once in the run-list, Chef Infra Client will not run it twice
Always specific to the node on which it runs; nodes may have a run-list that is identical to the run-list used by other nodes
Stored as part of the node object on the Chef server
Maintained using knife and then uploaded from the workstation to the Chef Infra Server, or maintained using Chef Automate

Use the run_list add argument to add run-list items (roles or recipes) to a node.

A run-list must be in one of the following formats: fully qualified, cookbook, or default. Both roles and recipes must be in quotes, for example:

"role[NAME]"

"recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE]"

Use a comma to separate roles and recipes when adding more than one item the run-list:

"recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE],COOKBOOK::RECIPE,role[NAME]"

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node run_list add NODE_NAME RUN_LIST_ITEM (options)

Warning

When running knife in Microsoft Windows, a string may be interpreted as a wildcard pattern when quotes are not present in the command. The number of quotes to use depends on the shell from which the command is being run.

When running knife from the command prompt, a string should be surrounded by single quotes (' '). For example:

knife node run_list set test-node 'recipe[iptables]'

When running knife from Windows PowerShell, a string should be surrounded by triple single quotes (''' '''). For example:

knife node run_list set test-node '''recipe[iptables]'''

Note

The Chef Client 12.4 release adds an optional feature to the Microsoft Installer Package (MSI) for Chef. This feature enables the ability to pass quoted strings from the Windows PowerShell command line without the need for triple single quotes (''' '''). This feature installs a Windows PowerShell module (typically in C:\opscode\chef\modules) that is also appended to the PSModulePath environment variable. This feature is not enabled by default. To activate this feature, run the following command from within Windows PowerShell:

Import-Module chef

or add Import-Module chef to the profile for Windows PowerShell located at:

~\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1

This module exports cmdlets that have the same name as the command-line tools—chef-client, knife, chef-apply—that are built into Chef.

For example:

knife exec -E 'puts ARGV' """&s0meth1ng"""

is now:

knife exec -E 'puts ARGV' '&s0meth1ng'

and:

knife node run_list set test-node '''role[ssssssomething]'''

is now:

knife node run_list set test-node 'role[ssssssomething]'

To remove this feature, run the following command from within Windows PowerShell:

Remove-Module chef

Options

This argument has the following options:

-a ITEM, --after ITEM: Add a run-list item after the specified run-list item.
-b ITEM, --before ITEM: Add a run-list item before the specified run-list item.

Note

See config.rb for more information about how to add certain knife options as settings in the config.rb file.

Examples

The following examples show how to use this knife subcommand:

Add a role

To add a role to a run-list, enter:

knife node run_list add NODE_NAME 'role[ROLE_NAME]'

Add roles and recipes

To add roles and recipes to a run-list, enter:

knife node run_list add NODE_NAME 'recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME],recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME],role[ROLE_NAME]'

Add a recipe with a FQDN

To add a recipe to a run-list using the fully qualified format, enter:

knife node run_list add NODE_NAME 'recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME]'

Add a recipe with a cookbook

To add a recipe to a run-list using the cookbook format, enter:

knife node run_list add NODE_NAME 'COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME'

Add the default recipe

To add the default recipe of a cookbook to a run-list, enter:

knife node run_list add NODE_NAME 'COOKBOOK'

run_list remove

Use the run_list remove argument to remove run-list items (roles or recipes) from a node. A recipe must be in one of the following formats: fully qualified, cookbook, or default. Both roles and recipes must be in quotes, for example: 'role[ROLE_NAME]' or 'recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME]'. Use a comma to separate roles and recipes when removing more than one, like this: 'recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME],COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME,role[ROLE_NAME]'.

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node run_list remove NODE_NAME RUN_LIST_ITEM

Options

This command does not have any specific options.

Note

See config.rb for more information about how to add certain knife options as settings in the config.rb file.

Examples

The following examples show how to use this knife subcommand:

Remove a role

To remove a role from a run-list, enter:

knife node run_list remove NODE_NAME 'role[ROLE_NAME]'

Remove a run-list

To remove a recipe from a run-list using the fully qualified format, enter:

knife node run_list remove NODE_NAME 'recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME]'

run_list set

Use the run_list set argument to set the run-list for a node. A recipe must be in one of the following formats: fully qualified, cookbook, or default. Both roles and recipes must be in quotes, for example: "role[ROLE_NAME]" or "recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME]". Use a comma to separate roles and recipes when setting more than one, like this: "recipe[COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME],COOKBOOK::RECIPE_NAME,role[ROLE_NAME]".

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node run_list set NODE_NAME RUN_LIST_ITEM

Warning

When running knife from the command prompt, a string should be surrounded by single quotes (' '). For example:

knife node run_list set test-node 'recipe[iptables]'

When running knife from Windows PowerShell, a string should be surrounded by triple single quotes (''' '''). For example:

knife node run_list set test-node '''recipe[iptables]'''

Note

Import-Module chef

or add Import-Module chef to the profile for Windows PowerShell located at:

~\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1

This module exports cmdlets that have the same name as the command-line tools—chef-client, knife, chef-apply—that are built into Chef.

For example:

knife exec -E 'puts ARGV' """&s0meth1ng"""

is now:

knife exec -E 'puts ARGV' '&s0meth1ng'

and:

knife node run_list set test-node '''role[ssssssomething]'''

is now:

knife node run_list set test-node 'role[ssssssomething]'

To remove this feature, run the following command from within Windows PowerShell:

Remove-Module chef

Options

This command does not have any specific options.

Examples

None.

show

Use the show argument to display information about a node.

Syntax

This argument has the following syntax:

knife node show NODE_NAME (options)

Options

This argument has the following options:

-a ATTR, --attribute ATTR: The attribute (or attributes) to show.
-F json, --format=json: Display output as JSON.
-l, --long: Display all attributes in the output.
-m, --medium: Display normal attributes in the output.
-r, --run-list: Show only the run-list.

Examples

The following examples show how to use this knife subcommand:

Show all data about nodes

To view all data for a node named build, enter:

knife node show build

to return:

Node Name: build
Environment: _default
FQDN:
IP:
Run List:
Roles:
Recipes:
Platform:

Show basic information about nodes

To show basic information about a node, truncated and nicely formatted:

knife node show NODE_NAME

Show all data about nodes, truncated

To show all information about a node, nicely formatted:

knife node show -l NODE_NAME

Show attributes

To list a single node attribute:

knife node show NODE_NAME -a ATTRIBUTE_NAME

where ATTRIBUTE_NAME is something like kernel or platform.

To list a nested attribute:

knife node show NODE_NAME -a ATTRIBUTE_NAME.NESTED_ATTRIBUTE_NAME

where ATTRIBUTE_NAME is something like kernel and NESTED_ATTRIBUTE_NAME is something like machine.

Show the FQDN

To view the FQDN for a node named i-12345678, enter:

knife node show i-12345678 -a fqdn

to return:

fqdn: ip-10-251-75-20.ec2.internal

Show a run-list

To view the run-list for a node named dev, enter:

knife node show dev -r

Show as JSON data

To view information in JSON format, use the -F common option; use a command like this for a node named devops:

knife node show devops -F json

Other formats available include text, yaml, and pp.

Show as raw JSON data

To view node information in raw JSON, use the -l or --long option:

knife node show -l -F json NODE_NAME

and/or:

knife node show -l --format=json NODE_NAME