windows_feature resource¶

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Use the windows_feature resource to add, remove or entirely delete Windows features and roles. This resource calls the windows_feature_dism or windows_feature_powershell resources depending on the specified installation method, and defaults to DISM, which is available on both Workstation and Server editions of Windows.

New in Chef Client 14.0.

Syntax¶

The windows_feature resource has the following syntax:

windows_feature 'name' do
  all                   true, false # default value: false
  feature_name          Array, String # default value: 'name' unless specified
  install_method        Symbol
  management_tools      true, false # default value: false
  source                String
  timeout               Integer # default value: 600
  action                Symbol # defaults to :install if not specified
end

where:

windows_feature is the resource.
name is the name given to the resource block.
action identifies which steps the chef-client will take to bring the node into the desired state.
all, feature_name, install_method, management_tools, source, and timeout are the properties available to this resource.

Actions¶

:install: Default. Install a Windows role / feature using PowerShell.
:remove: Remove a Windows role / feature using PowerShell.
:delete: Delete a Windows role / feature from the image using PowerShell.
:nothing: Define this resource block to do nothing until notified by another resource to take action. When this resource is notified, this resource block is either run immediately or it is queued up to be run at the end of the Chef Client run.

Properties¶

all

Ruby Type: true, false | Default Value: false

Install all subfeatures.

feature_name

Ruby Type: Array, String | Default Value: 'name'

The name of the feature(s) or role(s) to install, if it differs from the resource block name.

management_tools

Ruby Type: true, false | Default Value: false

Install all applicable management tools for the roles, role services, or features (PowerShell-only).

notifies

Ruby Type: Symbol, ‘Chef::Resource[String]’

A resource may notify another resource to take action when its state changes. Specify a 'resource[name]', the :action that resource should take, and then the :timer for that action. A resource may notify more than one resource; use a notifies statement for each resource to be notified.

A timer specifies the point during the Chef Client run at which a notification is run. The following timers are available:

:before: Specifies that the action on a notified resource should be run before processing the resource block in which the notification is located.
:delayed: Default. Specifies that a notification should be queued up, and then executed at the end of the Chef Client run.
:immediate, :immediately: Specifies that a notification should be run immediately, per resource notified.

The syntax for notifies is:

notifies :action, 'resource[name]', :timer

source

Ruby Type: String

Specify a local repository for the feature install.

subscribes

Ruby Type: Symbol, ‘Chef::Resource[String]’

A resource may listen to another resource, and then take action if the state of the resource being listened to changes. Specify a 'resource[name]', the :action to be taken, and then the :timer for that action.

Note that subscribes does not apply the specified action to the resource that it listens to - for example:

file '/etc/nginx/ssl/example.crt' do
   mode '0600'
   owner 'root'
end

service 'nginx' do
   subscribes :reload, 'file[/etc/nginx/ssl/example.crt]', :immediately
end

In this case the subscribes property reloads the nginx service whenever its certificate file, located under /etc/nginx/ssl/example.crt, is updated. subscribes does not make any changes to the certificate file itself, it merely listens for a change to the file, and executes the :reload action for its resource (in this example nginx) when a change is detected.

A timer specifies the point during the Chef Client run at which a notification is run. The following timers are available:

:before: Specifies that the action on a notified resource should be run before processing the resource block in which the notification is located.
:delayed: Default. Specifies that a notification should be queued up, and then executed at the end of the Chef Client run.
:immediate, :immediately: Specifies that a notification should be run immediately, per resource notified.

The syntax for subscribes is:

subscribes :action, 'resource[name]', :timer

timeout

Ruby Type: Integer | Default Value: 600

Specifies a timeout (in seconds) for the feature installation.