yum_package resource¶

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Use the yum_package resource to install, upgrade, and remove packages with Yum for the Red Hat and CentOS platforms. The yum_package resource is able to resolve provides data for packages much like Yum can do when it is run from the command line. This allows a variety of options for installing packages, like minimum versions, virtual provides, and library names.

Note

Support for using file names to install packages (as in yum_package "/bin/sh") is not available because the volume of data required to parse for this is excessive.

Note

In many cases, it is better to use the package resource instead of this one. This is because when the package resource is used in a recipe, the chef-client will use details that are collected by Ohai at the start of the chef-client run to determine the correct package application. Using the package resource allows a recipe to be authored in a way that allows it to be used across many platforms.

Syntax¶

A yum_package resource block manages a package on a node, typically by installing it. The simplest use of the yum_package resource is:

yum_package 'package_name'

which will install the named package using all of the default options and the default action (:install).

The yum_package resource has the following syntax:

yum_package 'name' do
  allow_downgrade            true, false # default value: false
  arch                       String, Array
  flush_cache                Hash # default value: {"before"=>false, "after"=>false}
  options                    String, Array
  package_name               String, Array # defaults to 'name' if not specified
  source                     String
  timeout                    String, Integer
  version                    String, Array
  yum_binary                 String
  action                     Symbol # defaults to :install if not specified
end

where:

yum_package 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.
allow_downgrade, arch, flush_cache, options, package_name, response_file, response_file_variables, source, timeout, version, and yum_binary are the properties available to this resource.

Actions¶

The yum_package resource has the following actions:

:install: Default. Install a package. If a version is specified, install the specified version of the package.
:lock: Locks the yum package to a specific version.
: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.
:purge: Purge a package. This action typically removes the configuration files as well as the package.
:remove: Remove a package.
:unlock: Unlocks the yum package so that it can be upgraded to a newer version.
:upgrade: Install a package and/or ensure that a package is the latest version. This action will ignore the version attribute.

Properties¶

This resource has the following properties:

allow_downgrade

Ruby Type: true, false | Default Value: false

Downgrade a package to satisfy requested version requirements.

arch

Ruby Type: String, Array

The architecture of the package to be installed or upgraded. This value can also be passed as part of the package name.

flush_cache

Ruby Type: Array, Hash | Default Value: {"before"=>false, "after"=>false}

Flush the in-memory cache before or after a Yum operation that installs, upgrades, or removes a package. Default value: [ :before, :after ]. The value may also be a Hash: ( { :before => true/false, :after => true/false } ).

Yum automatically synchronizes remote metadata to a local cache. The chef-client creates a copy of the local cache, and then stores it in-memory during the chef-client run. The in-memory cache allows packages to be installed during the chef-client run without the need to continue synchronizing the remote metadata to the local cache while the chef-client run is in-progress.

As an array:

yum_package 'some-package' do
  #...
  flush_cache [ :before ]
  #...
end

and as a Hash:

yum_package 'some-package' do
  #...
  flush_cache( { :after => true } )
  #...
end

Note

The flush_cache property does not flush the local Yum cache! Use Yum tools—yum clean headers, yum clean packages, yum clean all—to clean the local Yum cache.

ignore_failure

Ruby Type: true, false | Default Value: false

Continue running a recipe if a resource fails for any reason.

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

options

Ruby Type: String, Array

One (or more) additional command options that are passed to the command.

package_name

Ruby Type: String, Array

One of the following: the name of a package, the name of a package and its architecture, the name of a dependency. Default value: the name of the resource block. See “Syntax” section above for more information.

retries

Ruby Type: Integer | Default Value: 0

The number of times to catch exceptions and retry the resource.

retry_delay

Ruby Type: Integer | Default Value: 2

The retry delay (in seconds).

source

Ruby Type: String

Optional. The path to a package in the local file system.

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: String, Integer

The amount of time (in seconds) to wait before timing out.

version

Ruby Type: String, Array

The version of a package to be installed or upgraded. This property is ignored when using the :upgrade action.

Multiple Packages¶

A resource may specify multiple packages and/or versions for platforms that use Yum, DNF, Apt, Zypper, or Chocolatey package managers. Specifing multiple packages and/or versions allows a single transaction to:

Download the specified packages and versions via a single HTTP transaction
Update or install multiple packages with a single resource during the chef-client run

For example, installing multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2)

Installing multiple packages with versions:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  version [ '1.3.4-2', '4.3.6-1']
end

Upgrading multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2)  do
  action :upgrade
end

Removing multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2)  do
  action :remove
end

Purging multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2)  do
  action :purge
end

Notifications, via an implicit name:

package %w(package1 package2)  do
  action :nothing
end

log 'call a notification' do
  notifies :install, 'package[package1, package2]', :immediately
end

Note

Notifications and subscriptions do not need to be updated when packages and versions are added or removed from the package_name or version properties.

Examples¶

The following examples demonstrate various approaches for using resources in recipes. If you want to see examples of how Chef uses resources in recipes, take a closer look at the cookbooks that Chef authors and maintains: https://github.com/chef-cookbooks.

Install an exact version

yum_package 'netpbm = 10.35.58-8.el5'

Install a minimum version

yum_package 'netpbm >= 10.35.58-8.el5'

Install a minimum version using the default action

yum_package 'netpbm'

To install a package

yum_package 'netpbm' do
  action :install
end

To install a partial minimum version

yum_package 'netpbm >= 10'

To install a specific architecture

yum_package 'netpbm' do
  arch 'i386'
end

or:

yum_package 'netpbm.x86_64'

To install a specific version-release

yum_package 'netpbm' do
  version '10.35.58-8.el5'
end

To install a specific version (even when older than the current)

yum_package 'tzdata' do
  version '2011b-1.el5'
  allow_downgrade true
end

Handle cookbook_file and yum_package resources in the same recipe

When a cookbook_file resource and a yum_package resource are both called from within the same recipe, use the flush_cache attribute to dump the in-memory Yum cache, and then use the repository immediately to ensure that the correct package is installed:

cookbook_file '/etc/yum.repos.d/custom.repo' do
  source 'custom'
  mode '0755'
end

yum_package 'only-in-custom-repo' do
  action :install
  flush_cache [ :before ]
end