Define skills

This document describes how to define the set of required skills on a node or set of nodes.

A skill is an agent that gives you the ability to perform actions on a node to achieve an outcome.

Prerequisites

Node Management agent is registered.
The Chef Infra Client interpreter requires Chef Infra Client installed on each node.
The Chef InSpec interpreter requires Chef InSpec installed on each node.

Create skill definitions

The following Chef 360 Platform skills are required or recommended for managing nodes, running actions, and returning action results:

Courier Runner skill
Gohai skill
Shell interpreter skill
Restart interpreter skill
Chef Client interpreter skill

Courier Runner

The Courier Runner skill interprets the Courier Job definitions sent to it by the Courier Dispatcher and executes them on the node.

Create a JSON file called courier-runner-skill.json containing the following skill definition for Courier Runner:

{
    "name": "courier-runner",
    "canister": {
        "name": "courier-runner",
        "origin": "chef-platform",
        "service": true
    },
    "configurationTemplates": [
        {
            "content": "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",
            "fileName": "user.toml",
            "filePath": "/hab/user/courier-runner/config",
            "name": "courier-runner-template",
            "windowsFilePath": "c:\\hab\\user\\courier-runner\\config"
        }
    ]
}

Note

If the skill is registered as a service, then the name and canister.name fields must be identical.

Create the skill:

chef-node-management-cli management skill create-skill --body-file courier-runner-skill.json --profile <NODE_MANAGER_PROFILE_NAME>

Gohai

The Gohai skill collects attributes about a node in addition to attributes collected by the Node Management agent.

Create a file named gohai-skill.json containing the skill definition for gohai.

{
    "name": "chef-gohai",
    "canister": {
        "origin": "chef-platform",
        "name": "chef-gohai",
        "service": true
    },
    "configurationTemplates": [
        {
            "content": "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",
            "fileName": "user.toml",
            "filePath": "/hab/user/chef-gohai/config",
            "name": "default",
            "windowsFilePath": "c:\\hab\\user\\chef-gohai\\config"
        }
    ]
}

Note

If the skill is registered as a service, then the name and canister.name fields must be identical.

Create the skill:

chef-node-management-cli management skill create-skill --body-file gohai-skill.json --profile <NODE_MANAGER_PROFILE_NAME>

Shell interpreter

The Shell interpreter skill executes OS commands in a Courier Job.

Create a file named shell-interpreter-skill.json containing the skill definition:

{
    "name": "shell-interpreter",
    "canister": {
        "origin": "chef-platform",
        "name": "shell-interpreter",
        "service": false
    },
    "configurationTemplates": []
}

Create the skill:

chef-node-management-cli management skill create-skill --body-file shell-interpreter-skill.json --profile <NODE_MANAGER_PROFILE_NAME>

For more information, see the Shell interpreter documentation

Restart interpreter

If your jobs will reboot a node, then you need the Restart interpreter skill.

Create a file named restart-interpreter-skill.json containing the skill definition.

{
  "name": "restart-interpreter",
  "canister": {
    "origin": "chef-platform",
    "name": "restart-interpreter",
    "service": false
  },
  "configurationTemplates": []
}

Create the skill:

chef-node-management-cli management skill create-skill --body-file restart-interpreter-skill.json --profile <NODE_MANAGER_PROFILE_NAME>

For more information, see the Restart interpreter documentation

Chef Infra Client interpreter

If your Courier jobs will invoke Infra Client runs, then you need the Chef Infra Client interpreter skill.

Create a file named chef-client-interpreter-skill.json and add the following the skill definition.

{
  "name": "chef-client-interpreter",
  "canister": {
    "origin": "chef-platform",
    "name": "chef-client-interpreter",
    "service": false
  },
  "configurationTemplates": []
}

Create the skill:

chef-node-management-cli management skill create-skill --body-file chef-client-interpreter-skill.json --profile <NODE_MANAGER_PROFILE_NAME>

For more information, see the Chef Infra Client interpreter documentation

Chef InSpec interpreter

If your Courier jobs will invoke Chef InSpec scans, then you need the Chef InSpec interpreter skill.

Create a file named inspec-interpreter-skill.json and add the following skill definition.

{
  "name": "inspec-interpreter",
  "canister": {
    "origin": "chef-platform",
    "name": "inspec-interpreter",
    "service": false
  },
  "configurationTemplates": []
}

Create the skill:

chef-node-management-cli management skill create-skill --body-file inspec-interpreter-skill.json --profile <NODE_MANAGER_PROFILE_NAME>

For more information, see the InSpec interpreter documentation

Verify skills

Get a list of all the defined skills using the find-all-skills subcommand:
```
chef-node-management-cli management skill find-all-skills --profile <NODE_MANAGER_PROFILE_NAME>
```
It returns an output listing the defined skills.

More information

See the documentation on defining skills.

Next step

Create a skill assembly that adds or removes skills from nodes.