Delta proxy minions¶

When delta proxy minions are needed¶

Normally, you would create a separate instance of proxy minion for each device that needs to be managed. However, this doesn't always scale well if you have thousands of devices. Running several thousand proxy minions can require a lot of memory and CPU.

A delta proxy minion can solve this problem: it makes it possible to run one minion that acts as the intermediary between the Salt master and the many network devices it can represent. In this scenario, one device (the delta proxy minion on the Salt master) runs several proxies. This configuration boosts performance and improves the overall scalability of the network.

Before you start¶

Before installing the delta proxy minion, ensure that:

• Your network device and firmware are supported.

• The Salt master that is acting as the control proxy minion has network access to the devices it is managing.

• You have installed, configured, and tested standard Salt proxy minions in your environment before introducing delta proxy minions into your environment.

Install or upgrade Salt¶

Ensure your Salt masters are running at least Salt version 3004. For instructions on installing or upgrading Salt, see repo.saltproject.io. For RedHat systems, see Install or Upgrade Salt.

Overview of the installation process¶

Similar to proxy minions, all the delta proxy minion configurations are done on the Salt master rather than on the minions that will be managed. The installation process has the following phases:

1. Configure the master to use delta proxy - Create a configuration file on the Salt master that defines its proxy settings.

2. Create a pillar file for each managed device - Create a pillar file for each device that will be managed by the delta proxy minion and reference these minions in the top file.

3. Create a control proxy configuration file - Create a control proxy file that lists the devices that it will manage. Then, reference this file in the top file.

4. Start the delta proxy minion - Start the delta proxy-minion service and validate that it has been set up correctly.

Configure the master to use delta proxy¶

In this step, you'll create a configuration file on the Salt master that defines its proxy settings. This is a general configuration file that tells the Salt master how to handle all proxy minions.

To create this configuration:

1. On the Salt master, navigate to the /etc/salt directory. In this directory, create a file named proxy if one doesn't already exist.

2. Open the file in your preferred editor and add the following configuration information:

   # Use delta proxy metaproxy
   metaproxy: deltaproxy
   
   # Disable the FQDNS grain
   enable_fqdns_grains: False
   
   # Enabled multprocessing
   multiprocessing: True
   

   Note

   See the following section about delta proxy configuration options for a more detailed description of these configuration options.

3. Save the file.

Your Salt master is now configured to use delta proxy. Next, you need to Create a pillar file for each managed device.

Delta proxy configuration options¶

The following table describes the configuration options used in the delta proxy configuration file:

Create a pillar file for each managed device¶

Each device that needs to be managed by delta proxy needs a separate pillar file on the Salt master. To create this file:

1. Navigate to the /srv/pillar directory.

2. In this directory create a new pillar file for a minion. For example, my_managed_device_pillar_file_01.sls.

3. Open the new file in your preferred editor and add the necessary configuration information for that minion and your environment. The following is an example pillar file for a Netmiko device:

   proxy:
     proxytype: netmiko
     device_type: arista_eos
     host: 192.0.2.1
     username: myusername
     password: mypassword
     always_alive: True
   

   Note

   The available configuration options vary depending on the proxy type (in other words, the type of device it is). To read a detailed explanation of the configuration options, refer to the proxy module documentation for the type of device you need to manage. See:

   • Salt proxy modules

   • Netmiko Salt proxy module

4. Save the file.

5. In an editor, open the top file: /srv/pillar/top.sls.

6. Add a section to the top file that indicates the minion ID of the device that will be managed. Then, list the name of the pillar file you created in the previous steps. For example:

   my_managed_device_minion_ID:
     - my_managed_device_pillar_file_01
   

7. Repeat the previous steps for each minion that needs to be managed.

You've now created the pillar file for the minions that will be managed by the delta proxy minion and you have referenced these files in the top file. Proceed to the next section.

Create a control proxy configuration file¶

On the Salt master, you'll need to create or edit a control proxy file for each control proxy. The control proxy manages several devices and issues commands to the network devices it represents. The Salt master needs at least one control proxy, but it is possible to have more than one control proxy, each managing a different set of devices.

To configure a control proxy, you'll create a file that lists the minion IDs of the minions that it will manage. Then you will reference this control proxy configuration file in the top file.

To create a control proxy configuration file:

1. On the Salt master, navigate to the /srv/pillar directory. In this directory, create a new proxy configuration file. Give this file a descriptive name, such as control_proxy_01_configuration.sls.

2. Open the file in your preferred editor and add a list of the minion IDs for each device that needs to be managed. For example:

   proxy:
     proxytype: deltaproxy
     ids:
       - my_managed_device_01
       - my_managed_device_02
       - my_managed_device_03
   

3. Save the file.

4. In an editor, open the top file: /srv/pillar/top.sls.

5. Add a section to the top file that indicates references the delta proxy control proxy. For example:

   base:
     my_managed_device_minion_01:
       - my_managed_device_pillar_file_01
     my_managed_device_minion_02:
       - my_managed_device_pillar_file_02
     my_managed_device_minion_03:
       - my_managed_device_pillar_file_03
     delta_proxy_control:
       - control_proxy_01_configuration
   

6. Repeat the previous steps for each control proxy if needed.

7. In an editor, open the proxy config file: /etc/salt/proxy. Add a section for metaproxy and set it's value to deltaproxy.

   metaproxy: deltaproxy
   

Now that you have created the necessary configurations, proceed to the next section.

Start the delta proxy minion¶

After you've successfully configured the delta proxy minion, you need to start the proxy minion service for each managed device and validate that it is working correctly.

To start a single instance of a delta proxy minion and test that it is configured correctly:

1. In the terminal for the Salt master, run the following command, replacing the placeholder text with the actual minion ID:

   sudo salt-proxy --proxyid=<control_proxy_id>
   

2. To test the delta proxy minion, run the following test.version command on the Salt master and target a specific minion. For example:

   salt my_managed_device_minion_ID test.version
   

   This command returns an output similar to the following:

   local:
       3004
   

After you've successfully started the delta proxy minions and verified that they are working correctly, you can now use these minions the same as standard proxy minions.