Windows

This page provides download files and instructions for installing Salt on Windows.

• Windows downloads

• Important information about installing on Windows

• Install Salt on Windows

• Windows Nullsoft EXE install options

• Windows MSI install options

Windows downloads

3006 LTS Downloads

Arch	File type	Salt Release Type	Download install file
AMD64	exe	LTS	https://packages.broadcom.com/artifactory/saltproject-generic/windows/3006.9/Salt-Minion-3006.9-Py3-AMD64-Setup.exe
AMD64	msi	LTS	https://packages.broadcom.com/artifactory/saltproject-generic/windows/3006.9/Salt-Minion-3006.9-Py3-AMD64.msi
x86	exe	LTS	https://packages.broadcom.com/artifactory/saltproject-generic/windows/3006.9/Salt-Minion-3006.9-Py3-x86-Setup.exe
x86	msi	LTS	https://packages.broadcom.com/artifactory/saltproject-generic/windows/3006.9/Salt-Minion-3006.9-Py3-x86.msi

3007 STS Downloads

Arch	File type	Salt Release Type	Download install file
AMD64	exe	STS	https://packages.broadcom.com/artifactory/saltproject-generic/windows/3007.1/Salt-Minion-3007.1-Py3-AMD64-Setup.exe
AMD64	msi	STS	https://packages.broadcom.com/artifactory/saltproject-generic/windows/3007.1/Salt-Minion-3007.1-Py3-AMD64.msi
x86	exe	STS	https://packages.broadcom.com/artifactory/saltproject-generic/windows/3007.1/Salt-Minion-3007.1-Py3-x86-Setup.exe
x86	msi	STS	https://packages.broadcom.com/artifactory/saltproject-generic/windows/3007.1/Salt-Minion-3007.1-Py3-x86.msi

Important information about installing on Windows

Windows has two installer options:

• A Nullsoft (.exe) installer

• An MSI (.msi) installer

If you are unsure which installer to use, use the Nullsoft (EXE) installer.

Onedir packages are currently only available for the Nullsoft (EXE) installer.

Install directory locations

In versions of Salt prior to Salt 3004, Nullsoft (EXE) Windows installer only installed Salt in the root C drive directory: C:\Salt.

In versions 3004 and later, the Nullsoft (EXE) installer defaults to installing Salt in the C:\Program Files\Salt Project\Salt directory path. The install directory stores Salt binary data. If you choose a custom install directory path, Salt registers that directory as the install_dir.

Note

You can choose a custom install directory path from the command line using the /install-dir option. See Windows Nullsoft EXE install options for more information.

Also in versions 3004 and later, the Nullsoft (EXE) installer creates a second directory in C:\ProgramData\Salt Project\Salt called the config directory. The config directory is where Salt stores non-binary data such as configuration files, logs, and the cache. This path cannot be customized. Salt registers that directory as the root_dir.

By default, the installer will not move configuration data that is stored in the old C:\Salt directory for older installations. However, the installer can move an older, existing Salt configuration directory from the old location to ProgramData by passing the /move-config option on the command line. Additionally, if the installer detects an existing config in the old location, the user interface displays a checkbox with the option to move the root_dir to ProgramData.

Before you start

Before installing Salt on your operating system, ensure that you first:

• Check system requirements

• Check your network ports

• Check your permissions

Install Salt on Windows

To install Salt on Windows:

1. Download the Salt installation file for Windows. See Windows downloads for a list of the latest downloads.

2. Run the file to install Salt with a graphical user interface.

   You can optionally run the file from the command line. One advantage of running the file from the command line is that you can add various options for a custom installation. See Windows Nullsoft EXE install options or Windows MSI install options for more information.

   The following is an example of running a silent installation from the command line:

   Nullsoft (EXE) installer

   Salt-Minion-3006.9-Py3-AMD64-Setup.exe /S /master=yoursaltmaster /minion-name=yourminionname

   See Windows Nullsoft EXE install options for more information about options and additional examples.

   MSI installer

   msiexec /i Salt-Minion-3006.9-Py3-AMD64.msi /quiet /norestart MASTER=yoursaltmaster MINION_ID=yourminionname

   See Windows MSI install options for more information about options.

   Salt install directory

   See Install directory locations for information about where Salt is installed by default and how you can customize that setting.

After installing Salt on your operating system, you need to complete the following post-installation steps:

• Configure the Salt master and minions

• Start the master and minion services

• Accept the minion keys

• Verify a Salt install

• Install dependencies

Windows Nullsoft EXE install options

The most commonly used install options are:

• /master

• /minion-name

• /S

Option	Description	Example input
/?	Displays this help screen with the install option documentation.	.\Salt-Minion-3005-1-Py3-AMD64-Setup.exe /?
/custom-config=	Pass in a string specifying the name of a custom configuration file. The file path must be in the same path as the installer or it should be the full path. If /master and/or /minion-name is also passed, those values will be used to update the new custom configuration file. Any existing configuration files will be backed up by appending a timestamp and a .bak extension, including the minion file and the minion.d directory.	/custom-config=my-custom-config.conf /custom-config=C:\Temp\my-custom-config.conf
/default-config	If any existing configuration files are present, this option will overwrite the existing configuration and replace it with the default Salt configuration file. The default is to use the existing configuration file if present. If /master and/or /minion-name is also passed, those values will be used to update the new default configuration file. Any existing configuration files will be backed up by appending a timestamp and a .bak extension, including the minion file and the minion.d directory.
/install-dir=	Specify the installation location for the Salt binaries. This option will be ignored for existing installations. See Install directory locations for information about where Salt is installed by default and how you can customize that setting.	/install-dir=C:\Software\salt
/move-config	If a configuration file is found at C:\Salt it will be moved to %ProgramData%.
/master=	Sets the master name or IP address. You may pass a single master or a comma-separated list of masters. Setting the master will cause the installer to use the default config or a custom config if provided. If no master is specified, the default value is salt. Be aware that you can only use a master name if you have set up your DNS server to resolve the master’s name to its IP address. For example, you would need to set up salt to resolve to the IP address in order for the default to work correctly.	/master=192.0.2.1 /master=salt-windows-master-1 /master=master.mydomain.com /master=192.0.2.1,192.0.2.2,192.0.2.3
/minion-name=	Sets the minion name. If no minion ID is specified, the default will be hostname. Setting the minion name causes the installer to use the default config or it will use a custom config if provided.	/minion-name=192.0.2.1 /minion-name=salt-windows-minion-1
/start-minion=	If you set the value to 1, the installer will start the minion service after installation. If set to, it 0 will not. The default is 1.	/start-minion=1 /start-minion=0
/S	Use this option to install Salt silently.	Salt-Minion-3005-1-Py3-AMD64-Setup.exe /S
/start-minion-delayed	Use this option to set the minion service to start after installation, but to delay for 30-60 seconds, depending on the operating system settings. If you use this option, the minion start type will be set to Automatic (Delayed Start).	Salt-Minion-3005-1-Py3-AMD64-Setup.exe /start-minion-delayed

Windows MSI install options

The most commonly used install options are:

• MASTER

• MINION_ID

• /quiet

• /norestart

Note

For more information about options for the MSI installer, see the readme https://github.com/saltstack/salt/blob/master/pkg/windows/readme.md.

The following table describes all available options, listed alphabetically:

Option	Description	Example values
ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT	Set to 1 to hide the Salt minion application in Programs and Features.	ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT=1
CLEAN_INSTALL	Set to 1 to remove configuration and clear the cache before an installation or upgrade.	CLEAN_INSTALL=1
CONFIG_TYPE	Set to Custom or Default for the installation scenario you want to apply. The default value is Existing. See MSI installation scenarios for more information..	CONFIG_TYPE=Existing CONFIG_TYPE=Custom CONFIG_TYPE=Default
CUSTOM_CONFIG	This option is only available from the command line and must be used along with the CONFIG_TYPE=Custom option. Pass in the name of a custom configuration file. The file path must either be in the same path as the installer or it should be the full path.	CUSTOM_CONFIG=my-custom-config.conf CUSTOM_CONFIG=C:\Temp\my-custom-config.conf
INSTALLDIR	Use this option to install the binaries to a custom directory path. The default value is C:\Program Files\Salt Project\Salt.	INSTALLDIR=C:\Salt Binaries\
MASTER	Sets the master name or IP address. You may pass a single master or a comma-separated list of masters. If no master is specified, the default value is salt. Be aware that you can only use a master name if you have set up your DNS server to resolve the master’s name to its IP address. For example, you would need to set up salt to resolve to the IP address in order for the default to work correctly.	MASTER=192.0.2.1 MASTER=salt-windows-master-1 MASTER=master.mydomain.com MASTER=192.0.2.1,192.0.2.2,192.0.2.3
MASTER_KEY	Sets the master public key. To use this option, first convert the public key converted into one line by removing the first and last line: -----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY----- and -----END PUBLIC KEY-----. Then, remove any line breaks.	Generally, most public keys start with ssh-rsa, ssh-dss, ecdsa-sha2-nistp256, ecdsa-sha2-nistp384, ecdsa-sha2-nistp521, ssh-ed25519, sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256@openssh.com, or sk-ssh-ed25519@openssh.com.
MINION_CONFIG	Sets the content that will write to the minion configuration file. If you use this option, it operates the same as REMOVE_CONFIG=1. That means: All prior minion configuration files and options are overwritten and deleted, including all minion.d\*.conf files and the minion_id file. Its content is written to configuration file conf\minion. Use the ^ character for line breaks. This character will be replaced by line breaks during installation.	MINION_CONFIG="master: Anna^id: Bob" results in: master: Anna id: Bob
MINION_ID	Sets the minion name. If no minion ID is specified, the default will be the hostname or IP address.	MINION_ID=192.0.2.1 MINION_ID=salt-windows-minion-1
MOVE_CONF	If a configuration file is found at C:\Salt it will be moved to %ProgramData%.	MOVE_CONF=1
/norestart	Runs the installer silently. Usually used along with /quiet.	msiexec /i |windows-install-msi-example| /quiet /norestart
/quiet or /qn	Runs the installer silently. Usually used along with /norestart.	msiexec /i |windows-install-msi-example| /quiet /norestart
/passive or /qb	Runs the installer silently, but displays a progress bar. Usually used along with /norestart.	msiexec /i |windows-install-msi-example| /passive /norestart
REMOVE_CONFIG	Set to 1 if you want to remove configuration files on uninstall. When you run MINION_CONFIG, this option is automatically run in order to delete the existing configuration file that will be replaced by the new file. Running this option alone will not create a new configuration file.	REMOVE_CONF=1
ROOTDIR	Use this option to install the configuration files to a custom directory path. The default value is C:\ProgramData\Salt Project\Salt	ROOTDIR=C:\Salt Configurations\
START_MINION	Starts the minion service after installation. Set this value to "" to prevent the start of the salt-minion service. The default value is 1, which starts the service. So, you only need to pass this if you don’t want to start the service. In PowerShell, you must escape the quotes (`”`”)	START_MINION="" START_MINION=`"`"

MSI installation scenarios

The CONFIG_TYPE option can support three possible installation scenarios.

Existing

The Existing setting is recommended for simple upgrades. It makes no changes to the existing configuration and only upgrades Salt. For this type of installation, run the installer with a silent option. If there is no existing configuration, the installer creates a default configuration. The master and minion ID are applied if they are passed.

Custom

The Custom setting will apply a custom configuration file passed from the command line. To ensure the custom configuration is applied correctly, the installer backs up any existing configurations following this order of operations:

1. The minion configuration file is renamed to minion-<timestamp>.bak.

2. The minion_id file is renamed to minion_id-<timestamp>.bak.

3. The minion.d directory renamed to minion.d-<timestamp>.bak

4. The custom config is applied by the installer. If the master and minion ID were passed, they will be to the custom configuration file.

Default

This setting will reset the configurations to the default configurations contained in the package. Therefore, all existing config files should be backed up first, including:

• The minion configuration file

• The minion_id file

• The minion.d directory

Warning

The MSI installer has a known issue that impacts installers with the -X in the file name, such as 3005.1-4. When upgrading these builds, the installer creates duplicate entries in Add/Remove Programs. For example, if you have 3005.1-1 installed and you use the MSI to upgrade to 3005.1-4, the upgrade will complete successfully, but both versions appear in Add/Remove Programs.

The workaround when upgrading between these types of builds using the MSI is to uninstall the old version prior to installing the new version.

Upgrades to and from versions without the -X will work as expected.

Browse the repo

Browse the repo for Windows packages

Windows

https://packages.broadcom.com/artifactory/saltproject-generic/windows