Configuring Salt

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# Configuring Salt

Salt configuration is very simple. The default configuration for the master will work for most installations and the only requirement for setting up a minion is to set the location of the master in the minion configuration file.

master
  The Salt master is the central server that all minions connect to. You run commands on the minions through the master and minions send data back to the master (unless otherwise redirected with a returner). It is started with the salt-master program.
minion
  Salt minions are the potentially hundreds or thousands of servers that you query and control from the master.

The configuration files will be installed to `/etc/salt` and are named after the respective components, `/etc/salt/master` and `/etc/salt/minion`.

To make a minion check into the correct master simply edit the `master` variable in the minion configuration file to reference the master DNS name or IPv4 address.

## Running Salt

1. Start the master in the foreground (to daemonize the process, pass the -d flag):

       # salt-master

2. Start the minion in the foreground (to daemonize the process, pass the -d flag):

       # salt-minion

Having trouble?

The simplest way to troubleshoot Salt is to run the master and minion in the foreground with log level set to `debug`:

    salt-master --log-level=debug

Run as an unprivileged (non-root) user?

To run Salt as another user, specify `--user` in the command line or assign `user` in the configuration file.

There is also a full troubleshooting guide available.

## Manage Salt Public Keys

Salt manages authentication with RSA public keys. The keys are managed on the master via the salt-key command. Once a minion checks into the master the master will save a copy of the minion key. Before the master can send commands to the minion the key needs to be "accepted".

1. List the accepted and unaccepted Salt keys:

       salt-key -L

2. Accept a minion key:

       salt-key -a <minion id>

   or accept all unaccepted minion keys:

       salt-key -A

See also

salt-key manpage

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