Using the
Master Plugins
workspace

The
Master Plugins
workspace provides you the ability to update the Master Plugin version on your Salt master to match the version of
Automation Config
. This feature is supported for both cloud and on-premises deployments. You can also download the latest version of the Master Plugin.
Going forward,
Automation Config
is no longer included in the Aria Automation suite of products. The new name of this product is VMware Tanzu Salt and this product is available as part of the VMware Tanzu Platform suite of products. See Using and Managing Tanzu Salt for more information.
The
Master Plugins
workspace provides information about the plugin status, plugin version, Salt version, last update JID, and more. The latest version of
sseapiclient
is also available through the
Master Plugins
workspace. See Working with the API (RaaS) for more information.
The Master Plugin enables your Salt masters to communicate with
Automation Config
. The plugin also includes a variety of settings you can adjust to improve performance. See the
Configuration settings reference
in Install and configure the Master Pluginfor more information.
RaaS holds the current and previous versions of the Master Plugin. When the Salt master connects to RaaS, the Salt master checks if RaaS has plugin versions it does not have. If the Salt master does not have those plugin versions, the Salt master retrieves the plugins from RaaS and caches them locally in
/var/cache/salt/master/plugin_cache/
.
The plugin is not updated automatically when a new version of
Automation Config
is available. You must initiate the update process yourself. As a best practice, you should update to the latest version of the plugin when it is available.
The Master Plugin update process relies on Salt's
service
module and
service.running
state to restart the Salt master after the plugin update. The
service
module depends on your distribution's init manager, such as
systemd
.
If you are running the Salt master in a container or on a distribution that does not use an init manager, you must manually restart the Salt master after the update. If you do not restart the Salt master, the
Master Plugins
workspace will report that the Salt master is running an outdated plugin version.

Before you start

Before you can use the
Master Plugins
workspace, you must complete the following prerequisites:
  • Install the Master Plugin on your Salt master. See Install and configure the Master Pluginfor more information.
  • Verify that the Salt master's key has been accepted in the
    Automation Config
    user interface.
  • Verify that the Salt master is running as
    root
    . If the Salt master is running as a non-root user, the update fails.
  • Ensure that your Salt master is running Salt version 3002.1 or later. If your Salt master is running version 3002 or earlier, you must update the Salt version before you can use the
    Master Plugins
    workspace. See
    Upgrade Salt
    in Fazer upgrade do Automation Config for more information.
  • Ensure that your Salt master is running version 8.11.2 or later of the Master Plugin. If your Salt master is running 8.11.1 or earlier, you must manually upgrade the plugin before you can use the
    Master Plugins
    workspace. See Upgrade the
    Master Plugin using the CLI
    inFazer upgrade do Automation Config for more information.

Update the Master Plugin

You can update the Master Plugin version on one or more Salt masters.
You can only update the Master Plugin version through the
Master Plugins
workspace if the plugin status is
Needs update
. If the plugin status indicates that the Salt master requires manual intervention, you must log in to your Salt master to resolve the issue. For more information, see
Troubleshoot plugin updates
below .
To update the Master Plugin:
  1. In
    Automation Config
    , select
    Administration
    Master Plugins
    .
  2. Select a Salt master with a
    Needs update
    plugin status.
  3. Click
    Update
    .
  4. Review the information in the dialog box to ensure that you selected the correct Salt master.
  5. Click
    Update
    .
  6. To monitor the progress of the update, click the
    Last update JID
    .
  7. In the
    Master Plugins
    workspace, confirm that the plugin status has changed to
    Up to date
    .
    If the update fails, see
    Troubleshoot plugin updates
    below.

Troubleshoot plugin updates

If your plugin update fails, you must manually resolve the issue by logging in to your Salt master. There is no automated revert for failed plugin updates.
Plugin updates could fail due to:
  • Infrastructure issues
  • Configuration issues with virtual machines
  • Connection issues with the Salt master
Try the following steps to identify the cause for the failed update:
  1. Check the
    Last update JID
    and review the raw data for any errors.
  2. Run
    systemctl status salt-master
    to check the status of the
    salt-master
    service.
  3. Run
    salt-master -l debug
    to start the Salt master in debug mode.
  4. Download the Master Plugin from the
    Master Plugins
    workspace and manually install the plugin.