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Version 
master 3.24 (LTS) 3.21 (LTS) view all versions
    • Overview
      • What is CFEngine and why?
      • How CFEngine works
      • CFEngine directory structure
      • Client server communication
      • Glossary
    • Getting started
      • Installation
        • Pre-installation checklist
          • Quick-Start guide to using vi
          • Quick-Start guide to using PuTTY
          • Verifying package signatures
        • Local virtual machine
        • Secure bootstrap
        • Installation overview
        • Upgrading
        • General installation
          • Using Amazon Web Services
          • Installing Enterprise 25 Free
          • Using Vagrant
          • Installing Enterprise for production
          • Installing Enterprise on CoreOS
          • Installing Community
          • Installing from binary tarball
        • Version control
      • Modules from CFEngine Build
      • Reporting and web UI
      • Writing policy
      • Developing modules
    • Release notes
      • New in CFEngine
        • Changelog
        • Masterfiles changelog
        • Enterprise changelog
      • Supported platforms and versions
      • Known issues
      • Legal and licenses
    • Web UI
      • Settings
      • Enterprise reporting
        • Reporting architecture
        • SQL queries using the Enterprise API
        • Reporting UI
        • Client initiated reporting / call collect
      • Health
      • Hosts
      • Alerts and notifications
      • Custom actions for alerts
      • Federated reporting
      • Measurements app
      • Debugging Mission Portal
      • Hub administration
        • Decommissioning hosts
        • Extending Mission Portal
        • Extending query builder in Mission Portal
        • Adjusting schedules
        • Backup and restore
        • Configure a custom LDAP port
        • Custom LDAPs certificate
        • Custom SSL certificate
        • Enable plain http
        • Lookup license info
        • Policy deployment
        • Public key distribution
        • Re-installing Enterprise hub
        • Regenerate self signed SSL certificate
        • Reset administrative credentials
      • License
    • API
      • Enterprise API examples
        • Checking status
        • Managing settings
        • Managing users and roles
        • Browsing host information
        • Tracking changes
        • SQL query examples
      • Enterprise API reference
        • Actions API
        • Build API
        • CMDB API
        • Changes REST API
        • Federated reporting configuration API
        • File changes API
        • Health diagnostic API
        • Host REST API
        • Import & export API
        • Import & export compliance report API
        • Inventory API
        • LDAP authentication API
        • Query REST API
        • SQL schema
          • cfdb
          • cfmp
          • cfsettings
        • SSH keys API
        • Status and settings REST API
        • Users and access-control REST API
        • VCS settings API
        • Web RBAC API
    • Examples and tutorials
      • Tutorials
        • JSON and YAML support in CFEngine
        • Installing CFEngine Enterprise agent
        • Managing local users
        • Managing network time protocol
        • Managing processes and services
        • Package management
        • Writing CFEngine policy
        • Writing and serving policy
          • Layers of abstraction in policy
          • Promises available in CFEngine
          • Authoring policy tools & workflow
          • Editors
          • Policy style guide
          • Bundles best practices
          • External data
          • Testing policies
          • Controlling frequency
        • Distributing files from a central location
        • File editing
        • Reporting and remediation of security vulnerabilities
        • Masterfiles Policy Framework upgrade
        • Tags for variables, classes, and bundles
        • Custom inventory
        • Dashboard alerts
        • Integrating alerts with PagerDuty
        • Integrating alerts with ticketing systems
        • Integrating with Sumo Logic
        • Rendering files with Mustache templates
        • Reporting
          • Monitoring and reporting
          • Command-Line reports
        • File comparison
        • High availability
          • Installation guide
      • Example snippets
        • General examples
        • Administration examples
        • Measuring examples
        • Software administration examples
        • Commands, scripts, and execution examples
        • File and directory examples
        • File template examples
        • Interacting with directory services
        • Database examples
        • Network examples
        • System security examples
        • System information examples
        • System administration examples
        • System file examples
        • Windows registry examples
        • File permissions
        • User management examples
        • Common promise patterns
          • Aborting execution
          • Change detection
          • Check filesystem space
          • Copy single files
          • Create files and directories
          • Customize message of the day
          • Distribute ssh keys
          • Ensure a process is not running
          • Ensure a service is enabled and running
          • Find the MAC address
          • Install packages
          • Mount NFS filesystem
          • Restart a process
          • Set up name resolution with DNS
          • Set up sudo
          • Set up time management through NTP
          • Updating from a central policy server
    • Reference
      • Special variables
        • connection
        • const
        • def
        • edit
        • match
        • mon
        • sys
        • this
      • Language concepts
        • Bundles
        • Bodies
        • Promises
        • Normal ordering
        • Classes and decisions
        • Variables
        • Augments
        • Loops
        • Modules
          • Package modules
        • Pattern matching and referencing
        • Namespaces
      • Components
        • cf-agent
        • cf-secret
        • cf-serverd
        • cf-execd
        • cf-promises
        • cf-monitord
        • cf-key
        • cf-runagent
        • cf-check
        • cf-hub
        • cf-net
        • cf-reactor
        • file control
      • Functions
        • accessedbefore
        • accumulated
        • ago
        • and
        • basename
        • bundlesmatching
        • bundlestate
        • callstack_callers
        • callstack_promisers
        • canonify
        • canonifyuniquely
        • cf_version_after
        • cf_version_at
        • cf_version_before
        • cf_version_between
        • cf_version_maximum
        • cf_version_minimum
        • changedbefore
        • classesmatching
        • classfiltercsv
        • classify
        • classmatch
        • concat
        • countclassesmatching
        • countlinesmatching
        • data_expand
        • data_readstringarray
        • data_readstringarrayidx
        • data_regextract
        • data_sysctlvalues
        • datastate
        • difference
        • dirname
        • diskfree
        • escape
        • eval
        • every
        • execresult
        • execresult_as_data
        • expandrange
        • file_hash
        • fileexists
        • filesexist
        • filesize
        • filestat
        • filter
        • findfiles
        • findfiles_up
        • findprocesses
        • format
        • getclassmetatags
        • getenv
        • getfields
        • getgid
        • getindices
        • getuid
        • getuserinfo
        • getusers
        • getvalues
        • getvariablemetatags
        • grep
        • groupexists
        • hash
        • hash_to_int
        • hashmatch
        • host2ip
        • hostinnetgroup
        • hostrange
        • hostsseen
        • hostswithclass
        • hubknowledge
        • ifelse
        • int
        • intersection
        • ip2host
        • iprange
        • irange
        • isdir
        • isexecutable
        • isgreaterthan
        • isipinsubnet
        • islessthan
        • islink
        • isnewerthan
        • isplain
        • isvariable
        • join
        • lastnode
        • laterthan
        • ldaparray
        • ldaplist
        • ldapvalue
        • length
        • lsdir
        • makerule
        • maparray
        • mapdata
        • maplist
        • max
        • mean
        • mergedata
        • min
        • network_connections
        • none
        • not
        • now
        • nth
        • on
        • or
        • packagesmatching
        • packageupdatesmatching
        • parseintarray
        • parsejson
        • parserealarray
        • parsestringarray
        • parsestringarrayidx
        • parseyaml
        • peerleader
        • peerleaders
        • peers
        • processexists
        • product
        • randomint
        • read_module_protocol
        • readcsv
        • readdata
        • readenvfile
        • readfile
        • readintarray
        • readintlist
        • readjson
        • readrealarray
        • readreallist
        • readstringarray
        • readstringarrayidx
        • readstringlist
        • readtcp
        • readyaml
        • regarray
        • regcmp
        • regex_replace
        • regextract
        • registryvalue
        • regldap
        • regline
        • reglist
        • remoteclassesmatching
        • remotescalar
        • returnszero
        • reverse
        • rrange
        • selectservers
        • shuffle
        • some
        • sort
        • splayclass
        • splitstring
        • storejson
        • strcmp
        • strftime
        • string
        • string_downcase
        • string_head
        • string_length
        • string_mustache
        • string_replace
        • string_reverse
        • string_split
        • string_tail
        • string_trim
        • string_upcase
        • sublist
        • sum
        • sysctlvalue
        • translatepath
        • type
        • unique
        • url_get
        • usemodule
        • userexists
        • validdata
        • validjson
        • variablesmatching
        • variablesmatching_as_data
        • variance
      • Macros
      • Masterfiles Policy Framework
        • promises.cf
        • .no-distrib/
        • update.cf
        • standalone_self_upgrade.cf
        • cfe_internal/
        • cfe_internal/CFE_cfengine.cf
        • cfe_internal/core/
        • cfe_internal/core/watchdog
        • cfe_internal/core/watchdog/watchdog.cf
        • cfe_internal/enterprise/
        • cfe_internal/enterprise/federation/
        • cfe_internal/enterprise/federation/federation.cf
        • cfe_internal/recommendations.cf
        • cfe_internal/update/
        • cfe_internal/update/cfe_internal_dc_workflow.cf
        • cfe_internal/update/cfe_internal_update_from_repository.cf
        • cfe_internal/update/lib.cf
        • cfe_internal/update/systemd_units.cf
        • cfe_internal/update/update_bins.cf
        • cfe_internal/update/update_policy.cf
        • cfe_internal/update/update_processes.cf
        • controls/
        • controls/cf_agent.cf
        • controls/cf_execd.cf
        • controls/cf_hub.cf
        • controls/cf_monitord.cf
        • controls/cf_runagent.cf
        • controls/cf_serverd.cf
        • controls/def.cf
        • controls/def_inputs.cf
        • controls/reports.cf
        • controls/update_def.cf
        • controls/update_def_inputs.cf
        • inventory/
        • inventory/any.cf
        • inventory/debian.cf
        • inventory/freebsd.cf
        • inventory/generic.cf
        • inventory/linux.cf
        • inventory/lsb.cf
        • inventory/macos.cf
        • inventory/os.cf
        • inventory/redhat.cf
        • inventory/suse.cf
        • inventory/windows.cf
        • lib/
        • lib/autorun.cf
        • lib/bundles.cf
        • lib/cfe_internal.cf
        • lib/cfe_internal_hub.cf
        • lib/cfengine_enterprise_hub_ha.cf
        • lib/commands.cf
        • lib/common.cf
        • lib/databases.cf
        • lib/edit_xml.cf
        • lib/event.cf
        • lib/examples.cf
        • lib/feature.cf
        • lib/files.cf
        • lib/guest_environments.cf
        • lib/monitor.cf
        • lib/packages.cf
        • lib/paths.cf
        • lib/processes.cf
        • lib/reports.cf
        • lib/services.cf
        • lib/stdlib.cf
        • lib/storage.cf
        • lib/testing.cf
        • lib/users.cf
        • lib/vcs.cf
        • modules/
        • modules/packages/
        • modules/packages/vendored/
        • modules/promises/
        • modules/promises/cfengine.py
        • modules/promises/cfengine.sh
        • services/
        • services/autorun/
        • services/main.cf
      • Promise types
        • access
        • classes
        • commands
        • custom
        • defaults
        • files
          • edit_line
            • delete_lines
            • field_edits
            • insert_lines
            • replace_patterns
          • edit_xml
            • build_xpath
            • delete_attribute
            • delete_text
            • delete_tree
            • insert_text
            • insert_tree
            • set_attribute
            • set_text
        • measurements
        • meta
        • methods
        • packages
        • packages (deprecated)
        • processes
        • reports
        • roles
        • services
        • storage
        • users
        • vars
        • databases
        • guest_environments
      • All promise and body types
    • Resources
      • External resources
      • Additional topics
        • Agility
        • Application management
        • Build Deploy Manage Audit
        • Change management
        • Cloud computing
        • Content driven policy
        • DevOps
        • Distributed scheduling
        • File content
        • Hierarchies
        • ITIL
        • Iteration (Loops)
        • Modularity and orchestrating system policy
        • Orchestration
        • STIGs
        • Security
        • Teamwork
        • Using CFEngine with Open Nebula
      • FAQ
        • Why knowledge management?
        • Requesting a CFEngine Enterprise License
        • Uninstalling / reinstalling
        • Agent output email
        • Debugging slow queries
        • Enterprise Report Filtering
        • Enterprise report collection
        • Enterprise reporting database
        • How can I tell what classes and variables are defined?
        • How do I find the public key for a given host
        • How do I fix trust after an IP change?
        • How do I fix undefined body errors?
        • How do I integrate custom policy?
        • How do I pass a data type variable?
        • Manual execution
        • Mustache templating
        • Unable to log into Mission Portal
        • Users
        • What is promise locking?
        • Why are remote agents not updating?
        • Why are some files inside masterfiles not being updated/distributed?
        • Why does CFEngine install into /var/cfengine instead of following the FHS?
        • Bootstrapping
        • Tuning PostgreSQL
        • What did CFEngine do?
      • Best practices
    • CFEngine homepage
    • Download all documentation
    • Legal and licenses
    • Contact us
    • Last update on 10 May 2025