This function is only available in CFEngine Enterprise.

Prototype: hubknowledge(id)

Return type: string

The return value is cached.

Description: Read global knowledge from the CFEngine Database host by id.

This function allows for is intended for use in distributed orchestration. If the identifier matches a persistent scalar variable (such as is used to count distributed processes in CFEngine Enterprise) then this will be returned preferentially. If no such variable is found, then the server will look for a literal string in a server bundle with a handle that matches the requested object.

It is recommended that you use this function sparingly, using classes as guards, as it contributes to network traffic and depends on the network for its function. Unlike remotescalar(), the result of hubknowledge() is not stored locally.

This function behaves similarly to the remotescalar() function, except that it always gets its information from the CFEngine Enterprise Database by an encrypted connection. It is designed for spreading globally calibrated information about a CFEngine system back to the client machines. The data available through this channel are generated automatically by discovery, unlike remotescalar which accesses user defined data.

Arguments:

  • id: string - Variable identifier - in the range: [a-zA-Z0-9_$(){}\[\].:]+

Example:

code
vars:

  guard::

   "global_number" string => hubknowledge("number_variable");

See also: remotescalar(), remoteclassesmatching(), hostswithclass()