Frequently Asked Questions
==========================

Is Salt open-core?
------------------

No. Salt is 100% committed to being open-source, including all of our APIs and
the new `'Halite' web interface`_ which will be included in version 0.17.0. It
is developed under the `Apache 2.0 license`_, allowing it to be used in both
open and proprietary projects.

.. _`'Halite' web interface`: https://github.com/saltstack/halite
.. _`Apache 2.0 license`: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html

What ports should I open on my firewall?
----------------------------------------

Minions need to be able to connect to the master on TCP ports 4505 and 4506.
Minions do not need any inbound ports open. More detailed information on
firewall settings can be found :doc:`here </topics/tutorials/firewall>`.

My script runs every time I run a :mod:`state.highstate <salt.modules.state.highstate>`. Why?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You are probably using :mod:`cmd.run <salt.states.cmd.run>` rather than
:mod:`cmd.wait <salt.states.cmd.wait>`. A :mod:`cmd.wait
<salt.states.cmd.wait>` state will only run when there has been a change in a
state that it is watching.

A :mod:`cmd.run <salt.states.cmd.run>` state will run the corresponding command
*every time* (unless it is prevented from running by the ``unless`` or ``onlyif``
arguments).

More details can be found in the docmentation for the :mod:`cmd
<salt.states.cmd>` states.

How does Salt determine the Minion's id?
----------------------------------------

If the minion id is not configured explicitly (using the :conf_minion:`id`
parameter), Salt will determine the id based on the hostname. Exactly how this
is determined varies a little between operating systems and is described in
detail :ref:`here <minion-id-generation>`.

I'm using gitfs and my customg modules/states/etc are not syncing. Why?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

In versions of Salt 0.16.3 or older, there is a bug in :doc:`gitfs
</topics/tutorials/gitfs>`. Upgrading to 0.16.4 or new will fix this.

Why aren't my custom modules/states/etc. available on my minions?
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Custom modules are only synced out to minions when either a
`state.highstate` or `saltutil.sync_modules` runs. Similarly, custom
states are only synced out to minions when a `state.highstate` or
`saltutil.sync_states` runs.