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93 lines
4.0 KiB
ReStructuredText
=============
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What is Salt?
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=============
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.. image:: https://secure.travis-ci.org/saltstack/salt.png?branch=develop
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:target: http://travis-ci.org/saltstack/salt
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.. rubric:: We’re not just talking about NaCl.
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Distributed Remote Execution
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============================
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Salt is a distributed remote execution system used to execute commands and
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query data. It was developed in order to bring the best solutions found in the
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world of remote execution together and make them better, faster and more
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malleable. Salt accomplishes this via its ability to handle larger loads of
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information, and not just dozens, but hundreds, or even thousands of individual
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servers. It handles them quickly and through a simple yet manageable interface.
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Simplicity
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==========
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Versatility between massive scale deployments and smaller systems may seem
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daunting, but Salt is very simple to set up and maintain, regardless of the
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size of the project. The architecture of Salt is designed to work with any
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number of servers, from a handful of local network systems to international
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deployments across disparate datacenters. The topology is a simple
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server/client model with the needed functionality built into a single set of
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daemons. While the default configuration will work with little to no
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modification, Salt can be fine tuned to meet specific needs.
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Parallel Execution
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==================
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The core function of Salt is to enable remote commands to be called in parallel
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rather than in serial. It does this over a secure and encrypted protocol using
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the smallest and fastest network payloads possible. All of this is possible
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and Salt still manages to have a simple interface for developers. Salt also
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introduces more granular controls to the realm of remote execution,
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allowing for commands to be executed in parallel and for systems to be targeted
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based on more than just hostname, but by live system properties.
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Building on Proven Technology
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=============================
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Salt takes advantage of a number of technologies and techniques. The networking
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layer is built with the excellent `ZeroMQ`_ networking library. Salt itself
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contains a viable, and transparent, ZeroMQ broker inside the daemon. Salt uses
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public keys for authentication with the master daemon, then uses faster AES
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encryption for payload communication. This means that authentication and
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encryption are also built into Salt. Salt takes advantage of communication via
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the most excellent `msgpack`_ library, enabling fast and light network traffic.
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.. _`ZeroMQ`: http://www.zeromq.org/
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.. _`msgpack`: http://msgpack.org/
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Python Client Interface
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=======================
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Salt execution routines can be written as plain Python modules and the data
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collected from execution can be sent back to the master server, or any
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arbitrary program. Salt can be called from a simple Python API, or from the
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command line. This makes it easy to execute one-off commands as well as
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operate as an integral part of a larger application.
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Fast, Flexible, Scalable, Secure
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================================
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The result is a system that can execute commands across groups of
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varying size, from very few to very many servers at considerably high
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speed. We consider speed to be a feature, not an afterthought. Salt’s
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unique architecture brings together the best of the remote execution
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world, amplifies its capabilities and expands its range, resulting in
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this system that is as versatile as it is practical. Last but not least,
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security is an intrinsic part of Salt and something not just
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influencing how source code is written and how tests are done, but
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also something that defines the overall architecture and has heavy
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influence on the core design tenets.
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Open
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====
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Salt is developed under the `Apache 2.0 licence`_, and can be used for
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open and proprietary projects. Please submit your expansions back to
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the Salt project so that we can all benefit together as Salt grows.
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Finally, please sprinkle some Salt around your systems and let the
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deliciousness come forth.
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.. _`Apache 2.0 licence`: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
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