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Install the CFEngine Community Debian package that matches your Ubuntu architecture, add the hub package on the policy server, bootstrap the server to its own address, and then bootstrap each client to that same address. Validate every policy with cf-promises before allowing cf-agent to enforce it. Ubuntu’s repository packages can be older than CFEngine’s Community builds, so identify the package source and version before you begin.
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What you are building
CFEngine uses a policy server (often called the hub) to distribute policy to managed clients. The client-side agent, cf-agent, retrieves and evaluates policy and then makes the declared changes. The hub also needs the agent package, but the installation guide says a policy server additionally requires the hub package. A workstation or server that will only be managed needs the agent package.
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Keep the roles separate while planning:
- Policy server: install the Community agent package and the hub package; bootstrap it to its own address.
- Client: install the Community agent package; bootstrap it to the policy server’s address.
- Single-host test: install the agent and hub packages on one Ubuntu host and bootstrap that host to itself before adding clients.
The commands below use the standard CFEngine installation locations. A package may place executables in /var/cfengine/bin; a secondary Ubuntu 20.04 report identifies that directory and says cf-agent --version can be used to confirm an installation. Treat that path and the associated log location as practical checks rather than a guarantee for every release.
Choose the package source and version first
Community packages from CFEngine
CFEngine’s installation guide describes downloading Debian packages for both 64-bit and 32-bit systems. It cautions that older builds are not recommended for policy servers. Download the package that matches the host architecture and the role you are installing. The current Community version in your environment was not established by the available documentation, so verify the release number and Ubuntu support in the release-specific CFEngine documentation before deploying a production hub.
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Ubuntu distribution packages
Ubuntu also publishes a package named cfengine3. The Noble (24.04) manpages identify cf-agent and cf-promises as version 3.21.0-3. The Focal (20.04) manpage identifies an amd64 package named cfengine3_3.12.1-2_amd64. Those are distribution package versions, not a statement of the latest upstream Community release. Distribution repositories can therefore provide an older CFEngine than the vendor’s Community packages.
Before choosing, inspect what Ubuntu would install:
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Check Ubuntu and architecture prerequisites
Use an Ubuntu account with sudo access. Ensure the host can reach the package location and can communicate with the policy server address you will use for bootstrapping. Give the hub a stable address or DNS name; clients must be able to resolve or route to it whenever they bootstrap and retrieve policy.
Confirm the Debian architecture before downloading:
dpkg --print-architectureUse the output to select the corresponding 64-bit or 32-bit package. Installing a package for another architecture will fail before CFEngine is configured. Record the Ubuntu release, architecture, package source, and package version for every host; those details explain many differences between a successful test host and a failing client.
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Install the Community package
Install an agent on a client
After downloading the agent .deb file to the client, install it with the package command shown in CFEngine’s guide:
sudo apt -y install /path/to/<agent package.deb>The angle-bracket text is a stand-in for the actual file name; replace it with the path you downloaded. Using apt for a local Debian file lets Ubuntu resolve dependencies from its configured repositories when they are available.
Install the hub on the policy server
Install the same architecture’s agent package on the policy server, then install the hub package required for the policy-server role:
sudo apt -y install /path/to/<agent package.deb>
sudo apt -y install /path/to/<hub package.deb>The exact hub filename depends on the Community release. Do not substitute an arbitrary client-only package and assume it creates a policy server; confirm that the file is the hub package described by the release documentation.
If the package is installed with dpkg
Some administrators first unpack a downloaded file with dpkg. If you use that route and dependency errors are reported, finish dependency resolution with your normal Ubuntu package-management procedure, then verify that the CFEngine binaries are present. The CFEngine guide’s documented installation path uses apt -y install for the local file, so prefer that method when it is available.
Verify the installation before bootstrapping
Check that the agent executable exists and reports a version:
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/var/cfengine/bin/cf-agent --versionIf the package adds the binary to your shell’s PATH, cf-agent --version is equivalent. The version output is important: it tells you which reference manual and policy behavior to consult. A reported version also distinguishes a missing package from a later bootstrap or policy problem.
For an installation failure, inspect the package manager’s error text first. A secondary report for CFEngine 3.21.0 on Ubuntu 20.04 also names /var/log/CFEngine-Install.log as an installation log. That path is not guaranteed by every release, but it is worth checking when it exists:
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sudo test -f /var/log/CFEngine-Install.log && sudo less /var/log/CFEngine-Install.logBootstrap the policy server to itself
Bootstrapping establishes which policy server a host trusts and uses. On the hub, pass the hub’s own reachable IP address:
sudo /var/cfengine/bin/cf-agent --bootstrap <policy-server-IP>Replace <policy-server-IP> with the address clients will use, not an interface address that is unreachable from the managed network. The installation documentation says a successful run prints a confirmation. Save that output with the host’s version and address as an audit record.
CFEngine’s reference notes that automatic bootstrap works only on Linux and only within one subnet. The --bootstrap option accepts an IP address, a hostname, or :avahi. Explicitly supplying the hub IP is the least ambiguous choice for a multi-interface server or a routed network.
Bootstrap each Ubuntu client
Install and verify the agent on every client, then run the same command with the policy server’s address:
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sudo /var/cfengine/bin/cf-agent --bootstrap <policy-server-IP>Do not pass the client’s own address. The argument identifies the hub from which the client will obtain policy.
When CFEngine lists multiple servers
If a host discovers more than one policy server, or has more than one IP address, the reference says available servers are listed and you must pass the correct IP. Select the address that is reachable from the client and belongs to the intended hub, then rerun the command explicitly. This avoids accidentally attaching a client to a test hub or to the wrong network interface.
Hosts outside the local subnet
The automatic discovery limitation matters for segmented networks. A client in another subnet should be bootstrapped with the hub’s explicit IP address or a resolvable hostname. The :avahi form is available for environments using that local discovery mechanism, but it does not remove the one-subnet limitation stated in the reference.
Validate policy with cf-promises before enforcement
cf-promises is the safe validation step. Its reference describes three checks: parsing for syntax errors, checking integrity across a multi-file policy, and looking for semantic errors. It does not change the system. The agent also calls cf-promises to validate policy before running it, but running the check yourself gives you a clear gate before an edit is distributed.
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For a file in the standard inputs directory, run:
cf-promises -f /var/cfengine/inputs/test.cfUse the actual policy file you intend to deploy. A successful validation means the file passed the checks performed by that version of cf-promises; it does not prove that the policy will produce the business outcome you intended. Review the policy’s promises and test on a non-production client before widening deployment.
Interpret validation failures
- Syntax error: correct malformed bundles, classes, strings, braces, or separators, then rerun the command.
- Integrity error: inspect references between policy files and confirm that every included or imported file is present and unchanged where expected.
- Semantic error: check names, types, arguments, and promise relationships against the reference for the installed CFEngine version.
Keep validation separate from enforcement in your workflow: edit, run cf-promises, review the result, test on a client, and only then allow the normal agent run to distribute the change.
Understand the function-evaluation version difference
The documentation contains a version-dependent discrepancy that affects cf-promises. One reference states that, since 3.6.0, function calls are not evaluated by default and that --eval-functions yes restores the older behavior. The 3.25 reference lists the default as yes, while references titled 3.12 and 3.10 appear to list no. Because those statements conflict, do not assume a default based only on the major version.
Check the reference that matches the version printed by cf-agent --version. If your policy depends on function evaluation during validation, use the documented option explicitly after confirming its meaning for that release:
cf-promises --eval-functions yes -f /var/cfengine/inputs/test.cfRecord the option in your validation procedure so another administrator does not obtain a different result after upgrading or switching from an Ubuntu package to a Community package.
Use cf-remote for repeatable host setup
CFEngine documents cf-remote, a Python Package Index (PyPI) tool that downloads, installs, and bootstraps CFEngine on hosts. A search summary for the installation guide describes an example using Community 3.27.0 on two hosts and bootstrapping one of them. The exact command and the current release should be verified against the full, version-matched documentation before use because the summary does not establish all options or whether that example still applies.
cf-remote is most useful when several hosts must receive the same package and initial bootstrap sequence. For a small installation, the explicit apt and cf-agent --bootstrap commands above make each action visible. For larger deployments, document the tool’s package source, credentials, target list, selected version, and bootstrap address so the automation remains auditable.
Ubuntu package versions and upgrade decisions
| Ubuntu package evidence | Version identified | What it means |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu Noble manpages for cf-promises and cf-agent |
cfengine3 3.21.0-3 |
A distribution build documented for Ubuntu 24.04; not confirmation of the latest upstream Community release. |
| Ubuntu Focal manpage | cfengine3_3.12.1-2_amd64 |
An amd64 distribution build associated with Ubuntu 20.04 documentation. |
| CFEngine installation-guide search summary | Community 3.27.0 example | An example version mentioned in a summary; confirm availability and commands in the full guide. |
Use apt policy cfengine3 to see the Ubuntu candidate on a specific host. If you need a newer Community build, compare its supported Ubuntu releases and package architecture with your environment before replacing a distribution package. Keep the hub and clients on versions that the chosen policy syntax and modules support; test upgrades on a non-production host first.
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Troubleshoot common installation and bootstrap failures
The package will not install
- Run
dpkg --print-architectureand confirm that the downloaded file matches it. - Read the complete
apterror, including dependency and repository messages. - Check whether the file is the agent package or the additional hub package required on a policy server.
- Confirm that you are not unintentionally combining an Ubuntu distribution build with files from a different Community release.
- Look for
/var/log/CFEngine-Install.logif that file exists on the host.
The bootstrap command cannot find a server
- Use the hub’s explicit IP address instead of relying on automatic discovery.
- Verify that the address is the hub’s reachable interface, especially on multi-homed hosts.
- For a client in another subnet, use the explicit IP or a resolvable hostname; automatic bootstrap is limited to Linux hosts within one subnet.
- If several servers or addresses are listed, select the intended hub IP and rerun
--bootstrap.
Bootstrap appears to work but policy does not run
- Confirm the client’s agent version with
/var/cfengine/bin/cf-agent --version. - Run
cf-promises -fagainst the policy file and correct every reported syntax, integrity, or semantic error. - Check that the client was bootstrapped to the intended hub rather than a different address discovered on the network.
- Review the version-specific function-evaluation behavior if validation results differ between hosts.
A first-run checklist
- Identify each host’s Ubuntu release, architecture, role, and intended policy-server address.
- Choose either the Ubuntu
cfengine3package or a matching CFEngine Community package, and record its version. - Install the agent package on every host.
- Install the additional hub package on the policy server.
- Verify
/var/cfengine/bin/cf-agent --versionon the hub and clients. - Bootstrap the hub to its own reachable IP address.
- Bootstrap each client to that same hub IP address.
- Validate policy with
cf-promisesbefore relying on normal agent execution. - Resolve all validation errors and test policy on a non-production client.
- Record package versions, bootstrap addresses, validation options, and any version-specific behavior.
What a maintainable CFEngine Ubuntu deployment looks like
A maintainable deployment makes the hub role explicit, uses packages built for the host architecture, and treats bootstrap as a deliberate trust decision rather than a discovery side effect. Every policy change passes cf-promises, and the validation procedure names the CFEngine version so function-evaluation defaults cannot silently change its result. Ubuntu’s package metadata is checked with apt policy before upgrades, while Community packages are selected using the release documentation for the exact Ubuntu version and architecture.
With those controls in place, the installation itself remains straightforward: install the appropriate Debian package, bootstrap the hub and clients with the correct address, validate policy without changing the system, and only then let the agent enforce the configuration.
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