# Cloud Map File

A number of options exist when creating virtual machines. They can be managed directly from profiles and the command line execution, or a more complex map file can be created. The map file allows for a number of virtual machines to be created and associated with specific profiles. The map file is designed to be run once to create these more complex scenarios using salt-cloud.

Map files have a simple format, specify a profile and then a list of virtual machines to make from said profile:

    fedora_small:
      - web1
      - web2
      - web3
    fedora_high:
      - redis1
      - redis2
      - redis3
    cent_high:
      - riak1
      - riak2
      - riak3

This map file can then be called to roll out all of these virtual machines. Map files are called from the salt-cloud command with the -m option:

    $ salt-cloud -m /path/to/mapfile

Remember, that as with direct profile provisioning the -P option can be passed to create the virtual machines in parallel:

    $ salt-cloud -m /path/to/mapfile -P

Note

Due to limitations in the GoGrid API, instances cannot be provisioned in parallel with the GoGrid driver. Map files will work with GoGrid, but the `-P` argument should not be used on maps referencing GoGrid instances.

A map file can also be enforced to represent the total state of a cloud deployment by using the `--hard` option. When using the hard option any vms that exist but are not specified in the map file will be destroyed:

    $ salt-cloud -m /path/to/mapfile -P -H

Be careful with this argument, it is very dangerous! In fact, it is so dangerous that in order to use it, you must explicitly enable it in the main configuration file.

    enable_hard_maps: True

A map file can include grains and minion configuration options:

    fedora_small:
      - web1:
          minion:
            log_level: debug
          grains:
            cheese: tasty
            omelet: du fromage
      - web2:
          minion:
            log_level: warn
          grains:
            cheese: more tasty
            omelet: with peppers

Any top level data element from your profile may be overridden in the map file:

    fedora_small:
      - web1:
          size: t2.micro
      - web2:
          size: t2.nano

As of Salt 2017.7.0, nested elements are merged, and can can be specified individually without having to repeat the complete definition for each top level data element. In this example a separate MAC is assigned to each VMware instance while inheriting device parameters for for disk and network configuration:

    nyc-vm:
      - db1:
          devices:
            network:
              Network Adapter 1:
                mac: '44:44:44:44:44:41'
      - db2:
          devices:
            network:
              Network Adapter 1:
                mac: '44:44:44:44:44:42'

A map file may also be used with the various query options:

    $ salt-cloud -m /path/to/mapfile -Q
    {'ec2': {'web1': {'id': 'i-e6aqfegb',
                         'image': None,
                         'private_ips': [],
                         'public_ips': [],
                         'size': None,
                         'state': 0}},
             'web2': {'Absent'}}

...or with the delete option:

    $ salt-cloud -m /path/to/mapfile -d
    The following virtual machines are set to be destroyed:
      web1
      web2

    Proceed? [N/y]

Warning

Specifying Nodes with Maps on the Command Line Specifying the name of a node or nodes with the maps options on the command line is not supported. This is especially important to remember when using `--destroy` with maps; `salt-cloud` will ignore any arguments passed in which are not directly relevant to the map file. When using ``--destroy`` with a map, every node in the map file will be deleted! Maps don't provide any useful information for destroying individual nodes, and should not be used to destroy a subset of a map.

## Requiring Other Instances

The `requires` directive can be used in map files to ensure that one instance is created and available before another is created.

    fedora_high:
      - db1:
          size: m5.xlarge
      - web1:
          size: m5.large
          requires:
            - db1

This requisite is passed to the instance definition dicitonary in a map file and accepts a list of instance names as defined in the map.

## Setting up New Salt Masters

Bootstrapping a new master in the map is as simple as:

    fedora_small:
      - web1:
          make_master: True
      - web2
      - web3

Notice that ALL bootstrapped minions from the map will answer to the newly created salt-master.

To make any of the bootstrapped minions answer to the bootstrapping salt-master as opposed to the newly created salt-master, as an example:

    fedora_small:
      - web1:
          make_master: True
          minion:
            master: <the local master ip address>
            local_master: True
      - web2
      - web3

The above says the minion running on the newly created salt-master responds to the local master, ie, the master used to bootstrap these VMs.

Another example:

    fedora_small:
      - web1:
          make_master: True
      - web2
      - web3:
          minion:
            master: <the local master ip address>
            local_master: True

The above example makes the `web3` minion answer to the local master, not the newly created master.

## Using Direct Map Data

When using modules that access the `CloudClient` directly (notably, the `cloud` execution and runner modules), it is possible to pass in the contents of a map file, rather than a path to the location of the map file.

Normally when using these modules, the path to the map file is passed in using:

    salt-run cloud.map_run /path/to/cloud.map

To pass in the actual map data, use the `map_data` argument:

    salt-run cloud.map_run map_data='{"centos7": [{"saltmaster": {"minion": \
        {"transport": "tcp"}, "make_master": true, "master": {"transport": \
        "tcp"}}}, {"minion001": {"minion": {"transport": "tcp"}}}]}'