# salt.tops.ext_nodes

## External Nodes Classifier

The External Nodes Classifier is a master tops subsystem that retrieves mapping information from major configuration management systems. One of the most common external nodes classifiers system is provided by Cobbler and is called `cobbler-ext-nodes`.

The cobbler-ext-nodes command can be used with this configuration:

    master_tops:
      ext_nodes: cobbler-ext-nodes

It is noteworthy that the Salt system does not directly ingest the data sent from the `cobbler-ext-nodes` command, but converts the data into information that is used by a Salt top file.

Any command can replace the call to 'cobbler-ext-nodes' above, but currently the data must be formatted in the same way that the standard 'cobbler-ext-nodes' does.

See (admittedly degenerate and probably not complete) example:

    classes:
      - basepackages
      - database

The above essentially is the same as a top.sls containing the following:

    base:
      '*':
        - basepackages
        - database

    base:
      '*':
        - basepackages
        - database

salt.tops.ext_nodes.top(**kwargs)

  Run the command configured