Since VMware's acquisition of SaltStack, the adoption of VMware Aria Automation Config (formerly vRealize Automation SaltStack Config) has been on the rise. Customers are increasingly relying on Aria Config to automate critical tasks such as software installation, system configurations, and security hardening, including compliance checks and patch remediations.
However, some users have expressed concerns about minions showing as disconnected on the Config Server.
But fear not! The term "disconnected" simply means that the Config Server has not detected any recent activity from the minion, it does not necessarily indicate that there is an issue with the minion or the Config Server itself.
All you need to do is run a command or state on the minion. This will trigger activity on the minion and the Config Server will update the status to "Present," indicating that the minion is connected and actively communicating with the Config Server.
Let's explore some options to alleviate these cosmetic issues for real.
- Adjust raas_presence_expiration: By default, the presence time-out is set to 3600 seconds and is managed by the RaaS configuration file on the Config Server, typically located at /etc/raas/raas. You can increase the value of raas_presence_expiration to reflect your needs. For example, setting it to 7200 seconds would double the time before minions are marked as disconnected, providing a longer window for minion activity without triggering the disconnected status.
- Another option is to enable the ping_interval setting in the minion configuration file, usually located at /etc/salt/minion. This setting allows minions to send regular pings to the Config Server, keeping the connection active and preventing the disconnected status. You can set the ping_interval to an appropriate value, such as 1800 seconds (30 minutes), to ensure frequent communication between minions and the Config Server.
- Use scheduled jobs in Config: VMware Aria Automation for Config allows you to create scheduled jobs that can be executed on minions at specified intervals. You can create a scheduled job to run the "enable presence" job before the presence interval expires, effectively resetting the timer and preventing minions from being marked as disconnected.
Happy Automation
