How to Install Linux VPS Chef Infra Server on Windows VPS

Introduction

Chef Infra Server is an automation platform that allows you to manage your infrastructure as code. Installing Chef Infra Server on a Linux VPS will help you manage and automate your server configurations efficiently. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to install Chef Infra Server on your Linux VPS.

Prerequisites

Before starting the installation, make sure you have the following:

• A Linux VPS with administrative privileges.
• Access to your server via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
• PowerShell and Linux VPSSubsystem for Linux (WSL) installed on your server.
• Internet access to download the Chef Infra Server package and dependencies.

Step 1: Download Chef Infra Server

To install Chef Infra Server on your Linux VPS, you need to download the installation package:

1. Visit the Chef download page: Chef Downloads.
2. Under the “Chef Infra Server” section, select the appropriate version for Windows.
3. Click the “Download” button to download the installation package.
4. Once the download is complete, transfer the package to your Linux VPS (if necessary).

Step 2: Install Chef Infra Server

Once the Chef Infra Server package is downloaded, you can proceed with the installation:

1. Open PowerShell on your Linux VPS with administrative privileges.
2. Navigate to the folder where the Chef Infra Server package was downloaded.
3. Run the following command to begin the installation:

.\chef-server--windows-x86_64.msi

1. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
2. When prompted, choose the installation path for Chef Infra Server (default is fine for most cases).
3. Once the installation is complete, Chef Infra Server will automatically start.

Step 3: Configure Chef Infra Server

After Chef Infra Server is installed, you need to configure it:

1. Open PowerShell and run the following command to initialize the Chef Infra Server:

chef-server-ctl reconfigure

1. This will configure the server with the default settings.
2. Once the configuration is complete, you should see a success message indicating that Chef Infra Server has been set up successfully.

Step 4: Access the Chef Infra Server Web UI

Chef Infra Server includes a web-based interface for managing configurations and nodes. To access the web UI:

1. Open your web browser and go to http://:443 (replace with the actual IP address of your Linux VPS).
2. You will be prompted to log in with your admin credentials.
3. If this is your first time accessing the web UI, you will need to create an admin user. You can do this using the following command in PowerShell:

chef-server-ctl user-create      --filename .pem

1. Once the admin user is created, you can use the credentials to log in to the Chef Infra Server Web UI.

Step 5: Install Knife and Configure Your Workstation

To interact with the Chef Infra Server, you will need to install Knife on your local workstation:

1. Download and install the Chef Development Kit (ChefDK) from the official website: ChefDK Download.
2. After installation, configure Knife to connect to your Chef Infra Server by running the following command:

knife configure

1. Enter the required information, such as Chef Infra Server URL and client name. The Chef Infra Server URL should be https://.
2. Once the configuration is complete, you can start using Knife to manage your infrastructure.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Chef Infra Server on your Linux VPS. You can now use Chef to automate your server management and ensure consistent configuration across your infrastructure.