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Using OpenVox

Welcome to Using OpenVox, a self-paced introduction to configuration management with OpenVox — the open source implementation of the Puppet platform.

OpenVox runs the same Puppet language you may already have heard of: the configuration code, manifests, and modules are all Puppet code. What changes is the platform that runs it — the agent, server, and packages are provided by the OpenVox project rather than by Puppet, Inc. Throughout this course you will "install OpenVox" but "write Puppet code."

Learning objectives

After working through this course, you should be able to:

  • Understand the structure and syntax of the Puppet language
  • Use the Puppet Forge to find pre-built modules
  • Understand the layout of Puppet modules
  • Use the puppet and r10k command-line utilities
  • Implement a git-based workflow for managing systems with OpenVox

Course outline

  1. Puppet Overview
  2. Installing OpenVox
  3. The Ecosystem
  4. Using the CLI
  5. Module Structure
  6. Core Resources
  7. The Puppet Language
  8. Logic, Facts, and Hiera
  9. Hands-On Exercises
  10. Where to Go Next

Before you start

To follow along with the examples and the hands-on exercises, you will want a Linux machine (a local VM or a cloud instance is fine) where you can install OpenVox and safely make changes. The Installing OpenVox chapter walks through getting openvox-agent set up; the OpenVox Quickstart Guide is another good reference.

Try it yourself

Throughout the course you will see Try it yourself boxes like this one. They contain commands and small exercises you can run on your own machine to reinforce what you just read. None of them require a classroom or a shared lab environment — just your own system with OpenVox installed.

This course was originally developed as an instructor-led "Using Puppet" course by Onyx Point, Inc. (Copyright 2018) and adapted for self-paced OpenVox use by Sicura, Inc. (Copyright 2026). It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.