alternatives Resource

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Syntax

alternatives 'name' do
  link                      String # default value: /usr/bin/LINK_NAME
  link_name                 String # default value: The resource block's name
  path                      String
  priority                  String, Integer
  action                    Symbol
end

Actions

:auto

Set an alternative up in automatic mode with the highest priority automatically selected.

:install

Install an alternative on the system including symlinks. (default)

:nothing

This resource block does not act unless notified by another resource to take action. Once notified, this resource block either runs immediately or is queued up to run at the end of a Chef Infra Client run.

:refresh

Refresh alternatives.

:remove

Remove an alternative and all associated links.

:set

Set the symlink for an alternative.

Properties

link

Ruby Type: String

Default Value: /usr/bin/LINK_NAME

The path to the alternatives link.

link_name

Ruby Type: String

Default Value: The resource block's name

The name of the link to create. This will be the command you type on the command line such as ruby or gcc.

path

Ruby Type: String

The absolute path to the original application binary such as /usr/bin/ruby27.

priority

Ruby Type: String, Integer

The priority of the alternative.

Examples

Install an alternative:

alternatives 'python install 2' do
  link_name 'python'
  path '/usr/bin/python2.7'
  priority 100
  action :install
end

Set an alternative:

alternatives 'python set version 3' do
  link_name 'python'
  path '/usr/bin/python3'
  action :set
end

Set the automatic alternative state:

alternatives 'python auto' do
  link_name 'python'
  action :auto
end

Refresh an alternative:

alternatives 'python refresh' do
  link_name 'python'
  action :refresh
end

Remove an alternative:

alternatives 'python remove' do
  link_name 'python'
  path '/usr/bin/python3'
  action :remove
end