• Registering and authenticating the node with the Chef server
• Building the node object
• Synchronizing cookbooks
• Compiling the resource collection by loading each of the required cookbooks, including recipes, attributes, and all other dependencies
• Taking the appropriate and required actions to configure the node
• Looking for exceptions and notifications, handling each as required

-A, --fatal-windows-admin-check

Use to cause a chef-client run to fail when the chef-client does not have administrator privileges in Microsoft Windows.

--chef-zero-port PORT

The port on which chef-zero will listen. If a port is not specified---individually, as range of ports, or from the chef_zero.port setting in the client.rb file---the chef-client will scan for ports between 8889-9999 and will pick the first port that is available.

-F FORMAT, --format FORMAT

The output format: doc (default) or min.

Use doc to print the progress of the chef-client run using full strings that display a summary of updates as they occur.

Use min to print the progress of the chef-client run using single characters. A summary of updates is printed at the end of the chef-client run. A dot (.) is printed for events that do not have meaningful status information, such as loading a file or synchronizing a cookbook. For resources, a dot (.) is printed when the resource is up to date, an S is printed when the resource is skipped by not_if or only_if, and a U is printed when the resource is updated.

Other formatting options are available when those formatters are configured in the client.rb file using the add_formatter option.

--force-formatter

Use to show formatter output instead of logger output.

--force-logger

Use to show logger output instead of formatter output.

-g GROUP, --group GROUP

The name of the group that owns a process. This is required when starting any executable as a daemon.

-h, --help

Shows help for the command.

-i SECONDS, --interval SECONDS

The frequency (in seconds) at which the chef-client runs. When the chef-client is run at intervals, --splay and --interval values are applied before the chef-client run. Default value: 1800.

-j PATH, --json-attributes PATH

The path to a file that contains JSON data.

Use this option to define a run_list object. For example, a JSON file similar to:

"run_list": [


  "recipe[base]",


  "recipe[foo]",


  "recipe[bar]",


  "role[webserver]"
],

may be used by running chef-client -j path/to/file.json.

In certain situations this option may be used to update normal attributes.

WARNING:

{


  "name": "dev-99",


  "description": "Install some stuff",


  "override_attributes": {


    "apptastic": {


      "enable_apptastic": "false",


      "apptastic_tier_name": "dev-99.bomb.com"


    }


  }
}

{


  "name": "maybe-dev-99",


  "normal": {


  "name": "dev-99",


    "description": "Install some stuff",


    "override_attributes": {


      "apptastic": {


        "enable_apptastic": "false",


        "apptastic_tier_name": "dev-99.bomb.com"


      }


    }


  }
}

-k KEY_FILE, --client_key KEY_FILE

The location of the file which contains the client key. Default value: /etc/chef/client.pem.

-K KEY_FILE, --validation_key KEY_FILE

The location of the file which contains the key used when a chef-client is registered with a Chef server. A validation key is signed using the validation_client_name for authentication. Default value: /etc/chef/validation.pem.

-l LEVEL, --log_level LEVEL

The level of logging that will be stored in a log file.

-L LOGLOCATION, --logfile c

The location in which log file output files will be saved. If this location is set to something other than STDOUT, standard output logging will still be performed (otherwise there would be no output other than to a file). This is recommended when starting any executable as a daemon. Default value: STDOUT.

--[no-]color

Use to view colored output. Default setting: --color.

-N NODE_NAME, --node-name NODE_NAME

The name of the node.

-o RUN_LIST_ITEM, --override-runlist RUN_LIST_ITEM

Replace the current run list with the specified items. This option will not clear the list of cookbooks (and related files) that is cached on the node.

--once

Use to run the chef-client only once and to cancel interval and splay options.

-P PID_FILE, --pid PID_FILE

The location in which a process identification number (pid) is saved. An executable, when started as a daemon, will write the pid to the specified file. Default value: /tmp/name-of-executable.pid.

-r RUN_LIST_ITEM, --runlist RUN_LIST_ITEM

Use to permanently replace the current run-list with the specified run-list items.

-R, --enable-reporting

Use to enable Chef reporting, which performs data collection during a chef-client run.

RECIPE_FILE

The path to a recipe. For example, if a recipe file is in the current directory, use recipe_file.rb. This is typically used with the --local-mode option.

--run-lock-timeout SECONDS

The amount of time (in seconds) to wait for a chef-client run to finish. Default value: not set (indefinite). Set to 0 to cause a second chef-client to exit immediately.

-s SECONDS, --splay SECONDS

A number (in seconds) to add to the interval that is used to determine the frequency of chef-client runs. This number can help prevent server load when there are many clients running at the same time. When the chef-client is run at intervals, --splay and --interval values are applied before the chef-client run.

-S CHEF_SERVER_URL, --server CHEF_SERVER_URL

The URL for the Chef server.

-u USER, --user USER

The user that owns a process. This is required when starting any executable as a daemon.

-v, --version

The version of the chef-client.

-W, --why-run

Use to run the executable in why-run mode, which is a type of chef-client run that does everything except modify the system. Use why-run mode to understand why the chef-client makes the decisions that it makes and to learn more about the current and proposed state of the system.

-z, --local-mode

Use to run the chef-client in local mode. This allows all commands that work against the Chef server to also work against the local chef-repo.