What you need for this book

This book assumes a reasonable amount of knowledge of both Salt and the Python programming language. While you may be able to slam out some code without much experience (indeed, that is how the author got started with both), you will find it much easier with these tools already under your belt.

While the examples in this book are tested and functional, they may not be applicable to your needs. They are designed to be simple and easily understood by one who is comfortable with both Python and Salt, while still showcasing a reasonably amount of functionality.

Salt currently has a baseline of Python 2.6, which means that many older Linux distributions are still supported. As of the first edition of this book, Salt does not currently run on the Python 3.x branch. Minion-side examples are expected to work in Windows as well, except when the dependencies that they rely on aren't available.

Because both the Master and the Minion can be run on the same machine, you only need one computer to perform the examples in this book. Many of the examples do refer to software that may not be preinstalled with your operating system. In those cases, the software should still be available for download.