How can i install a local rpm using puppet

Question

I am trying to install a particular rpm using puppet, my init.pp is:

class nmap {
  package {'nmap':
    provider => 'rpm',
    source => "<Local PATH to the RPM>",
  }
}

and the rpm is in ...modules/nmap/files

If i move the rpm to manifests, and provide the rpm name in source => ''

class nmap {
  package {'nmap':
    provider => 'rpm',
    source => "rpm-name.rpm",
  }
}

it works, but how can i specify source path with ../files/ and do puppet apply successfully

When i use :

source => 'puppet:///files/nmap-6.45-1.x86_64.rpm',

i get an error:

Debug: Executing '/bin/rpm -i puppet:///files/nmap-6.45-1.x86_64.rpm' Error: Execution of '/bin/rpm -i puppet:///files/nmap-6.45-1.x86_64.rpm' returned 1: error: open of puppet:///files/nmap-6.45-1.x86_64.rpm failed: No such file or directory

Error: /Stage[main]/Nmap/Package[nmap]/ensure: change from absent to present failed: Execution of '/bin/rpm -i puppet:///files/nmap-6.45-1.x86_64.rpm' returned 1: error: open of puppet:///files/nmap-6.45-1.x86_64.rpm failed: No such file or directory `

when running the command:

sudo puppet apply --modulepath=/home/user1/qa/puppet_qa/modules/ -e "include nmap" --debug

Answer 1

Unlike the file resource type, the package type has no support for Puppet fileserver URLs. You will need to use a file resource to download the rpm prior to installing it. If this is a recurring problem for you, make a defined type that does those in one go (think macros), e.g.

define fileserver_package($source, $ensure='installed') {
  file { "/my/tmp/dir/$name.rpm": source => $source }
  package { $name:
    ensure => $ensure,
    provider => 'rpm',
    source => "/my/tmp/dir/$name.rpm",
    require => File["/my/tmp/dir/$name.rpm"],
  }
}

Edit: it is generally advisable to use a local yum repo instead, see also the first comment by @rojs below.