Puppet (err): Found 1 dependency cycle + cycles.dot file - puppet

Question

I am running this cmd:
puppet apply --environment split4 -l C:\Puppet_logs\log.log C:\ProgramData\PuppetLabs\code\environments\split4\manifests\bl.pp
This is the code which is running:
service {
$name :
ensure => stopped,
enable => true;
} ->
tidy { $bl_deployment_folder :
rmdirs => true,
recurse => 1,
# notify => Service[$name],
matches => ['*.dll','*.jar','*.exe','*.test','*.utd'];
# subscribe => File[$bl_deployment_folder];
} ->
file {
#set the BL run time folder and update it according to the source folder
$bl_deployment_folder :
ensure => directory,
source => $bl_source_folder,
recurse => true,
ignore => "AlisConfig.ini";
}
According to this code, I would like to:
Stop the tomcat service
Clean the specific files that I mentioned
copy files from source to my directory ($bl_deployment_folder)
Unfortunately, when I'm running it, it throws this error:
+0300 Puppet (err): Found 1 dependency cycle:
(File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll] => Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET] => File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET] => File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll])
Cycle graph written to C:/ProgramData/PuppetLabs/puppet/cache/state/graphs/cycles.dot.
Puppet (err): Failed to apply catalog: One or more resource dependency cycles detected in graph
The circles.dot file is attached:
digraph Resource_Cycles { label = "Resource Cycles" "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]" "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]"
-> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/obj_data_client.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]"
-> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/obj_data_policy.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]"
-> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/obj_exceptions.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/obj_metadata.dll]"
-> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/obj_metadata_product.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]"
"File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/obj_services.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]"
-> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/objects.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]"
-> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/xerces-c_2_6.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/AAppData.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" -> "File[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]"
-> "File[//my-server/C$/BL/ALIS_PUPPET/xmltools.dll]" -> "Tidy[\\my-server\C$\BL\ALIS_PUPPET]" }
What do I need to do to fix this problem?
I appreciate your help!
Thanks!

Answer 1

The problem here is that the tidy resource deletes files by creating file resources in $bl_deployment_folder. Each of those file resources will autorequire its parent directory file resource, in this case $bl_deployment_folder. The -> between the tidy and the directory file implies that $bl_deployment_folder requires the tidy file resources in it, and so you have a cycle.
Unfortunately, the upshot is that you can't have a file require a tidy on the same directory.
In this case, I'd suggest just removing the dependency and letting the tidy run in its own time.
I'd also note that this Puppet manifest feels very procedural. Puppet is really, really bad at "do this, then this, then that" type scripts. It wants to operate in a declarative "tell me what the final state is, and I'll sort it out" way. Trying to use it procedurally is just painful and isn't to be recommended.