Good intro tutorial: http://gettingstartedwithchef.com/first-steps-with-chef.html
Important terms:
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cookbook: contains one ore more recipes, template files, etc.
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recipe: specifies how to take an action.
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chef-solo: version of the program that runs on a single computer.
Reads local configuration files and modifies the system.
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chef-client and chef-server: version of the program that runs in a client server system.
Normally, the server offers configuration files requested by the client, which uses them to modify the system it runs on.
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knife: program that can:
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create cookbook templates:
knife cookbook create $COOKBOOK_NAME -
download recipes so that chef-solo can use them:
knife cookbook site download $COOKBOOK_NAME
Does not resolve recipe dependencies.
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berkshelf: downloads recipes like knife, but also manages dependencies.