What does the metaparameter notify imply in terms of resource relationships?

The metaparameter "notify" in Puppet is designed to establish a relationship between resources where one resource can trigger another. When a resource notifies another, it indicates that the second resource is dependent on the successful execution of the first resource. More specifically, this means that once the resource that is being notified has executed successfully, it will cause the notified resource to refresh or run again.

This is particularly useful in scenarios where changes made by one resource (for example, updating a configuration file) need to be followed by another action (like restarting a service) to apply those changes. Thus, "notify" denotes a clear "after" relationship in that the notification will occur after the event of resource execution has taken place.

The implication of a dependent relationship defined by "notify" supports the proper orchestration of resource management and order of operations in Puppet manifests, ensuring that configurations are applied in a logical sequence.