What happens if a required condition for a Puppet resource is not met?

When a required condition for a Puppet resource is not met, Puppet will skip comparing the current state to the desired state of that resource. This behavior is fundamental to how Puppet manages resources, as it ensures that Puppet only attempts to bring resources into the desired state when the necessary preconditions are satisfied.

This approach prevents Puppet from making unnecessary changes or comparisons and helps maintain system stability by adhering to the specified conditions. If the preconditions are not satisfied, the resource is essentially ignored in that pass of the Puppet run, focusing instead on other tasks that can be performed. This selective approach contributes to Puppet's efficiency in managing resources and reduces the likelihood of unexpected changes occurring on the system.