What is the primary function of the Puppet Agent?

The primary function of the Puppet Agent is to enforce configurations on the node. In the Puppet architecture, the Puppet Agent runs on the managed nodes (the servers or systems being configured) and communicates with the Puppet Master to retrieve the configuration policies defined in manifests. Once these policies are retrieved, the agent then applies the specified configurations to the local system to ensure that it complies with the desired state defined in the Puppet manifests.

The emphasis on enforcement indicates that the agent actively makes changes to the system based on the configurations defined, ensuring that any drift from the desired configurations is corrected. This ongoing process helps maintain system consistency and compliance.

Other options such as defining resources and installing Puppet modules are functions more aligned with the Puppet Master or development aspects of Puppet rather than the direct role of the Puppet Agent. Reporting on the status of managed configurations, while important for visibility and auditing, is a secondary function of the agent, as its primary role is to actively manage and enforce desired system states.