Following are steps on how to install and configure a puppet client:

rpm -ivh https://yum.puppetlabs.com/puppetlabs-release-el-6.noarch.rpm
yum -y install puppet
vim /etc/puppet/puppet.conf

Following are example configures:

[main]

# The Puppet log directory.

# The default value is '$vardir/log'.

logdir = /var/log/puppet

# Where Puppet PID files are kept.

# The default value is '$vardir/run'.

rundir = /var/run/puppet

# Where SSL certificates are kept.

# The default value is '$confdir/ssl'.

ssldir = $vardir/ssl

#puppet server westcoast dns name

server = li823-33.members.linode.com

#your client server dns name

certname = <YOUR CLIENT SERVER HOSTNAME>

environment = production

[agent]

# The file in which puppetd stores a list of the classes

# associated with the retrieved configuratiion. Can be loaded in

# the separate puppet executable using the --loadclasses

# option.

# The default value is '$confdir/classes.txt'.

classfile = $vardir/classes.txt

#runinterval = 8h

onetime = true

# Where puppetd caches the local configuration. An

# extension indicating the cache format is added automatically.

# The default value is '$confdir/localconfig'.

localconfig = $vardir/localconfig

After editing the puppet.conf, run:

puppet agent --test --debug

Then

Ssh to puppet master server (westcoast server: li823-33.members.linode.com), run:

puppet cert list -all

we will see the client's certificate has not been signed yet (no “+” in front):

"<YOUR CLIENT HOSTNAME>" (SHA256) FA:42:85:8A:27:C8:DE:39:AC:20:6A:D5:F5:C7:B2:64:12:B5:FB:93:31:9B:27:DC:28:61:45:0A:F9:8E:C0:57

Then we run:

puppet cert sign <YOUR CLIENT HOSTNAME>

to authorize the client certificate.

List the certificates again to see the client's certificate is authorized.

In the client you can run:

puppet agent --test --debug

again to see the client could communicate with the server.