Introduction
A installation of chef on Ubuntu 8.10 using gems is the best tested method as it's what most the developers use as well. If you have any problems with these directions please let us know.
Install Ruby and Rubygems
Make sure you have Ruby and Rubygems installed. On Ubuntu:
Install RubyGems from Source
We prefer to install RubyGems from source rather than use the OS-provided version (if any), as it is cross platform, so we know what to expect.
For Debian and Ubuntu users, see the Debian Position on RubyGems. If you prefer to install Chef from APT packages, you can use the Opscode APT repository to install Chef on Debian or Ubuntu with APT.
 | $PATH Issues If you use an OS-provided RubyGems package instead of installing from source, you may need to add the path where it puts RubyGem-installed programs to your system's PATH, otherwise Chef may not start/work properly. If you're not sure what path to add, check gem env for "EXECUTABLE DIRECTORY". |
Configure Gem Sources
The Opscode Gem releases are available via RubyGems. As of RubyGems 1.3.6, this is the default source and you don't need to do anything. If you're running an older version, the default source is http://gems.rubyforge.org/; it has been changed by the Ruby community to point to rubygems.org for the foreseeable future and you don't need to do anything. However, it is probably a good idea to make sure that your sources are updated:
Install Chef Gem
Now we'll install the Chef RubyGem. This also installs Chef's dependencies.
Set up Chef
Now that you have Chef installed, you're ready to bootstrap Chef.