Add manager boot-time grid mine.update oneshot before highstate

so-boot-mine-update.service is a manager-only Type=oneshot unit that runs
once per boot after salt-master/salt-minion start and before
so-boot-highstate.service. It pushes mine.update to all reachable minions
so mine-backed pillars (node IPs, ES/Redis/Logstash discovery) are fresh
before the boot highstate renders them.

The helper waits for the responsive minion set to settle (plateau) rather
than for every accepted key to report up, so an intentionally powered-off
minion doesn't block the update; MAX_WAIT remains as a backstop.

salt/manager/sync_es_users.sls

@@ -31,11 +31,13 @@ sync_es_users:
       - http: wait_for_kratos
       - file: so-user.lock # require so-user.lock file to be missing
 
-# we dont want this added too early in setup, so we add the onlyif to verify 'startup_states: highstate'
-# is in the minion config. That line is added before the final highstate during setup
+# we dont want this added too early in setup, so the onlyif gates on the
+# /opt/so/state/setup-complete marker. The marker is written by
+# mark_setup_complete in setup/so-functions just before the final setup
+# highstate (and by an upgrade-path state for systems set up under the old gate).
 so-user_sync:
   cron.present:
     - user: root
     - name: 'PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/root/bin /usr/sbin/so-user sync &>> /opt/so/log/soc/sync.log'
     - identifier: so-user_sync
-    - onlyif: "grep -x 'startup_states: highstate' /etc/salt/minion"
+    - onlyif: "test -e /opt/so/state/setup-complete"

salt/manager/tools/sbin/so-boot-mine-update

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Copyright Security Onion Solutions LLC and/or licensed to Security Onion Solutions LLC under one
+# or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License 2.0 as shown at
+# https://securityonion.net/license; you may not use this file except in compliance with the
+# Elastic License 2.0.
+
+# Runs once per boot on managers (via so-boot-mine-update.service), before
+# so-boot-highstate.service. Waits for the responsive minion set to settle, then
+# pushes mine.update to all minions so mine-backed pillars (node IPs, ES/Redis/
+# Logstash discovery) are fresh before the boot highstate renders them.
+
+MAX_WAIT=${MINE_UPDATE_MAX_WAIT:-180}   # hard backstop only
+INTERVAL=10
+STABLE_CHECKS=3                          # up-count must hold steady this many polls
+elapsed=0
+prev=-1
+stable=0
+up=0
+
+# Wait for the *reachable* minion set to settle rather than for every accepted
+# key to report up: an operator may accept a minion's key and then intentionally
+# power off that host, so requiring up >= accepted would never be satisfied and
+# we'd always burn the full MAX_WAIT. Once the responsive count stops growing we
+# stop waiting and run mine.update against whoever is up.
+while [ "$elapsed" -lt "$MAX_WAIT" ]; do
+  up=$(/usr/bin/salt-run manage.up --out=json 2>/dev/null \
+    | python3 -c 'import sys,json; print(len(json.load(sys.stdin)))' 2>/dev/null)
+  up=${up:-0}
+  if [ "$up" -gt 0 ] && [ "$up" -eq "$prev" ]; then
+    stable=$((stable + 1))
+    [ "$stable" -ge "$STABLE_CHECKS" ] && break
+  else
+    stable=0
+  fi
+  prev=$up
+  sleep "$INTERVAL"
+  elapsed=$((elapsed + INTERVAL))
+done
+
+echo "so-boot-mine-update: ${up} minions up (settled after ${elapsed}s); running mine.update"
+/usr/bin/salt '*' mine.update --out=txt

salt/salt/master.sls

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 include:
   - salt.minion
+  - salt.master.boot_mine_update
 {%   if 'vrt' in salt['pillar.get']('features', []) %}
   - salt.cloud
   - salt.cloud.reactor_config_hypervisor

salt/salt/master/boot_mine_update.sls

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# Copyright Security Onion Solutions LLC and/or licensed to Security Onion Solutions LLC under one
+# or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License 2.0 as shown at
+# https://securityonion.net/license; you may not use this file except in compliance with the
+# Elastic License 2.0.
+
+# Manages /etc/systemd/system/so-boot-mine-update.service, a manager-only
+# Type=oneshot unit that pushes `salt '*' mine.update` once per boot, ordered
+# before so-boot-highstate.service so mine-backed pillars (node IPs, ES/Redis/
+# Logstash discovery) are fresh before the boot highstate renders them.
+
+include:
+  - systemd.reload
+
+so_boot_mine_update_unit_file:
+  file.managed:
+    - name: /etc/systemd/system/so-boot-mine-update.service
+    - source: salt://salt/service/so-boot-mine-update.service
+    - onchanges_in:
+      - module: systemd_reload
+
+# Only enable once setup is complete. Until then the gate file is missing and
+# the unit's own ConditionPathExists would no-op it anyway.
+so_boot_mine_update_service:
+  service.enabled:
+    - name: so-boot-mine-update.service
+    - onlyif: test -e /opt/so/state/setup-complete
+    - require:
+      - file: so_boot_mine_update_unit_file
+      - module: systemd_reload

salt/salt/minion/boot_highstate.sls

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# Copyright Security Onion Solutions LLC and/or licensed to Security Onion Solutions LLC under one
+# or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License 2.0 as shown at
+# https://securityonion.net/license; you may not use this file except in compliance with the
+# Elastic License 2.0.
+
+# Manages /etc/systemd/system/so-boot-highstate.service, a Type=oneshot
+# RemainAfterExit=yes unit that runs `salt-call state.highstate` exactly once
+# per system boot. Replaces the legacy `startup_states: highstate` minion
+# config, which fired on every salt-minion service restart (causing a redundant
+# highstate whenever a highstate itself restarted salt-minion).
+
+include:
+  - systemd.reload
+
+so_boot_highstate_unit_file:
+  file.managed:
+    - name: /etc/systemd/system/so-boot-highstate.service
+    - source: salt://salt/service/so-boot-highstate.service
+    - onchanges_in:
+      - module: systemd_reload
+
+# Only enable once setup is complete. Until then the gate file is missing and
+# the unit's own ConditionPathExists would no-op it anyway -- this just keeps
+# `systemctl is-enabled` honest for the sync_es_users gate.
+so_boot_highstate_service:
+  service.enabled:
+    - name: so-boot-highstate.service
+    - onlyif: test -e /opt/so/state/setup-complete
+    - require:
+      - file: so_boot_highstate_unit_file
+      - module: systemd_reload

salt/salt/minion/init.sls

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ include:
   - repo.client
   - salt.mine_functions
   - salt.minion.service_file
+  - salt.minion.boot_highstate
 {% if GLOBALS.is_manager %}
   - ca.signing_policy
 {% endif %}
@@ -80,11 +81,33 @@ set_log_levels:
       - "log_level: info"
       - "log_level_logfile: info"
 
-enable_startup_states:
-  file.uncomment:
+# startup_states: highstate caused a full highstate to run on every
+# salt-minion service start, including the restart triggered when a highstate
+# itself modified the minion config (beacons, mine, unit file). Replaced by
+# so-boot-highstate.service (managed in salt.minion.boot_highstate), which
+# runs once per system boot only. Strip the line from /etc/salt/minion on
+# upgrade; both the commented and uncommented forms historically existed.
+remove_startup_states:
+  file.line:
     - name: /etc/salt/minion
-    - regex: '^startup_states: highstate$'
-    - unless: pgrep so-setup
+    - match: 'startup_states: highstate'
+    - mode: delete
+
+# Upgrade-path bridge: systems that already passed setup under the old gate
+# (`grep -x 'startup_states: highstate' /etc/salt/minion`) get a /opt/so/state/setup-complete
+# marker so so-boot-highstate.service can be enabled and the so-user_sync cron
+# in sync_es_users.sls keeps installing. Setup-in-progress systems instead get
+# the marker from `mark_setup_complete` in setup/so-functions at the right
+# moment. `replace: false` means we never overwrite a marker once written.
+mark_setup_complete_for_upgrades:
+  file.managed:
+    - name: /opt/so/state/setup-complete
+    - replace: false
+    - makedirs: True
+    - onlyif: "grep -qx 'startup_states: highstate' /etc/salt/minion"
+    - require_in:
+      - file: remove_startup_states
+      - service: so_boot_highstate_service
 
 {% endif %}
 

salt/salt/service/so-boot-highstate.service

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Security Onion boot-time highstate (runs once per boot)
+After=salt-minion.service network-online.target docker.service
+Wants=network-online.target docker.service
+Requires=salt-minion.service
+ConditionPathExists=/opt/so/state/setup-complete
+
+[Service]
+Type=oneshot
+RemainAfterExit=yes
+ExecStart=/usr/bin/salt-call state.highstate -l info queue=True
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target

salt/salt/service/so-boot-mine-update.service

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Security Onion boot-time grid mine.update (managers, runs once per boot before highstate)
+After=salt-master.service salt-minion.service network-online.target
+Wants=network-online.target
+Requires=salt-master.service salt-minion.service
+Before=so-boot-highstate.service
+ConditionPathExists=/opt/so/state/setup-complete
+
+[Service]
+Type=oneshot
+RemainAfterExit=yes
+ExecStart=/usr/sbin/so-boot-mine-update
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target

salt/setup/virt/setSalt.sls

@@ -8,11 +8,6 @@ set_role_grain:
     - name: role
     - value: so-{{ grains.id.split("_") | last }}
 
-set_highstate:
-  file.append:
-    - name: /etc/salt/minion
-    - text: 'startup_states: highstate'
-
 enable_salt_minion:
   service.enabled:
     - name: salt-minion

setup/so-functions

@@ -539,16 +539,19 @@ configure_minion() {
 		"  x509_v2: true"\
 		"log_level: info"\
 		"log_level_logfile: info"\
-		"log_file: /opt/so/log/salt/minion"\
-		"#startup_states: highstate" >> "$minion_config"
+		"log_file: /opt/so/log/salt/minion" >> "$minion_config"
 
 }
 
-checkin_at_boot() {
-	local minion_config=/etc/salt/minion
+mark_setup_complete() {
+	# Writes the setup-complete marker. Salt's so-boot-highstate.service
+	# (boot-time oneshot) and the so-user_sync cron gate in
+	# salt/manager/sync_es_users.sls both key off this file.
+	local marker=/opt/so/state/setup-complete
 
-	info "Enabling checkin at boot"
-	sed -i 's/#startup_states: highstate/startup_states: highstate/' "$minion_config"
+	info "Marking setup as complete"
+	mkdir -p "$(dirname "$marker")"
+	touch "$marker"
 }
 
 check_requirements() {

setup/so-setup

@@ -792,7 +792,7 @@ if ! [[ -f $install_opt_file ]]; then
 			error "Failed to run so-elastic-fleet-setup"
 			fail_setup
 		fi
-		checkin_at_boot
+		mark_setup_complete
 		set_initial_firewall_access
         initialize_elasticsearch_indices "so-case so-casehistory so-assistant-session so-assistant-chat"
 		# run a final highstate before enabling scheduled highstates.