# Ansible ![ansible.com](https://1099202751-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FEhofjMfYbx3gOUSReXD7%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-8522372e473bcbac5dcda39e5631fb8937c2100e%2Fansible-logo.png?alt=media) *** ## 🌐 Resources πŸ”— > * [User Guide - Ansible Community Documentation](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/user_guide/index.html) > * [jdauphant/awesome-ansible: A collaborative curated list of awesome Ansible resources](https://github.com/jdauphant/awesome-ansible) > * [ansible-community/awesome-ansible: Awesome Ansible List](https://github.com/ansible-community/awesome-ansible) > * [Semaphore UI](https://semaphoreui.com/) > > Blogs: > > * [An Introduction to Configuration Management with Ansible | DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/conceptual-articles/an-introduction-to-configuration-management-with-ansible) > * [How to Use Ansible: A Reference Guide | DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/cheatsheets/how-to-use-ansible-cheat-sheet-guide) > * [Ansible Tutorial for Beginners: Playbook & Examples](https://spacelift.io/blog/ansible-tutorial) *** ## [Ansible Intro](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/getting_started/introduction.html) * **Open-source tool** for automation and configuration management * **Agentless**: Uses SSH or WinRM for communication * **YAML-based playbooks** for defining configurations * **Idempotent**: Applies changes without unintended side effects * **Modular**: Offers built-in modules for various tasks * **Roles**: Organizes tasks for better reuse and collaboration * **Strong community support** and extensive documentation **Terminology** * **Control Node**: The system running Ansible, typically on Linux/Unix * **Managed Nodes**: Target systems controlled by Ansible, requiring SSH and Python (2.6+/3.5+). Supports various OS types, including Windows * **Inventory**: A file listing managed hosts. Can be static (.ini) or dynamic (JSON output) for project-specific management * **Tasks**: Units of work executed on managed nodes, either ad-hoc or within playbooks * **Playbook**: An ordered list of tasks specifying target hosts and execution details, written in YAML * **Handlers**: Special tasks for managing services, triggered by other tasks and run after all tasks are completed * **Roles**: Structured collections of playbooks and files for reusable automation packages, streamlining specific deployments *** ## [Ansible Install](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/installation_guide/intro_installation.html#installing-and-upgrading-ansible-with-pipx) ```bash pipx install --include-deps ansible pipx ensurepath # pipx upgrade --include-injected ansible ``` * Generate `ansible.cfg` file ```bash ansible-config init --disabled > ansible.cfg ``` ### [Inventory](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/inventory_guide/index.html) * Even if you do not define any groups in your inventory file, Ansible creates two default groups: `all` and `ungrouped`. The `all` group contains every host. The `ungrouped` group contains all hosts that don’t have another group aside from `all`. ```bash sudo mkdir -p /etc/ansible sudo nano /etc/ansible/hosts ``` ```bash [servers] ubuntu-srv.local [all:vars] ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3 ``` *** ## Commands ```bash ansible --version ansible-community --version ansible-inventory --list -y # module ansible all -m ping ansible all -m setup # Get info about IPv4 and IPv6 network intefaces ansible all -m setup -a "filter=*ipv*" # ad-hoc command ansible all -a "df -h" ansible all -a "sudo /bin/apt update" ansible all -a "uptime" ansible all -a "tail /var/log/nginx/error.log" --become # Install latest version of vim, as suoder ansible all -m apt -a "name=vim state=latest" --become ansible all -m apt -a "name=tree" # install asking for password ansible all -m apt -a "name=nginx" --become -K ansible all -a "systemctl restart nginx" --become ``` *** ## Labs ### Playbooks ```bash mkdir -p $HOME/ansible/playbooks cd $HOME/ansible/playbooks nano intro_playbook.yml ``` ```bash --- - hosts: all become: true tasks: - name: Install Packages apt: name={{ item }} update_cache=yes state=latest loop: [ 'nginx', 'vim' ] tags: [ 'setup' ] - name: Copy index page copy: src: index.html dest: /var/www/html/index.html owner: www-data group: www-data mode: '0644' tags: [ 'update', 'sync' ] ``` ```bash nano index.html ``` ```bash Testing Ansible Playbooks

Testing Ansible Playbooks

This server was set up using an Nginx playbook.

``` ```bash ansible-playbook ./intro_playbook.yml --list-tasks # Execute the playbook, prompting for sudo password ansible-playbook ./intro_playbook.yml -K -v # This will use the current system user as remote SSH user, and the current system user’s SSH key to authenticate to the nodes. ``` *** ## Semaphore UI [Semaphore](https://github.com/semaphoreui/semaphore) is a powerful open-source tool for managing Ansible tasks through a web-based interface. This guide demonstrates how to install Semaphore on an **Ubuntu Desktop VM** using Snap (❗) and configure it for SSH-based Ansible playbooks. > ❗ As per [Semaphore docs](https://docs.semaphoreui.com/administration-guide/installation/) Snap install is **deprecated** (but still works). > > * I need to do some testing to integrate [Package manager](https://docs.semaphoreui.com/administration-guide/installation/package-manager/) and/or [Docker](https://docs.semaphoreui.com/administration-guide/installation/docker/) installation documentation. ### Install via Snap (Ubuntu Desktop) ```bash # Install Semaphore using Snap sudo snap install semaphore # Stop Semaphore (if needed) sudo snap stop semaphore # Add an admin user to Semaphore sudo semaphore user add --admin --login user --name=User --email=user@example.com --password=P@ssw0rd! # Start Semaphore and view its services sudo snap start semaphore sudo snap services semaphore # Configure SSH for Semaphore sudo cp $HOME/.ssh/config /root/snap/semaphore/common/sshconfig chmod 644 /root/snap/semaphore/common/sshconfig ``` > #### Install via Docker > > *Not tested* > > Follow the steps outlined in the [official Semaphore documentation](https://github.com/semaphoreui/semaphore) for Docker-based deployment. Use the [container configurator](https://semaphoreui.com/install/docker/) to get the ideal Docker configuration for Semaphore. > > Here is a summary for convenience to deploy via docker with data persistence: > > ```bash > docker run --name semaphore \ > -p 3000:3000 \ > -e SEMAPHORE_DB_DIALECT=bolt \ > -e SEMAPHORE_ADMIN=admin \ > -e SEMAPHORE_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme \ > -e SEMAPHORE_ADMIN_NAME="Admin" \ > -e SEMAPHORE_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@localhost \ > -v semaphore_data:/var/lib/semaphore \ > -v semaphore_config:/etc/semaphore \ > -v semaphore_tmp:/tmp/semaphore \ > -d semaphoreui/semaphore:latest > ``` > > * [ ] Missing `.ssh/config` setup ### Post-install configuration 1. **Log In** * Access Semaphore at [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000/) * Use the admin credentials set during the setup process 2. **Keystore Configuration** * Add the SSH keys + passphrases for secure connections 3. **Repository Configuration** * Link the Git repository using SSH credentials * **e.g.** - `git@github.com:syselement/ansibletest.git` 4. **Environment** * Set up an empty environment 5. **Static Inventory Configuration** * Define an inventory file with host and group details * **e.g.** ```bash [pihole] pihole.lan.syselement.com [ubuntu] ubuntu-srv.lan.syselement.com [all:vars] ansible_ssh_common_args = '-F /root/snap/semaphore/common/sshconfig' ``` ### Creating Ansible Task Templates Task templates in Semaphore point to Ansible playbooks stored in the repository. Here’s how to set them up: 1. **Organize the repository** * Structure the repository to store playbooks logically. * **e.g.** ```bash ansible/ β”œβ”€β”€ playbooks/ β”‚ β”œβ”€β”€ updatelinux.yaml β”‚ β”œβ”€β”€ deployweb.yaml └── roles/ β”œβ”€β”€ common/ β”œβ”€β”€ webserver/ ``` 2. **Create a template in Semaphore** * Add a new **Task Template** in Semaphore * **e.g.** * Name - `AptUpdateUbuntu` * Playbook Path - Relative path to the playbook - `ansible/playbooks/updatelinux.yaml` ***