# Ansible ![ansible.com](/files/zxfNXEdEsziYOpBFjPhF) *** ## 🌐 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` *** --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://blog.syselement.com/home/devops-everything/devops-resources/ansible.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.