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Home > Cloud & Networking > Configuration Management > Mastering Ansible
Mastering Ansible
Mastering Ansible

Mastering Ansible: Effectively automate configuration management and deployment challenges with Ansible 2.7 , Third Edition

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Mastering Ansible

The System Architecture and Design of Ansible

This chapter provides a detailed exploration of the architecture and design of Ansible, and how it goes about performing tasks on your behalf. We will cover the basic concepts of inventory parsing and how data is discovered, and then proceed onto playbook parsing. We will take a walk through module preparation, transportation, and execution. Lastly, we will detail variable types and find out where the variables are located, their scope of use, and how precedence is determined when variables are defined in more than one location. All these things will be covered in order to lay the foundation for mastering Ansible!

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Ansible version and configuration
  • Inventory parsing and data sources
  • Playbook parsing
  • Execution strategies
  • Module transport and execution
  • Variable types and locations
    • ...

Technical requirements

Ansible version and configuration

It is assumed that you have Ansible installed on your system. There are many documents out there that cover installing Ansible in a way that is appropriate to the operating system and version that you might be using. This book will assume use of Ansible version 2.7.x.x. To discover the version in use on a system where Ansible is already installed, make use of the version argument, that is, either ansible or ansible-playbook, as follows:

ansible-playbook --version

This command should give you an output that's similar to the following screenshot:

Note that ansible is the executable for doing ad hoc one-task executions, and ansible-playbook is the executable that will process playbooks for orchestrating many tasks.

The configuration for Ansible can exist in a few different locations, where the first file found will be used. The search involves...

Inventory parsing and data sources

In Ansible, nothing happens without an inventory. Even ad hoc actions performed on the localhost require an inventory, though that inventory may just consist of the localhost. The inventory is the most basic building block of Ansible architecture. When executing ansible or ansible-playbook, an inventory must be referenced. Inventories are either files or directories that exist on the same system that runs ansible or ansible-playbook. The location of the inventory can be referenced at runtime with the --inventory-file (-i) argument, or by defining the path in an Ansible config file.

Inventories can be static or dynamic, or even a combination of both, and Ansible is not limited to a single inventory. The standard practice is to split inventories across logical boundaries, such as staging and production, allowing an engineer to run a set of plays...

Playbook parsing

The whole purpose of an inventory source is to have systems to manipulate. The manipulation comes from playbooks (or, in the case of Ansible ad hoc execution, that is, simple single-task plays). You should already have a basic understanding of playbook construction, so we won't spend a lot of time covering that; however, we will delve into some specifics of how a playbook is parsed. Specifically, we will cover the following:

  • Order of operations
  • Relative path assumptions
  • Play behavior keys
  • Host selection for plays and tasks
  • Play and task names

Order of operations

Ansible is designed to be as easy as possible for a human to understand. The developers strive to strike the best balance of human comprehension...

Module transport and execution

Once a playbook is parsed and the hosts are determined, Ansible is ready to execute a task. Tasks are made up of a name (optional, but nonetheless important, as described previously), a module reference, module arguments, and task control directives. A later chapter will cover task control directives in detail, so we will only concern ourselves with the module reference and arguments.

Module reference

Every task has a module reference. This tells Ansible which bit of work to carry out. Ansible is designed to easily allow for custom modules to live alongside a playbook. These custom modules can be wholly new functionality, or they can replace modules shipped with Ansible itself. When Ansible parses...

Variable types and location

Variables are a key component of the Ansible design. Variables allow for dynamic play content and reusable plays across different sets of an inventory. Anything beyond the most basic of Ansible use will utilize variables. Understanding the different variable types and where they can be located, as well as learning how to access external data or prompt users to populate variable data, is one of the keys to mastering Ansible.

Variable types

Before diving into the precedence of variables, we must first understand the various types and subtypes of variables available to Ansible, their location, and where they are valid for use.

The first major variable type is inventory variables. These are the variables...

Accessing external data

Data for role variables, play variables, and task variables can also come from external sources. Ansible provides a mechanism to access and evaluate data from the control machine (the machine running ansible-playbook). The mechanism is called a lookup plugin, and a number of them come with Ansible. These plugins can be used to look up or access data by reading files, generate and locally store passwords on the Ansible host for later reuse, evaluate environment variables, pipe data in from executables, access data in the Redis or etcd systems, render data from template files, query dnstxt records, and more. The syntax is as follows:

lookup('<plugin_name>', 'plugin_argument')

For example, to use the mastery value from etcd in a debug task, execute the following command:

- name: show data from etcd 
  debug:     
    msg: "...

Variable precedence

As you learned in the previous section, there are several major types of variables that can be defined in a myriad of locations. This leads to a very important question: what happens when the same variable name is used in multiple locations? Ansible has a precedence for loading variable data, and thus it has an order and a definition to decide which variable will win. Variable value overriding is an advanced usage of Ansible, so it is important to fully understand the semantics before attempting such a scenario.

Precedence order

Ansible defines the precedence order as follows, with those closest to the top of the list winning. Note that this can change from release to release, and has changed quite significantly...

Summary

While the design of Ansible focuses on simplicity and ease of use, the architecture itself is very powerful. In this chapter, we covered key design and architecture concepts of Ansible, such as version and configuration, playbook parsing, module transport and execution, variable types and locations, and variable precedence.

You learned that playbooks contain variables and tasks. Tasks link bits of code called modules with arguments, which can be populated by variable data. These combinations are transported to selected hosts from inventory sources provided. The fundamental understanding of these building blocks is the platform on which you can build a mastery of all things Ansible!

In the next chapter, you will learn how to secure secret data while working with Ansible.

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Key benefits

  • Tackle complex automation challenges with the newly added features in Ansible 2.7

Description

Automation is essential for success in the modern world of DevOps. Ansible provides a simple, yet powerful, automation engine for tackling complex automation challenges. This book will take you on a journey that will help you exploit the latest version's advanced features to help you increase efficiency and accomplish complex orchestrations. This book will help you understand how Ansible 2.7 works at a fundamental level and will also teach you to leverage its advanced capabilities. Throughout this book, you will learn how to encrypt Ansible content at rest and decrypt data at runtime. Next, this book will act as an ideal resource to help you master the advanced features and capabilities required to tackle complex automation challenges. Later, it will walk you through workflows, use cases, orchestrations, troubleshooting, and Ansible extensions. Lastly, you will examine and debug Ansible operations, helping you to understand and resolve issues. By the end of the book, you will be able to unlock the true power of the Ansible automation engine and tackle complex, real- world actions with ease.

Who is this book for?

This book is for Ansible developers and operators who have an understanding of its core elements and applications but are now looking to enhance their skills in applying automation using Ansible.

What you will learn

  • Gain an in-depth understanding of how Ansible works under the hood
  • Fully automate Ansible playbook executions with encrypted data
  • Access and manipulate variable data within playbooks
  • Use blocks to perform failure recovery or cleanup
  • Explore the Playbook debugger and the Ansible Console
  • Troubleshoot unexpected behavior effectively
  • Work with cloud infrastructure providers and container systems
  • Develop custom modules, plugins, and dynamic inventory sources
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Publication date : Mar 25, 2019
Length: 412 pages
Edition : 3rd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789951547
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Concepts :
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Publication date : Mar 25, 2019
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ISBN-13 : 9781789951547
Vendor :
Red Hat
Category :
Cloud & Networking
Concepts :
Configuration Management
Tools :
Ansible

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Table of Contents

16 Chapters
Section 1: Ansible Overview and Fundamentals Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 1: Ansible Overview and Fundamentals
The System Architecture and Design of Ansible Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
The System Architecture and Design of Ansible
Technical requirements
Ansible version and configuration
Inventory parsing and data sources
Playbook parsing
Module transport and execution
Variable types and location
Accessing external data
Variable precedence
Summary
Protecting Your Secrets with Ansible Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Protecting Your Secrets with Ansible
Technical requirements
Encrypting data at rest
Mixing encrypted data with plain YAML
Protecting secrets while operating
Summary
Ansible and Windows - Not Just for Linux Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Ansible and Windows - Not Just for Linux
Technical requirements
Running Ansible from Windows
Setting up Windows hosts for Ansible control
Handling Windows authentication and encryption
Automating Windows tasks with Ansible
Summary
Infrastructure Management for Enterprises with AWX Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Infrastructure Management for Enterprises with AWX
Technical requirements
Getting AWX up and running
Integrating AWX with your first playbook
Going beyond the basics
Summary
Section 2: Writing and Troubleshooting Ansible Playbooks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 2: Writing and Troubleshooting Ansible Playbooks
Unlocking the Power of Jinja2 Templates Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Unlocking the Power of Jinja2 Templates
Technical requirements
Control structures
Data manipulation
Comparing values
Summary
Controlling Task Conditions Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Controlling Task Conditions
Technical requirements
Defining a failure
Defining a change
Error recovery
Iterative tasks with loops
Summary
Composing Reusable Ansible Content with Roles Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Composing Reusable Ansible Content with Roles
Technical requirements
Task, handler, variable, and playbook inclusion concepts
Roles
Summary
Troubleshooting Ansible Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Troubleshooting Ansible
Technical requirements
Playbook logging and verbosity
Variable introspection
Debugging code execution
Summary
Extending Ansible Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Extending Ansible
Technical requirements
Developing modules
Developing plugins
Developing dynamic inventory plugins
Contributing to the Ansible project
Summary
Section 3: Orchestration with Ansible Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 3: Orchestration with Ansible
Minimizing Downtime with Rolling Deployments Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Minimizing Downtime with Rolling Deployments
Technical requirements
In-place upgrades
Expanding and contracting
Failing fast
Minimizing disruptions
Serializing single tasks
Summary
Infrastructure Provisioning Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Infrastructure Provisioning
Technical requirements
Managing cloud infrastructures
Managing a public cloud infrastructure
Interacting with Docker containers
Ansible Container
Summary
Network Automation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Network Automation
Technical requirements
Ansible for network manage ment
Handling multiple device types
Configuring Cumulus Networks switches with Ansible
Summary
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Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.4
(5 Ratings)
5 star 40%
4 star 0%
3 star 40%
2 star 0%
1 star 20%
JP Jan 25, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Excellent
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Dan Pirvanescu Feb 05, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
A very good book. Good explanations, good examples, complete. Anyway requires little effort to adapt to the new release of Ansible, but works. I recommend it. I just succeeded the Cisco CCNA exam and helped me preparing the CCNP.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Jeff Jun 20, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
For what I have read so far, it's been great. But, I keep running into "Beyond the scope of this book". It's MASTERING Ansible. When would be a better time to put the information in the book ?Mastering Ansible...The stuff we felt that was beyond the other book.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
BJ Mar 13, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
While I need to read it, others are first
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Pyers Jul 07, 2020
Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 1
This might be the best book on Ansible ever written but I can't tell because the production values are so poor. A lot of the book consists of screen caps that are reproduced in black and white. Fine except that the images come out so poorly. Text is fuzzy and unclear, light grey on a dark grey background making it very difficult to read and even more to follow. It might be a superb book but I just cannot tell.
Amazon Verified review Amazon

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About the authors

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Profile icon James Freeman
James Freeman
LinkedIn icon Github icon
James Freeman is an accomplished IT professional with over 25 years' experience in the technology industry. He has more than a decade of first-hand experience in solving real-world enterprise problems in production environments using Ansible, open source, and AWS. As part of this work, he frequently introduces Ansible as a new technology to businesses and CTOs for the first time. In addition, he has co-authored five books and one video training course on Ansible, facilitated bespoke Ansible workshops and training sessions, and presented at both international conferences and meetups on Ansible.
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Profile icon Keating
Keating
Jesse Keating is an accomplished Ansible user, contributor, and presenter. He has been an active member of the Linux and open source community for over 15 years. He has firsthand experience involving a variety of IT activities, software development, and large-scale system administration. He has presented at numerous conferences and meetups, and has written many articles on a variety of topics.
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Cancellation Policy for Published Printed Books:

You can cancel any order within 1 hour of placing the order. Simply contact customercare@packt.com with your order details or payment transaction id. If your order has already started the shipment process, we will do our best to stop it. However, if it is already on the way to you then when you receive it, you can contact us at customercare@packt.com using the returns and refund process.

Please understand that Packt Publishing cannot provide refunds or cancel any order except for the cases described in our Return Policy (i.e. Packt Publishing agrees to replace your printed book because it arrives damaged or material defect in book), Packt Publishing will not accept returns.

What is your returns and refunds policy? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com with the order number and issue details as explained below:

  1. If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
  2. Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on customercare@packt.com who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
  3. You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
  4. Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
  5. If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
  6. Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on customercare@packt.com within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

You can pay with the following card types:

  1. Visa Debit
  2. Visa Credit
  3. MasterCard
  4. PayPal
What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela