Search icon CANCEL
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Conferences
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
OpenStack Administration with Ansible 2
OpenStack Administration with Ansible 2

OpenStack Administration with Ansible 2: Automate and monitor administrative tasks , Second Edition

eBook
$24.99 $35.99
Paperback
$43.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

OpenStack Administration with Ansible 2

Chapter 2. Introduction to Ansible

This chapter will serve as a high-level overview of Ansible 2.0 and components that make up this open source configuration management tool. We will cover the definition of the Ansible components and their typical use. Also, we will discuss how to define variables for the roles and defining/setting facts about the hosts for the playbooks. Next, we will transition into how to set up your Ansible environment and the ways you can define the host inventory used to run your playbooks against. We will then cover some of the new components introduced in Ansible 2.0 named Blocks and Strategies. We will also discuss the cloud modules natively part of the Ansible framework. Finally, the chapter will finish up with a working example of a playbook that will confirm the required host connectivity needed to use Ansible. The following topics will be covered:

  • Ansible 2.0 overview.
  • What are playbooks, roles, and modules?
  • Setting up the environment.
  • Variables and facts...

Ansible 2.0 overview

Ansible in its simplest form has been described as a Python-based open source IT automation tool that can be used to configure\manage systems, deploy software (or almost anything), and provide orchestration to a process. These are just a few of the many possible use cases for Ansible. In my previous life as a production support infrastructure engineer, I wish such a tool would have existed. I would have surely had much more sleep and a lot less gray hairs.

One thing that always stood out to me in regard to Ansible is that the developer's first and foremost goal was to create a tool that offers simplicity and maximum ease of use. In a world filled with complicated and intricate software, keeping it simple goes a long way for most IT professionals.

Staying with the goal of keeping things simple, Ansible handles configuration/management of hosts solely through Secure Shell (SSH). Absolutely no daemon or agent is required. The server or workstation where you run...

What are playbooks, roles, and modules?

The automation code you will create to be run by Ansible is broken down in hierarchical layers. Envision a pyramid with its multiple levels of elevation. We will start at the top and discuss playbooks first.

Playbooks

Imagine that a playbook is the very topmost triangle of the pyramid. A playbook takes on the role of executing all of the lower level code contained in a role. It can also be seen as a wrapper to the roles created. We will cover the roles in the next section.

Playbooks also contain other high-level runtime parameters, such as the host(s) to run the playbook against, the root user to use, and/or if the playbook needs to be run as a sudo user. These are just a few of the many playbook parameters you can add. Following is an example of what the syntax of a playbook looks like:

--- 
# Sample playbooks structure/syntax. 
 
- hosts: dbservers 
 remote_user: root 
 become: true 
 roles: 
  - mysql-install 

Tip

In the preceding example, you...

Setting up the environment

Before you can start experimenting with Ansible, you must install it first. There was no need in duplicating all the great documentation to accomplish this already created on http://docs.ansible.com/. I would encourage you to go to the following URL and choose an install method of your choice: http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/intro_installation.html.

Tip

If you are installing Ansible on Mac OS, I found using Homebrew was much simpler and consistent. More details on using Homebrew can be found at http://brew.sh. The command to install Ansible with Homebrew is brew install ansible.

Upgrading to Ansible 2.0

It is very important to note that in order to use the new features part of Ansible version 2.0, you must update the version running on your OSA deployment node. The version currently running on the deployment node is either 1.9.4 or 1.9.5. The method that seemed to work well every time is outlined here. This part is a bit experimental, so please make a note of any...

Variables and facts

Anyone who has ever attempted to create some sort of automation code, whether via bash or Perl scripts, knows that being able to define variables is an essential component. Like other programming languages Ansible does contain features such as variable substitution.

Variables

To start, let's first define the meaning of variables and use in the event this is a new concept.

Variable (computer science), a symbolic name associated with a value and whose associated value may be changed

Using variables allows you to set a symbolic placeholder in your automation code that you can substitute values for on each execution. Ansible accommodates defining variables within your playbooks and roles in various ways. When dealing with OpenStack and/or cloud technologies in general, being able to adjust your execution parameters on the fly is critical.

We will step through a few ways of how you can set variable placeholders in your playbooks, how to define variable values, and how you...

Ansible 2.0 overview


Ansible in its simplest form has been described as a Python-based open source IT automation tool that can be used to configure\manage systems, deploy software (or almost anything), and provide orchestration to a process. These are just a few of the many possible use cases for Ansible. In my previous life as a production support infrastructure engineer, I wish such a tool would have existed. I would have surely had much more sleep and a lot less gray hairs.

One thing that always stood out to me in regard to Ansible is that the developer's first and foremost goal was to create a tool that offers simplicity and maximum ease of use. In a world filled with complicated and intricate software, keeping it simple goes a long way for most IT professionals.

Staying with the goal of keeping things simple, Ansible handles configuration/management of hosts solely through Secure Shell (SSH). Absolutely no daemon or agent is required. The server or workstation where you run the playbooks...

What are playbooks, roles, and modules?


The automation code you will create to be run by Ansible is broken down in hierarchical layers. Envision a pyramid with its multiple levels of elevation. We will start at the top and discuss playbooks first.

Playbooks

Imagine that a playbook is the very topmost triangle of the pyramid. A playbook takes on the role of executing all of the lower level code contained in a role. It can also be seen as a wrapper to the roles created. We will cover the roles in the next section.

Playbooks also contain other high-level runtime parameters, such as the host(s) to run the playbook against, the root user to use, and/or if the playbook needs to be run as a sudo user. These are just a few of the many playbook parameters you can add. Following is an example of what the syntax of a playbook looks like:

--- 
# Sample playbooks structure/syntax. 
 
- hosts: dbservers 
 remote_user: root 
 become: true 
 roles: 
  - mysql-install 
...

Setting up the environment


Before you can start experimenting with Ansible, you must install it first. There was no need in duplicating all the great documentation to accomplish this already created on http://docs.ansible.com/. I would encourage you to go to the following URL and choose an install method of your choice: http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/intro_installation.html.

Tip

If you are installing Ansible on Mac OS, I found using Homebrew was much simpler and consistent. More details on using Homebrew can be found at http://brew.sh. The command to install Ansible with Homebrew is brew install ansible.

Upgrading to Ansible 2.0

It is very important to note that in order to use the new features part of Ansible version 2.0, you must update the version running on your OSA deployment node. The version currently running on the deployment node is either 1.9.4 or 1.9.5. The method that seemed to work well every time is outlined here. This part is a bit experimental, so please make a note of any warnings...

Variables and facts


Anyone who has ever attempted to create some sort of automation code, whether via bash or Perl scripts, knows that being able to define variables is an essential component. Like other programming languages Ansible does contain features such as variable substitution.

Variables

To start, let's first define the meaning of variables and use in the event this is a new concept.

Variable (computer science), a symbolic name associated with a value and whose associated value may be changed

Using variables allows you to set a symbolic placeholder in your automation code that you can substitute values for on each execution. Ansible accommodates defining variables within your playbooks and roles in various ways. When dealing with OpenStack and/or cloud technologies in general, being able to adjust your execution parameters on the fly is critical.

We will step through a few ways of how you can set variable placeholders in your playbooks, how to define variable values, and how you can...

Defining the inventory


The process of defining a collection of hosts to Ansible is named the inventory. A host can be defined using its fully qualified domain name (FQDN), local hostname, and/or its IP address. Since Ansible uses SSH to connect to the hosts, you can provide any alias for the host that the machine where Ansible is installed can understand.

Ansible expects the inventory file to be in an INI-like format and named hosts. By default, the inventory file is usually located in the /etc/ansible directory and will look as follows:

athena.example.com 
 
[ocean] 
aegaeon.example.com 
ceto.example.com 
 
[air] 
aeolus.example.com 
zeus.example.com 
apollo.example.com 

Tip

Personally, I have found the default inventory file to be located in different places depending on the operating system Ansible is installed on. With that point, I prefer to use the -i command-line option when executing a playbook. This allows me to designate the specific...

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon
Download code icon Download Code

Key benefits

  • • Automate real-world OpenStack cloud operator administrative tasks
  • • Construct a collection of the latest automation code to save time on managing your OpenStack cloud
  • • Manage containers on your cloud and check the health of your cloud using Nagios

Description

Most organizations are seeking methods to improve business agility because they have realized just having a cloud is not enough. Being able to improve application deployments, reduce infrastructure downtime, and eliminate daily manual tasks can only be accomplished through some sort of automation. We start with a brief overview of OpenStack and Ansible 2 and highlight some best practices. Each chapter will provide an introduction to handling various Cloud Operator administration tasks such as managing containers within your cloud; setting up/utilizing open source packages for monitoring; creating multiple users/tenants; taking instance snapshots; and customizing your cloud to run multiple active regions. Each chapter will also supply a step-by-step tutorial on how to automate these tasks with Ansible 2. Packed with real-world OpenStack administrative tasks, this book will walk you through working examples and explain how these tasks can be automated using one of the most popular open source automation tools on the market today.

Who is this book for?

This book is aimed at OpenStack-based cloud operators and infrastructure and sys administrators who have some knowledge of OpenStack and are seeking to automate taxing and manual tasks. This book is also for people new to automating cloud operations in general and the DevOps practice in particular.

What you will learn

  • •Efficiently execute OpenStack administrative tasks
  • •Familiarize yourself with how Ansible 2 works and assess the defined best practices
  • •Create Ansible 2 playbooks and roles
  • •Automate tasks to customize your OpenStack cloud
  • •Review OpenStack automation considerations when automating administrative tasks
  • •Examine and automate advanced OpenStack tasks and designated use cases
  • •Get a high-level overview of OpenStack and current production-ready projects
  • •Explore OpenStack CLI tools and learn how to use them
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Thailand

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

$8.95

Premium delivery 5 - 8 business days

$45.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Dec 26, 2016
Length: 230 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781787121638
Vendor :
OpenStack
Tools :

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Thailand

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

$8.95

Premium delivery 5 - 8 business days

$45.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Publication date : Dec 26, 2016
Length: 230 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781787121638
Vendor :
OpenStack
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
$19.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
$199.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
$279.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total $ 137.97
OpenStack Administration with Ansible 2
$43.99
Mastering OpenStack
$49.99
OpenStack for Architects
$43.99
Total $ 137.97 Stars icon

Table of Contents

10 Chapters
1. Introduction to OpenStack Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Introduction to Ansible Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Creating Multiple Users/Projects Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Customizing Your Clouds Quotas Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Snapshot Your Cloud Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Migrating Instances Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Managing Containers on Your Cloud Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Setting Up Active-Active Regions Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Inventory Your Cloud Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Health Check Your Cloud with Nagios Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
(1 Ratings)
5 star 0%
4 star 100%
3 star 0%
2 star 0%
1 star 0%
Amazon Customer Jan 10, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
Good book. Clear and easy to read
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is the delivery time and cost of print book? 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
What is custom duty/charge? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customs duty are charges levied on goods when they cross international borders. It is a tax that is imposed on imported goods. These duties are charged by special authorities and bodies created by local governments and are meant to protect local industries, economies, and businesses.

Do I have to pay customs charges for the print book order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The orders shipped to the countries that are listed under EU27 will not bear custom charges. They are paid by Packt as part of the order.

List of EU27 countries: www.gov.uk/eu-eea:

A custom duty or localized taxes may be applicable on the shipment and would be charged by the recipient country outside of the EU27 which should be paid by the customer and these duties are not included in the shipping charges been charged on the order.

How do I know my custom duty charges? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The amount of duty payable varies greatly depending on the imported goods, the country of origin and several other factors like the total invoice amount or dimensions like weight, and other such criteria applicable in your country.

For example:

  • If you live in Mexico, and the declared value of your ordered items is over $ 50, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 19% which will be $ 9.50 to the courier service.
  • Whereas if you live in Turkey, and the declared value of your ordered items is over € 22, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 18% which will be € 3.96 to the courier service.
How can I cancel my order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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