DO457 - ch06s02

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Guided Exercise: Configuring a Multi-vendor Network

Include and import playbooks and tasks for different network vendors in a top-level Ansible Playbook.

Outcomes

Create a playbook that uses conditionals to select the appropriate task file.
Create task files to encourage reusing code.

As the student user on the workstation machine, use the lab command to prepare your system for this exercise. This command also creates a project directory with the files needed for the exercise.

[student@workstation ~]$ lab start simplify-files

Instructions

Open the /home/student/simplify-files directory in VS Code and create the backup.yml playbook to create backup files of the managed nodes in the junos and ios inventory groups.

Open VS Code and then click File → Open Folder.
Navigate to Home → simplify-files and click Open.
Note
If prompted, select Trust the authors of all files in the parent folder 'student', and then click Yes, I trust the authors.
Create the backup.yml file and target the managed nodes in the junos and ios inventory groups. Do not gather facts for the managed nodes. Add the following lines to the playbook:
```
---
- name: Back up all managed network nodes
  hosts:
    - junos
    - ios
  gather_facts: false 
  tasks:
```
Fact gathering fails for the Juniper Junos managed nodes unless the NETCONF service is running on those nodes.

Add a block to the bottom of the play that targets the Juniper Junos managed nodes. Add two tasks to include the specified task files:

---
- name: Back up all managed network nodes
  hosts:
    - junos
    - ios
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: Juniper Junos block
      when: ansible_network_os == 'junipernetworks.junos.junos'
      block:
        - name: Enable NETCONF
          ansible.builtin.include_tasks: tasks/junos_netconf_enable.yml 

        - name: Create Junos backup files
          ansible.builtin.include_tasks: tasks/junos_backup_create.yml

	Most tasks for the Juniper Junos managed nodes require that the NETCONF service is running. This task file enables the NETCONF service.
	This task file performs the necessary steps to create the backup files.

Create the tasks directory and the task files specified in the backup.yml playbook.

Switch to the Terminal tab in VS Code, or change to the /home/student/simplify-files directory in a GNOME terminal:
```
[student@workstation ~] cd ~/simplify-files
```

Use the mkdir command to create the tasks directory:

[student@workstation simplify-files]$ mkdir tasks

Create the tasks/junos_netconf_enable.yml task file with the following content:

---
- name: Enable NETCONF service
  vars:
    ansible_connection: ansible.netcommon.network_cli
  junipernetworks.junos.junos_netconf:
    netconf_port: 830
    state: present

Create the tasks/junos_backup_create.yml task file with the following content:

---
- name: Create the backup file
  junipernetworks.junos.junos_config: 
    backup: true
  register: create_file

- name: Show create_file
  ansible.builtin.debug:
    var: create_file

	This task uses the `junipernetworks.junos.junos_config` module with the default values for the `backup_options` parameter. These values include the directory where the module stores the backups and the name of each backup file.
	If you register the output of the `Create the backup file` task, then you can display the registered variable using the `ansible.builtin.debug` module. Ultimately, this task file must create symbolic links that point to the latest backup file for each managed node.

Run the backup.yml playbook. Using the information displayed in the Show create_file task, update the tasks/junos_backp_create.yml task file to create a symbolic link that points to the latest backup file.

Run the backup.yml playbook and examine the output of the Show create_file task:

[student@workstation simplify-files]$ ansible-navigator run backup.yml
...output omitted...
TASK [Show create_file] ********************************************************
ok: [junos1.lab.example.com] => {
    "create_file": {
        "backup_path": "/home/student/simplify-files/backup/junos1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:12:46", 
        "changed": true,
        "date": "2023-08-16",
        "failed": false,
        "filename": "junos1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:12:46", 
        "shortname": "/home/student/simplify-files/backup/junos1.lab.example.com_config", 
        "time": "14:12:46"
    }
}
ok: [junos2.lab.example.com] => {
    "create_file": {
        "backup_path": "/home/student/simplify-files/backup/junos2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:12:46",
        "changed": true,
        "date": "2023-08-16",
        "failed": false,
        "filename": "junos2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:12:46",
        "shortname": "/home/student/simplify-files/backup/junos2.lab.example.com_config",
        "time": "14:12:46"
    }
}
...output omitted...

	The value of the `create_file['backup_path']` variable contains the absolute path to the created backup file.
	The value of the `create_file['filename']` variable contains the name of the created backup file.
	The value of the `create_file['shortname']` variable matches the value of the `create_file['backup_path']` variable without the date and time stamp.

Update the tasks/junos_backup_create.yml task file. Add a task that creates a symbolic link to the most recent backup file. You might also update the Show create_file task so that the task is skipped unless you run the playbook in verbose mode:

---
- name: Create the backup file
  junipernetworks.junos.junos_config:
    backup: true
  register: create_file

- name: Show create_file
  ansible.builtin.debug:
    var: create_file
    verbosity: 1 

- name: Create or update the 'latest' link
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ create_file['shortname'] }}.latest" 
    src: "{{ create_file['filename'] }}" 
    state: link 
    force: true

	Skip this task unless you run the playbook with at least one `-v` option.
	Create the symbolic link by appending `.latest` to the value of the `create_file['shortname']` variable.
	The task creates a symbolic link that uses a relative path to a file in the same directory as the link. (Optional) Use the value of the `create_file['backup_path']` variable to create a symbolic link that uses an absolute path.
	Create a symbolic link.
	Because this example uses a relative path, you must force the creation of the symbolic link.

Run the backup.yml playbook:

[student@workstation simplify-files]$ ansible-navigator run backup.yml
...output omitted...
TASK [Create or update the 'latest' link] **************************************
changed: [junos2.lab.example.com]
changed: [junos1.lab.example.com]

PLAY RECAP *********************************************************************
iosxe1.lab.example.com     : ok=0    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0  ...
iosxe2.lab.example.com     : ok=0    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0  ...
junos1.lab.example.com     : ok=6    changed=2    unreachable=0    failed=0  ...
junos2.lab.example.com     : ok=6    changed=2    unreachable=0    failed=0  ...

Use the tree command to verify the creation of the symbolic links. The date and time stamps displayed in this example differ from your output.

[student@workstation simplify-files]$ tree backup
backup
├── junos1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:12:46
├── junos1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:16:16
├── junos1.lab.example.com_config.latest -> junos1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:16:16
├── junos2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:12:46
├── junos2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:16:17
└── junos2.lab.example.com_config.latest -> junos2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:16:17

0 directories, 6 files

Update the backup.yml playbook so that it creates backup files for the Cisco IOS managed nodes.

Add a block to the bottom of the play that targets the Cisco IOS managed nodes. Add a task to include the tasks/ios_backup_create.yml task file.

The finished playbook contains the following content:

---
- name: Back up all managed network nodes
  hosts:
    - junos
    - ios
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: Juniper Junos block
      when: ansible_network_os == 'junipernetworks.junos.junos'
      block:
        - name: Enable NETCONF
          ansible.builtin.include_tasks: tasks/junos_netconf_enable.yml

        - name: Create Junos backup files
          ansible.builtin.include_tasks: tasks/junos_backup_create.yml

    - name: Cicso IOS block
      when: ansible_network_os == 'cisco.ios.ios'
      block: 
        - name: Create IOS backup files
          ansible.builtin.include_tasks: tasks/ios_backup_create.yml

	Although this playbook only has one task for the Cisco IOS managed nodes, you might still use a block in case you decide to add more tasks.
	This task file is almost the same as the `tasks/junos_backup_create.yml` task file.

Note

Because the playbook does not perform loops or pass variables to the task files, you could use the ansible.builtin.import_tasks module instead of the ansible.builtin.include_tasks module.

Use VS Code or a GNOME terminal to copy the tasks/junos_backup_create.yml task file to the tasks/ios_backup_create.yml task file:
```
[student@workstation simplify-files]$ cp tasks/junos_backup_create.yml \
tasks/ios_backup_create.yml
```

Update the tasks/ios_backup_create.yml task file so that it uses the cisco.ios.ios_config module instead of the junipernetworks.junos.junos_config module. The updated task file contains the following content:

---
- name: Create the backup file
  cisco.ios.ios_config:
    backup: true
  register: create_file

- name: Show create_file
  ansible.builtin.debug:
    var: create_file
    verbosity: 1

- name: Create or update the 'latest' link
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ create_file['shortname'] }}.latest"
    src: "{{ create_file['filename'] }}"
    state: link
    force: true

Run the backup.yml playbook and verify that the playbook creates symbolic links for both the Juniper Junos and Cisco IOS managed nodes.

Run the backup.yml playbook:

[student@workstation simplify-files]$ ansible-navigator run backup.yml
...output omitted...

Use the tree command to verify the creation of the symbolic links. The date and time stamps displayed in this example differ from your output. Notice that even though the Junos managed nodes have three backup files each, the symbolic links point to the most recent files.

[student@workstation simplify-files]$ tree backup
backup
├── iosxe1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:21:56
├── iosxe1.lab.example.com_config.latest -> iosxe1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:21:56
├── iosxe2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:21:56
├── iosxe2.lab.example.com_config.latest -> iosxe2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:21:56
├── junos1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:12:46
├── junos1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:16:16
├── junos1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:21:51
├── junos1.lab.example.com_config.latest -> junos1.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:21:51
├── junos2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:12:46
├── junos2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:16:17
├── junos2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:21:51
└── junos2.lab.example.com_config.latest -> junos2.lab.example.com_config.2023-08-16@14:21:51

0 directories, 12 files

Close the /home/student/simplify-files directory in VS Code, or run the cd command in a GNOME terminal to return to the student home directory.
```
[student@workstation simplify-files]$ cd
```

Finish

On the workstation machine, use the lab command to complete this exercise. This step is important to ensure that resources from previous exercises do not impact upcoming exercises.

[student@workstation ~]$ lab finish simplify-files

Discuss Network Automation with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

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Syed

26 wrz 2023

We are excited to launch a space dedicated to the Red Hat Training course Red Hat Ansible for Network Automation! To gain the most value from this group - click the "Join Group" button in the upper right hand corner of the group home page.We encourage group members to collaborate in this group to discuss topics, ask questions, share best practices and tips, provide course feedback, and share their accomplishments as it relates to DO457.Read more about Red Hat Ansible for Network Automation here.

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Revision: do457-2.3-7cfa22a