Network Automation with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Install the ansible-navigator and podman RPM packages.

1. Use the dnf command to install the ansible-navigator and podman packages:

   [student@workstation ~]$ sudo dnf install ansible-navigator podman
   [sudo] password for student: student
   ...output omitted...
   Is this ok [y/N]: y
   ...output omitted...
   Complete!

Download the ee-supported-rhel8 automation execution environment from hub.lab.example.com, the lab environment's private automation hub.

1. Use the podman login command to log in to the classroom private automation hub at hub.lab.example.com. Use student as the username and redhat123 as the password:

   [student@workstation ~]$ podman login hub.lab.example.com
   Username: student
   Password: redhat123
   Login Succeeded!

2. Use the podman pull command to download the automation execution environment:

   [student@workstation ~]$ podman pull hub.lab.example.com/ee-supported-rhel8
   Trying to pull hub.lab.example.com/ee-supported-rhel8:latest...
   Getting image source signatures
   Copying blob 9b6252cdda58 done
   ...output omitted...

Use the information in the following table to configure global Git settings for the student user.

1. Use the git command with the config option to customize Git globally:

   [student@workstation ~]$ git config --global user.name 'Student User'
   [student@workstation ~]$ git config --global user.email student@lab.example.com

2. Verify the global configuration settings:

   [student@workstation ~]$ git config --global -l
   user.name=Student User
   user.email=student@lab.example.com

Clone the git@git.lab.example.com:student/compreview repository into the /home/student/git-repos directory and then create a branch named cr1 for this exercise.

1. Create the /home/student/git-repos directory and then change to this directory:

   [student@workstation ~]$ mkdir -p ~/git-repos
   [student@workstation ~]$ cd ~/git-repos
   [student@workstation git-repos]$

2. Clone the git@git.lab.example.com:student/compreview repository:

   [student@workstation git-repos]$ git clone \
   git@git.lab.example.com:student/compreview
   Cloning into 'compreview'...
   ...output omitted...

3. Change to the repository directory. Create a branch named cr1 and check it out:

   [student@workstation git-repos]$ cd compreview
   [student@workstation compreview]$ git checkout -b cr1
   Switched to a new branch 'cr1'

Create an automation content navigator configuration file that meets the following criteria:

1. Use the ansible-navigator command with the settings subcommand and the --effective option to display the effective settings. Add the --eei and --pp options to specify the automation execution environment image and the pull policy. Redirect the command output into a file named navigator-sample.yml.

   [student@workstation compreview]$ ansible-navigator settings \
   --effective --eei hub.lab.example.com/ee-supported-rhel8 \
   --pp missing > navigator-sample.yml

   Important

   If you attempt to redirect the output of the ansible-navigator command to a file named ansible-navigator.yml, then the command fails.

2. Rename the navigator-sample.yml file to ansible-navigator.yml.

   [student@workstation compreview]$ mv navigator-sample.yml ansible-navigator.yml

3. Open VS Code and click File → Open Folder. Navigate to git-repos → compreview 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.

4. Select the ansible-navigator.yml file. Add an entry for the inventory.yaml Ansible inventory and disable the creation of playbook artifacts. Optionally, remove any lines not related to what was requested. When finished, save the file.

   The final ansible-navigator.yml file must consist of at least the following content:

   ---
   ansible-navigator:
     ansible:
       inventory:
         entries:
           - ./inventory.yaml
     execution-environment:
       image: hub.lab.example.com/ee-supported-rhel8:latest
       pull:
         policy: missing
     mode: stdout
     playbook-artifact:
       enable: false

Perform the following actions on the provided inventory-controller and inventory files:

1. Use the ansible-navigator command with the inventory subcommand and the --list and --yaml options to display the YAML version of the inventory-controller file. Redirect the output of the command to create the inventory-controller.yaml file:

   [student@workstation compreview]$ ansible-navigator inventory \
   -i inventory-controller --list --yaml > inventory-controller.yaml

2. Select the inventory-controller.yaml file in VS Code. Delete any information related to variables. When finished, save the file.

   After editing the inventory-controller.yaml file, it contains the following content:

   all:
     children:
       eos:
         hosts:
           arista1.lab.example.com:
           arista2.lab.example.com:
       ios:
         hosts:
           iosxe1.lab.example.com:
           iosxe2.lab.example.com:
       junos:
         hosts:
           junos1.lab.example.com:
           junos2.lab.example.com:
       ungrouped:
         hosts:
           workstation.lab.example.com:

3. Use the ansible-navigator command with the inventory subcommand and the --list and --yaml options to display the YAML version of the inventory file. Redirect the output of the command to create the inventory.yaml file:

   [student@workstation compreview]$ ansible-navigator inventory \
   -i inventory --list --yaml > inventory.yaml

4. Select the inventory.yaml file in VS Code. Delete any variable information other than the ansible_user and ansible_ssh_private_key_file variables from the inventory.yml file.

5. Move the definitions of the ansible_ssh_private_key_file and ansible_user variables to the all group of managed nodes so that you do not have to define those variables in each group of managed nodes. When finished, save the file.

   After editing the inventory.yaml file, it contains the following content:

   all:
     vars:
       ansible_ssh_private_key_file: ~/.ssh/lab_rsa
       ansible_user: student
     children:
       eos:
         hosts:
           arista1.lab.example.com:
           arista2.lab.example.com:
       ios:
         hosts:
           iosxe1.lab.example.com:
           iosxe2.lab.example.com:
       junos:
         hosts:
           junos1.lab.example.com:
           junos2.lab.example.com:
       ungrouped:
         hosts:
           workstation.lab.example.com:

6. Delete the inventory-controller and inventory files:

   [student@workstation compreview]$ rm inventory-controller inventory

Create a file named connection.yml under each of the eos, ios, and junos subdirectories of the group_vars directory. Populate the connection.yml files with the variables and values from the following tables:

1. Create the group_vars/eos/connection.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   ansible_connection: ansible.netcommon.network_cli
   ansible_network_os: arista.eos.eos
   ansible_become: true
   ansible_become_method: enable

2. Create the group_vars/ios/connection.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   ansible_connection: ansible.netcommon.network_cli
   ansible_network_os: cisco.ios.ios
   ansible_become: true
   ansible_become_method: enable

3. Create the group_vars/junos/connection.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   ansible_connection: ansible.netcommon.netconf
   ansible_network_os: junipernetworks.junos.junos

Create the host_vars/workstation.lab.example.com directory and then create a file named connection.yml in that directory. Set the ansible_user variable to devops.

1. Create the host_vars directory and include a workstation.lab.example.com subdirectory:

   [student@workstation compreview]$ mkdir -p host_vars/workstation.lab.example.com

2. Create the host_vars/workstation.lab.example.com/connection.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   ansible_user: devops

Commit and push all the changes that you made in the /home/student/git-repos/compreview directory to the remote Git repository. Use Prepare for development as the commit message.

1. Use VS Code or the git add command to add the new and updated files and directories:

   [student@workstation compreview]$ git add .

2. Use VS Code or the git status command to display the list of files that you staged for the next commit:

   [student@workstation compreview]$ git status
   On branch cr1
   Changes to be committed:
     (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
   	       new file:   ansible-navigator.yml
   	       new file:   group_vars/eos/connection.yml
   	       new file:   group_vars/ios/connection.yml
   	       new file:   group_vars/junos/connection.yml
   	       new file:   host_vars/workstation.lab.example.com/connection.yml
   	       deleted:    inventory
   	       deleted:    inventory-controller
   	       new file:   inventory-controller.yaml
   	       new file:   inventory.yaml

3. Use VS Code or the git commit command to commit the files. Use Prepare for development as the commit message:

   [student@workstation compreview]$ git commit -m "Prepare for development"
   [cr1 3e21bbd] Prepare for development
    9 files changed, 66 insertions(+), 30 deletions(-)
    create mode 100644 ansible-navigator.yml
    create mode 100644 group_vars/eos/connection.yml
    create mode 100644 group_vars/ios/connection.yml
    create mode 100644 group_vars/junos/connection.yml
    create mode 100644 host_vars/workstation.lab.example.com/connection.yml
    delete mode 100644 inventory
    delete mode 100644 inventory-controller
    create mode 100644 inventory-controller.yaml
    create mode 100644 inventory.yaml

4. Use VS Code or the git push command to update the remote Git repository:

   [student@workstation compreview]$ git push -u origin cr1
   Enumerating objects: 20, done.
   Counting objects: 100% (19/19), done.
   Delta compression using up to 6 threads
   Compressing objects: 100% (13/13), done.
   Writing objects: 100% (15/15), 1.50 KiB | 1.50 MiB/s, done.
   Total 15 (delta 2), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0
   remote:
   remote: To create a merge request for cr1, visit:
   remote:   https://git.lab.example.com/student/compreview/-/merge_requests/new?merge_request%5Bsource_branch%5D=cr1
   remote:
   To git.lab.example.com:student/compreview.git
    * [new branch]      cr1 -> cr1
   Branch 'cr1' set up to track remote branch 'cr1' from 'origin'.

Close the /home/student/git-repos/compreview directory in VS Code. Return to the /home/student directory in the GNOME terminal.

1. Click File → Close Folder in VS Code to close the /home/student/git-repos/compreview directory.

2. Run the cd command in the GNOME terminal to return to the student home directory:

   [student@workstation compreview]$ cd