Red Hat Ansible for Network Automation

Procedure 3.2. Instructions

1. Create a file named iosping6.yml with a single task that loops over a variable named interesting_destinations, consisting of a list of IPv4 addresses. The resulting playbook should appear similar to the following:

   ---
   - name: A reachability test
     hosts: cs01
     vars:
       interesting_destinations:
       - 172.25.250.8
       - 172.25.250.9
   
     tasks:
   
     - name: "test reachability from {{ inventory_hostname }}"
       ios_ping:
         dest: "{{ item }}"
       loop: "{{ interesting_destinations }}"

2. Verify the syntax and run the play:

   [student@workstation proj]$ ansible-playbook --syntax-check iosping6.yml
   [student@workstation proj]$ ansible-playbook iosping6.yml

   The required SSH password is student.

3. The when statement can be used to consolidate plays in multivendor playbooks. To keep things relatively simple, we look at how this works with a playbook designed to deal with a single target host at a time.

   Create a playbook named multi-vendor-syscheck2.yml. The individual tasks are similar to your multivendor-syscheck.yml playbook. Modify it so that it contains a single play, and sets the value of hosts based on an extra variable named target. Conditionally run the tasks based on the value of the ansible_network_os variable.

   [student@workstation proj]$ cat multi-vendor-syscheck2.yml
   - name: back up config and record device health indicators
     hosts: network
   
     tasks:
   
     - name: backup vyos config
       vyos_config:
         backup: yes
       when: ansible_network_os == "vyos"
   
     - name: look at vyos device health indicators
         vyos_command:
           commands:
             - sh host name
             - sh system uptime
             - sh host domain
             - sh host date
             - sh host os
             - sh sys mem
         register: vyos_result
         when: ansible_network_os == "vyos"
   
     - name: backup ios config
         ios_config:
           backup: yes
         when: ansible_network_os == "ios"
   
     - name: look at ios device health indicators
         ios_command:
           commands:
             - sh ver | include uptime
             - sh ip domain
             - sh clock
             - sh ip name-server
             - sh proc mem platform | include System memory
         register: ios_result
         when: ansible_network_os == "ios"
   
     - name: show results
         debug:
           msg: "{{ item }}"
         loop: "{{ (vyos_result | combine(ios_result)).stdout_lines }}"

4. Run the new playbook, using the limit option (-l SUBSET) as shown here:

   [student@workstation proj]$ ansible-playbook -l cs01 multi-vendor-syscheck2.yml

   Or like this:

   [student@workstation proj]$ ansible-playbook -l vyos multi-vendor-syscheck2.yml

   Note

   Since you have removed the password extra-vars from this version, you must provide the appropriate password when running the playbook. Use the vyos password for the spine and leaf VyOS devices. Use the student password for the IOS device, cs01.