Red Hat Enterprise Linux Automation with Ansible

Procedure 6.2. Instructions

1. Change into the /home/student/projects-file directory.

   [student@workstation ~]$ cd ~/projects-file
   [student@workstation projects-file]$

2. Review the contents of the three files in the tasks subdirectory.

   1. Review the contents of the tasks/environment.yml file. The file contains tasks for package installation and service administration.

      ---
        - name: Install the {{ package }} package
          ansible.builtin.dnf:
            name: "{{ package }}"
            state: latest
        - name: Start the {{ service }} service
          ansible.builtin.service:
            name: "{{ service }}"
            enabled: true
            state: started

   2. Review the contents of the tasks/firewall.yml file. The file contains tasks for installation, administration, and configuration of firewall software.

      ---
        - name: Install the firewall
          ansible.builtin.dnf:
            name: "{{ firewall_pkg }}"
            state: latest
      
        - name: Start the firewall
          ansible.builtin.service:
            name: "{{ firewall_svc }}"
            enabled: true
            state: started
      
        - name: Open the port for {{ rule }}
          ansible.posix.firewalld:
            service: "{{ item }}"
            immediate: true
            permanent: true
            state: enabled
          loop: "{{ rule }}"

   3. Review the contents of the tasks/placeholder.yml file. This file contains a task for populating a placeholder web content file.

      ---
        - name: Create placeholder file
          ansible.builtin.copy:
            content: "{{ ansible_facts['fqdn'] }} has been customized using Ansible.\n"
            dest: "{{ file }}"

3. Review the contents of the test.yml file in the plays subdirectory. This file contains a play that tests connections to a web service.

   ---
   - name: Test web service
     hosts: workstation
     become: false
     tasks:
       - name: connect to internet web server
         ansible.builtin.uri:
           url: "{{ url }}"
           status_code: 200

4. Create a playbook named playbook.yml. Define the first play with the name Configure web server. The play should execute against the servera.lab.example.com managed host defined in the inventory file. The beginning of the file should appear as follows:

   ---
   - name: Configure web server
     hosts: servera.lab.example.com

5. In the first play of the playbook.yml playbook, configure its tasks section with three sets of tasks that are included or imported from tasks files.

   The play's first task must include the first set of tasks from the tasks/environment.yml tasks file. Define the necessary task variables to install the httpd package and to enable and start the httpd service.

   The play's second task must import the second set of tasks from the tasks/firewall.yml tasks file. Define the necessary task variables to install the firewalld package to enable and start the firewalld service, and to allow plain text and secure HTTP connections.

   The play's third task must import the third set of tasks from the tasks/placeholder.yml task file.

   1. Create the tasks section in the first play by adding the following entry to the playbook.yml playbook.

        tasks:

   2. Include the first set of tasks from tasks/environment.yml using the include_tasks feature. Set the package and service variables to httpd.

          - name: Include the environment task file and set the variables
            include_tasks: tasks/environment.yml
            vars:
              package: httpd
              service: httpd

   3. Import the second set of tasks from tasks/firewall.yml using the import_tasks feature. Set the firewall_pkg and firewall_svc variables to firewalld. Set the rule variable to http and https.

          - name: Import the firewall task file and set the variables
            import_tasks: tasks/firewall.yml
            vars:
              firewall_pkg: firewalld
              firewall_svc: firewalld
              rule:
                - http
                - https

   4. Import the last task set from tasks/placeholder.yml using the import_tasks feature. Set the file variable to /var/www/html/index.html.

          - name: Import the placeholder task file and set the variable
            import_tasks: tasks/placeholder.yml
            vars:
              file: /var/www/html/index.html

6. Add a second play to the playbook.yml playbook, importing the contents of the plays/test.yml playbook.

   1. Add a second play to the playbook.yml playbook to validate the web server installation. Import the play from plays/test.yml. Set the url variable to http://servera.lab.example.com as a play variable.

      - name: Import test play file and set the variable
        import_playbook: plays/test.yml
        vars:
          url: 'http://servera.lab.example.com'

   2. The finished playbook should consist of the following content:

      ---
      - name: Configure web server
        hosts: servera.lab.example.com
      
        tasks:
          - name: Include the environment task file and set the variables
            include_tasks: tasks/environment.yml
            vars:
              package: httpd
              service: httpd
      
          - name: Import the firewall task file and set the variables
            import_tasks: tasks/firewall.yml
            vars:
              firewall_pkg: firewalld
              firewall_svc: firewalld
              rule:
                - http
                - https
      
          - name: Import the placeholder task file and set the variable
            import_tasks: tasks/placeholder.yml
            vars:
              file: /var/www/html/index.html
      
      - name: Import test play file and set the variable
        import_playbook: plays/test.yml
        vars:
          url: 'http://servera.lab.example.com'

   3. Save the changes to the playbook.yml playbook.

7. Before running the playbook, verify that its syntax is correct by running ansible-navigator run -m stdout playbook.yml --syntax-check. Correct any reported errors before moving to the next step.

   [student@workstation projects-file]$ ansible-navigator run \
   > -m stdout playbook.yml --syntax-check
   playbook: /home/student/projects-file/playbook.yml

8. Run the playbook.yml playbook. The output of ansible-navigator shows the tasks and plays that are imported and the task file that is included.

   [student@workstation projects-file]$ ansible-navigator run \
   > -m stdout playbook.yml
   
   PLAY [Configure web server] ***********************************************
   
   TASK [Gathering Facts] ****************************************************
   ok: [servera.lab.example.com]
   
   TASK [Include the environment task file and set the variables] ************
   included: /home/student/projects-file/tasks/environment.yml for servera.lab.example.com
   
   TASK [Install the httpd package] ******************************************
   changed: [servera.lab.example.com]
   
   TASK [Start the httpd service] ********************************************
   changed: [servera.lab.example.com]
   
   TASK [Install the firewall] ***********************************************
   ok: [servera.lab.example.com]
   
   TASK [Start the firewall] *************************************************
   ok: [servera.lab.example.com]
   
   TASK [Open the port for ['http', 'https']] ********************************
   changed: [servera.lab.example.com] => (item=http)
   changed: [servera.lab.example.com] => (item=https)
   
   TASK [Create placeholder file] ********************************************
   changed: [servera.lab.example.com]
   
   PLAY [Test web service] ***************************************************
   
   TASK [Gathering Facts] ****************************************************
   ok: [workstation]
   
   TASK [connect to internet web server] *************************************
   ok: [workstation]
   
   PLAY RECAP ****************************************************************
   servera.lab.example.com    : ok=8    changed=4    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0
   workstation                : ok=2    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0