Ansible is an open-source automation tool and configuration management framework that is designed to simplify and streamline IT operations. It allows system administrators, DevOps engineers, and IT professionals to automate tasks, configure systems, and manage infrastructure through code. Ansible is known for its simplicity and agentless architecture, making it a popular choice for orchestrating and managing systems. Here's an overview of Ansible:
Key Concepts:
1. Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Ansible follows the IaC approach, where infrastructure configurations are defined and managed as code. This allows for version control, collaboration, and automation.
2. Playbooks: Playbooks are YAML files that define a series of tasks and configuration instructions. Ansible playbooks are used to automate and orchestrate tasks on target systems.
3. Modules: Ansible provides a wide range of modules that are executed on remote target systems to perform specific tasks. Modules are included in playbooks to configure system settings, install packages, manage files, and more.
4. Inventory: Ansible uses an inventory file to list and categorize the systems it will manage. The inventory file can be static or dynamic and allows for grouping of hosts and specifying variables for each host.
5. Tasks: Tasks are individual actions or commands specified within a playbook. Each task corresponds to a module and is executed on target systems to achieve specific objectives.
6. Roles: Roles are a way to organize and encapsulate related tasks and configuration into reusable units. Roles help in modularizing playbooks and making them more maintainable.
7. Facts: Ansible collects system information from target hosts, referred to as facts. Facts can be used in playbooks for conditional statements and variable assignments.
8. Ad-Hoc Commands: Ansible also allows for running ad-hoc commands without the need for a playbook. This is useful for quick, one-time tasks.
Key Features:
1. Agentless: Ansible does not require any agent or additional software to be installed on the target systems. It communicates with remote hosts using SSH or other protocols.
2. Idempotent: Ansible ensures that tasks are idempotent, meaning that running the same task multiple times results in the same system state. This makes it safe to automate tasks without side effects.
3. Extensibility: Ansible can be extended through custom modules and plugins. Users can write their own modules to suit specific needs.
4. Parallel Execution: Ansible can execute tasks on multiple hosts in parallel, making it efficient for managing large and distributed environments.
5. Integration: Ansible can integrate with various services, tools, and cloud platforms, making it versatile for automation in diverse ecosystems.
6. Reporting and Logging: Ansible provides detailed reporting and logging of playbook execution, allowing for auditing and monitoring of changes.
7. Community and Ecosystem: Ansible has an active and large community of users and contributors. The Ansible Galaxy is a repository of pre-built roles and playbooks created and shared by the community.
Use Cases:
- Configuration Management: Automate and manage the configuration of servers and systems. - Application Deployment: Deploy and manage applications and services across various environments. - Provisioning: Automate the provisioning of virtual machines, cloud instances, and other resources. - Orchestration: Orchestrate complex workflows and tasks across multiple systems. - Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Integrate Ansible into CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment.
Ansible is widely used in IT operations, DevOps, and software development to streamline and automate routine tasks, reduce manual errors, and improve system and application management. It is a powerful tool for achieving Infrastructure as Code and automating infrastructure provisioning and configuration.
Linux Automation with Ansible
Learn how to automate Linux system administration tasks with Ansible Automation Platform
Ansible is a popular open-source automation tool used for configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration of IT infrastructure. Here are some of the benefits of using Ansible:
Simplicity: Ansible is simple to use, with a user-friendly interface and easy-to-understand syntax, making it ideal for both beginners and advanced users.
Agentless: Ansible doesn't require any agents or software to be installed on the target system, which makes it easy to manage and reduces the complexity of the setup.
Automation: Ansible can automate complex tasks such as application deployment, configuration management, and cloud provisioning, reducing the time and effort required for manual tasks.
Scalability: Ansible can manage thousands of nodes simultaneously, making it an ideal tool for large-scale environments.
Flexibility: Ansible supports a wide range of operating systems, platforms, and devices, including servers, network devices, and cloud infrastructure.
Playbooks: Ansible uses playbooks, which are files containing a set of instructions that describe the desired state of the system. Playbooks are reusable and can be shared with other team members.
Security: Ansible provides a secure framework for managing infrastructure, with built-in security features such as SSH key management, encrypted communication, and user access control.
Integration: Ansible can integrate with other tools and platforms such as AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, and Jenkins, making it a versatile tool for managing a wide range of environments.
In summary, Ansible simplifies IT automation, improves efficiency, and enhances security, making it a valuable tool for managing IT infrastructure.
What is Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform?
Ansible Automation Platform provides an enterprise framework for building and operating IT automation at scale, from hybrid cloud to the edge. It enables users across an organization to create, share, and manage automation—from development and operations to security and network teams.
IT managers can provide guidelines on how automation is applied to individual teams, and automation creators can write tasks that use existing knowledge. Ansible Automation Platform provides a more secure and stable foundation for deploying end-to-end automation.
Linux Automation with Ansible (RH294) is designed for Linux administrators and developers who need to automate repeatable and error-prone steps for system provisioning, configuration, application deployment, and orchestration.
Course content summary
Install Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform on control nodes.
Create and update inventories of managed hosts and manage connections to them.
Automate administration tasks with Ansible Playbooks and ad hoc commands.
Write effective playbooks at scale.
Protect sensitive data used by Ansible Automation Platform with Ansible Vault.
Reuse code and simplify playbook development with Ansible Roles and Ansible Content Collections.
Audience for this course
This course is geared toward Linux system administrators, DevOps engineers, infrastructure automation engineers, and systems design engineers who are responsible for these tasks:
Automating configuration management
Ensuring consistent and repeatable application deployment
Provisioning and deployment of development, testing, and production servers
Integrating with DevOps continuous integration/continuous delivery workflows
Prerequisites for this course
Pass the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) exam (EX200), or demonstrate equivalent Red Hat Enterprise Linux knowledge and experience.
Outline for this course
Introduce Ansible
Describe the fundamental concepts of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and how it is used, and install Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.
Implement an Ansible playbook
Create an inventory of managed hosts, write a simple Ansible playbook, and run the playbook to automate tasks on those hosts.
Manage variables and facts
Write playbooks that use variables to simplify management of the playbook and facts to reference information about managed hosts.
Implement task control
Manage task control, handlers, and task errors in Ansible Playbooks.
Deploy files to managed hosts
Deploy, manage, and adjust files on hosts managed by Ansible.
Manage complex plays and playbooks
Write playbooks that are optimized for larger, more complex plays and playbooks.
Simplify playbooks with roles
Use Ansible roles to develop playbooks more quickly and to reuse Ansible code.
Troubleshoot Ansible
Troubleshoot playbooks and managed hosts.
Automate Linux administration tasks
Automate common Linux system administration tasks with Ansible.
Impact on the organization
Bring operational efficiency by removing manual processes through automation.
Easily scale the organization's dynamic IT infrastructure.
Accelerate application time to value.
Rapidly adapt and implement needed innovation through DevOps practices.
Red Hat has created this course in a way intended to benefit our customers, but each company and infrastructure is unique, and actual results or benefits may vary.
Impact on the individual
You will be able to apply automation first principles to solve real-world Linux system and services problems through the effective creation of Ansible playbooks and application of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. You will gain the skills to automate your workflows, build the foundation for DevOps practices, and learn how to leverage Ansible Automation Platform for developmental efficiencies.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
Red Hat® Ansible® Automation Platform is a foundation for building and operating automation across an organization. The platform includes all the tools needed to implement enterprise-wide automation.
What is Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform?
Ansible Automation Platform provides an enterprise framework for building and operating IT automation at scale, from hybrid cloud to the edge. It enables users across an organization to create, share, and manage automation—from development and operations to security and network teams.
IT managers can provide guidelines on how automation is applied to individual teams, and automation creators can write tasks that use existing knowledge. Ansible Automation Platform provides a more secure and stable foundation for deploying end-to-end automation.