Part 1

Question 1

What is another name for an Ansible server?

Answer 1

A control node

Question 2

What are modules?

Answer 2

Command to be executed client-side
Most tasks have a pre-written module

docs.ansible.com -> module index
galaxy.ansible.com -> modules

Question 3

What is it called when you combine the below modules together:
install httpd
enable httpd service
start httpd service

Where do tasks reside?

Answer 3

Each item on its own is a task. These tasks would be part of a play if they affected the same group of servers, which here they most likely would.

The task resides in a YAML file

Question 4

What is a playbook

Answer 4

Automation file with step by step execution for multiple tasks.

Question 5

Name the three pieces of automation in Ansible. (Like the name of automation thing you want done + where those go + where those go)

Answer 5

Module
Task
Playbook

Question 6

What is YAML?

Answer 6

Yet another markup language

Playbooks are written in YAML.

Question 7

What is inventory

Answer 7

File called ‘hosts’ contains our inventory (servers listed that we can work with)

Question 8

What is a tag

Answer 8

Reference or Alias to a task. You can add a task tag to a playbook and just call that task via your tag so you don’t have to run the whole playbook.

Question 9

What is a Variable

Answer 9

Container that holds a value that you can use repetitively

Question 10

What is a Role

Answer 10

Directory used for related item in the role. They are all aggregated and stored in /var/ansible/roles for easy access and use.

Question 11

What are modules called for related tasks?
What are plays called togther?

Answer 11

Play
All plays together make a playbook
These playbooks are written as a file format called YAML

for instance if you install, enable and start httpd, that’s considered a play since they’re all related to the same servers. Like the if all the tasks were to be performed on the same web servers, that would be called a play.

Opening port 80 on the firewall is a different play

If you added creating a db, starting a table and restarting the db with that, all these would go into a playbook. These would all be part of the same YAML file.

Question 12

How would you run modules through the YAML file

How would you run a specific module ping

Answer 12

ansible-playbook -i my_servers example.yml

ansible myservers -m ping

Question 13

Where are the ansible config files located?

Answer 13

/etc/ansible/ansible.cfg
/etc/ansible/hosts
/etc/ansible/roles <- separate plays on separate files. Less cluttered to do that.

Question 14

Ansible install documentation link

Answer 14

https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/installation_guide/intro_installation.html

Question 15

Install ansible

Answer 15

Version 7 linux
dnf install epel-relaes
dnf install ansible

Version 8 Linux
dnf install epel-release
dnf install python -y
dnf install ansible ansible-doc

redhat 8
subscription-manager repos –enable ansible-2.8-for-rhel-8-x86_64-rpms
dnf install ansible

it’s actually dnf install ansible-core

SELINUX
if selinux is enabled install
dnf libselinux-python
might be python3-libselinux insead

Ansible on RHEL9 is not available, you will need to do the smaller version - ansible-core

Question 16

Check ansible version and run ping module without playbook to check ansible status

Answer 16

ansible –version
ansible localhost -m ping (Runs the ping module on the localhost)

Question 17

Create the common parameters

Answer 17

vi /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg

[defaults]
remote_user = ansible
host_key_checking = false
inventory = inventory

[privilege_escalation]
become = True
become_method = sudo
become_user = root
become_ask_pass = False

remote_user - Name of user account to connect to remote clients

host_key_checking - should ssh key be checked. Right key needs to be in known_hosts.

inventory - location of inventory file/host file

become - is escalation be used for root

become_method - What should be used for privileged access

become_user - name of user account used to run escalated commands

become_ask_pass - Does root need a password?

the ansible-config command will help here.

Question 18

If using VI, should you use tabs or spaces in YAML?

Do empty lines have any value?

Answer 18

spaces

No

Question 19

What is the file extension for YAML files?

Answer 19

.yml or .yaml

Not needed but it’s best practice to use this.

Question 20

What directory can YAML playbook files be placed

Answer 20

Any, as long as they are being executed via absolute path

Question 21

What is it called when a flat file is written in YAML format to execute tasks/plays?

Answer 21

A Playbook

Question 22

Create a yaml file to install and start httpd

Answer 22

- name: sampleplaybook
  hosts: all or localhost 
  become: yes
  become_user: root
  
  tasks: 
  - name: Install Apache httpd
    yum: 
    name: httpd
    state: present
  
  - name: 2nd task
    service: 
    name: httpd
    state: started

name - name of playbook
hosts - where to run playbook/which host to run this playbook against
become - Do you want to run this as a different user?
become_user - which user to run as. If you leave out become and become_user it will run as whatever user runs the yaml file.
tasks - what you want the playbook to do
name - Define the name of the task
yum <- run task module yum
name - name of package
state - What do you want it to do
…

Question 23

Where can you find out more information on modules/options

Answer 23

https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/2.9/modules/list_of_all_modules.html

https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/reference_appendices/YAMLSyntax.html#yaml-syntax <- yaml structure

https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbook_guide/playbooks_intro.html <- playbook configuration

Question 24

Create a list of fruit in YAML format

Answer 24

These are members of a list.
They begin at the same indentation level start with a dash and space “- “

• Apple
• Orange
• Strawberry
• Mango
  …

Question 25

Create a YAML dictionary

Answer 25

martin:
name: Martin D’vloper
job: Developer
skill: Elite

Question 26

Create a YAML list of people with their jobs and skills. Skills should use list format

Answer 26

• martin:
  name: Martin D’vloper
  job: Developer
  skills:
  - python
  - perl
  - pascal
• tabitha:
  name: Tabitha Bitumen
  job: Developer
  skills:
  - lisp
  - fortran
  - erlang

Question 27

How would you span multiple lines using Literal Block Scalers?

How would you create a single line of text that’s more readable using Folded Block Scalers?

Answer 27

include_newlines: |
exactly as you see
will appear these three
lines of poetry

fold_newlines: >
this is really a
single line of text
despite appearances

Question 28

Create a dictionary key with a value of a variable

Pretend the variable = “C:". Add the remaining path “photos\animals” to it

What’s the difference between “” and ‘’

Answer 28

foo: “{{variable}}”

foo: “{{variable}}photos\animals”

”” <- you can use escape sequences here

Question 29

What does a play consist of in a playbook?

Answer 29

Managed nodes to target
At least one task to execute