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Laureline's Wiki

Lab 07: Configuration Management

Lab 07: Configuration Management

By Michaël Rohrer & Laureline David

Task 1: Install Ansible

DONE

Yoda:~ frederic$ ansible --version
ansible 2.3.0.0
  config file = 
  configured module search path = Default w/o overrides
  python version = 2.7.13 (default, Apr 23 2017, 16:50:35) [GCC 4.2.1 Compatible Apple LLVM 8.0.0 (clang-800.0.42.1)]

Task 2: Create a VM on Amazon Web Services

DONE

ssh -i id_rsa ubuntu@ec2-54-147-90-78.compute-1.amazonaws.com
...
ubuntu@ip-172-31-38-253:~$

Task 3: Configure Ansible to connect to the managed VM

DONE

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible testserver -i hosts -m ping
Enter passphrase for key '/Users/frederic/.ssh/id_rsa': 
Enter passphrase for key '/Users/frederic/.ssh/id_rsa': 
testserver | SUCCESS => {
    "changed": false, 
    "ping": "pong"
}
Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible testserver -m ping
 
Enter passphrase for key '/Users/frederic/.ssh/id_rsa': 
testserver | SUCCESS => {
    "changed": false, 
    "ping": "pong"
}
Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible testserver -m command -a uptime
Enter passphrase for key '/Users/frederic/.ssh/id_rsa': 
testserver | SUCCESS | rc=0 >>
 12:44:43 up 31 min,  2 users,  load average: 0.00, 0.01, 0.05

Task 4: Install web application

DONE

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible webservers -m ping
Enter passphrase for key '/Users/frederic/.ssh/id_rsa': 
testserver | SUCCESS => {
    "changed": false, 
    "ping": "pong"
}
Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible-playbook web.yml
 
PLAY [Configure webserver with nginx] **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 
TASK [Gathering Facts] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [install nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy nginx config file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
TASK [enable configuration] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy index.html] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
TASK [restart nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
PLAY RECAP *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
testserver                 : ok=6    changed=4    unreachable=0    failed=0

Task 5: Test Desired State Configuration principles

Return to the output of running the web.yml playbook the first time. There is one task that Ansible marked as ok.

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible-playbook web.yml
 
PLAY [Configure webserver with nginx] **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 
TASK [Gathering Facts] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [install nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy nginx config file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
TASK [enable configuration] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy index.html] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
TASK [restart nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
PLAY RECAP *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
testserver                 : ok=6    changed=4    unreachable=0    failed=0

Which one?

The tasks that Ansible marked as ok are the followings :

  1. TASK [Gathering Facts]
  2. TASK [enable configuration]

Do you have a possible explanation?

The garhering facts task is a task in which Ansible try to connect to the distant servers to gather the information needed to do its job.

The enable configuration task creates a symbolic link with a file contained in the sites-available folder to enable it. The default file targeted by the ansible task is probably created at the installation of nginx and already linked to the default file in the sites-enabled folder. That's why nothing had to change in this task.

Re-run the web.yml playbook a second time. In principle nothing should have changed. Compare Ansible's output with the first run.

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible-playbook web.yml
 
PLAY [Configure webserver with nginx] **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 
TASK [Gathering Facts] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [install nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy nginx config file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [enable configuration] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy index.html] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [restart nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
PLAY RECAP *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
testserver                 : ok=6    changed=1    unreachable=0    failed=0

Which tasks are marked as changed?

We can see that only the task TASK [restart nginx] is marked as changed.

Any surprises?

It'is not a surprise because we ordered the server to do so. In any case a rstart of the nginx server will be triggered, by that way the state of the server will allways change.

In the playbook comment out update_cache=yes and re-run the playbook.

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible-playbook web.yml
 
PLAY [Configure webserver with nginx] **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 
TASK [Gathering Facts] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [install nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy nginx config file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [enable configuration] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy index.html] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [restart nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
PLAY RECAP *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
testserver                 : ok=6    changed=1    unreachable=0    failed=0

SSH into the managed server. Modify the nginx configuration file /etc/nginx/sites-available/default, for example by adding a line with a comment. Re-run the playbook.

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible-playbook web.yml
 
PLAY [Configure webserver with nginx] **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 
TASK [Gathering Facts] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [install nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy nginx config file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
TASK [enable configuration] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy index.html] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [restart nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
PLAY RECAP *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
testserver                 : ok=6    changed=2    unreachable=0    failed=0

What does Ansible do to the file and what does it show in its output?

Ansible simply replace the modified file with the one specified in the task copy nginx config file.

Do something more drastic like completely removing the homepage and repeat the previous question.

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible-playbook web.yml
 
PLAY [Configure webserver with nginx] **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 
TASK [Gathering Facts] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [install nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy nginx config file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [enable configuration] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy index.html] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
TASK [restart nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [testserver]
 
PLAY RECAP *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
testserver                 : ok=6    changed=2    unreachable=0    failed=0

What does Ansible do to the file and what does it show in its output?

We can see that the deleted index.html file has been replaced with the one specified in the task copy index.html.

Task 6: Adding a handler for nginx restart

Here is the output of the Ansible command:

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible-playbook web.yml
 
PLAY [Configure webserver with nginx] **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 
TASK [Gathering Facts] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [install nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy nginx config file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [enable configuration] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
TASK [copy index.html] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [testserver]
 
PLAY RECAP *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
testserver                 : ok=5    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0

We can see that this time the nginx server hasn't been restarted after the ansible command which was the comportment we wanted.

Copy the modified playbook into the lab report.

- name: Configure webserver with nginx
  hosts: webservers
  sudo: True
  tasks:
    - name: install nginx
      apt: name=nginx #update_cache=yes
      notify:
        - restart nginx
    - name: copy nginx config file
      copy: src=files/nginx.conf dest=/etc/nginx/sites-available/default
      notify:
        - restart nginx
    - name: enable configuration
      file: >
        dest=/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
        src=/etc/nginx/sites-available/default
        state=link
      notify:
        - restart nginx  
    - name: copy index.html
      template: src=templates/index.html.j2 dest=/usr/share/nginx/html/index.html mode=0644
      notify:
        - restart nginx 
  handlers:
    - name: restart nginx
      service: name=nginx state=restarted

Task 7: Add more managed servers

Re-run the web.yml playbook. What do you observe in Ansible's output?

We can see that everything goes as expected. No tasks has been trigerred for the first server (IP: 54.147.90.78) which was already up to date. For the newly added server 4 tasks were trigered and the nginx server restarted as expected.

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible-playbook web.yml
 
PLAY [Configure webserver with nginx] **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 
TASK [Gathering Facts] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [52.206.206.57]
 
TASK [install nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [54.147.90.78]
changed: [52.206.206.57]
 
TASK [copy nginx config file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [54.147.90.78]
changed: [52.206.206.57]
 
TASK [enable configuration] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [54.147.90.78]
ok: [52.206.206.57]
 
TASK [copy index.html] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [54.147.90.78]
changed: [52.206.206.57]
 
RUNNING HANDLER [restart nginx] ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [52.206.206.57]
 
PLAY RECAP *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
52.206.206.57              : ok=6    changed=4    unreachable=0    failed=0   
54.147.90.78               : ok=5    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0

Test the new server by pointing your web browser to it.

What happens if a server is not reachable? Shut down the second instance and re-run the playbook.

We can see that Ansible try to reach the server in vain so it change the status of the server to unreachable. We can also see that Ansible continue the other tasks on the available servers.

Yoda:playbooks frederic$ ansible-playbook web.yml
 
PLAY [Configure webserver with nginx] **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
 
TASK [Gathering Facts] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
fatal: [52.206.206.57]: UNREACHABLE! => {"changed": false, "msg": "Failed to connect to the host via ssh: ssh: connect to host 52.206.206.57 port 22: Operation timed out\r\n", "unreachable": true}
ok: [54.147.90.78]
 
TASK [install nginx] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [54.147.90.78]
 
TASK [copy nginx config file] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [54.147.90.78]
 
TASK [enable configuration] ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [54.147.90.78]
 
TASK [copy index.html] *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [54.147.90.78]
	to retry, use: --limit @/Users/frederic/Desktop/CLD_Lab07/playbooks/web.retry
 
PLAY RECAP *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
52.206.206.57              : ok=0    changed=0    unreachable=1    failed=0   
54.147.90.78               : ok=5    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0