ansible/docs/docsite/rst/roadmap/ROADMAP_2_4.rst

****************************
Ansible by Red Hat, Core 2.4
****************************
******************************
Target: Aug/Mid-September 2017
******************************

- **Administrivia and Process**
  - Starting with 2.4, all items that are deprecated will be removed in 4 major releases unless otherwise stated.

    - For example: A module that is deprecated in 2.4 will be removed in 2.8

- **Python 2.4 and 2.5 support discontinuation**

  - Ansible will not support Python 2.4 nor 2.5 on the target hosts anymore. Going forward, Python 2.6+ will be required on targets, as already is the case on the controller.

- **Python 3 and beyond**

  - Ansible Core Engine and Core modules will be tested on Python 3
  - Communicate with Linux distros to provide Ansible running on Python 3
  - Check for Python 3 tests on core modules and create any missing

- **Ansible-Config**

  - New yaml format for config
  - Extend the ability of the current config system by adding an ansible-config command and add the following:

    - Dump existing config settings

    - Update / write a config entry

    - Show available options (ini entry, yaml, env var, etc)

  - Proposal found in ansible/proposals issue `#35 <https://github.com/ansible/proposals/issues/35>`_.
  - Initial PR of code found in ansible/ansible PR `#12797 <https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/12797>`_.

- **Inventory Overhaul**

  - Current inventory is overly complex, non modular and mostly still a legacy from inception.
  - We also want to add a common set of features to most inventory sources but are hampered by the current code base.
  - Proposal found in ansible/proposals issue `#41 <https://github.com/ansible/proposals/issues/41>`_.

- **Facts Refreshening**

  - Configurable list of ‘fact modules’ for ``gather_facts``
  - Fact gathering policy finer grained
  - Make ``setup.py``/``facts`` more pluggable
  - Improve testing of ``setup.py``/``facts.py``
  - Namespacing fact variables (via a config option) implemented in ansible/ansible PR `#18445 <https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/18445>`_.
  - Proposal found in ansible/proposals issue `#17 <https://github.com/ansible/proposals/issues/17>`_.

- **PluginLoader Refactor**

  - Over the past couple releases we've had some thoughts about how
    PluginLoader might be better structured

    - Load the loaders via an initialization function(), not when importing
      the module. (stretch goal, doesn't impact the CLI)
    - Separate duties of ``PluginLoader`` from ``PluginFinder``.  Most plugins need
      both but Modules and Module_utils only need a PluginFinder
    - Write different ``PluginFinder`` subclasses for module_utils and perhaps
      Modules.  Most Plugin types have a flattened namespace and are single
      python files.  Modules include code that is not written in python.
      Module_utils are vastly different from the other Plugins as they
      maintain a hierarchical namespace and are multi-file.
    - Potentially split module_utils loader for python from module_utils
      loader for powershell.  Currently we only support generic module_utils
      for python modules.  The powershell modules always include a single,
      hardcoded powershell module_utils file.  If we add generic module_utils
      for powershell, we'll need to decide how to organize the code.

- **Static Loop Keyword**

  - Deprecate (not on standard deprecation cycle) ``with_`` in favor of ``loop:``
  - This ``loop:`` will take only a list
  - Remove complexity from loops, lookups are still available to users
  - Less confusing having a static directive vs a one that is dynamic depending on plugins loaded.

- **Vault Extensibility**

  - Support for multiple vault passwords

    - Each decrypted item should know which secret to request
    - Support requesting credentials (password prompt) as callbacks

  - Ability to open and edit file with encrypted vars deencrypted, and encrypt/format on save

- **Globalize Callbacks**

  - Make send_callback available to other code that cannot use it.
  - Would allow for ‘full formatting’ of output (see JSON callback)
  - Fixes static ‘include’ display problem

- **Document Plugins**

  - Allow plugins to have embedded docs (like modules)
  - Update ansible-doc and website to generate docs from these ansible/ansible PR `#22796 <https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/22796>`_.

- **Group Priorities**

  - Start using existing group priority variable to sort/merge group vars
  - Implementation for this in ansible/ansible PR `#22580 <https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/22580>`_.
  - Documentation of group priority variable

- **Runtime Check on Modules for Blacklisting**

  - Filter on things like "supported_by" in module metadata
  - Provide users with an option of "warning, error or allow/ignore"
  - Configurable via ansible.cfg and environment variable

- **Disambiguate Includes**

  - Create import_x for ‘static includes’ (import_task, import_play, import_role)

    - Any directives are applied to the ‘imported’ tasks

  - Create include_x for ‘dynamic includes’ (include_task, include_role)

    - Any directives apply to the ‘include’  itself

- **Windows Support**

  - New PS/.NET module API
  - Windows Nano Server support
  - Windows module_utils pluginloader
  - Refactor duplicated module code into new module_utils files
  - Evaluate #Requires directives (existing and new: PS version, OS version, etc)
  - Improve module debug support/persistence
  - Explore official DSC support
  - Explore module intermediate output
  - Explore Powershell module unit testing
  - Explore JEA support (stretch)
  - Extended become support with network/service/batch logon types
  - Module updates

    - Split "Windows" category into multiple subs
    - Domain user/group management modules
    - win_mapped_drive module
    - win_hotfix
    - win_updates rewrite to require become
    - win_package changes required to deprecate win_msi
    - win_copy re-write

- **Cloud Provider Support**

  - AWS

    - Focus on pull requests for various modules
    - Triage existing merges for modules
    - Module work

      - elb-target-groups
      - alb*
      - ecs
      - Data Pipelines
      - VPN
      - DirectConnect

  - Azure

    - Expose endpoint overrides
    - Reformat/document module output to collapse internal API structures and surface important data (eg, public IPs, NICs, data disks)
    - Add load balancer module
    - Add Azure Functions module

  - Google Cloud Platform

    - New Module: DataProc
    - Support for Cross-Region HTTP Load Balancing
    - New Module: GKE

- **Network Roadmap**

  - Removal of ``*_template`` modules
  - Session Tracing
  - Refactor ansible-connection to cli
  - Module Work

    - Declarative intent modules
    - OpenVSwitch

- **Contributor Quality of Life**

  - All Core and Curated modules will work towards having unit testing.
  - More bot improvements!
  - Test Infrastructure changes

    - Shippable + Bot Integration

      - Provide verified test results to the bot from Shippable so the bot can comment on PRs with CI failures.
      - Enable the bot to mark PRs with ``ci_verified`` if all CI failures are verified.

    - Windows Server 2016 Integration Tests

      - Restore Windows Server 2016 integration tests on Shippable.

        - Originally enabled during the 2.3 release cycle, but later disabled due to intermittent WinRM issues.
        - Depends on resolution of WinRM connection issues.

    - Windows Server Nano Integration Tests

      - Add support to ansible-core-ci for Windows Server 2016 Nano and enable on Shippable.
      - This will use a subset of the existing Windows integration tests.
      - Depends on resolution of WinRM connection issues.

    - Windows + Python 3 Tests

      - Run basic Windows tests using Python 3 as the controller.
      - Depends on resolution of WinRM Python 3 issues.

    - Cloud Integration Tests

      - Run existing cloud integration tests for AWS, Azure and GCP as part of CI.
      - Tests to be run only on cloud module (and module_utils) PRs and merges for the relevant cloud provider.

    - Test Reliability

      - Further improve test reliability to reduce false positives on Shippable.
      - This continues work from the 2.3 release cycle.

    - Static Code Analysis

      - Further expand the scope and coverage of static analysis.
      - This continues work from the 2.3 release cycle.