* add new terms for 2.10 Co-authored-by: Alicia Cozine <879121+acozine@users.noreply.github.com>
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Glossary
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========
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The following is a list (and re-explanation) of term definitions used elsewhere in the Ansible documentation.
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Consult the documentation home page for the full documentation and to see the terms in context, but this should be a good resource
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to check your knowledge of Ansible's components and understand how they fit together. It's something you might wish to read for review or
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when a term comes up on the mailing list.
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.. glossary::
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Action
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An action is a part of a task that specifies which of the modules to
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run and which arguments to pass to that module. Each task can have
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only one action, but it may also have other parameters.
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Ad Hoc
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Refers to running Ansible to perform some quick command, using
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:command:`/usr/bin/ansible`, rather than the :term:`orchestration`
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language, which is :command:`/usr/bin/ansible-playbook`. An example
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of an ad hoc command might be rebooting 50 machines in your
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infrastructure. Anything you can do ad hoc can be accomplished by
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writing a :term:`playbook <playbooks>` and playbooks can also glue
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lots of other operations together.
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Ansible (the package)
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A software package (Python, deb, rpm, and so on) that contains ansible-base and a select group of collections. Playbooks that worked with Ansible 2.9 should still work with the Ansible 2.10 package. See the :file:`ansible-<version>.build` file in the release-specific directory at `ansible-build-data <https://github.com/ansible-community/ansible-build-data>`_ for a list of collections included in Ansible, as well as the included ``ansible-base`` version.
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ansible-base
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New for 2.10. The installable package (RPM/Python/Deb package) generated from the `ansible/ansible repository <https://github.com/ansible/ansible>`_. Contains the command-line tools and the code for basic features and functions, such as copying module code to managed nodes. The ``ansible-base`` package includes a few modules and plugins and allows you to add others by installing collections.
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Ansible Galaxy
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An `online resource <galaxy.ansible.com>`_ for finding and sharing Ansible community content. Also, the command-line utility that lets users install individual Ansible Collections, for example`` ansible-galaxy install community.crypto``.
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Async
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Refers to a task that is configured to run in the background rather
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than waiting for completion. If you have a long process that would
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run longer than the SSH timeout, it would make sense to launch that
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task in async mode. Async modes can poll for completion every so many
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seconds or can be configured to "fire and forget", in which case
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Ansible will not even check on the task again; it will just kick it
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off and proceed to future steps. Async modes work with both
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:command:`/usr/bin/ansible` and :command:`/usr/bin/ansible-playbook`.
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Callback Plugin
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Refers to some user-written code that can intercept results from
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Ansible and do something with them. Some supplied examples in the
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GitHub project perform custom logging, send email, or even play sound
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effects.
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Check Mode
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Refers to running Ansible with the ``--check`` option, which does not
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make any changes on the remote systems, but only outputs the changes
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that might occur if the command ran without this flag. This is
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analogous to so-called "dry run" modes in other systems, though the
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user should be warned that this does not take into account unexpected
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command failures or cascade effects (which is true of similar modes in
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other systems). Use this to get an idea of what might happen, but do
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not substitute it for a good staging environment.
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Collection
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A packaging format for bundling and distributing Ansible content, including plugins, roles, modules, and more. Collections release independent of other collections or ``ansible-base`` so features can be available sooner to users. Some collections are packaged with Ansible (version 2.10 or later). You can install other collections (or other versions of collections) with ``ansible-galaxy collection install <namespace.collection>``.
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Collection name
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The second part of a Fully Qualified Collection Name. The collection name divides the collection namespace and usually reflects the function of the collection content. For example, the ``cisco`` namespace might contain ``cisco.ios``, ``cisco.aci``, and ``cisco.nxos``, with content for managing the different network devices maintained by Cisco.
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community.general (collection)
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A special collection managed by the Ansible Community Team containing all the modules and plugins which shipped in Ansible 2.9 that do ont have their own dedicated Collection. See `community.general <https://galaxy.ansible.com/community/general>`_` on Galaxy.
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community.network (collection)
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Similar to ``community.general``, focusing on network content. `community.network <https://galaxy.ansible.com/community/network>`_` on Galaxy.
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Connection Plugin
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By default, Ansible talks to remote machines through pluggable
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libraries. Ansible uses native OpenSSH (:term:`SSH (Native)`) or
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a Python implementation called :term:`paramiko`. OpenSSH is preferred
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if you are using a recent version, and also enables some features like
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Kerberos and jump hosts. This is covered in the :ref:`getting
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started section <remote_connection_information>`. There are also
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other connection types like ``accelerate`` mode, which must be
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bootstrapped over one of the SSH-based connection types but is very
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fast, and local mode, which acts on the local system. Users can also
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write their own connection plugins.
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Conditionals
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A conditional is an expression that evaluates to true or false that
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decides whether a given task is executed on a given machine or not.
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Ansible's conditionals are powered by the 'when' statement, which are
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discussed in the :ref:`working_with_playbooks`.
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Declarative
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An approach to achieving a task that uses a description of the
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final state rather than a description of the sequence of steps
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necessary to achieve that state. For a real world example, a
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declarative specification of a task would be: "put me in California".
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Depending on your current location, the sequence of steps to get you to
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California may vary, and if you are already in California, nothing
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at all needs to be done. Ansible's Resources are declarative; it
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figures out the steps needed to achieve the final state. It also lets
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you know whether or not any steps needed to be taken to get to the
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final state.
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Diff Mode
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A ``--diff`` flag can be passed to Ansible to show what changed on
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modules that support it. You can combine it with ``--check`` to get a
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good 'dry run'. File diffs are normally in unified diff format.
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Executor
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A core software component of Ansible that is the power behind
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:command:`/usr/bin/ansible` directly -- and corresponds to the
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invocation of each task in a :term:`playbook <playbooks>`. The
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Executor is something Ansible developers may talk about, but it's not
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really user land vocabulary.
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Facts
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Facts are simply things that are discovered about remote nodes. While
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they can be used in :term:`playbooks` and templates just like
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variables, facts are things that are inferred, rather than set. Facts
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are automatically discovered by Ansible when running plays by
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executing the internal :ref:`setup module <setup_module>` on the remote nodes. You
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never have to call the setup module explicitly, it just runs, but it
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can be disabled to save time if it is not needed or you can tell
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ansible to collect only a subset of the full facts via the
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``gather_subset:`` option. For the convenience of users who are
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switching from other configuration management systems, the fact module
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will also pull in facts from the :program:`ohai` and :program:`facter`
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tools if they are installed. These are fact libraries from Chef and
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Puppet, respectively. (These may also be disabled via
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``gather_subset:``)
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Filter Plugin
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A filter plugin is something that most users will never need to
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understand. These allow for the creation of new :term:`Jinja2`
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filters, which are more or less only of use to people who know what
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Jinja2 filters are. If you need them, you can learn how to write them
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in the :ref:`API docs section <developing_filter_plugins>`.
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Forks
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Ansible talks to remote nodes in parallel and the level of parallelism
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can be set either by passing ``--forks`` or editing the default in
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a configuration file. The default is a very conservative five (5)
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forks, though if you have a lot of RAM, you can easily set this to
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a value like 50 for increased parallelism.
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Fully Qualified Collection Name (FQCN)
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The full definition of a module, plugin, or role hosted within a collection, in the form <namespace.collection.content_name>. Allows a Playbook to refer to a specific module or plugin from a specific source in an unambiguous manner, for example, ``community.grafana.grafana_dashboard``. The FQCN is required when you want to specify the exact source of a plugin. For example, if multiple collections contain a module plugin called ``user``, the FQCN specifies which one to use for a given task. When you have multiple collections installed, the FQCN is always the explicit and authoritative indicator of which collection to search for the correct plugin for each task.
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Gather Facts (Boolean)
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:term:`Facts` are mentioned above. Sometimes when running a multi-play
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:term:`playbook <playbooks>`, it is desirable to have some plays that
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don't bother with fact computation if they aren't going to need to
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utilize any of these values. Setting ``gather_facts: False`` on
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a playbook allows this implicit fact gathering to be skipped.
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Globbing
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Globbing is a way to select lots of hosts based on wildcards, rather
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than the name of the host specifically, or the name of the group they
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are in. For instance, it is possible to select ``ww*`` to match all
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hosts starting with ``www``. This concept is pulled directly from
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:program:`Func`, one of Michael DeHaan's (an Ansible Founder) earlier
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projects. In addition to basic globbing, various set operations are
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also possible, such as 'hosts in this group and not in another group',
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and so on.
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Group
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A group consists of several hosts assigned to a pool that can be
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conveniently targeted together, as well as given variables that they
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share in common.
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Group Vars
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The :file:`group_vars/` files are files that live in a directory
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alongside an inventory file, with an optional filename named after
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each group. This is a convenient place to put variables that are
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provided to a given group, especially complex data structures, so that
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these variables do not have to be embedded in the :term:`inventory`
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file or :term:`playbook <playbooks>`.
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Handlers
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Handlers are just like regular tasks in an Ansible
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:term:`playbook <playbooks>` (see :term:`Tasks`) but are only run if
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the Task contains a ``notify`` directive and also indicates that it
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changed something. For example, if a config file is changed, then the
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task referencing the config file templating operation may notify
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a service restart handler. This means services can be bounced only if
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they need to be restarted. Handlers can be used for things other than
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service restarts, but service restarts are the most common usage.
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Host
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A host is simply a remote machine that Ansible manages. They can have
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individual variables assigned to them, and can also be organized in
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groups. All hosts have a name they can be reached at (which is either
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an IP address or a domain name) and, optionally, a port number, if they
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are not to be accessed on the default SSH port.
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Host Specifier
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Each :term:`Play <plays>` in Ansible maps a series of :term:`tasks` (which define the role,
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purpose, or orders of a system) to a set of systems.
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This ``hosts:`` directive in each play is often called the hosts specifier.
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It may select one system, many systems, one or more groups, or even
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some hosts that are in one group and explicitly not in another.
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Host Vars
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Just like :term:`Group Vars`, a directory alongside the inventory file named
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:file:`host_vars/` can contain a file named after each hostname in the
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inventory file, in :term:`YAML` format. This provides a convenient place to
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assign variables to the host without having to embed them in the
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:term:`inventory` file. The Host Vars file can also be used to define complex
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data structures that can't be represented in the inventory file.
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Idempotency
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An operation is idempotent if the result of performing it once is
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exactly the same as the result of performing it repeatedly without
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any intervening actions.
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Includes
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The idea that :term:`playbook <playbooks>` files (which are nothing
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more than lists of :term:`plays`) can include other lists of plays,
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and task lists can externalize lists of :term:`tasks` in other files,
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and similarly with :term:`handlers`. Includes can be parameterized,
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which means that the loaded file can pass variables. For instance, an
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included play for setting up a WordPress blog may take a parameter
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called ``user`` and that play could be included more than once to
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create a blog for both ``alice`` and ``bob``.
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Inventory
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A file (by default, Ansible uses a simple INI format) that describes
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:term:`Hosts <Host>` and :term:`Groups <Group>` in Ansible. Inventory
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can also be provided via an :term:`Inventory Script` (sometimes called
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an "External Inventory Script").
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Inventory Script
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A very simple program (or a complicated one) that looks up
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:term:`hosts <Host>`, :term:`group` membership for hosts, and variable
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information from an external resource -- whether that be a SQL
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database, a CMDB solution, or something like LDAP. This concept was
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adapted from Puppet (where it is called an "External Nodes
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Classifier") and works more or less exactly the same way.
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Jinja2
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Jinja2 is the preferred templating language of Ansible's template
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module. It is a very simple Python template language that is
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generally readable and easy to write.
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JSON
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Ansible uses JSON for return data from remote modules. This allows
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modules to be written in any language, not just Python.
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Lazy Evaluation
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In general, Ansible evaluates any variables in
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:term:`playbook <playbooks>` content at the last possible second,
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which means that if you define a data structure that data structure
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itself can define variable values within it, and everything "just
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works" as you would expect. This also means variable strings can
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include other variables inside of those strings.
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Library
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A collection of modules made available to :command:`/usr/bin/ansible`
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or an Ansible :term:`playbook <playbooks>`.
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Limit Groups
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By passing ``--limit somegroup`` to :command:`ansible` or
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:command:`ansible-playbook`, the commands can be limited to a subset
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of :term:`hosts <Host>`. For instance, this can be used to run
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a :term:`playbook <playbooks>` that normally targets an entire set of
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servers to one particular server.
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Local Action
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A local_action directive in a :term:`playbook <playbooks>` targeting
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remote machines means that the given step will actually occur on the
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local machine, but that the variable ``{{ ansible_hostname }}`` can be
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passed in to reference the remote hostname being referred to in that
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step. This can be used to trigger, for example, an rsync operation.
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Local Connection
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By using ``connection: local`` in a :term:`playbook <playbooks>`, or
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passing ``-c local`` to :command:`/usr/bin/ansible`, this indicates
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that we are managing the local host and not a remote machine.
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Lookup Plugin
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A lookup plugin is a way to get data into Ansible from the outside world.
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Lookup plugins are an extension of Jinja2 and can be accessed in templates, for example,
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``{{ lookup('file','/path/to/file') }}``.
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These are how such things as ``with_items``, are implemented.
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There are also lookup plugins like ``file`` which loads data from
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a file and ones for querying environment variables, DNS text records,
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or key value stores.
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Loops
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Generally, Ansible is not a programming language. It prefers to be
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more declarative, though various constructs like ``loop`` allow
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a particular task to be repeated for multiple items in a list.
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Certain modules, like :ref:`yum <yum_module>` and :ref:`apt <apt_module>`, actually take
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lists directly, and can install all packages given in those lists
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within a single transaction, dramatically speeding up total time to
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configuration, so they can be used without loops.
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Modules
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Modules are the units of work that Ansible ships out to remote
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machines. Modules are kicked off by either
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:command:`/usr/bin/ansible` or :command:`/usr/bin/ansible-playbook`
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(where multiple tasks use lots of different modules in conjunction).
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Modules can be implemented in any language, including Perl, Bash, or
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Ruby -- but can leverage some useful communal library code if written
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in Python. Modules just have to return :term:`JSON`. Once modules are
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executed on remote machines, they are removed, so no long running
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daemons are used. Ansible refers to the collection of available
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modules as a :term:`library`.
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Multi-Tier
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The concept that IT systems are not managed one system at a time, but
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by interactions between multiple systems and groups of systems in
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well defined orders. For instance, a web server may need to be
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updated before a database server and pieces on the web server may
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need to be updated after *THAT* database server and various load
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balancers and monitoring servers may need to be contacted. Ansible
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models entire IT topologies and workflows rather than looking at
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configuration from a "one system at a time" perspective.
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Namespace
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The first part of a fully qualified collection name, the namespace usually reflects a functional content category. Example: in ``cisco.ios.ios_config``, ``cisco`` is the namespace. Namespaces are reserved and distributed by Red Hat at Red Hat's discretion. Many, but not all, namespaces will correspond with vendor names. See `Galaxy namespaces <https://galaxy.ansible.com/docs/contributing/namespaces.html#galaxy-namespaces>`_ on the Galaxy docsite for namespace requirements.
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Notify
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The act of a :term:`task <tasks>` registering a change event and
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informing a :term:`handler <handlers>` task that another
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:term:`action` needs to be run at the end of the :term:`play <plays>`. If
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a handler is notified by multiple tasks, it will still be run only
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once. Handlers are run in the order they are listed, not in the order
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that they are notified.
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Orchestration
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Many software automation systems use this word to mean different
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things. Ansible uses it as a conductor would conduct an orchestra.
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A datacenter or cloud architecture is full of many systems, playing
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many parts -- web servers, database servers, maybe load balancers,
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monitoring systems, continuous integration systems, and so on. In
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performing any process, it is necessary to touch systems in particular
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orders, often to simulate rolling updates or to deploy software
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correctly. Some system may perform some steps, then others, then
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previous systems already processed may need to perform more steps.
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Along the way, emails may need to be sent or web services contacted.
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Ansible orchestration is all about modeling that kind of process.
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paramiko
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By default, Ansible manages machines over SSH. The library that
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Ansible uses by default to do this is a Python-powered library called
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paramiko. The paramiko library is generally fast and easy to manage,
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though users who want to use Kerberos or Jump Hosts may wish to switch
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to a native SSH binary such as OpenSSH by specifying the connection
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type in their :term:`playbooks`, or using the ``-c ssh`` flag.
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Playbooks
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Playbooks are the language by which Ansible orchestrates, configures,
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administers, or deploys systems. They are called playbooks partially
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because it's a sports analogy, and it's supposed to be fun using them.
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They aren't workbooks :)
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Plays
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A :term:`playbook <playbooks>` is a list of plays. A play is
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minimally a mapping between a set of :term:`hosts <Host>` selected by a host
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specifier (usually chosen by :term:`groups <Group>` but sometimes by
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hostname :term:`globs <Globbing>`) and the :term:`tasks` which run on those
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hosts to define the role that those systems will perform. There can be
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one or many plays in a playbook.
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Pull Mode
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By default, Ansible runs in :term:`push mode`, which allows it very
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fine-grained control over when it talks to each system. Pull mode is
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provided for when you would rather have nodes check in every N minutes
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on a particular schedule. It uses a program called
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:command:`ansible-pull` and can also be set up (or reconfigured) using
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a push-mode :term:`playbook <playbooks>`. Most Ansible users use push
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mode, but pull mode is included for variety and the sake of having
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choices.
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:command:`ansible-pull` works by checking configuration orders out of
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git on a crontab and then managing the machine locally, using the
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:term:`local connection` plugin.
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Push Mode
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Push mode is the default mode of Ansible. In fact, it's not really
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a mode at all -- it's just how Ansible works when you aren't thinking
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about it. Push mode allows Ansible to be fine-grained and conduct
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nodes through complex orchestration processes without waiting for them
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to check in.
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Register Variable
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The result of running any :term:`task <tasks>` in Ansible can be
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stored in a variable for use in a template or a conditional statement.
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The keyword used to define the variable is called ``register``, taking
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its name from the idea of registers in assembly programming (though
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Ansible will never feel like assembly programming). There are an
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infinite number of variable names you can use for registration.
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Resource Model
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Ansible modules work in terms of resources. For instance, the
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:ref:`file module <file_module>` will select a particular file and ensure
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that the attributes of that resource match a particular model. As an
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example, we might wish to change the owner of :file:`/etc/motd` to
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``root`` if it is not already set to ``root``, or set its mode to
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``0644`` if it is not already set to ``0644``. The resource models
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are :term:`idempotent <idempotency>` meaning change commands are not
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run unless needed, and Ansible will bring the system back to a desired
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state regardless of the actual state -- rather than you having to tell
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it how to get to the state.
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Roles
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Roles are units of organization in Ansible. Assigning a role to
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a group of :term:`hosts <Host>` (or a set of :term:`groups <group>`,
|
|
or :term:`host patterns <Globbing>`, and so on) implies that they should
|
|
implement a specific behavior. A role may include applying certain
|
|
variable values, certain :term:`tasks`, and certain :term:`handlers`
|
|
-- or just one or more of these things. Because of the file structure
|
|
associated with a role, roles become redistributable units that allow
|
|
you to share behavior among :term:`playbooks` -- or even with other users.
|
|
|
|
Rolling Update
|
|
The act of addressing a number of nodes in a group N at a time to
|
|
avoid updating them all at once and bringing the system offline. For
|
|
instance, in a web topology of 500 nodes handling very large volume,
|
|
it may be reasonable to update 10 or 20 machines at a time, moving on
|
|
to the next 10 or 20 when done. The ``serial:`` keyword in an Ansible
|
|
:term:`playbooks` control the size of the rolling update pool. The
|
|
default is to address the batch size all at once, so this is something
|
|
that you must opt-in to. OS configuration (such as making sure config
|
|
files are correct) does not typically have to use the rolling update
|
|
model, but can do so if desired.
|
|
|
|
Serial
|
|
.. seealso::
|
|
|
|
:term:`Rolling Update`
|
|
|
|
Sudo
|
|
Ansible does not require root logins, and since it's daemonless,
|
|
definitely does not require root level daemons (which can be
|
|
a security concern in sensitive environments). Ansible can log in and
|
|
perform many operations wrapped in a sudo command, and can work with
|
|
both password-less and password-based sudo. Some operations that
|
|
don't normally work with sudo (like scp file transfer) can be achieved
|
|
with Ansible's :ref:`copy <copy_module>`, :ref:`template <template_module>`, and
|
|
:ref:`fetch <fetch_module>` modules while running in sudo mode.
|
|
|
|
SSH (Native)
|
|
Native OpenSSH as an Ansible transport is specified with ``-c ssh``
|
|
(or a config file, or a directive in the :term:`playbook <playbooks>`)
|
|
and can be useful if wanting to login via Kerberized SSH or using SSH
|
|
jump hosts, and so on. In 1.2.1, ``ssh`` will be used by default if the
|
|
OpenSSH binary on the control machine is sufficiently new.
|
|
Previously, Ansible selected ``paramiko`` as a default. Using
|
|
a client that supports ``ControlMaster`` and ``ControlPersist`` is
|
|
recommended for maximum performance -- if you don't have that and
|
|
don't need Kerberos, jump hosts, or other features, ``paramiko`` is
|
|
a good choice. Ansible will warn you if it doesn't detect
|
|
ControlMaster/ControlPersist capability.
|
|
|
|
Tags
|
|
Ansible allows tagging resources in a :term:`playbook <playbooks>`
|
|
with arbitrary keywords, and then running only the parts of the
|
|
playbook that correspond to those keywords. For instance, it is
|
|
possible to have an entire OS configuration, and have certain steps
|
|
labeled ``ntp``, and then run just the ``ntp`` steps to reconfigure
|
|
the time server information on a remote host.
|
|
|
|
Task
|
|
:term:`Playbooks` exist to run tasks. Tasks combine an :term:`action`
|
|
(a module and its arguments) with a name and optionally some other
|
|
keywords (like :term:`looping directives <loops>`). :term:`Handlers`
|
|
are also tasks, but they are a special kind of task that do not run
|
|
unless they are notified by name when a task reports an underlying
|
|
change on a remote system.
|
|
|
|
Tasks
|
|
A list of :term:`Task`.
|
|
|
|
Templates
|
|
Ansible can easily transfer files to remote systems but often it is
|
|
desirable to substitute variables in other files. Variables may come
|
|
from the :term:`inventory` file, :term:`Host Vars`, :term:`Group
|
|
Vars`, or :term:`Facts`. Templates use the :term:`Jinja2` template
|
|
engine and can also include logical constructs like loops and if
|
|
statements.
|
|
|
|
Transport
|
|
Ansible uses :term:``Connection Plugins`` to define types of available
|
|
transports. These are simply how Ansible will reach out to managed
|
|
systems. Transports included are :term:`paramiko`,
|
|
:term:`ssh <SSH (Native)>` (using OpenSSH), and
|
|
:term:`local <Local Connection>`.
|
|
|
|
When
|
|
An optional conditional statement attached to a :term:`task <tasks>` that is used to
|
|
determine if the task should run or not. If the expression following
|
|
the ``when:`` keyword evaluates to false, the task will be ignored.
|
|
|
|
Vars (Variables)
|
|
As opposed to :term:`Facts`, variables are names of values (they can
|
|
be simple scalar values -- integers, booleans, strings) or complex
|
|
ones (dictionaries/hashes, lists) that can be used in templates and
|
|
:term:`playbooks`. They are declared things, not things that are
|
|
inferred from the remote system's current state or nature (which is
|
|
what Facts are).
|
|
|
|
YAML
|
|
Ansible does not want to force people to write programming language
|
|
code to automate infrastructure, so Ansible uses YAML to define
|
|
:term:`playbook <playbooks>` configuration languages and also variable
|
|
files. YAML is nice because it has a minimum of syntax and is very
|
|
clean and easy for people to skim. It is a good data format for
|
|
configuration files and humans, but also machine readable. Ansible's
|
|
usage of YAML stemmed from Michael DeHaan's first use of it inside of
|
|
Cobbler around 2006. YAML is fairly popular in the dynamic language
|
|
community and the format has libraries available for serialization in
|
|
many languages (Python, Perl, Ruby, and so on).
|
|
|
|
.. seealso::
|
|
|
|
:ref:`ansible_faq`
|
|
Frequently asked questions
|
|
:ref:`working_with_playbooks`
|
|
An introduction to playbooks
|
|
:ref:`playbooks_best_practices`
|
|
Tips and tricks for playbooks
|
|
`User Mailing List <https://groups.google.com/group/ansible-devel>`_
|
|
Have a question? Stop by the google group!
|
|
`irc.freenode.net <http://irc.freenode.net>`_
|
|
#ansible IRC chat channel
|