Ansible Role: Control Node Setup

This Ansible role sets up a control node with Python virtual environments for both vSphere Automation SDK and Ansible-Core. It installs necessary system packages, sets up Python virtual environments, configures proxies, and ensures correct permissions. It also adds Git repository sync as a cron job and prepares the shell environment for the ansible service user.

Requirements

• Ansible 2.9+
• Python 3
• Supported OS: CentOS, RHEL

Role Variables

The following variables are configurable within your playbook or inventory to customize the role's behavior:

Variable	Description	Default / Example Value
required_packages	List of system packages required for the environment.	['python3', 'git', 'sshpass']
package_state	State of the system packages (present, latest, etc.).	present
virtualenv_sdk_packages	Python packages for the vSphere SDK environment.	['pip', 'setuptools', 'pynetbox', 'netaddr', 'requests']
virtualenv_requirements	Python packages with specific versions for the Ansible-Core environment.	['pynetbox', 'pytz', 'netaddr', 'ansible']
virtualenv_sdk_path	Path to the vSphere SDK virtual environment.	/opt/vsphere-automation-sdk-env
vsphere_sdk_url	URL for the vSphere SDK package.	git+https://github.com/vmware/vsphere-automation-sdk-python.git
venv_path	Path for the Ansible-Core virtual environment.	/opt/venv_ansible
requirements_file	Path for the requirements.txt file.	/opt/venv_ansible/requirements.txt
srv_ansible_home	Home directory for the ansible user.	/home/ansible
proxy_env	Proxy settings to be configured in .bashrc for the service user.	{http_proxy, https_proxy, no_proxy}
service_user	The service account name to be configured.	ansible
git_repo_url	URL of the Git repository to clone and sync.	git@github.com:example/automation.git
git_repo_path	Destination path where the Git repo will be cloned.	/opt/ansible-projects
git_cron_state	Whether the Git sync cronjob should be present or absent.	present

Usage Example

Include this role in your playbook and set the required variables:

Example Playbook

- name: Install and Configure Ansible Control Node
  hosts: sites_prod
  become: true
  gather_facts: true
  roles:
    - role: ansible-control
      vars:
        service_user: ansible
        required_packages:
          - python3
          - git
          - sshpass
        package_state: "latest"
        venv_path: "/opt/venv_ansible"
        virtualenv_requirements:
          - pynetbox
          - pytz
          - netaddr
          - ansible
        virtualenv_sdk_path: "/opt/vsphere-automation-sdk-env"
        vsphere_sdk_url: "git+https://github.com/vmware/vsphere-automation-sdk-python.git"
        proxy_env:
          http_proxy: "http://proxy.example.com:8080"
          https_proxy: "http://proxy.example.com:8080"
          no_proxy: "localhost,127.0.0.1"
        git_repo_url: "git@github.com:example/automation.git"
        git_repo_path: "/opt/ansible-projects"
        git_cron_state: "present"

Role Tasks

• System Package Installation: Installs the required system packages using dnf.
• Proxy Configuration: Sets up proxy environment variables in .bashrc for the srv-ansible user.
• vSphere SDK Virtual Environment Setup: Creates and configures a Python virtual environment for the vSphere SDK.
• Ansible-Core Virtual Environment Setup: Creates and configures a Python virtual environment for Ansible-Core, including a requirements.txt file for specified packages.
• Permissions Management: Ensures that both virtual environment directories have the correct ownership and permissions.
• Service User Shell Configuration: Adds the following to .bashrc of the service user:
  • Proxy environment variables
  • REQUESTS_CA_BUNDLE setting
  • Activation line for ansible-core virtualenv
• Git Repository Sync & Cron Setup:
  • Clones the specified Git repository if not already present.
  • Creates a cron job (hourly) to:
  • Checkout and reset the develop branch
  • Pull latest changes and clean up untracked files
  • Ensures the service user is allowed to use cron via /etc/cron.allow.

Author Information

Ibrahim Musayev