The following is a simple playbook which tries to dynamically load variables:
site.yml
---
- hosts: localhost
vars_files:
- "{{ name }}.yml"
tasks:
- debug: var={{ foo }}
Variable foo is defined in this file:
vars/myvars.yml
---
foo: "Hello"
Then playbook is run like this:
ansible-playbook test.yml -e "name=myvars"
However this results in this error:
ERROR! vars file {{ name }}.yml was not found
From what I understood from several code snippets this should be possible and import the variables from myvars.yml. When trying with ansible 1.7.x it indeed seemed to work (although I hit a different issue the file name vas resolved correctly).
Was this behaviour changed (perhaps support for dynamic variable files was removed?). Is there a different way to achieve this behaviour (I can use include_vars tasks, however it is not quite suitable)?
EDIT: To make sure my playbook structure is correct, here is a github repository: https://github.com/jcechace/ansible_sinppets/tree/master/dynamic_vars
Just change your site.yml like this:
- hosts: localhost
vars_files:
- "vars/{{ name }}.yml"
tasks:
- debug: var={{ foo }}
Then run the command like this:
ansible-playbook site.yml -e "name=myvars" -c local
Hope this will help you.
Related
I have re-written the question to be more specific instead of using a generic example of what I am trying to achieve, as per #Zeitounator's suggestion.
I use ansible to spin up VM's in VMware by adding a new entry in the hosts.ini file and running ansible-playbook -i inventory/dev/hosts.ini --limit SomeGroup playbooks/site.yml
The vmware role (calledvmware) will
* check to see if the VM already exists.
* If it does, then obviously it does not create the VM.
* If it does not exist, then it will create the VM from a template.
To destroy a VM, I run this: ansible-playbook -i inventory/dev/hosts.ini --limit SomeGroup playbooks/site.yml -e 'vmware_destroy=true'
That works as intended. Now for my issue.
When this variable is set (vmware_destroy=true), it will destroy the VM successfully, BUT ansible will attempt to carry on with the rest of the playbook on the host that has just been destroyed. Obviously it fails. The playbook does actually stop due to the failure. But not gracefully.
Here is an example of the flow of logic:
$ cat playbooks/site.yml
---
- hosts: all
gather_facts: no
roles:
- { role: vmware, tags: vmware }
- hosts: all
gather_facts: yes
roles:
- { role: bootstrap, tags: bootstrap }
- { role: common, tags: common }
- hosts: AppServers
gather_facts: no
roles:
- { role: application }
# and so on.
$ cat playbooks/roles/vmware/main.yml
---
# Checks to see if the VM exists already.
# A variable `found_vm` is registered in this task.
- import_tasks: find.yml
# Only import this task when all of the `when` conditions are met.
- import_tasks: destroy.yml
when:
- vmware_destroy is defined
- vmware_destroy # Meaning 'True'
- found_vm
# If the above is true, it will not import this task.
- import_tasks: create.yml
when:
- found_vm.failed
- vmware_destroy is not defined
So, the point is, when I specify -e 'vmware_destroy=true', ansible will attempt to run the rest of the playbook and fail.
I don't want ansible to fail. I want it to stop gracefully after completing the vmware role based on -e 'vmware_destroy=true flag provided on the command line.
I am aware I can use a different playbook for this, something like:
ansible-playbook -i inventory/dev/hosts.ini --limit SomeGroup playbooks/VMWARE_DESTROY.yml. But I would rather use a variable as opposed to a separate playbook. If there is a strong argument to split out the playbook in this way, please provide references.
Please let me know if more clarification is needed.
Thank you in advance.
A playbook is the top Ansible abstraction layer (playbook -> role -> task -> ...). There are 2 more layers in AWX (workflow -> job template -> playbook ...) to control the playbooks. To follow the architecture either AWX, or any other tool to interface Ansible (ansible-runner, or scripts for example) should be used to control the playbooks.
Controlling of the playbooks inside Ansible is rather awkward. Create 2 playbooks vmware-create.yml and vmware-destroy.yml
$ cat vmware-create.yml
- hosts: all
gather_facts: yes # include cached variables
tasks:
- block:
- debug:
msg: Don't create VM this time. End of play.
- meta: end_play
when: not hostvars['localhost'].vmware_create
- debug:
msg: Create VM.
$ cat vmware-destroy.yml
- hosts: all
gather_facts: yes # include cached variables
tasks:
- block:
- debug:
msg: Don't destroy VM this time. End of play.
- meta: end_play
when: not hostvars['localhost'].vmware_destroy
- debug:
msg: Destroy VM.
and import them into the playbook vmware_control.yml. See below
$ cat vmware-control.yml
- hosts: localhost
vars:
vmware_create: true
vmware_destroy: false
tasks:
- set_fact:
vmware_create: "{{ vmware_create }}" # cache variable
- set_fact:
vmware_destroy: "{{ vmware_destroy }}" # cache variable
- import_playbook: vmware-create.yml
- import_playbook: vmware-destroy.yml
Control the flow with the variables vmware_create and vmware_destroy. Run vmware_control.yml at localhost and declare hosts: all inside vmware-create.yml and vmware-destroy.yml.
I trying to create a simple paybook with a common role. Unfortunately I get stymied by ansible. I have looked up and down the internet for solution for this error.
The setup:
I am running ansible 2.7.4 on Ubuntu 18.04
directory structure:
~/Ansible_Do
playbook.yml
inventory (hosts file)
/roles
/common
/defaults
main.yml (other variables)
/tasks
main.yml
richard_e.yml
/vars
vars_and_stuff.yml (vault)
I have a simple playbook.yml
---
# My playbook 1
- hosts: test
- name: Go to common role to run tasks.
roles:
- common
tasks:
- name: echo something
shell: echo $(ip addr | grep inet)
...
I run this command to start the playbook:
~/Ansible_Do$ ansible-playbook -vv --vault-id #prompt -i ~/Ansible_Do/inventory playbook.yml
I enter the vault password continuing the playbook.
The playbook starts pulls facts from the test group of servers. Then reads the role and works to /roles/common. That calls the /common/tasks/main.yml file. This is where the error happens.
The error appears to have been in '/home/~/Ansible_Do/roles/common/tasks/main.yml': line 8, column 3
# Common/tasks file
---
- name: Bring variable from vault
include_vars:
file: vars_and_stuff.yml
name: My_password
- name: Super Richard <====== Error
become: yes
vars:
ansible_become_pass: "{{ My_password }}"
- import_tasks: ./roles/common/tasks/ricahrd_e.yml
...
The ./roles/common/tasks/ricahrd_e.yml is a simple testing task.
---
- name: say hi
debug:
msg: "Active server."
...
The error on "- name". I have checked online and in the Ansible docs to see if there is a key I'm missing. I found an example for include_vars in a /role/tasks (https://gist.github.com/halberom/ef3ea6d6764e929923b0888740e05211) showing proper syntax (I presume) in a simple role. The code works as parts, but not together.
I have reached what I can understand. I feel that is error is utterly simple and I am missing something (forest for the trees).
The error means exactly what it says, except the "module name" is not misspelled in your case, but missing altogether.
This...
- name: Super Richard <====== Error
become: yes
vars:
ansible_become_pass: "{{ My_password }}"
... is not a valid task definition, it does not declare an action.
An action in Ansible is a call to a module, hence "misspelled module name".
The error comes after name, because that's where Ansible expects the name of the "module" that you want to call, e.g. shell in your first example.
You are probably assuming that become is a "module", but it is not.
It is a "playbook keyword", in this case applied on the task level, which has the effect that you become another user for this task only.
But as the task has no action, you get this error.
See docs:
Playbook keywords
Understanding privilege escalation
After a bit of work I got the playbook to work. Knowing that 'become' is not a task was the start. I also found out how to pull the proper vars from the vault.
# My first playbook 1
- hosts: test
become: yes
vars_files:
- ./roles/common/vars/vars_and_stuff.yml
vars:
ansible_become_pass: "{{ My_password }}"
roles:
- common
tasks:
- name: echo something
shell: echo $(ip addr | grep inet)
The vars file access the vault and then vars: pulls the password used by become. With become in force I ran the other tasks in the common role with a last standalone task. Lastly, don't try to - name: at the top level of the playbook as it trigger a hosts undefined error.
My playbook (/home/user/Ansible/dist/playbooks/test.yml):
- hosts: regional_clients
tasks:
- shell: /export/home/user/ansible_scripts/test.sh
register: shellout
- debug: var=shellout
- hosts: web_clients
tasks:
- shell: /var/www/html/webstart/release/ansible_scripts/test.sh
register: shellout
- debug: var=shellout
- command: echo catalina.sh start
register: output
- debug: var=output
The [regional_clients] group is specified in /home/user/Ansible/webproj/hosts and the [web_clients] group is specified in /home/user/Ansible/regions/hosts.
Is there a way I could make the above work? Currently, running the playbook will fail since neither [regional_clients] or [web_clients] are defined in the default inventory file /home/user/Ansible/dist/hosts.
Yes, you can write a simple shell script:
#!/bin/sh
cat /home/user/Ansible/webproj/hosts /home/user/Ansible/regions/hosts
and call it as a dynamic inventory in Ansible:
ansible-playbook -i my_script test.yml
This question, however, looks to me like a problem with your organisation, not a technical one. If your environment is so complex and maintained by different parties, then use some kind of configuration database (and a dynamic inventory in Ansible which would retrieve the data), instead of individual files in user's paths.
I'd like to pass a variable to an included Ansible playbook as follows:
---
- hosts: localhost
connection: local
vars:
my_group: foo
- include: site.yml hosts={{ my_group }}
Then, in site.yml...
---
- hosts: "{{ hosts }}"
...
Unfortunately, I get an error saying that my_group is undefined in site.yml. Ansible docs do say that:
Note that you cannot do variable substitution when including one playbook inside another.
Is this my case? Is there a way around it?
You can use this syntax, but my_group has to be defined at the global level. Now it's local to the first play - it's even clear from the indentation.
You can confirm this by running your playbook with --extra-vars my_group=foo.
But generally what you seem to want to achieve is done using in-memory inventory files and add_host module. Take this as an example:
- hosts: localhost
gather_facts: no
vars:
target_host: foo
some_other_variable: bar
tasks:
- add_host:
name: "{{ target_host }}"
groups: dynamically_created_hosts
some_other_variable: "{{ some_other_variable }}"
- include: site.yml
with site.yml:
---
- hosts: dynamically_created_hosts
tasks:
- debug:
var: some_other_variable
I added some_other_variable to answer the question from your comment "how do I make a variable globally available from inside a play". It's not global, but it's passed to another play as a "hostvar".
From what I see (and I can't explain why) in Ansible >=2.1.1.0, there must be an inventory file specified for the dynamic in-memory inventory to work. In older versions it worked with Ansible executed ad hoc, without an inventory file, but now you must run ansible-playbook with -i inventory_file or have an inventory file defined through ansible.cfg.
Helllo, what is the best way to make an included playbook run on the same hosts as the playbook that called him?
I've tried declaring a variable in the parent playbook with the host name and then passing it to the included playbook, but I get an error telling me that the variable is undefined.
Below is my playbook:
---
# Main staging configuration playbook
- vars:
host_name: "stage_ansible"
hosts: "{{ host_name }}"
remote_user: ubuntu
tasks:
- name: test connection
ping:
remote_user: ubuntu
- include: NginxDefinitions.yml
vars:
service_name: "interaction.qmerce.com"
env_name: "stage4"
host_name_pass: "{{ host_name }}"
...
and the error I'm receiving:
`ERROR! 'host_name' is undefined
If you want to define the hosts runtime and avoid hard coding them on the playbook, you can pass the hosts as extra variables on the command line.
To do so, remove vars definition from your first play and add the following to the ansible-playbook command line:
--extra-vars host_name=localhost
or when you have multiple hosts:
--extra-vars '{"host_name":["host1","host2","host3"]}'