Complete DevOps Ansible Automation Training

Design a hands-on lab for automating tasks with Ansible. Explore local virtualization or cloud VM setups to build a control node and remote clients.

Create a virtual machine in Oracle VirtualBox, assign 2 GB RAM and 20 GB disk, then install Santos stream eight Linux from the ISO, configure hostname, and prepare for Ansible.

Create an Ansible client by provisioning a second virtual machine, install CentOS 7, bridge its network, and prepare it as a remote client for the Ansible control node.

Install ansible on linux after creating a vm snapshot in VirtualBox, then follow dnf/yum, epel-release, python steps, verify with an ansible ping, and configure hosts file and ansible cfg.

Master yaml playbook syntax by using spaces for indentation, avoiding tabs, and naming files with .yml or .yaml. Execute tasks sequentially via absolute paths, and store playbooks in ansible directory.

Explore a YAML playbook example, define a YAML file, specify the playbook name and host, set become user, and install a package and start its service with Ansible modules.

Create your first Ansible playbook and test connectivity with the ping module. Learn to define localhost, structure YAML, and validate syntax with dry runs and the ansible-playbook command.

Create a second ansible playbook named hello world that runs on the local host and uses the debug module with a message to print hello world to the screen.

Combine multiple tasks into a single Ansible playbook to ping the local host and print hello world, using the ping and debug modules.

Create and run an Ansible playbook to install the DPD package on a local host and start its service using the yum/dnf and service modules.

Learn to create and run Ansible playbooks for remote clients, using a Linux host as client one and executing playbooks against it. Prepare client information for multi-client environments.

Learn to manage Ansible inventory with the hosts file, listing remote clients by ip or fqdn and grouping them into app, web, and database servers.

Generate SSH keys on the Ansible control node, copy the public key to the remote client, and verify connectivity with a ping and uptime check.

Execute an Ansible playbook to verify remote client connectivity across all hosts in the inventory, using the same module and process as the local host test.

Automate file distribution with the Ansible copy module by creating a playbook that copies files from the control node to multiple remote clients, with configurable source, destination, and permissions.

Prepare and edit simple configuration files for Ansible automation, including inventory and playbooks, to ensure reliable remote connections and successful playbook execution.

Create a yaml playbook to change a file's permissions on a remote Linux client using the file module, run with ansible-playbook, and verify the updated access rights.

Build an Ansible playbook that installs the Apache httpd package, starts the httpd service, opens the http port in firewalld, restarts firewalld, and verifies Apache page access.

Use an Ansible playbook to run a shell script on remote Linux clients, defining the script's absolute path and executing it via the shell module.

Schedule a remote cron job with an Ansible playbook using the cron module to run a root script every Thursday at 10 a.m. on all hosts.

Automate creating a user across many machines with an Ansible playbook using the user module. Create user George with home /home/George and shell /bin/bash on all hosts.

Learn to add or update George's password with the Ansible user module, securing the password in a vault-encrypted variable file and hashing it with password_hash using sha512.

Create an Ansible playbook named tomcat.yaml that creates the /ops/tomcat directory with 0755 permissions, then downloads the Tomcat package from a URL using the get_url module.

Learn to use an Ansible playbook to find a running process, register its pid, and kill it across remote hosts while handling ignore errors and common issues.

Choose and run specific steps in an Ansible playbook by starting at a defined task, install packages, and start services using a yaml playbook example.

Create a two gigabyte disk in VirtualBox, add it to a Linux VM, then use Ansible with ported and mount modules to partition, format with ZFS, and mount to /data.

Explore running ad hoc ansible commands to manage multiple hosts, using modules like ping, file, and copy, with targets from the ansible host file and optional permissions and state.

Demonstrate running ansible ad hoc commands with yum module to install or remove packages like telnet and httpd. Verify installations, start and enable boot, and check status with systemctl.

Continue exploring ansible ad hoc commands, part three, to create and manage users, assign groups, pull system information with setup, and reboot remote hosts with direct module calls.

Learn how Ansible roles simplify large playbooks by organizing tasks into reusable units. Build by-role playbooks for web servers to install the DPD and Apache packages and start services.

Learn how to find and install prewritten Ansible Galaxy roles, search for roles, and review a role’s tasks and readme, including where roles install and how to access them.

Learn how to use Ansible tags to target specific tasks within a playbook, run, list, or skip tagged tasks, and understand the difference between tags and starting at a task.

Learn how variables act as containers for defined values, enabling repetition and reuse in Ansible playbooks. Apply naming rules, define variables in inventory or YAML, reference with curly braces.

Define and use variables in an Ansible inventory file to map hosts and groups without hardcoding IPs or FQDNs. Use ansible_host and abc to map servers.

Learn how Ansible handlers run at the end of a play and execute only when notified to start, reload, restart, or stop services, with Apache and Firewall D examples.

Learn how to use when conditions in Ansible playbooks to control task execution based on facts like ansible_os_family, with examples to install Apache on Debian or Red Hat systems.

Learn to use loops in Ansible playbooks to automate repetitive tasks such as creating multiple users and installing several packages, using loop and with_items directives, and variable-driven loops.

Protect your Ansible environment with Ansible Vault by password-protecting YAML files, then create, view, edit, encrypt, and run vaulted playbooks using the ansible-vault commands.

Learn how to encrypt a single string inside an ansible playbook using vault, paste the encrypted value, and decrypt it at runtime with a vault password.

Explore Ansible management tools with a centralized web interface to manage playbooks and inventories across multiple control nodes, focusing on AWP and Ansible Tower.

Explore Ansible AWX, a web interface and REST API for Ansible that manages playbooks, inventories, run reports, and schedules jobs, with Docker deployment and community-driven, free to use.

Explore how Ansible Tower, a commercial Red Hat management product, offers two editions with node-based pricing, 24 hours of support, and well documented installation and upgrades, though it is expensive.

Explore the full set of additional Ansible commands, including ansible, ansible-playbook, ansible-console, ansible-doc, inventory, and Galaxy, with practical tips for help options and configuration.

Explore official and community Ansible documentation, including docs.assembled.com and docs.ask.com, to master modules, playbooks, and learning resources, webinars, and Red Hat guidance.

Explore how to get help from the Ansible community, including real-time chat, matrix rooms, IRC, mailing lists, and GitHub, and learn to search first and ask maintainers for guidance.

Celebrate completing the DevOps Ansible automation training and apply hands-on automation skills to streamline DevOps workflows.

Bonus lecture guides you to connect with coaching, resources, and flexible training options across Udemy, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more to boost your DevOps and Ansible skills.