Tower Job Templates in Ansible

1. Introduction

Ansible Tower (now part of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform) provides a web-based user interface to manage Ansible tasks, including the creation and execution of job templates. Job templates define the actions that Ansible should perform, along with the inventory and credentials it should use.

2. Key Concepts

2.1 What is a Job Template?

A Job Template is a reusable definition and configuration for running an Ansible job. It includes:

Playbook to execute
Inventory of hosts
Credentials for authentication
Job settings (e.g., verbosity)

2.2 Components of a Job Template

Key components include:

Playbook
Inventory
Credentials
Limit
Extra Variables

3. Creating Job Templates

3.1 Step-by-Step Process

Log in to Ansible Tower.
Navigate to the Templates section.
Click the "+" button to create a new Job Template.
Fill out the required fields:

Name: Give your job template a unique name.
Job Type: Choose between "Run" or "Check".
Inventory: Select the inventory to use.
Project: Choose the project containing your playbooks.
Playbook: Select the playbook to execute.

Configure optional settings (like verbosity and limits).
Click "Save" to create the Job Template.

Tip: Always test your Job Template with a small inventory to avoid impacts on production systems.

4. Best Practices

Use descriptive names for job templates to make them easily identifiable.
Keep your playbooks modular and reusable.
Regularly review and update your templates to reflect changes in your environment.
Utilize the "Survey" feature for collecting input from users before running a job.

5. FAQ

What is the difference between a Job Template and a Job?

A Job Template is a blueprint for running jobs, while a Job is an instance of a Job Template that has been executed.

Can I schedule a Job Template to run at specific times?

Yes! You can use the Scheduling feature in Ansible Tower to run your Job Templates at defined intervals.

What are Extra Variables used for?

Extra Variables allow you to pass additional parameters to your playbook at runtime, enabling dynamic configurations.

6. Workflow Overview


graph TD;
    A[Start] --> B{Choose Template Type}
    B -->|Job Template| C[Create Job Template]
    B -->|Workflow Template| D[Create Workflow Template]
    C --> E[Save and Execute]
    D --> F[Save and Run Workflow]
    E --> G[End]
    F --> G