Introduction to Ansible Tower
What is Ansible Tower?
Ansible Tower is a powerful web-based interface for Ansible, providing a centralized platform for managing and automating tasks across your entire infrastructure. It offers features such as role-based access control, job scheduling, and graphical inventory management. Ansible Tower helps teams scale IT automation, manage complex deployments, and speed up productivity.
Key Features
Ansible Tower comes with several robust features designed to enhance your automation experience:
- Role-Based Access Control: Define who can run what tasks on which machines.
- Job Scheduling: Schedule jobs to run at specific times.
- Inventory Management: Organize and manage your inventory graphically.
- Real-Time Job Status Updates: Monitor the status of your jobs in real-time.
- Logging and Auditing: Keep detailed logs of all operations for auditing purposes.
Installation of Ansible Tower
To install Ansible Tower, follow these steps:
# Download the Ansible Tower setup bundle
wget https://releases.ansible.com/ansible-tower/setup/ansible-tower-setup-latest.tar.gz
# Extract the setup bundle
tar -xvf ansible-tower-setup-latest.tar.gz
# Navigate to the setup directory
cd ansible-tower-setup-*
# Edit the configuration file to set your admin password and other settings
vim inventory
# Run the setup script
./setup.sh
After running the setup script, Ansible Tower will be installed and can be accessed via a web browser at http://your-server-ip.
Creating and Managing Inventories
Inventories in Ansible Tower are collections of hosts against which jobs may be run. Here’s how to create and manage inventories:
Step 1: Navigate to the Inventories section in Ansible Tower.
Step 2: Click the + Add button to create a new inventory.
Step 3: Enter the name and description of your inventory.
Step 4: Add hosts to your inventory by clicking on the Hosts tab and then + Add.
Creating and Running Jobs
Jobs in Ansible Tower are used to run Ansible playbooks. Follow these steps to create and run a job:
Step 1: Navigate to the Templates section.
Step 2: Click the + Add button to create a new job template.
Step 3: Fill in the necessary details, such as name, inventory, project, and playbook.
Step 4: Click Save to create the job template.
Step 5: To run the job, click on the rocket icon next to the job template you just created.
Monitoring Job Status
Ansible Tower provides real-time updates on job status. Here’s how to monitor your jobs:
Step 1: Navigate to the Jobs section.
Step 2: Click on the job you want to monitor.
Step 3: View the detailed job status, including stdout, stderr, and the overall progress.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Role-Based Access Control allows you to define who can perform specific actions within Ansible Tower. Here’s how to configure RBAC:
Step 1: Navigate to the Access section.
Step 2: Click on Organizations and then on the organization you wish to configure.
Step 3: Add users and assign roles to them, such as Admin, User, or Auditor.
Conclusion
Ansible Tower is a comprehensive tool that extends the capabilities of Ansible, making it easier to manage and automate your IT infrastructure. With features like role-based access control, job scheduling, and real-time job monitoring, Ansible Tower can significantly enhance your automation workflows. We hope this tutorial helps you get started with Ansible Tower and leverage its full potential.