Lecture Notes: Ansible for DevOps Live Stream

Introduction

• Objective: Live streaming how to use Ansible, teaching from the book "Ansible for DevOps".
• Book Availability: Free on Leanpub until end of March, may be extended.
• Live Streaming Issues: Stream may have issues on an older Mac.

Ansible Overview

• Initial Use: Started using Ansible in 2013 for managing multiple servers.
• Configuration Management Tools:
  • Previous tools: Chef, Puppet, CFEngine, shell scripts.
  • Ansible: Simplifies automation without needing specialized programming knowledge.
  • Playbooks: Ansible scripts for managing servers.

Book Details

• Target Audience: Junior to mid-level Linux sysadmins.
• Content: Automating infrastructure, Kubernetes, Docker.
• Updates and Versions: Available on Leanpub with free updates.

DevOps Philosophy

• Concept: Philosophy that integrates development and operations.
• Role of DevOps: Not just a job title, but a collaborative approach.

Ansible History

• Origins: Related to a project called Funk.
• Naming: Inspired by "Ender's Game", allows instant server communication.
• Key Features: Clear, fast, complete, efficient, and secure.

Installing Ansible

• Preferred Method: Using Python’s pip (pip3 for Python 3).
• Platform Specifics:
  • Mac/Linux: Use pip.
  • Windows: Use Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Ansible Basics

• Inventory File: Defines servers to manage.
• Ansible Commands:
  • ansible -i inventory example -m ping -u centos to test connection.
• SSH Requirement: Python needed on servers for Ansible communication.

Chapter 1 - Getting Started

• Objective: Run Ansible commands on a server.
• Ad-hoc Commands: Run specific shell commands using Ansible.
• Idempotence: Key feature ensuring commands only change state if needed.

Chapter 2 - Local Development with Vagrant

• Vagrant: Tool for building local virtual machines for development.
• Setup:
  • Use vagrant init <box> to set up a Vagrant environment.
  • Define playbooks for configuration.
• Provisioning with Ansible:
  • Create a playbook to ensure services are installed and running.

Ansible Playbooks

• Structure:
  • Define hosts, tasks, and modules.
  • Use become: yes for elevated privileges.
• Modules: Use Ansible’s built-in modules for tasks like installing packages.

Community and Resources

• Documentation: Available at docs.Ansible.com.
• Mailing Lists: For community support and development discussions.
• Community Resources: Ansible blog for updates and articles.

Miscellaneous

• Open Source and Contribution: Book available on GitHub, encourages community feedback and contributions.
• Support and Sponsorship: Options available on GitHub and Patreon.

Conclusion

• Future Plans: More detailed exploration of Ansible features in upcoming sessions.
• Community Engagement: Encourages helping others during challenging times, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.