Unit 14 - Ansible Automation

Overview

This unit introduces Ansible Automation, a powerful open-source tool used for IT automation, configuration management, and application deployment. By the end of this unit, you will understand how to implement Ansible in enterprise environments to manage Linux infrastructure efficiently.

1. Configuration Management: Automate system configurations across multiple hosts.
2. Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Define infrastructure using Ansible playbooks.
3. Automation: Execute tasks across multiple systems in an efficient, repeatable manner.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

• Set up and configure Ansible on a Linux system.
• Understand Ansible inventory and playbooks.
• Automate common administrative tasks.
• Use ad-hoc commands and Ansible modules effectively.

Relevance & Context

1. Consistency: Automate repetitive tasks to ensure uniform configurations.
2. Scalability: Manage thousands of servers with minimal manual intervention.
3. Security & Compliance: Enforce policies and reduce misconfigurations.

Prerequisites

Before beginning this unit, ensure you understand:

1. Basic Linux command-line operations.
2. SSH and remote system management.
3. YAML syntax and basic scripting.

Key Terms and Definitions

Playbook

Task

Inventory

Ad-hoc Commands

Roles