Making use of Ansible Facts and Variables to configure httpd webserver without using when keyword in the Ansible playbook

Task Description 📄

🔰 Create an Ansible Playbook which will dynamically load the variable file named same as OS_name and just by using the variable names we can Configure our target node.( Note: No need to use when keyword here. )

Solution Steps:-

Step 1:- First I run below command ,for proper connectivity and retrieve ansible_facts of Redhat system.

ansible <host-ip> -m setup | less

Setup module help us to find out OS specific version and it’s names .

Run above command and Just put your OS specific variable file name as ansible_distribution_name and ansible_distribution_version name.

• We know that ansible treat every words as a case sensitive so we can’t give variable file name randomly. Because according to ansible “redhat” and “Redhat” both are different words.
• Now rename your file and put name as ansible_distribution and version. For example……..RedHat-8.0.yml .

Redhat-8.0 variable file

software_name: httpd
service_name: httpd
doc_root: /var/www/html

Step 2:- Create the following playbook for setting up apache web server using ansible facts and variables.

- hosts: redhat
	  vars_files: 
	    - "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] }}-{{ ansible_facts['distribution_version'] }}.yml"
	
	  tasks:
	      - name: Installing software
	        package:
	              name: "{{ software_name }}"
	              state: present
	
	      - name: Copy index.html file
	        template:
	            dest: "{{doc_root}}/index.html"
	            src: /root/ws2/index.html
	        
	      - name: Stating service
	        service:
	             name: "{{service_name}}"
	             state: started

In first line, Ansible decides that which file need to include according to it’s distribution name and version.

- hosts: redhat
	  vars_files: 
	    - "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] }}-{{ ansible_facts['distribution_version'] }}.yml"

This step setup the web server on top of Redhat depending on their variable file name and version.

tasks:
	      - name: Installing software
	        package:
	              name: "{{ software_name }}"
	              state: present
	
	      - name: Copy index.html file
	        template:
	            dest: "{{doc_root}}/index.html"
	            src: /root/ws2/index.html
	        
	      - name: Stating service
	        service:
	             name: "{{service_name}}"
	             state: started

Here is my index.html file which I’m copying with the help of template module.

This is {{ ansible_facts['distribution'] }}.{{ ansible_facts['distribution_major_version']}} operating system

Step 3:- Running the Ansible-Playbook

Output of code

Hence, the web page is successfully deployed, just by the use of ansible facts and variables.

***********THANKS FOR READING**********