Structuring a YAML Playbook with Ansible

You've been hired as a systems administrator for a company that uses Ansible for its configuration management. While you have no prior Ansible experience, you are familiar with YAML and have been assured that with nothing but your YAML knowledge and some guiding, you should be able to write a "playbook" (a file that configures one aspect of a managed system).

Ansible has already been installed on a test system. Switch to the ansible user with su - ansible; the password is the same as the cloud_user's. The playbook file we create can be placed in the home directory.

Before beginning, forward the ansible user's SSH key:

ssh-copy-id localhost

The playbook should be structured as follows and saved as mariadb.yaml in the home directory:

• Mark the top of the file by signaling the start of the document. Include an inline comment about the purpose of this playbook (which is to install MariaDB).

• The rest of the document should be structured as a "sequence of mappings" (or a "list of key-value pairs").

• The first mapping should be hosts: localhost.

• Underneath this line, include the following key-value pairs (formatted below as key:value); these should be in the same collection as hosts: localhost:

  • remote_user: ansible
  • become: yes
  • become_method: sudo
  • connection: ssh
  • gather_facts: yes

• In this same collection, set a tasks mapping; this will contain a sequence of mappings, similar to the parent setup of this line.

• Under the tasks list create another sequence of mappings, with the following key-value pairs; this should be a separate collection (i.e., indented):

  • name: Installing MariaDB
  • yum: See below
  • notify: startservice (this should be a list)

• The yum key should contain these two mappings (i.e., a mapping of mappings):

  • name: mariadb-server
  • state: latest

• On the same level as the tasks mappings, create a handlers sequence of mappings for the following key-value pairs:

  • name: startservice
  • service: See below

• The service key should contain these two mappings (i.e., a mapping of mappings):

  • name: mariadb
  • state: restarted

Please view the diagram for a visual diagram of this setup.

When finished, run the playbook with:

ansible-playbook mariadb.yaml

Glossary

• Sequences are lists

  • Item 1
  • Item 2

• Mappings are key-value pairs

  key1: value1 key2: value2

• A sequence of mappings:

  • key1: value1 key2: value2

• A mapping of mappings:

  overallkey: key1: value1 key2: value2