In this article, we shall learn how to install and configure Ansible on Ubuntu. Ansible is an open-source automation tool that provides a simple, yet powerful, automation platform. It is designed to help teams automate repetitive tasks, deploy applications, and manage infrastructure. Ansible uses a declarative language to describe system configurations, making it easy to understand and share playbooks (automation scripts) among team members. Please see Install and configure Ansible on Azure Virtual Machine, and How to install Ansible on Windows with Cygwin.

Ansible is a tool for managing a large number of servers centrally. With Ansible playbooks, you can create automated tasks to run against your servers remotely from a central control node.

Installing Ansible on Ubuntu requires the following prerequisites and installation commands to be followed promptly.

Ansible key concepts and features

Agentless: Ansible is agentless, meaning you don’t need to install an agent on the target systems. It communicates with remote machines using SSH (Secure Shell) for Linux/Unix systems and WinRM (Windows Remote Management) for Windows systems.

Playbooks: Playbooks are written in YAML and describe a set of tasks to be executed on remote machines. They are easy to read and understand. Playbooks define the desired state of the system, and Ansible ensures that the system reaches that state.

Modules: Ansible uses modules to perform specific tasks on managed nodes. Modules can manage packages, services, files, and more. Ansible comes with a wide variety of built-in modules.

Inventory: The inventory file in Ansible lists the hosts on which playbooks should be run. It can be a simple text file or a dynamically generated script.

Roles: Roles are a way to organize and reuse Ansible code. A role includes tasks, handlers, variables, and other resources needed for a specific purpose.

Ad-Hoc Commands: Ansible allows you to run ad-hoc commands to perform quick tasks on remote machines without writing a playbook.

Idempotence: Ansible is designed to be idempotent, meaning that if a task is executed multiple times, the result should be the same as if it were executed once.

Integration: Ansible integrates well with cloud providers, configuration management databases (CMDBs), version control systems, and other tools.

Steps to install Ansible on Ubuntu Linux

1. Grant Root privilege.

ansible@ansible-VirtualBox:~$ sudo -i
[sudo] password for ansible:
root@ansible-VirtualBox:~#

2. Install update packages and upgrades

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/# apt-get update && apt-get upgrade

3. However, One of those many ways to get Ansible running for Ubuntu is to install the project’s PPA (personal package archive). I.e the software properties common to your server.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~# apt-get install software-properties-common
Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information… Done
software-properties-common is already the newest version (0.96.20.1).
software-properties-common set to manually installed.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 3 not upgraded.

4. Moreover, After installing this package, add the Ansible PPA from the repository using this command.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~# apt-add-repository ppa:ansible/ansible
Ansible is a radically simple IT automation platform that makes your applications and systems easier to deploy. Avoid writing scripts or custom code to deploy and update your applications‚ automate in a language that approaches plain English, using SSH, with no agents to install on remote systems.
http://ansible.com/
More info: https://launchpad.net/~ansible/+archive/ubuntu/ansible
Press [ENTER] to continue or ctrl-c to cancel adding it
gpg: keyring `/tmp/tmpooow5ue_/secring.gpg' created
gpg: keyring `/tmp/tmpooow5ue_/pubring.gpg' created
gpg: requesting key 7BB9C367 from hkp server keyserver.ubuntu.com
gpg: /tmp/tmpooow5ue_/trustdb.gpg: trustdb created
gpg: key 7BB9C367: public key "Launchpad PPA for Ansible, Inc." imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1  (RSA: 1)                                  
OK

Note: Nonetheless, where you have to press enter to accept the PPA added process to continue.

5. Consequently, Once again, run the apt-get update utility to have the system package refreshed to be aware of the newly added PPA.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/# apt-get update

6. Now install Ansible software.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/# apt-get install ansi
ansible ansible-fireball ansible-node-fireball ansiweather

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/# apt-get install ansible
Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information… Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
python-crypto python-ecdsa python-httplib2 python-jinja2 python-markupsafe python-paramiko
python-pkg-resources python-setuptools python-six python-yaml sshpass
Suggested packages:
python-crypto-dbg python-crypto-doc python-jinja2-doc python-setuptools-doc
The following NEW packages will be installed:
ansible python-crypto python-ecdsa python-httplib2 python-jinja2 python-markupsafe
python-paramiko python-pkg-resources python-setuptools python-six python-yaml sshpass
0 upgraded, 12 newly installed, 0 to remove and 3 not upgraded.
Need to get 2.182 kB of archives.
After this operation, 13,8 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

Note: Just hit enter of “y” key to continue with the installation.

7. SSH Key Setup: Configure Ansible

Similarly, SSH keys allow communication (auth) between two hosts without the need for a password. SSH key authentication uses two keys, a private key, and a public key.

Nevertheless, Ansible communicates with servers via SSH on Linux. Therefore, While it certainly has the ability to handle password-based, SSH authentication keys help keep things simple. Additionally, Simply enter the following command to generate for you the keys using RSA algorithm

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~# ssh
Note: I used the tab key to display all available options
ssh               ssh-argv0         ssh-import-id     ssh-keygen        
ssh-add           ssh-copy-id       ssh-import-id-gh  ssh-keyscan       
ssh-agent         sshd              ssh-import-id-lp  sshpass

Note: Furthermore, The step starts from here. During the process you will be prompted for a password. Keep hitting the enter button to create the key.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~# ssh-keygen -t rsa -K4096
Generating public/private rsa key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/root/.ssh/id_rsa):
Created directory '/root/.ssh'.
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in /root/.ssh/id_rsa.
Your public key has been saved in /root/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
SHA256:3DLxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxE8yGA root@ansible-VirtualBox
The key's randomart image is:
+---[RSA 2048]----+
|    .oo..        |
|    .. o.o       |
|   . ..+*.       |
|    + .+==       |
|   . o .S.+ ..   |
|.Eo . =  +.o...  |
|.+ + = .  o=oB . |
|  o =      o@.=  |
|     .       =.  |
+----[SHA256]-----+

Note the following

– However, Now you have the RSA key generated.
– If you already have an SSH key pair, simply copy this to the specified path of the machine running Ansible (~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub).
– Nonetheless, Moreover, By default, the public key is saved in the file ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
– Similarly, while the private key is saved in ~/.ssh/id_rsa.
– Not important for this task but vital to add more users.

Now copy the id_rsa.pub file to the remote host and append it to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

This step is necessary if you wish to have needed other users to administer ansible to connect to these machines. Now copy the id_rsa.pub file to the remote host and append it to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys using this command:

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~# ssh-copy-id username@remotehost

Where remotehost is the IP address or FQDN of the server and username is the “root” or whatever name you have configured for the other machine.

Finally, double-check the permissions on the authorized_keys file, only the authenticated user should have read and write permissions. If the permissions are not correct to change them by.

Assign permission

You should now be able to SSH to the host without being prompted for a password.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~#chmod 600 .ssh/authorized_keys

View the public key run this command

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~# cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
ssh-rsa AAAAxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxNxfz5NxxxxxxxxxxxRUVxxxxxxxx root@ansible-VirtualBox
root@ansible-VirtualBox:~#

View where your hidden files are kept you use

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/etc# cd ~/.ssh
root@ansible-VirtualBox:~/.ssh# ls
id_rsa id_rsa.pub

To view the private keys, use any of the editor

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~/.ssh# vi id_rsa
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
xxxxIBAAKCAQEAyxxxxxgvKp6VSqZoIpEYw8LTlExxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx6w8xxxxxxJnz/SJkPB22/BDbuY4/l9tFYWSs+Ih9aekcRwg9KNtRexxxxqZ+hZC5EK219
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

Note: Make sure that you include the first and last marker lines. They are required in order for the key file to be valid and change permission if necessary.

To view the public key, run the same command but with the .pub

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~/.ssh# vi id_rsa.pub

8. Configuring Ansible Hosts

As we all know, Ansible keeps track of all the servers it knows via a file called “Hosts” file. This needs to be configured (entered) before it will be able to communicate with other computers. This is how it looks.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/etc/ansible# ls
ansible.cfg hosts roles
root@ansible-VirtualBox:/etc/ansible# vi hosts
# This is the default ansible 'hosts' file.
#
# It should live in /etc/ansible/hosts
#
#   - Comments begin with the '#' character
#   - Blank lines are ignored
#   - Groups of hosts are delimited by [header] elements
#   - You can enter hostnames or ip addresses
#   - A hostname/ip can be a member of multiple groups
# Ex 1: Ungrouped hosts, specify before any group headers.
## green.example.com
## blue.example.com
## 192.168.100.1
## 192.168.100.10
# Ex 2: A collection of hosts belonging to the 'webservers' group
## [webservers]
## alpha.example.org
## beta.example.org
## 192.168.1.100
## 192.168.1.110
# If you have multiple hosts following a pattern you can specify
# them like this:
## www[001:006].example.com
# Ex 3: A collection of database servers in the 'dbservers' group
## [dbservers]
##
## db01.intranet.mydomain.net
## db02.intranet.mydomain.net
## 10.25.1.56
## 10.25.1.57
# Here's another example of host ranges, this time there are no
# leading 0s:
## db-[99:101]-node.example.co

Note: These are just configuration examples. None will work except they are commented out, i.e, by deleting the # symbol and adding the right devices (IP address) are added.
– To do this, you have to uncomment them out and enter the idea ip address(es).

[monitoringservers]
alpha.example.org
beta.example.org
192.168.1.100
192.168.1.110
192.168.1*7.13

Copy the SSH public key to remote servers

Method 1: On how to copy the SSH public key to remote servers

Step 1: Always remember to copy the ssh public key from the ansible machine to the server you wish to manage.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/etc# cd ~/.ssh
root@ansible-VirtualBox:~/.ssh# ls
id_rsa id_rsa.pub known_hosts
root@ansible-VirtualBox:~/.ssh# vim id_rsa.pub

And copy the key!!!

Step 2: Create a file called authorized_keys on the target machine you wish to use ansible on. the in the authorized_keys create copy and paste the public of the Ansible server in it.

Note: This has to be in the home directory of the ssh user which is without the bracket (~/.ssh). it should look this way.

Webserver@nagios:~$ vi .ssh/authorized_keys
ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDJRl0Zq

Note 2: Also, install the python-apt library on the target machine you wish to administer Ansible on, e.g., my Nagios server

Webserver@nagios:~$ sudo apt-get install python-apt
Webserver@nagios:~$ sudo apt-get install aptitude

Or use a single command (any of these)

- Webserver@nagios:~$ sudo apt-get install python-apt; apt-get install aptitude
- Webserver@nagios:~$ sudo apt-get install python-apt && apt-get install aptitude
- Webserver@nagios:~$ sudo apt-get install python-apt || apt-get install aptitude

Note: Without this, it will fail if we want to do some package installations.

Method 2: This method seems to be the easiest way to copy the ssh public key from the ansible machine to the server you wish to manage.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:~/.ssh# ssh
ssh               ssh-argv0         ssh-import-id     ssh-keygen        
ssh-add           ssh-copy-id       ssh-import-id-gh  ssh-keyscan       
ssh-agent         sshd              ssh-import-id-lp  sshpass    
root@ansible-VirtualBox:~/.ssh# ssh-copy-id webserver@192.168.xxx.1x
/usr/bin/ssh-copy-id: INFO: Source of key(s) to be installed: "/root/.ssh/id_rsa.pub"
/usr/bin/ssh-copy-id: INFO: attempting to log in with the new key(s), to filter out any that are already installed
/usr/bin/ssh-copy-id: INFO: 1 key(s) remain to be installed -- if you are prompted now it is to install the new keys
webserver@192.168.xxx.xx's password:
Number of key(s) added: 1

Now try logging into the machine, with: "ssh 'webserver@192.168.xxx.1x'"
and check to make sure that only the key(s) you wanted were added.

Note: This method has copied the public key to the server you wish to administer. now to see the key on the other server use this command.

webserver@nagios:~$ cat .ssh/authorized_keys
ssh-rsa yc2EAAxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDJRl0Zqrxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
root@ansible-VirtualBox:~/.ssh#

9. After defining your host file in step 8 above

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/etc/ansible# vi hosts
[monitoringservers]
## alpha.example.org
## beta.example.org
## 192.168.1.100
## 192.168.1.110
192.168.177.13 ansible_user=webserver

Example 1: Let’s do some ping testing

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/etc/ansible# ansible monitoringservers -m ping

This will display the number of servers with IP address it successfully pinged.
192.168.xxx.1x | SUCCESS => {
"changed": false,
"ping": "pong"
}

Note: Furthermore, It shows it is using the module called ping, signified by -m to ping all the available servers in the group of monitoring servers.

root@ansible-VirtualBox:/etc/ansible# ansible -i hosts monitoringservers -m ping
192.168.xxx.1x | SUCCESS => {
"changed": false,
"ping": "pong

Here, a host is added and it delivers the same output.

I hope you found this article useful on How to install and configure Ansible on Ubuntu. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

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