Ansible

KEY Summary

• Agentless
• Written in Python
• Uses a "Push" model
• Uses SSH to connect to devices
• Uses YAML for its necessary files
• Ansible Playbooks define actions taken
• Ansible Server is called the "Control Node"

Broad Summary

• A configuration management tool owned by Red Hat
  • Written in Python
• Agentless
  • Doesn't require specialized software to be installed on managed devices
• Uses SSH to connect to devices, make configuration changes, extract information, etc.
• Uses a Push model
  • The Ansible server (Control Node) uses SSH to connect to managed devices and push configuration changes to them
• Requires several text config files to be created
  • Playbooks
    • Written in YAML
    • Blueprints of automation tasks
    • Outline the logic and actions of the tasks that Ansible should do
  • Inventory
    • Written in INI, YAML, and other formats
    • List the devices that will be managed by Ansible, including characteristics of each device
  • Templates
    • Written in Jinja2
    • Represent a device's config file, with variables instead of values
  • Variables
    • Written in YAML
    • Lists if variables and their values
    • The values are substituted into the templates to create complete config files

Metadata

OSI or TCP/IP Layer

CCNA Exam Topic

Contributors

Sources