Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) System Roles
RHEL System Roles Overview
RHEL System Roles is a collection of Ansible roles and modules that provide a stable and consistent configuration interface to automate and manage multiple releases of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The effort is based on development of the Linux System Roles upstream project, and for the SAP related roles, the SAP LinuxLab upstream project.
The following roles are provided and supported as follows:
| Role Name | Description | Remote Host Management | Control Node | Role Initial Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security related roles | ||||
| selinux | SELinux | RHEL 6, 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.6/8.0 |
| nbde_client | Network bound disk encryption client | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.3 |
| nbde_server | Network bound disk encryption server | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.3 |
| certificate | Certificate issuance and renewal | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.3 |
| tlog | Terminal session recording | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.3 |
| ssh | Secure Shell (SSH) client | RHEL 6, 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.4 |
| sshd | Secure Shell (SSH) server | RHEL 6, 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.4 |
| crypto_policies | System-wide cryptographic policies | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.4 |
| vpn | Virtual private networks | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.5 |
| firewall | Firewall | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.6/9.0 |
| keylime_server | Keylime server | RHEL 9.1+ | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.9/9.3 |
| fapolicyd | Fapolicyd | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.10/9.4 |
| Configuration related roles | ||||
| timesync | Time synchronization | RHEL 6, 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.6/8.0 |
| network | Networking | RHEL 6, 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.6/8.0 |
| kdump | Kernel dumps | RHEL 6, 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.6/8.0 |
| storage | Storage | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.6/8.1 |
| postfix | Postfix (mail transfer agent) | RHEL 6, 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.6/8.0 |
| kernel_settings | Kernel settings | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.3 |
| logging | Logging (rsyslog) | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.3 |
| metrics | Metrics (Performance Co-Pilot) | RHEL 6, 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.3 |
| ha_cluster | High availability clustering | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.9/8.4 |
| cockpit | Web console | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.6/9.0 |
| podman | Podman | RHEL 8.6+, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.8/9.2 |
| rhc | Remote host configuration | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.8/9.2 |
| journald | Systemd-journald | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.8/9.2 |
| ad_integration | Microsoft Active Directory integration | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.8/9.2 |
| systemd | systemd | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.9/9.3 |
| snapshot | Snapshot | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.10/9.4 |
| bootloader | Bootloader | RHEL 7, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.10/9.4 |
| Workload related roles | ||||
| microsoft.sql.server1 | Microsoft SQL Server | RHEL 7, 8 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.5 |
| sap_general_preconfigure2 | SAP general preconfiguration | RHEL 7.6+, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.7/8.2 |
| sap_netweaver_preconfigure2 | SAP NetWeaver preconfiguration | RHEL 7.6+, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.7/8.2 |
| sap_hana_preconfigure2 | SAP HANA preconfiguration | RHEL 7.6+, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 7.7/8.2 |
| sap_hana_install2 | SAP HANA installation | RHEL 7.6+, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.6/9.0 |
| sap_ha_install_hana_hsr2 (tech preview*) | set up HANA system replication | RHEL 7.6+, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.6.z/9.0.z |
| sap_ha_install_pacemaker2 (tech preview*) | set up RHEL HA pacemaker cluster | RHEL 7.6+, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.6.z/9.0.z |
| sap_ha_prepare_pacemaker2 (tech preview*) | RHEL HA cluster preconfiguration | RHEL 7.6+, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.6.z/9.0.z |
| sap_ha_set_hana2 (tech preview*) | set up RHEL HA solutions for SAP HANA | RHEL 7.6+, 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.6.z/9.0.z |
| postgresql | PostgreSQL database | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8, 9 | RHEL 8.9/9.3 |
*Roles in Technology Preview status are tested as stable but the interface (role inputs) may receive future updates that could be incompatible with the current state. Additional Technology Preview content can be found in the upstream project and its respective project in Ansible Galaxy.
1. The microsoft.sql.server role is available in the ansible-collection-microsoft-sql package
2. The SAP related system roles are available in the rhel-system-roles-sap package, which is provided as part of the RHEL for SAP Solutions subscription.
RHEL System Roles are installed and run from a central node referred to as the control node (which can be Ansible Automation Platform, Red Hat Satellite, or a RHEL 9 or RHEL 8 host). The control node connects to a list of RHEL hosts defined in the inventory, and performs the configuration on them. It is recommended that you use the latest major release of RHEL on the control node and use the latest version of the roles either from the rhel-system-roles RPM or from Red Hat Automation Hub. The RHEL System Roles and Ansible packages do not need to be installed on the systems that are being managed/configured.
The RHEL System Roles are supported as provided from the following methods:
- As an RPM package in the RHEL 9 or RHEL 8 Application Streams repositories
- As a supported collection in the Red Hat Automation Hub
Note 1: The RHEL subscription provides support for the implementation of the RHEL System Roles and compatibility with Ansible Core (RHEL 9.0/8.6 and later) The Ansible Core package in the Application Streams repositories are made accessible as a convenience for the use of RHEL System Roles, as well as other layered products in the Red Hat product portfolio. However, the RHEL subscription does not include support for Ansible Core outside of the limited scope of support (see Note 2 below for details on limited scope of support).
Note 2: For details on the limited scope of support for Ansible Core in RHEL, see Scope of support for the Ansible Core package included in the RHEL 9 and RHEL 8.6 and later AppStream repositories. Additional information can be found at Top Support Policies for Red Hat Ansible Automation.
Note 3: RHEL system roles include Ansible modules that are used internally by the system roles (for example, the RHC role utilizes the community.general.redhat_subscription module internally). These modules included with RHEL system roles are only intended to be used internally by the RHEL system roles, and Red Hat does not support using these modules directly. They are, however, supported for use internally in the system roles. If there is a problem when using a RHEL system role, please contact Red Hat support, and if the problem is related to a module, Red Hat will support the module as outlined in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle.
Getting Started
RHEL 9.x and 8.6 and later: Installing RHEL System Roles and Ansible Core
On RHEL 9 systems, and on RHEL 8.6 and later systems that have not previously had Ansible Engine installed, run the following command to install RHEL System Roles and Ansible Core, both of which are included in the Application Streams repository:
# dnf install rhel-system-roles ansible-core
For systems that have been upgraded to RHEL 8.6 and have Ansible Engine installed, refer to Using Ansible in RHEL 8.6 and later for steps to migrate the system from Ansible Engine to Ansible Core.
Documentation
Additional information is provided in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 documentation on Automating system administration by using RHEL System Roles.
By default, the rhel-system-roles package are installed to the following locations:
-
Documentation
/usr/share/doc/rhel-system-roles-<version>/SUBSYSTEM/ -
Ansible Roles
/usr/share/ansible/roles/rhel-system-roles.SUBSYSTEM/
Where SUBSYSTEM is the name of the subsystem that contains the individual role management.
Examples include: network, timesync, or other subsystems as they become supported. See RHEL System Roles Overview for more details. Each subsystem role will include a README file which documents how to use the role and supported parameter values, as well as the matching README in the linux-system-roles Ansible Galaxy landing space.
Example usage of the rhel-system-roles.network role
This example assumes the following
- Generally, Ansible is not installed on every system, but rather on a single system designated as the Ansible management or control node whose purpose is to manage other systems via Ansible.
- This example is executed from a RHEL 7.5 system used as the Ansible control node.
- A target, or client test system with a hostname of rhel7.5-test
- rhel7.5-test has a primary network interface to access (eth0), and a secondary interface for this example (eth1).
- Either the rhel7.5-test FQDN or IP Address has been added to the Ansible Inventory file /etc/ansible/hosts on the control node.
- The control node user ID running the test playbook has ssh access to, and
sudoability on rhel7.5-test. Alternatively, the-uoption can be used to specify a user which does have this ability. - For further details, see the Ansible Getting Started or Quick Start Video at http://docs.ansible.com/ for further details on how to use Ansible.
-
Using a text editor, create a file containing contents similar to the following:
$ vim example-network-playbook.yml --- - hosts: rhel7.5-test vars: network_connections: - name: DBnic state: up type: ethernet interface_name: eth1 autoconnect: yes ip: dhcp4: yes auto6: no roles: - role: rhel-system-roles.network -
Test that we have access to the machine. If not, refer to the Ansible documentation on how to enable Ansible to access a remote system.
$ ansible -m ping rhel7.5-test rhel7.5-test | SUCCESS => { "changed": false, "ping": "pong" } -
Query the Ansible Facts to see the guests network configuration.
$ ansible rhel7.5-test -m setup -a 'gather_subset=network filter=ansible_interfaces' rhel7.5-test | SUCCESS => { "ansible_facts": { "ansible_interfaces": [ "lo", "eth1", "eth0" ] }, "changed": false } -
Query the Ansible Facts to see the characteristics of eth1
$ ansible rhel7.5-test -m setup -a 'gather_subset=network filter=ansible_eth1' rhel7.5-test | SUCCESS => { "ansible_facts": { "ansible_eth1": { "active": true, "device": "eth1", "features": { "busy_poll": "off [fixed]", "fcoe_mtu": "off [fixed]", "generic_receive_offload": "on", "generic_segmentation_offload": "on", "highdma": "on [fixed]", "hw_tc_offload": "off [fixed]", "l2_fwd_offload": "off [fixed]", "large_receive_offload": "off [fixed]", "loopback": "off [fixed]", "netns_local": "off [fixed]", "ntuple_filters": "off [fixed]", "receive_hashing": "off [fixed]", "rx_all": "off [fixed]", "rx_checksumming": "on [fixed]", "rx_fcs": "off [fixed]", "rx_vlan_filter": "on [fixed]", "rx_vlan_offload": "off [fixed]", "rx_vlan_stag_filter": "off [fixed]", "rx_vlan_stag_hw_parse": "off [fixed]", "scatter_gather": "on", "tcp_segmentation_offload": "on", "tx_checksum_fcoe_crc": "off [fixed]", "tx_checksum_ip_generic": "on", "tx_checksum_ipv4": "off [fixed]", "tx_checksum_ipv6": "off [fixed]", "tx_checksum_sctp": "off [fixed]", "tx_checksumming": "on", "tx_fcoe_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_gre_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_gso_robust": "off [fixed]", "tx_ipip_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_lockless": "off [fixed]", "tx_mpls_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_nocache_copy": "off", "tx_scatter_gather": "on", "tx_scatter_gather_fraglist": "off [fixed]", "tx_sctp_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_sit_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_tcp6_segmentation": "on", "tx_tcp_ecn_segmentation": "on", "tx_tcp_segmentation": "on", "tx_udp_tnl_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_vlan_offload": "off [fixed]", "tx_vlan_stag_hw_insert": "off [fixed]", "udp_fragmentation_offload": "on", "vlan_challenged": "off [fixed]" }, "macaddress": "52:54:00:e1:c2:4c", "module": "virtio_net", "mtu": 1500, "pciid": "virtio4", "promisc": false, "type": "ether" } }, "changed": false } -
Execute your example playbook. Note: You may safely ignore the warning message for now that the “wait for activation” feature is not yet implemented.
$ ansible-playbook -l rhel7.5-test example-network-playbook.yml PLAY [rhel7.5-test] ********************************************************************* TASK [Gathering Facts] ********************************************************* ok: [rhel7.5-test] TASK [rhel-system-roles.network : Check which services are running] ************ ok: [rhel7.5-test] TASK [rhel-system-roles.network : Check which packages are installed] ********** ok: [rhel7.5-test] TASK [rhel-system-roles.network : Install packages] **************************** skipping: [rhel7.5-test] TASK [rhel-system-roles.network : Enable network service] ********************** ok: [rhel7.5-test] TASK [rhel-system-roles.network : Print network provider] ********************** ok: [rhel7.5-test] => { "msg": "Using network provider: nm" } TASK [rhel-system-roles.network : Configure networking connection profiles] **** [WARNING]: [003] <info> #0, state:up persistent_state:present, 'DBnic': add connection DBnic, b62a7ea6-f1a4-408a-843e-ea292aa58b44 [WARNING]: [004] <info> #0, state:up persistent_state:present, 'DBnic': up connection DBnic, b62a7ea6-f1a4-408a-843e-ea292aa58b44 (is-modified) changed: [rhel7.5-test] TASK [rhel-system-roles.network : Re-test connectivity] ************************ ok: [rhel7.5-test] PLAY RECAP ********************************************************************* rhel7.5-test : ok=7 changed=1 unreachable=0 failed=0 -
Query again to see that eth1 is now online and has a IP Address assigned.
$ ansible rhel7.5-test -m setup -a 'gather_subset=network filter=ansible_eth1' rhel7.5-test | SUCCESS => { "ansible_facts": { "ansible_eth1": { "active": true, "device": "eth1", "features": { "busy_poll": "off [fixed]", "fcoe_mtu": "off [fixed]", "generic_receive_offload": "on", "generic_segmentation_offload": "on", "highdma": "on [fixed]", "hw_tc_offload": "off [fixed]", "l2_fwd_offload": "off [fixed]", "large_receive_offload": "off [fixed]", "loopback": "off [fixed]", "netns_local": "off [fixed]", "ntuple_filters": "off [fixed]", "receive_hashing": "off [fixed]", "rx_all": "off [fixed]", "rx_checksumming": "on [fixed]", "rx_fcs": "off [fixed]", "rx_vlan_filter": "on [fixed]", "rx_vlan_offload": "off [fixed]", "rx_vlan_stag_filter": "off [fixed]", "rx_vlan_stag_hw_parse": "off [fixed]", "scatter_gather": "on", "tcp_segmentation_offload": "on", "tx_checksum_fcoe_crc": "off [fixed]", "tx_checksum_ip_generic": "on", "tx_checksum_ipv4": "off [fixed]", "tx_checksum_ipv6": "off [fixed]", "tx_checksum_sctp": "off [fixed]", "tx_checksumming": "on", "tx_fcoe_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_gre_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_gso_robust": "off [fixed]", "tx_ipip_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_lockless": "off [fixed]", "tx_mpls_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_nocache_copy": "off", "tx_scatter_gather": "on", "tx_scatter_gather_fraglist": "off [fixed]", "tx_sctp_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_sit_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_tcp6_segmentation": "on", "tx_tcp_ecn_segmentation": "on", "tx_tcp_segmentation": "on", "tx_udp_tnl_segmentation": "off [fixed]", "tx_vlan_offload": "off [fixed]", "tx_vlan_stag_hw_insert": "off [fixed]", "udp_fragmentation_offload": "on", "vlan_challenged": "off [fixed]" }, "ipv4": { "address": "192.168.122.216", "broadcast": "192.168.122.255", "netmask": "255.255.255.0", "network": "192.168.122.0" }, "ipv6": [ { "address": "fe80::5054:ff:fee1:c24c", "prefix": "64", "scope": "link" } ], "macaddress": "52:54:00:e1:c2:4c", "module": "virtio_net", "mtu": 1500, "pciid": "virtio4", "promisc": false, "type": "ether" } }, "changed": false }
More examples
The roles carry their own example playbooks under their respective documentation directories (see above).
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