Chapter 2. Installing Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform components on a single machine

You can install Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform components on a single machine in one of the following supported scenarios.

2.1. Installing automation controller with a database on the same node

You can use these instructions to install a standalone instance of automation controller with a database on the same node, or a non-installer managed database. This scenario includes installation of automation controller, including the web frontend, REST API backend, and database on a single machine. It installs PostgreSQL, and configures the automation controller to use that as its database. This is considered the standard automation controller installation scenario.

2.1.1. Prerequisites

2.1.2. Editing the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer inventory file

You can use the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer inventory file to specify your installation scenario.

Note
  • Using external databases: ensure the database sections of your inventory file are properly setup.
  • Add automation hub information in the [automationhub] group
  • automation hub and automation controller cannot be installed on the same node.
  • automation controller will not configure replication or failover for the database that it uses. automation controller should work with any replication you have.
  • The database server should be on the same network or in the same data center as the automation controller server for performance reasons.
  • A container registry service is required to install the Ansible Automation Platform. Access to a container registry enables you to load automation execution environments onto the Ansible Automation Platform, giving you a consistent and containerized environment for executing Ansible playbooks and roles. By default, the Ansible Automation Platform uses registry.redhat.io, which requires a Red Hat registry service account. See the Creating Registry Service Accounts guide to create a registry service account.
  • For upgrading an existing cluster: When upgrading a cluster, you may decide that you want to also reconfigure your cluster to omit existing instances or instance groups. Omitting the instance or the instance group from the inventory file will not be enough to remove them from the cluster. In addition to omitting instances or instance groups from the inventory file, you must also deprovision instances or instance groups before starting the upgrade. Otherwise, omitted instances or instance groups will continue to communicate with the cluster, which can cause issues with tower services during the upgrade.
  • For clustered installations: If you are creating a clustered setup, you must replace localhost with the hostname or IP address of all instances. All nodes/instances must be able to reach any others using this hostname or address. In other words, you cannot use the localhost ansible_connection=local on one of the nodes AND all of the nodes should use the same format for the host names.
Important
  • Root access to remote machines is required. With Ansible, this can be achieved in different ways:
  • ansible_user=root ansible_ssh_pass=”your_password_here” inventory host or group variables
  • ansible_user=root ansible_ssh_private_key_file=”path_to_your_keyfile.pem” inventory host or group variables
  • ANSIBLE_BECOME_METHOD=’sudo’ ANSIBLE_BECOME=True ./setup.sh

For more information on become plugins, see Understanding privilege escalation.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the installer

    1. [bundled installer]

      $ cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-bundle-<latest-version>
    2. [online installer]

      $ cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-<latest-version>
  2. Open the inventory file with a text editor.
  3. Edit inventory file parameters to specify your installation scenario. Follow the example below.

2.1.3. Example Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform single node inventory file

This example describes how you can populate the inventory file for a single node installation of automation controller.

Important
  • Do not use special characters for pg_password. It may cause the setup to fail.
  • Enter your Red Hat Registry Service Account credentials in registry_username and registry_password to link to the Red Hat container registry.
[automationcontroller]
127.0.0.1 ansible_connection=local 1

[database]

[all:vars]
admin_password='<password>'

pg_host=''
pg_port=''

pg_database='awx'
pg_username='awx'
pg_password='<password>'

registry_url='registry.redhat.io'
registry_username='<registry username>'
registry_password='<registry password>'
1
This should be set as a FQDN/IP.

2.1.4. Additional inventory file variables

You can further configure your Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installation by including additional variables to the inventory file. These configurations add various optional features for managing your Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. Add these variables by editing the inventory file using a text editor.

Table 2.1. Additional inventory file variables

VariableDescriptionDefault

GALAXY_ENABLE_API_ACCESS_LOG

When set to True, creates a log file at /var/log/galaxy_api_access.log that logs all user actions made to the platform, including their username and IP address

False

Example

  • To enable the api access log, add the variable to the inventory and flag as true:
[all:vars:]
admin_password = 'password'

pg_host=''
pg_port=''

GALAXY_ENABLE_API_ACCESS_LOG=true

2.1.5. Setup script flags and extra variables

You can also pass flags and extra variables when running the setup script to install automation controller:

Table 2.2. Flags

ArgumentDescription

-h

Show this help message and exit

-i INVENTORY_FILE

Path to Ansible inventory file (default: inventory)

-e EXTRA_VARS

Set additional Ansible variables as key=value or YAML/JSON

-b

Perform a database backup in lieu of installing

-r

Perform a database restore in lieu of installing

-k

Generate and dsitribute a SECRET_KEY

Use the -- separator to add any Ansible arguments you wish to apply. For example: ./setup.sh -i my_awesome_inventory.yml -e matburt_is_country_gold=True — -K.

Note
  • When passing -r to perform a database restore default restore path is used unless EXTRA_VARS are provided with a non-default path. See the example below that passed an EXTRA_VAR specifying the restore path:

    ./setup.sh -e 'restore_backup_file=/path/to/nondefault/location' -r
  • You can force an online installation by passing -e bundle_install=false:

    $ ./setup.sh -e bundle_install=false

Table 2.3. Extra variables

VariableDescriptionDefault

upgrade_ansible_with_tower

When installing automation controller make sure Ansible is also up to date

False

create_preload_data

When installing Tower also create the Demo Org, project, credential, Job Template, etc.

True

bundle_install_folder

When installing from a bundle where to put the bundled repos

var/lib/tower-bundle

nginx_disable_https

Disable HTTPS traffic through nginx, this is useful if offloading HTTPS to a load balancer

False

nginx_disable_hsts

Disable HSTS web-security policy mechanism

False

nginx_http_port

Port to configure nginx to listen to for HTTP

80

nginx_https_port

Port to configure nginx to listen to for HTTPS

443

backup_dir

A temp location to use when backing up

/var/backups/tower/

restore_backup_file

Specify an alternative backup file to restore from

None

required_ram

The minimum RAM required to install Tower (should only be changed for test installation)

3750

min_open_fds

The minimum open file descriptions (should only be changed for test installations)

None

ignore_preflight_errors

Ignore preflight checks, useful when installing into a template or other non-system image (overrides required_ram and min_open_fds)

False

Examples

  • To upgrade core:
./setup.sh -e upgrade_ansible_with_tower=1
  • To disable https handling at nginx:
./setup.sh -e nginx_disable_https=true
  • To specify a non-default path when restoring from a backup file:
./setup.sh -e 'restore_backup_file=/path/to/nondefault/location' -r

2.1.6. Running the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer setup script

You can run the setup script once you finish updating the inventory file with required parameters for installing your Private Automation Hub.

Procedure

  1. Run the setup.sh script

    $ ./setup.sh

The installation will begin.

2.1.7. Verifying automation controller installation

Once the installation completes, you can verify your automation controller has been installed successfully by logging in with the admin credentials you inserted into the inventory file.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the IP address specified for the automation controller node in the inventory file.
  2. Log in with the Admin credentials you set in the inventory file.
Note

The automation controller server is accessible from port 80 (https://<TOWER_SERVER_NAME>/) but will redirect to port 443 so 443 needs to be available also.

Important

If the installation fails and you are a customer who has purchased a valid license for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, please contact Ansible via the Red Hat Customer portal at https://access.redhat.com/.

Upon a successful login to automation controller, your installation of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.1 is now complete.

2.1.7.1. Additional automation controller configuration and resources

See the following resources to explore additional automation controller configurations.

Table 2.4. Resources to configure automation controller

LinkDescription

Automation Controller Quick Setup Guide

Set up automation controller and run your first playbook

Automation Controller Administration Guide

Configure automation controller administration through customer scripts, management jobs, etc.

Configuring proxy support for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Set up automation controller with a proxy server

Managing usability analytics and data collection from automation controller

Manage what automation controller information you share with Red Hat

Automation Controller User Guide

Review automation controller functionality in more detail

2.1.8. What’s next with Ansible Automation Platform 2.1

Whether you are a new Ansible Automation Platform user looking to start automating, or an existing administrator looking to migrate old Ansible content to your latest installed version of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, explore the next steps to begin leveraging the new features of Ansible Automation Platform 2.1:

2.1.8.1. Migrating data to Ansible Automation Platform 2.1

For platform administrators looking to complete an upgrade to the Ansible Automation Platform 2.1, there may be additional steps needed to migrate data to a new instance:

2.1.8.1.1. Migrating from legacy virtual environments (venvs) to automation execution environments

Ansible Automation Platform 2.1 moves you away from custom Python virtual environments (venvs) in favor of automation execution environments - containerized images that package the necessary components needed to execute and scale your Ansible automation. This includes Ansible Core, Ansible Content Collections, Python dependencies, Red Hat Enterprise Linux UBI 8, and any additional package dependencies.

If you are looking to migrate your venvs to execution environments, you will (1) need to use the awx-manage command to list and export a list of venvs from your original instance, then (2) use ansible-builder to create execution environments. For more information, see the Upgrading to Automation Execution Environments guide and the Ansible Builder Guide.

2.1.8.1.2. Migrating to Ansible Engine 2.9 images using Ansible Builder

To migrate Ansible Engine 2.9 images for use with Ansible Automation Platform 2.1, the ansible-builder tool automates the process of rebuilding images (including its custom plugins and dependencies) for use with automation execution environments. For more information on using Ansible Builder to build execution environments, see the Ansible Builder Guide.

2.1.8.1.3. Migrating to Ansible Core 2.12

When upgrading to Ansible Core 2.12, you will need to update your playbooks, plugins, or other parts of your Ansible infrastructure in order to be supported by the latest version of Ansible Core. For instructions on updating your Ansible content to be Ansible Core 2.12 compatible, see the Ansible-core 2.12 Porting Guide.

2.1.8.2. Scale up your automation using automation mesh

The automation mesh component of the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform simplifies the process of distributing automation across multi-site deployments. For enterprises with multiple isolated IT environments, automation mesh provides a consistent and reliable way to deploy and scale up automation across your execution nodes using a peer-to-peer mesh communication network.

When upgrading from version 1.x to the latest version of the Ansible Automation Platform, you will need to migrate the data from your legacy isolated nodes into execution nodes necessary for automation mesh. You can implement automation mesh by planning out a network of hybrid and control nodes, then editing the inventory file found in the Ansible Automation Platform installer to assign mesh-related values to each of your execution nodes.

For instructions on how to migrate from isolated nodes to execution nodes, see the upgrade & migration guide.

For information about automation mesh and the various ways to design your automation mesh for your environment, see the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform automation mesh guide.

2.2. Installing automation controller with an external managed database

You can use these instructions to install a standalone automation controller server on a single machine configured to communicate with a remote PostgreSQL instance as its database. This remote PostgreSQL can be a server you manage, or can be provided by a cloud service such as Amazon RDS.

2.2.1. Prerequisites

2.2.2. Editing the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer inventory file

You can use the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer inventory file to specify your installation scenario.

Note
  • Using external databases: ensure the database sections of your inventory file are properly setup.
  • Add automation hub information in the [automationhub] group
  • automation hub and automation controller cannot be installed on the same node.
  • automation controller will not configure replication or failover for the database that it uses. automation controller should work with any replication you have.
  • The database server should be on the same network or in the same data center as the automation controller server for performance reasons.
  • A container registry service is required to install the Ansible Automation Platform. Access to a container registry enables you to load automation execution environments onto the Ansible Automation Platform, giving you a consistent and containerized environment for executing Ansible playbooks and roles. By default, the Ansible Automation Platform uses registry.redhat.io, which requires a Red Hat registry service account. See the Creating Registry Service Accounts guide to create a registry service account.
  • For upgrading an existing cluster: When upgrading a cluster, you may decide that you want to also reconfigure your cluster to omit existing instances or instance groups. Omitting the instance or the instance group from the inventory file will not be enough to remove them from the cluster. In addition to omitting instances or instance groups from the inventory file, you must also deprovision instances or instance groups before starting the upgrade. Otherwise, omitted instances or instance groups will continue to communicate with the cluster, which can cause issues with tower services during the upgrade.
  • For clustered installations: If you are creating a clustered setup, you must replace localhost with the hostname or IP address of all instances. All nodes/instances must be able to reach any others using this hostname or address. In other words, you cannot use the localhost ansible_connection=local on one of the nodes AND all of the nodes should use the same format for the host names.
Important
  • Root access to remote machines is required. With Ansible, this can be achieved in different ways:
  • ansible_user=root ansible_ssh_pass=”your_password_here” inventory host or group variables
  • ansible_user=root ansible_ssh_private_key_file=”path_to_your_keyfile.pem” inventory host or group variables
  • ANSIBLE_BECOME_METHOD=’sudo’ ANSIBLE_BECOME=True ./setup.sh

For more information on become plugins, see Understanding privilege escalation.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the installer

    1. [bundled installer]

      $ cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-bundle-<latest-version>
    2. [online installer]

      $ cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-<latest-version>
  2. Open the inventory file with a text editor.
  3. Edit inventory file parameters to specify your installation scenario. Follow the example below.

2.2.3. Example inventory file for a standalone automation controller with an external managed database

This example describes how you can populate the inventory file to deploy an installation of automation controller with an external database.

Important
  • Do not use special characters for pg_password. It may cause the setup to fail.
  • Enter your Red Hat Registry Service Account credentials in registry_username and registry_password to link to the Red Hat container registry.
[automationcontroller]
127.0.0.1 ansible_connection=local


[database]
database.example.com

[all:vars]
admin_password='<password>'
pg_password='<password>'

pg_host='database.example.com'
pg_port='5432'

pg_database='awx'
pg_username='awx'

registry_url='registry.redhat.io'
registry_username='<registry username>'
registry_password='<registry password>'

2.2.4. Additional inventory file variables

You can further configure your Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installation by including additional variables to the inventory file. These configurations add various optional features for managing your Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. Add these variables by editing the inventory file using a text editor.

Table 2.5. Additional inventory file variables

VariableDescriptionDefault

GALAXY_ENABLE_API_ACCESS_LOG

When set to True, creates a log file at /var/log/galaxy_api_access.log that logs all user actions made to the platform, including their username and IP address

False

Example

  • To enable the api access log, add the variable to the inventory and flag as true:
[all:vars:]
admin_password = 'password'

pg_host=''
pg_port=''

GALAXY_ENABLE_API_ACCESS_LOG=true

2.2.5. Setup script flags and extra variables

You can also pass flags and extra variables when running the setup script to install automation controller:

Table 2.6. Flags

ArgumentDescription

-h

Show this help message and exit

-i INVENTORY_FILE

Path to Ansible inventory file (default: inventory)

-e EXTRA_VARS

Set additional Ansible variables as key=value or YAML/JSON

-b

Perform a database backup in lieu of installing

-r

Perform a database restore in lieu of installing

-k

Generate and dsitribute a SECRET_KEY

Use the -- separator to add any Ansible arguments you wish to apply. For example: ./setup.sh -i my_awesome_inventory.yml -e matburt_is_country_gold=True — -K.

Note
  • When passing -r to perform a database restore default restore path is used unless EXTRA_VARS are provided with a non-default path. See the example below that passed an EXTRA_VAR specifying the restore path:

    ./setup.sh -e 'restore_backup_file=/path/to/nondefault/location' -r
  • You can force an online installation by passing -e bundle_install=false:

    $ ./setup.sh -e bundle_install=false

Table 2.7. Extra variables

VariableDescriptionDefault

upgrade_ansible_with_tower

When installing automation controller make sure Ansible is also up to date

False

create_preload_data

When installing Tower also create the Demo Org, project, credential, Job Template, etc.

True

bundle_install_folder

When installing from a bundle where to put the bundled repos

var/lib/tower-bundle

nginx_disable_https

Disable HTTPS traffic through nginx, this is useful if offloading HTTPS to a load balancer

False

nginx_disable_hsts

Disable HSTS web-security policy mechanism

False

nginx_http_port

Port to configure nginx to listen to for HTTP

80

nginx_https_port

Port to configure nginx to listen to for HTTPS

443

backup_dir

A temp location to use when backing up

/var/backups/tower/

restore_backup_file

Specify an alternative backup file to restore from

None

required_ram

The minimum RAM required to install Tower (should only be changed for test installation)

3750

min_open_fds

The minimum open file descriptions (should only be changed for test installations)

None

ignore_preflight_errors

Ignore preflight checks, useful when installing into a template or other non-system image (overrides required_ram and min_open_fds)

False

Examples

  • To upgrade core:
./setup.sh -e upgrade_ansible_with_tower=1
  • To disable https handling at nginx:
./setup.sh -e nginx_disable_https=true
  • To specify a non-default path when restoring from a backup file:
./setup.sh -e 'restore_backup_file=/path/to/nondefault/location' -r

2.2.6. Running the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer setup script

You can run the setup script once you finish updating the inventory file with required parameters for installing your Private Automation Hub.

Procedure

  1. Run the setup.sh script

    $ ./setup.sh

The installation will begin.

2.2.7. Verifying automation controller installation

Once the installation completes, you can verify your automation controller has been installed successfully by logging in with the admin credentials you inserted into the inventory file.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the IP address specified for the automation controller node in the inventory file.
  2. Log in with the Admin credentials you set in the inventory file.
Note

The automation controller server is accessible from port 80 (https://<TOWER_SERVER_NAME>/) but will redirect to port 443 so 443 needs to be available also.

Important

If the installation fails and you are a customer who has purchased a valid license for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, please contact Ansible via the Red Hat Customer portal at https://access.redhat.com/.

Upon a successful login to automation controller, your installation of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.1 is now complete.

2.2.7.1. Additional automation controller configuration and resources

See the following resources to explore additional automation controller configurations.

Table 2.8. Resources to configure automation controller

LinkDescription

Automation Controller Quick Setup Guide

Set up automation controller and run your first playbook

Automation Controller Administration Guide

Configure automation controller administration through customer scripts, management jobs, etc.

Configuring proxy support for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Set up automation controller with a proxy server

Managing usability analytics and data collection from automation controller

Manage what automation controller information you share with Red Hat

Automation Controller User Guide

Review automation controller functionality in more detail

2.2.8. What’s next with Ansible Automation Platform 2.1

Whether you are a new Ansible Automation Platform user looking to start automating, or an existing administrator looking to migrate old Ansible content to your latest installed version of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, explore the next steps to begin leveraging the new features of Ansible Automation Platform 2.1:

2.2.8.1. Migrating data to Ansible Automation Platform 2.1

For platform administrators looking to complete an upgrade to the Ansible Automation Platform 2.1, there may be additional steps needed to migrate data to a new instance:

2.2.8.1.1. Migrating from legacy virtual environments (venvs) to automation execution environments

Ansible Automation Platform 2.1 moves you away from custom Python virtual environments (venvs) in favor of automation execution environments - containerized images that package the necessary components needed to execute and scale your Ansible automation. This includes Ansible Core, Ansible Content Collections, Python dependencies, Red Hat Enterprise Linux UBI 8, and any additional package dependencies.

If you are looking to migrate your venvs to execution environments, you will (1) need to use the awx-manage command to list and export a list of venvs from your original instance, then (2) use ansible-builder to create execution environments. For more information, see the Upgrading to Automation Execution Environments guide and the Ansible Builder Guide.

2.2.8.1.2. Migrating to Ansible Engine 2.9 images using Ansible Builder

To migrate Ansible Engine 2.9 images for use with Ansible Automation Platform 2.1, the ansible-builder tool automates the process of rebuilding images (including its custom plugins and dependencies) for use with automation execution environments. For more information on using Ansible Builder to build execution environments, see the Ansible Builder Guide.

2.2.8.1.3. Migrating to Ansible Core 2.12

When upgrading to Ansible Core 2.12, you will need to update your playbooks, plugins, or other parts of your Ansible infrastructure in order to be supported by the latest version of Ansible Core. For instructions on updating your Ansible content to be Ansible Core 2.12 compatible, see the Ansible-core 2.12 Porting Guide.

2.2.8.2. Scale up your automation using automation mesh

The automation mesh component of the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform simplifies the process of distributing automation across multi-site deployments. For enterprises with multiple isolated IT environments, automation mesh provides a consistent and reliable way to deploy and scale up automation across your execution nodes using a peer-to-peer mesh communication network.

When upgrading from version 1.x to the latest version of the Ansible Automation Platform, you will need to migrate the data from your legacy isolated nodes into execution nodes necessary for automation mesh. You can implement automation mesh by planning out a network of hybrid and control nodes, then editing the inventory file found in the Ansible Automation Platform installer to assign mesh-related values to each of your execution nodes.

For instructions on how to migrate from isolated nodes to execution nodes, see the upgrade & migration guide.

For information about automation mesh and the various ways to design your automation mesh for your environment, see the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform automation mesh guide.

2.3. Installing automation hub with a database on the same node

You can use these instructions to install a standalone instance of automation hub with a database on the same node, or a non-installer managed database.

2.3.1. Prerequisites

2.3.2. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installation settings

You can use the following settings when installing automation hub:

  • automationhub_importer_settings: Dictionary of settings/configuration to pass to galaxy-importer. It will end up in /etc/galaxy-importer/galaxy-importer.cfg
  • automationhub_require_content_approval: Whether or not automation hub enforces the approval mechanism before collections are made available
  • automationhub_disable_https: Whether or not automation hub should be deployed with TLS enabled
  • automationhub_disable_hsts: Whether or not automation hub should be deployed with the HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) web-security policy mechanism enabled
  • automationhub_ssl_validate_certs: Whether or not automation hub should validate certificate when requesting itself (default = False) because by default, Platform deploys with self-signed certificates
  • automationhub_ssl_cert: Same as web_server_ssl_cert but for automation hub UI and API
  • automationhub_ssl_key: Same as web_server_ssl_key but for automation hub UI and API
  • automationhub_backup_collections: automation hub provides artifacts in /var/lib/pulp. By default, this is set to true so automation controller automatically backs up the artifacts by default. If a partition (e.g., LVM, NFS, CephFS, etc.) was mounted there, an enterprise organization would ensure it is always backed up. If this is the case, you can set automationhub_backup_collections = false and the backup/restore process will not have to backup/restore /var/lib/pulp.

2.3.3. Editing the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer inventory file

You can use the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer inventory file to specify your installation scenario.

Note
  • Using external databases: ensure the database sections of your inventory file are properly setup.
  • Add automation hub information in the [automationhub] group
  • automation hub and automation controller cannot be installed on the same node.
  • automation controller will not configure replication or failover for the database that it uses. automation controller should work with any replication you have.
  • The database server should be on the same network or in the same data center as the automation controller server for performance reasons.
  • A container registry service is required to install the Ansible Automation Platform. Access to a container registry enables you to load automation execution environments onto the Ansible Automation Platform, giving you a consistent and containerized environment for executing Ansible playbooks and roles. By default, the Ansible Automation Platform uses registry.redhat.io, which requires a Red Hat registry service account. See the Creating Registry Service Accounts guide to create a registry service account.
  • For upgrading an existing cluster: When upgrading a cluster, you may decide that you want to also reconfigure your cluster to omit existing instances or instance groups. Omitting the instance or the instance group from the inventory file will not be enough to remove them from the cluster. In addition to omitting instances or instance groups from the inventory file, you must also deprovision instances or instance groups before starting the upgrade. Otherwise, omitted instances or instance groups will continue to communicate with the cluster, which can cause issues with tower services during the upgrade.
  • For clustered installations: If you are creating a clustered setup, you must replace localhost with the hostname or IP address of all instances. All nodes/instances must be able to reach any others using this hostname or address. In other words, you cannot use the localhost ansible_connection=local on one of the nodes AND all of the nodes should use the same format for the host names.
Important
  • Root access to remote machines is required. With Ansible, this can be achieved in different ways:
  • ansible_user=root ansible_ssh_pass=”your_password_here” inventory host or group variables
  • ansible_user=root ansible_ssh_private_key_file=”path_to_your_keyfile.pem” inventory host or group variables
  • ANSIBLE_BECOME_METHOD=’sudo’ ANSIBLE_BECOME=True ./setup.sh

For more information on become plugins, see Understanding privilege escalation.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the installer

    1. [bundled installer]

      $ cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-bundle-<latest-version>
    2. [online installer]

      $ cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-<latest-version>
  2. Open the inventory file with a text editor.
  3. Edit inventory file parameters to specify your installation scenario. Follow the example below.

2.3.4. Example standalone automation hub inventory file

This example describes how you can populate the inventory file to deploy a standalone instance of automation hub.

Important
  • For Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform or automation hub: Add an automation hub host in the [automationhub] group. You cannot install automation controller and automation hub on the same node.
  • Provide a reachable IP address or fully qualified domain name (FDQN) for the [automationhub] host to ensure users can sync and install content from automation hub from a different node. Do not use 'localhost'.
  • Enter your Red Hat Registry Service Account credentials in registry_username and registry_password to link to the Red Hat container registry.
[automationcontroller]


[automationhub]
<FQDN> ansible_connection=local

[all:vars]
registry_url='registry.redhat.io'
registry_username='<registry username>'
registry_password='<registry password>'

automationhub_admin_password= <PASSWORD>

automationhub_pg_host=''
automationhub_pg_port=''

automationhub_pg_database='automationhub'
automationhub_pg_username='automationhub'
automationhub_pg_password=<PASSWORD>
automationhub_pg_sslmode='prefer'

# The default install will deploy a TLS enabled Automation Hub.
# If for some reason this is not the behavior wanted one can
# disable TLS enabled deployment.
#
# automationhub_disable_https = False
# The default install will generate self-signed certificates for the Automation
# Hub service. If you are providing valid certificate via automationhub_ssl_cert
# and automationhub_ssl_key, one should toggle that value to True.
#
# automationhub_ssl_validate_certs = False
# SSL-related variables
# If set, this will install a custom CA certificate to the system trust store.
# custom_ca_cert=/path/to/ca.crt
# Certificate and key to install in Automation Hub node
# automationhub_ssl_cert=/path/to/automationhub.cert
# automationhub_ssl_key=/path/to/automationhub.key

2.3.5. Additional inventory file variables

You can further configure your Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installation by including additional variables to the inventory file. These configurations add various optional features for managing your Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. Add these variables by editing the inventory file using a text editor.

Table 2.9. Additional inventory file variables

VariableDescriptionDefault

GALAXY_ENABLE_API_ACCESS_LOG

When set to True, creates a log file at /var/log/galaxy_api_access.log that logs all user actions made to the platform, including their username and IP address

False

Example

  • To enable the api access log, add the variable to the inventory and flag as true:
[all:vars:]
admin_password = 'password'

pg_host=''
pg_port=''

GALAXY_ENABLE_API_ACCESS_LOG=true

2.3.6. Setup script flags and extra variables

You can also pass flags and extra variables when running the setup script to install automation controller:

Table 2.10. Flags

ArgumentDescription

-h

Show this help message and exit

-i INVENTORY_FILE

Path to Ansible inventory file (default: inventory)

-e EXTRA_VARS

Set additional Ansible variables as key=value or YAML/JSON

-b

Perform a database backup in lieu of installing

-r

Perform a database restore in lieu of installing

-k

Generate and dsitribute a SECRET_KEY

Use the -- separator to add any Ansible arguments you wish to apply. For example: ./setup.sh -i my_awesome_inventory.yml -e matburt_is_country_gold=True — -K.

Note
  • When passing -r to perform a database restore default restore path is used unless EXTRA_VARS are provided with a non-default path. See the example below that passed an EXTRA_VAR specifying the restore path:

    ./setup.sh -e 'restore_backup_file=/path/to/nondefault/location' -r
  • You can force an online installation by passing -e bundle_install=false:

    $ ./setup.sh -e bundle_install=false

Table 2.11. Extra variables

VariableDescriptionDefault

upgrade_ansible_with_tower

When installing automation controller make sure Ansible is also up to date

False

create_preload_data

When installing Tower also create the Demo Org, project, credential, Job Template, etc.

True

bundle_install_folder

When installing from a bundle where to put the bundled repos

var/lib/tower-bundle

nginx_disable_https

Disable HTTPS traffic through nginx, this is useful if offloading HTTPS to a load balancer

False

nginx_disable_hsts

Disable HSTS web-security policy mechanism

False

nginx_http_port

Port to configure nginx to listen to for HTTP

80

nginx_https_port

Port to configure nginx to listen to for HTTPS

443

backup_dir

A temp location to use when backing up

/var/backups/tower/

restore_backup_file

Specify an alternative backup file to restore from

None

required_ram

The minimum RAM required to install Tower (should only be changed for test installation)

3750

min_open_fds

The minimum open file descriptions (should only be changed for test installations)

None

ignore_preflight_errors

Ignore preflight checks, useful when installing into a template or other non-system image (overrides required_ram and min_open_fds)

False

Examples

  • To upgrade core:
./setup.sh -e upgrade_ansible_with_tower=1
  • To disable https handling at nginx:
./setup.sh -e nginx_disable_https=true
  • To specify a non-default path when restoring from a backup file:
./setup.sh -e 'restore_backup_file=/path/to/nondefault/location' -r

2.3.7. Running the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer setup script

You can run the setup script once you finish updating the inventory file with required parameters for installing your Private Automation Hub.

Procedure

  1. Run the setup.sh script

    $ ./setup.sh

The installation will begin.

2.3.8. Verifying automation hub installation

Once the installation completes, you can verify your automation hub has been installed successfully by logging in with the admin credentials you inserted into the inventory file.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the IP address specified for the automation hub node in the inventory file.
  2. Log in with the Admin credentials you set in the inventory file.
Important

If the installation fails and you are a customer who has purchased a valid license for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, please contact Ansible via the Red Hat Customer portal at https://access.redhat.com/.

Upon a successful login to automation hub, your installation of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.1 is now complete.

2.3.8.1. Additional automation hub configuration and resources

See the following resources to explore additional automation hub configurations.

Table 2.12. Resources to configure automation controller

LinkDescription

Managing user access in private automation hub

Configure user access for automation hub

Managing Red Hat Certified and Ansible Galaxy collections in automation hub

Add content to your automation hub

Publishing proprietary content collections in automation hub

Publish internally developed collections on your automation hub

2.3.9. What’s next with Ansible Automation Platform 2.1

Whether you are a new Ansible Automation Platform user looking to start automating, or an existing administrator looking to migrate old Ansible content to your latest installed version of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, explore the next steps to begin leveraging the new features of Ansible Automation Platform 2.1:

2.3.9.1. Migrating data to Ansible Automation Platform 2.1

For platform administrators looking to complete an upgrade to the Ansible Automation Platform 2.1, there may be additional steps needed to migrate data to a new instance:

2.3.9.1.1. Migrating from legacy virtual environments (venvs) to automation execution environments

Ansible Automation Platform 2.1 moves you away from custom Python virtual environments (venvs) in favor of automation execution environments - containerized images that package the necessary components needed to execute and scale your Ansible automation. This includes Ansible Core, Ansible Content Collections, Python dependencies, Red Hat Enterprise Linux UBI 8, and any additional package dependencies.

If you are looking to migrate your venvs to execution environments, you will (1) need to use the awx-manage command to list and export a list of venvs from your original instance, then (2) use ansible-builder to create execution environments. For more information, see the Upgrading to Automation Execution Environments guide and the Ansible Builder Guide.

2.3.9.1.2. Migrating to Ansible Engine 2.9 images using Ansible Builder

To migrate Ansible Engine 2.9 images for use with Ansible Automation Platform 2.1, the ansible-builder tool automates the process of rebuilding images (including its custom plugins and dependencies) for use with automation execution environments. For more information on using Ansible Builder to build execution environments, see the Ansible Builder Guide.

2.3.9.1.3. Migrating to Ansible Core 2.12

When upgrading to Ansible Core 2.12, you will need to update your playbooks, plugins, or other parts of your Ansible infrastructure in order to be supported by the latest version of Ansible Core. For instructions on updating your Ansible content to be Ansible Core 2.12 compatible, see the Ansible-core 2.12 Porting Guide.

2.3.9.2. Scale up your automation using automation mesh

The automation mesh component of the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform simplifies the process of distributing automation across multi-site deployments. For enterprises with multiple isolated IT environments, automation mesh provides a consistent and reliable way to deploy and scale up automation across your execution nodes using a peer-to-peer mesh communication network.

When upgrading from version 1.x to the latest version of the Ansible Automation Platform, you will need to migrate the data from your legacy isolated nodes into execution nodes necessary for automation mesh. You can implement automation mesh by planning out a network of hybrid and control nodes, then editing the inventory file found in the Ansible Automation Platform installer to assign mesh-related values to each of your execution nodes.

For instructions on how to migrate from isolated nodes to execution nodes, see the upgrade & migration guide.

For information about automation mesh and the various ways to design your automation mesh for your environment, see the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform automation mesh guide.

2.4. Installing automation hub with an external database

You can use these instructions to install a standalone instance of automation hub with an external managed database. This installs the automation hub server on a single machine and installs a remote PostgreSQL database using the Ansible Automation Platform installer.

2.4.1. Prerequisites

2.4.2. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installation settings

You can use the following settings when installing automation hub:

  • automationhub_importer_settings: Dictionary of settings/configuration to pass to galaxy-importer. It will end up in /etc/galaxy-importer/galaxy-importer.cfg
  • automationhub_require_content_approval: Whether or not automation hub enforces the approval mechanism before collections are made available
  • automationhub_disable_https: Whether or not automation hub should be deployed with TLS enabled
  • automationhub_disable_hsts: Whether or not automation hub should be deployed with the HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) web-security policy mechanism enabled
  • automationhub_ssl_validate_certs: Whether or not automation hub should validate certificate when requesting itself (default = False) because by default, Platform deploys with self-signed certificates
  • automationhub_ssl_cert: Same as web_server_ssl_cert but for automation hub UI and API
  • automationhub_ssl_key: Same as web_server_ssl_key but for automation hub UI and API
  • automationhub_backup_collections: automation hub provides artifacts in /var/lib/pulp. By default, this is set to true so automation controller automatically backs up the artifacts by default. If a partition (e.g., LVM, NFS, CephFS, etc.) was mounted there, an enterprise organization would ensure it is always backed up. If this is the case, you can set automationhub_backup_collections = false and the backup/restore process will not have to backup/restore /var/lib/pulp.

2.4.3. Editing the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer inventory file

You can use the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer inventory file to specify your installation scenario.

Note
  • Using external databases: ensure the database sections of your inventory file are properly setup.
  • Add automation hub information in the [automationhub] group
  • automation hub and automation controller cannot be installed on the same node.
  • automation controller will not configure replication or failover for the database that it uses. automation controller should work with any replication you have.
  • The database server should be on the same network or in the same data center as the automation controller server for performance reasons.
  • A container registry service is required to install the Ansible Automation Platform. Access to a container registry enables you to load automation execution environments onto the Ansible Automation Platform, giving you a consistent and containerized environment for executing Ansible playbooks and roles. By default, the Ansible Automation Platform uses registry.redhat.io, which requires a Red Hat registry service account. See the Creating Registry Service Accounts guide to create a registry service account.
  • For upgrading an existing cluster: When upgrading a cluster, you may decide that you want to also reconfigure your cluster to omit existing instances or instance groups. Omitting the instance or the instance group from the inventory file will not be enough to remove them from the cluster. In addition to omitting instances or instance groups from the inventory file, you must also deprovision instances or instance groups before starting the upgrade. Otherwise, omitted instances or instance groups will continue to communicate with the cluster, which can cause issues with tower services during the upgrade.
  • For clustered installations: If you are creating a clustered setup, you must replace localhost with the hostname or IP address of all instances. All nodes/instances must be able to reach any others using this hostname or address. In other words, you cannot use the localhost ansible_connection=local on one of the nodes AND all of the nodes should use the same format for the host names.
Important
  • Root access to remote machines is required. With Ansible, this can be achieved in different ways:
  • ansible_user=root ansible_ssh_pass=”your_password_here” inventory host or group variables
  • ansible_user=root ansible_ssh_private_key_file=”path_to_your_keyfile.pem” inventory host or group variables
  • ANSIBLE_BECOME_METHOD=’sudo’ ANSIBLE_BECOME=True ./setup.sh

For more information on become plugins, see Understanding privilege escalation.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the installer

    1. [bundled installer]

      $ cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-bundle-<latest-version>
    2. [online installer]

      $ cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-<latest-version>
  2. Open the inventory file with a text editor.
  3. Edit inventory file parameters to specify your installation scenario. Follow the example below.

2.4.4. Example standalone automation hub inventory file

This example describes how you can populate the inventory file to deploy a standalone instance of automation hub.

Important
  • For Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform or automation hub: Add an automation hub host in the `[automationhub] group. You cannot install automation controller and automation hub on the same node.
  • Provide a reachable IP address or fully qualified domain name (FDQN) for the [automationhub] host to ensure users can sync and install content from automation hub from a different node. Do not use 'localhost'.
  • Enter your Red Hat Registry Service Account credentials in registry_username and registry_password to link to the Red Hat container registry.
[automationcontroller]


[automationhub]
<FQDN> ansible_connection=local

[database]
host2

[all:vars]
registry_url='registry.redhat.io'
registry_username='<registry username>'
registry_password='<registry password>'

automationhub_admin_password= <PASSWORD>

automationhub_pg_host=''
automationhub_pg_port=''

automationhub_pg_database='automationhub'
automationhub_pg_username='automationhub'
automationhub_pg_password=<PASSWORD>
automationhub_pg_sslmode='prefer'

# The default install will deploy a TLS enabled Automation Hub.
# If for some reason this is not the behavior wanted one can
# disable TLS enabled deployment.
#
# automationhub_disable_https = False
# The default install will generate self-signed certificates for the Automation
# Hub service. If you are providing valid certificate via automationhub_ssl_cert
# and automationhub_ssl_key, one should toggle that value to True.
#
# automationhub_ssl_validate_certs = False
# SSL-related variables
# If set, this will install a custom CA certificate to the system trust store.
# custom_ca_cert=/path/to/ca.crt
# Certificate and key to install in Automation Hub node
# automationhub_ssl_cert=/path/to/automationhub.cert
# automationhub_ssl_key=/path/to/automationhub.key

2.4.5. Additional inventory file variables

You can further configure your Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installation by including additional variables to the inventory file. These configurations add various optional features for managing your Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. Add these variables by editing the inventory file using a text editor.

Table 2.13. Additional inventory file variables

VariableDescriptionDefault

GALAXY_ENABLE_API_ACCESS_LOG

When set to True, creates a log file at /var/log/galaxy_api_access.log that logs all user actions made to the platform, including their username and IP address

False

Example

  • To enable the api access log, add the variable to the inventory and flag as true:
[all:vars:]
admin_password = 'password'

pg_host=''
pg_port=''

GALAXY_ENABLE_API_ACCESS_LOG=true

2.4.6. Setup script flags and extra variables

You can also pass flags and extra variables when running the setup script to install automation controller:

Table 2.14. Flags

ArgumentDescription

-h

Show this help message and exit

-i INVENTORY_FILE

Path to Ansible inventory file (default: inventory)

-e EXTRA_VARS

Set additional Ansible variables as key=value or YAML/JSON

-b

Perform a database backup in lieu of installing

-r

Perform a database restore in lieu of installing

-k

Generate and dsitribute a SECRET_KEY

Use the -- separator to add any Ansible arguments you wish to apply. For example: ./setup.sh -i my_awesome_inventory.yml -e matburt_is_country_gold=True — -K.

Note
  • When passing -r to perform a database restore default restore path is used unless EXTRA_VARS are provided with a non-default path. See the example below that passed an EXTRA_VAR specifying the restore path:

    ./setup.sh -e 'restore_backup_file=/path/to/nondefault/location' -r
  • You can force an online installation by passing -e bundle_install=false:

    $ ./setup.sh -e bundle_install=false

Table 2.15. Extra variables

VariableDescriptionDefault

upgrade_ansible_with_tower

When installing automation controller make sure Ansible is also up to date

False

create_preload_data

When installing Tower also create the Demo Org, project, credential, Job Template, etc.

True

bundle_install_folder

When installing from a bundle where to put the bundled repos

var/lib/tower-bundle

nginx_disable_https

Disable HTTPS traffic through nginx, this is useful if offloading HTTPS to a load balancer

False

nginx_disable_hsts

Disable HSTS web-security policy mechanism

False

nginx_http_port

Port to configure nginx to listen to for HTTP

80

nginx_https_port

Port to configure nginx to listen to for HTTPS

443

backup_dir

A temp location to use when backing up

/var/backups/tower/

restore_backup_file

Specify an alternative backup file to restore from

None

required_ram

The minimum RAM required to install Tower (should only be changed for test installation)

3750

min_open_fds

The minimum open file descriptions (should only be changed for test installations)

None

ignore_preflight_errors

Ignore preflight checks, useful when installing into a template or other non-system image (overrides required_ram and min_open_fds)

False

Examples

  • To upgrade core:
./setup.sh -e upgrade_ansible_with_tower=1
  • To disable https handling at nginx:
./setup.sh -e nginx_disable_https=true
  • To specify a non-default path when restoring from a backup file:
./setup.sh -e 'restore_backup_file=/path/to/nondefault/location' -r

2.4.7. Running the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform installer setup script

You can run the setup script once you finish updating the inventory file with required parameters for installing your Private Automation Hub.

Procedure

  1. Run the setup.sh script

    $ ./setup.sh

The installation will begin.

2.4.8. Verifying automation controller installation

Once the installation completes, you can verify your automation controller has been installed successfully by logging in with the admin credentials you inserted into the inventory file.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the IP address specified for the automation controller node in the inventory file.
  2. Log in with the Admin credentials you set in the inventory file.
Note

The automation controller server is accessible from port 80 (https://<TOWER_SERVER_NAME>/) but will redirect to port 443 so 443 needs to be available also.

Important

If the installation fails and you are a customer who has purchased a valid license for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, please contact Ansible via the Red Hat Customer portal at https://access.redhat.com/.

Upon a successful login to automation controller, your installation of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.1 is now complete.

2.4.8.1. Additional automation hub configuration and resources

See the following resources to explore additional automation hub configurations.

Table 2.16. Resources to configure automation controller

LinkDescription

Managing user access in private automation hub

Configure user access for automation hub

Managing Red Hat Certified and Ansible Galaxy collections in automation hub

Add content to your automation hub

Publishing proprietary content collections in automation hub

Publish internally developed collections on your automation hub

2.4.9. What’s next with Ansible Automation Platform 2.1

Whether you are a new Ansible Automation Platform user looking to start automating, or an existing administrator looking to migrate old Ansible content to your latest installed version of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, explore the next steps to begin leveraging the new features of Ansible Automation Platform 2.1:

2.4.9.1. Migrating data to Ansible Automation Platform 2.1

For platform administrators looking to complete an upgrade to the Ansible Automation Platform 2.1, there may be additional steps needed to migrate data to a new instance:

2.4.9.1.1. Migrating from legacy virtual environments (venvs) to automation execution environments

Ansible Automation Platform 2.1 moves you away from custom Python virtual environments (venvs) in favor of automation execution environments - containerized images that package the necessary components needed to execute and scale your Ansible automation. This includes Ansible Core, Ansible Content Collections, Python dependencies, Red Hat Enterprise Linux UBI 8, and any additional package dependencies.

If you are looking to migrate your venvs to execution environments, you will (1) need to use the awx-manage command to list and export a list of venvs from your original instance, then (2) use ansible-builder to create execution environments. For more information, see the Upgrading to Automation Execution Environments guide and the Ansible Builder Guide.

2.4.9.1.2. Migrating to Ansible Engine 2.9 images using Ansible Builder

To migrate Ansible Engine 2.9 images for use with Ansible Automation Platform 2.1, the ansible-builder tool automates the process of rebuilding images (including its custom plugins and dependencies) for use with automation execution environments. For more information on using Ansible Builder to build execution environments, see the Ansible Builder Guide.

2.4.9.1.3. Migrating to Ansible Core 2.12

When upgrading to Ansible Core 2.12, you will need to update your playbooks, plugins, or other parts of your Ansible infrastructure in order to be supported by the latest version of Ansible Core. For instructions on updating your Ansible content to be Ansible Core 2.12 compatible, see the Ansible-core 2.12 Porting Guide.

2.4.9.2. Scale up your automation using automation mesh

The automation mesh component of the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform simplifies the process of distributing automation across multi-site deployments. For enterprises with multiple isolated IT environments, automation mesh provides a consistent and reliable way to deploy and scale up automation across your execution nodes using a peer-to-peer mesh communication network.

When upgrading from version 1.x to the latest version of the Ansible Automation Platform, you will need to migrate the data from your legacy isolated nodes into execution nodes necessary for automation mesh. You can implement automation mesh by planning out a network of hybrid and control nodes, then editing the inventory file found in the Ansible Automation Platform installer to assign mesh-related values to each of your execution nodes.

For instructions on how to migrate from isolated nodes to execution nodes, see the upgrade & migration guide.

For information about automation mesh and the various ways to design your automation mesh for your environment, see the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform automation mesh guide.