Procedure

1. Install the rhel-system-roles package:

   [root@control-node]# yum install rhel-system-roles

   This command installs Ansible Core as a dependency.

2. Create a user that you later use to manage and execute playbooks:

   [root@control-node]# useradd ansible

3. Switch to the newly created ansible user:

   [root@control-node]# su - ansible

   Perform the rest of the procedure as this user.

4. Create an SSH public and private key

   [ansible@control-node]$ ssh-keygen
   Generating public/private rsa key pair.
   Enter file in which to save the key (/home/ansible/.ssh/id_rsa): password
   ...

   Use the suggested default location for the key file.

5. Optional: Configure an SSH agent to prevent Ansible from prompting you for the SSH key password each time you establish a connection.

6. Create the ~/.ansible.cfg file with the following content:

   [defaults]
   inventory = /home/ansible/inventory
   remote_user = ansible
   
   [privilege_escalation]
   become = True
   become_method = sudo
   become_user = root
   become_ask_pass = True

   With these settings:

   • Ansible manages hosts in the specified inventory file.
   • Ansible uses the account set in the remote_user parameter when it establishes SSH connections to managed nodes.

   • Ansible uses the sudo utility to execute tasks on managed nodes as the root user.

     For security reasons, configure sudo on managed nodes to require entering the password of the remote user to become root. By specifying the become_ask_pass=True setting in ~/.ansible.cfg, Ansible prompts for this password when you execute a playbook.

   Settings in the ~/.ansible.cfg file have a higher priority and override settings from the global /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg file.

7. Create the ~/inventory file. For example, the following is an inventory file in the INI format with three hosts and one host group named US:

   managed-node-01.example.com
   
   [US]
   managed-node-02.example.com ansible_host=192.0.2.100
   managed-node-03.example.com

   Note that the control node must be able to resolve the hostnames. If the DNS server cannot resolve certain hostnames, add the ansible_host parameter next to the host entry to specify its IP address.

Verification

1. Prepare a managed node.
2. Verify access from the control node to managed nodes

Procedure

1. Create a user:

   [root@managed-node-01]# useradd ansible

   The control node later uses this user to establish an SSH connection to this host.

2. Set a password to the ansible user:

   [root@managed-node-01]# passwd ansible
   Changing password for user ansible.
   New password: password
   Retype new password: password
   passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.

   You must enter this password when Ansible uses sudo to perform tasks as the root user.

3. Install the ansible user’s SSH public key on the managed node:

   1. Log into the control node as the ansible user, and copy the SSH public key to the managed node:

      [ansible@control-node]$ ssh-copy-id managed-node-01.example.com
      /usr/bin/ssh-copy-id: INFO: Source of key(s) to be installed: "/home/ansible/.ssh/id_rsa.pub"
      The authenticity of host 'managed-node-01.example.com (192.0.2.100)' can't be established.
      ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:9bZ33GJNODK3zbNhybokN/6Mq7hu3vpBXDrCxe7NAvo.
      Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yes
      /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
      ansible@managed-node-01.example.com's password: password
      
      Number of key(s) added: 1
      
      Now try logging into the machine, with:   "ssh 'managed-node-01.example.com'"
      and check to make sure that only the key(s) you wanted were added.

   2. Remotely execute a command on the control node to verify the SSH connection:

      [ansible@control-node]$ ssh managed-node-01.example.com whoami
      ansible

4. Create a sudo configuration for the ansible user:

   1. Use the visudo command to create and edit the /etc/sudoers.d/ansible file:

      [root@managed-node-01]# visudo /etc/sudoers.d/ansible

      The benefit of using visudo over a normal editor is that this utility provides basic sanity checks and checks for parse errors before installing the file.

   2. Enter the following content to the /etc/sudoers.d/ansible file:

      ansible ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL

      These settings grant permissions to the ansible user to run all commands as any user and group on this host without entering the password of the ansible user.

Procedure

1. Use the Ansible ping module to verify that you can execute commands on an all managed hosts:

   [ansible@control-node]$ ansible all -m ping
   BECOME password: password
   managed-node-01.example.com | SUCCESS => {
       "ansible_facts": {
           "discovered_interpreter_python": "/usr/bin/python3"
       },
       "changed": false,
       "ping": "pong"
   }
   ...

   The hard-coded all host group dynamically contains all hosts listed in the inventory file.

2. Use the Ansible command module to run the whoami utility on a managed host:

   [ansible@control-node]$ ansible managed-node-01.example.com -m command -a whoami
   BECOME password: password
   managed-node-01.example.com | CHANGED | rc=0 >>
   root

   If the command returns root, you configured sudo on the managed nodes correctly, and privilege escalation works.

Procedure

1. Uninstall Ansible Engine:

   # yum remove ansible

2. Disable the ansible-2-for-rhel-8-x86_64-rpms repository:

   # subscription-manager repos --disable ansible-2-for-rhel-8-x86_64-rpms

3. Install Ansible Core which is available in the RHEL 8 AppStream repository:

   # yum install ansible-core

1. Copy one of the tests_default.yml to your working directory.

   $ cp /usr/share/ansible/collections/ansible_collections/redhat/rhel_system_roles/tests/kernel_settings/tests_default.yml .

2. Edit the file, replacing "hosts: all" with "hosts: localhost" to make the playbook run only on the local system.

3. Run the ansible-playbook in the check mode. This does not change any settings on your system.

   $ ansible-playbook --check tests_default.yml

Procedure

1. Define Red Hat Automation Hub as the default source for content in the ansible.cfg configuration file. See Configuring Red Hat Automation Hub as the primary source for content .

2. Install the redhat.rhel_system_roles collection from the Automation Hub:

   # ansible-galaxy collection install redhat.rhel_system_roles

   After the installation is finished, the roles are available as redhat.rhel_system_roles.<role_name>. Additionally, you can find the documentation for each role at /usr/share/ansible/collections/ansible_collections/redhat/rhel_system_roles/roles/<role_name>/README.md.

1. Copy one of the tests_default.yml to your working directory.

   $ cp /usr/share/ansible/collections/ansible_collections/redhat/rhel_system_roles/tests/kernel_settings/tests_default.yml .

2. Edit the file, replacing "hosts: all" with "hosts: localhost" to make the playbook run only on the local system.

3. Run the ansible-playbook on the check mode. This does not change any settings on your system.

   $ ansible-playbook --check tests_default.yml

   You can see the command returns with the value failed=0.

Procedure

1. Create a playbook that defines the required role:

   1. Create a new YAML file and open it in a text editor, for example:

      # vi logging-playbook.yml

   2. Insert the following content into the YAML file:

      ---
      - name: Deploying basics input and implicit files output
        hosts: all
        roles:
          - redhat.rhel_system_roles.logging
        vars:
          logging_inputs:
            - name: system_input
              type: basics
          logging_outputs:
            - name: files_output
              type: files
          logging_flows:
            - name: flow1
              inputs: [system_input]
              outputs: [files_output]

2. Execute the playbook on a specific inventory:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory-file logging-playbook.yml

   Where:

   • inventory-file is the name of your inventory file.
   • logging-playbook.yml is the playbook you use.

Verification steps

1. Test the syntax of the /etc/rsyslog.conf file:

   # rsyslogd -N 1
   rsyslogd: version 8.1911.0-6.el8, config validation run (level 1), master config /etc/rsyslog.conf
   rsyslogd: End of config validation run. Bye.

2. Verify that the system sends messages to the log:

   1. Send a test message:

      # logger test

   2. View the /var/log/messages log, for example:

      # cat /var/log/messages
      Aug  5 13:48:31 hostname root[6778]: test

      The hostname is the hostname of the client system. The log displays the user name of the user that entered the logger command, in this case, root.

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Sets which boot device will be used on next boot
     hosts: localhost
       tasks:
       - redhat.rhel_mgmt.ipmi_boot:
          name: bmc.host.example.com
            user: admin_user
            password: basics
            bootdev: hd

2. Execute the playbook against localhost:

   # ansible-playbook playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Turn the host on
     hosts: localhost
       tasks:
       - redhat.rhel_mgmt.ipmi_power:
          name: bmc.host.example.com
            user: admin_user
            password: basics
            state: on

2. Execute the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook playbook.yml

1. redfish_info: The redfish_info module retrieves information about the remote Out-Of-Band (OOB) controller such as systems inventory.
2. redfish_command: The redfish_command module performs Out-Of-Band (OOB) controller operations like log management and user management, and power operations such as system restart, power on and off.
3. redfish_config: The redfish_config module performs OOB controller operations such as changing OOB configuration, or setting the BIOS configuration.

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Get CPU inventory
     hosts: localhost
     tasks:
       - redhat.rhel_mgmt.redfish_info:
           baseuri: "{{ baseuri }}"
           username: "{{ username }}"
           password: "{{ password }}"
           category: Systems
           command: GetCpuInventory
         register: result

2. Execute the playbook against localhost:

   # ansible-playbook playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Power on system
     hosts: localhost
     tasks:
       - redhat.rhel_mgmt.redfish_command:
           baseuri: "{{ baseuri }}"
           username: "{{ username }}"
           password: "{{ password }}"
           category: Systems
           command: PowerOn

2. Execute the playbook against localhost:

   # ansible-playbook playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - name: "Set BootMode to UEFI"
     hosts: localhost
     tasks:
       - redhat.rhel_mgmt.redfish_config:
           baseuri: "{{ baseuri }}"
           username: "{{ username }}"
           password: "{{ password }}"
           category: Systems
           command: SetBiosAttributes
           bios_attributes:
             BootMode: Uefi

2. Execute the playbook against localhost:

   # ansible-playbook playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Optionally, review the inventory file for illustration purposes:

   #  cat /home/jdoe/<ansible_project_name>/inventory
   [testingservers]
   pdoe@192.168.122.98
   fdoe@192.168.122.226
   
   [db-servers]
   db1.example.com
   db2.example.com
   
   [webservers]
   web1.example.com
   web2.example.com
   192.0.2.42

   The file defines the [testingservers] group and other groups. It allows you to run Ansible more effectively against a specific set of systems.

2. Create a configuration file to set defaults and privilege escalation for Ansible operations.

   1. Create a new YAML file and open it in a text editor, for example:

      #  vi /home/jdoe/<ansible_project_name>/ansible.cfg

   2. Insert the following content into the file:

      [defaults]
      inventory = ./inventory
      
      [privilege_escalation]
      become = true
      become_method = sudo
      become_user = root
      become_ask_pass = true

      The [defaults] section specifies a path to the inventory file of managed hosts. The [privilege_escalation] section defines that user privileges be shifted to root on the specified managed hosts. This is necessary for successful configuration of kernel parameters. When Ansible playbook is run, you will be prompted for user password. The user automatically switches to root by means of sudo after connecting to a managed host.

3. Create an Ansible playbook that uses the kernel_settings role.

   1. Create a new YAML file and open it in a text editor, for example:

      #  vi /home/jdoe/<ansible_project_name>/kernel-roles.yml

      This file represents a playbook and usually contains an ordered list of tasks, also called plays, that are run against specific managed hosts selected from your inventory file.

   2. Insert the following content into the file:

      ---
      -
        hosts: testingservers
        name: "Configure kernel settings"
        roles:
          - rhel-system-roles.kernel_settings
        vars:
          kernel_settings_sysctl:
            - name: fs.file-max
              value: 400000
            - name: kernel.threads-max
              value: 65536
          kernel_settings_sysfs:
            - name: /sys/class/net/lo/mtu
              value: 65000
          kernel_settings_transparent_hugepages: madvise

      The name key is optional. It associates an arbitrary string with the play as a label and identifies what the play is for. The hosts key in the play specifies the hosts against which the play is run. The value or values for this key can be provided as individual names of managed hosts or as groups of hosts as defined in the inventory file.

      The vars section represents a list of variables containing selected kernel parameter names and values to which they have to be set.

      The roles key specifies what system role is going to configure the parameters and values mentioned in the vars section.

      Note

      You can modify the kernel parameters and their values in the playbook to fit your needs.

4. Optionally, verify that the syntax in your play is correct.

   #  ansible-playbook --syntax-check kernel-roles.yml
   
   playbook: kernel-roles.yml

   This example shows the successful verification of a playbook.

5. Execute your playbook.

   #  ansible-playbook kernel-roles.yml
   
   ...
   
   BECOME password:
   
   PLAY [Configure kernel settings] **********************************************************************************
   
   
   
   PLAY RECAP ********************************************************************************************************
   fdoe@192.168.122.226       : ok=10   changed=4    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=6    rescued=0    ignored=0
   pdoe@192.168.122.98        : ok=10   changed=4    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=6    rescued=0    ignored=0

   Before Ansible runs your playbook, you are going to be prompted for your password and so that a user on managed hosts can be switched to root, which is necessary for configuring kernel parameters.

   The recap section shows that the play finished successfully (failed=0) for all managed hosts, and that 4 kernel parameters have been applied (changed=4).

6. Restart your managed hosts and check the affected kernel parameters to verify that the changes have been applied and persist across reboots.

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/ethernet-static-IP.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure an Ethernet connection with static IP
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           - name: enp7s0
             interface_name: enp7s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: yes
             ip:
               address:
                 - 192.0.2.1/24
                 - 2001:db8:1::1/64
               gateway4: 192.0.2.254
               gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
               dns:
                 - 192.0.2.200
                 - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
               dns_search:
                 - example.com
             state: up

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/ethernet-static-IP.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/ethernet-static-IP.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure an Ethernet connection with dynamic IP
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           - name: example
             match:
               path:
                 - pci-0000:00:0[1-3].0
                 - &!pci-0000:00:02.0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: yes
             ip:
               address:
                 - 192.0.2.1/24
                 - 2001:db8:1::1/64
               gateway4: 192.0.2.254
               gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
               dns:
                 - 192.0.2.200
                 - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
               dns_search:
                 - example.com
             state: up

   The match parameter in this example defines that Ansible applies the play to devices that match PCI ID 0000:00:0[1-3].0, but not 0000:00:02.0. For further details about special modifiers and wild cards you can use, see the match parameter description in the /usr/share/ansible/roles/rhel-system-roles.network/README.md file.

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/ethernet-static-IP.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/ethernet-dynamic-IP.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure an Ethernet connection with dynamic IP
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           - name: enp7s0
             interface_name: enp7s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: yes
             ip:
               dhcp4: yes
               auto6: yes
             state: up

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/ethernet-dynamic-IP.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/ethernet-dynamic-IP.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure an Ethernet connection with dynamic IP
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           - name: example
             match:
               path:
                 - pci-0000:00:0[1-3].0
                 - &!pci-0000:00:02.0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: yes
             ip:
               dhcp4: yes
               auto6: yes
             state: up

   The match parameter in this example defines that Ansible applies the play to devices that match PCI ID 0000:00:0[1-3].0, but not 0000:00:02.0. For further details about special modifiers and wild cards you can use, see the match parameter description in the /usr/share/ansible/roles/rhel-system-roles.network/README.md file.

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/ethernet-dynamic-IP.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/vlan-ethernet.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure a VLAN that uses an Ethernet connection
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           # Add an Ethernet profile for the underlying device of the VLAN
           - name: enp1s0
             type: ethernet
             interface_name: enp1s0
             autoconnect: yes
             state: up
             ip:
               dhcp4: no
               auto6: no
   
           # Define the VLAN profile
           - name: enp1s0.10
             type: vlan
             ip:
               address:
                 - "192.0.2.1/24"
                 - "2001:db8:1::1/64"
               gateway4: 192.0.2.254
               gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
               dns:
                 - 192.0.2.200
                 - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
               dns_search:
                 - example.com
             vlan_id: 10
             parent: enp1s0
             state: up

   The parent attribute in the VLAN profile configures the VLAN to operate on top of the enp1s0 device.

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/vlan-ethernet.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/bridge-ethernet.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure a network bridge that uses two Ethernet ports
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           # Define the bridge profile
           - name: bridge0
             type: bridge
             interface_name: bridge0
             ip:
               address:
                 - "192.0.2.1/24"
                 - "2001:db8:1::1/64"
               gateway4: 192.0.2.254
               gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
               dns:
                 - 192.0.2.200
                 - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
               dns_search:
                 - example.com
             state: up
   
           # Add an Ethernet profile to the bridge
           - name: bridge0-port1
             interface_name: enp7s0
             type: ethernet
             controller: bridge0
             port_type: bridge
             state: up
   
           # Add a second Ethernet profile to the bridge
           - name: bridge0-port2
             interface_name: enp8s0
             type: ethernet
             controller: bridge0
             port_type: bridge
             state: up

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/bridge-ethernet.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/bond-ethernet.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     name: Configure a network bond that uses two Ethernet ports
     - include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           # Define the bond profile
           - name: bond0
             type: bond
             interface_name: bond0
             ip:
               address:
                 - "192.0.2.1/24"
                 - "2001:db8:1::1/64"
               gateway4: 192.0.2.254
               gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
               dns:
                 - 192.0.2.200
                 - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
               dns_search:
                 - example.com
             bond:
               mode: active-backup
             state: up
   
           # Add an Ethernet profile to the bond
           - name: bond0-port1
             interface_name: enp7s0
             type: ethernet
             controller: bond0
             state: up
   
           # Add a second Ethernet profile to the bond
           - name: bond0-port2
             interface_name: enp8s0
             type: ethernet
             controller: bond0
             state: up

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/bond-ethernet.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/pbr.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configuring policy-based routing
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Routing traffic from a specific subnet to a different default gateway
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           - name: Provider-A
             interface_name: enp7s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: True
             ip:
               address:
                 - 198.51.100.1/30
               gateway4: 198.51.100.2
               dns:
                 - 198.51.100.200
             state: up
             zone: external
   
           - name: Provider-B
             interface_name: enp1s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: True
             ip:
               address:
                 - 192.0.2.1/30
               route:
                 - network: 0.0.0.0
                   prefix: 0
                   gateway: 192.0.2.2
                   table: 5000
             state: up
             zone: external
   
           - name: Internal-Workstations
             interface_name: enp8s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: True
             ip:
               address:
                 - 10.0.0.1/24
               route:
                 - network: 10.0.0.0
                   prefix: 24
                   table: 5000
               routing_rule:
                 - priority: 5
                   from: 10.0.0.0/24
                   table: 5000
             state: up
             zone: trusted
   
           - name: Servers
             interface_name: enp9s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: True
             ip:
               address:
                 - 203.0.113.1/24
             state: up
             zone: trusted

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/pbr.yml

Verification

1. On a RHEL host in the internal workstation subnet:

   1. Install the traceroute package:

      # yum install traceroute

   2. Use the traceroute utility to display the route to a host on the Internet:

      # traceroute redhat.com
      traceroute to redhat.com (209.132.183.105), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets
       1  10.0.0.1 (10.0.0.1)     0.337 ms  0.260 ms  0.223 ms
       2  192.0.2.1 (192.0.2.1)   0.884 ms  1.066 ms  1.248 ms
       ...

      The output of the command displays that the router sends packets over 192.0.2.1, which is the network of provider B.

2. On a RHEL host in the server subnet:

   1. Install the traceroute package:

      # yum install traceroute

   2. Use the traceroute utility to display the route to a host on the Internet:

      # traceroute redhat.com
      traceroute to redhat.com (209.132.183.105), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets
       1  203.0.113.1 (203.0.113.1)    2.179 ms  2.073 ms  1.944 ms
       2  198.51.100.2 (198.51.100.2)  1.868 ms  1.798 ms  1.549 ms
       ...

      The output of the command displays that the router sends packets over 198.51.100.2, which is the network of provider A.

3. On the RHEL router that you configured using the RHEL System Role:

   1. Display the rule list:

      # ip rule list
      0:      from all lookup local
      5:    from 10.0.0.0/24 lookup 5000
      32766:  from all lookup main
      32767:  from all lookup default

      By default, RHEL contains rules for the tables local, main, and default.

   2. Display the routes in table 5000:

      # ip route list table 5000
      0.0.0.0/0 via 192.0.2.2 dev enp1s0 proto static metric 100
      10.0.0.0/24 dev enp8s0 proto static scope link src 192.0.2.1 metric 102

   3. Display the interfaces and firewall zones:

      # firewall-cmd --get-active-zones
      external
        interfaces: enp1s0 enp7s0
      trusted
        interfaces: enp8s0 enp9s0

   4. Verify that the external zone has masquerading enabled:

      # firewall-cmd --info-zone=external
      external (active)
        target: default
        icmp-block-inversion: no
        interfaces: enp1s0 enp7s0
        sources:
        services: ssh
        ports:
        protocols:
        masquerade: yes
        ...

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/enable-802.1x.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure an Ethernet connection with 802.1X authentication
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
       - name: Copy client key for 802.1X authentication
         copy:
           src: "/srv/data/client.key"
           dest: "/etc/pki/tls/private/client.key"
           mode: 0600
   
       - name: Copy client certificate for 802.1X authentication
         copy:
           src: "/srv/data/client.crt"
           dest: "/etc/pki/tls/certs/client.crt"
   
       - name: Copy CA certificate for 802.1X authentication
         copy:
           src: "/srv/data/ca.crt"
           dest: "/etc/pki/ca-trust/source/anchors/ca.crt"
   
       - include_role:
           name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
         vars:
           network_connections:
             - name: enp1s0
               type: ethernet
               autoconnect: yes
               ip:
                 address:
                   - 192.0.2.1/24
                   - 2001:db8:1::1/64
                 gateway4: 192.0.2.254
                 gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
                 dns:
                   - 192.0.2.200
                   - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
                 dns_search:
                   - example.com
               ieee802_1x:
                 identity: user_name
                 eap: tls
                 private_key: "/etc/pki/tls/private/client.key"
                 private_key_password: "password"
                 client_cert: "/etc/pki/tls/certs/client.crt"
                 ca_cert: "/etc/pki/ca-trust/source/anchors/ca.crt"
                 domain_suffix_match: example.com
               state: up

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/enable-802.1x.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/ethernet-connection.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure an Ethernet connection with static IP and default gateway
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           - name: enp1s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: yes
             ip:
               address:
                 - 198.51.100.20/24
                 - 2001:db8:1::1/64
               gateway4: 198.51.100.254
               gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
               dns:
                 - 198.51.100.200
                 - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
               dns_search:
                 - example.com
             state: up

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/ethernet-connection.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/add-static-routes.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure an Ethernet connection with static IP and additional routes
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           - name: enp7s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: yes
             ip:
               address:
                 - 192.0.2.1/24
                 - 2001:db8:1::1/64
               gateway4: 192.0.2.254
               gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
               dns:
                 - 192.0.2.200
                 - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
               dns_search:
                 - example.com
               route:
                 - network: 198.51.100.0
                   prefix: 24
                   gateway: 192.0.2.10
                 - network: 2001:db8:2::
                   prefix: 64
                   gateway: 2001:db8:1::10
             state: up

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/add-static-routes.yml

Verification steps

1. On the managed nodes:

   1. Display the IPv4 routes:

      # ip -4 route
      ...
      198.51.100.0/24 via 192.0.2.10 dev enp7s0

   2. Display the IPv6 routes:

      # ip -6 route
      ...
      2001:db8:2::/64 via 2001:db8:1::10 dev enp7s0 metric 1024 pref medium

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/configure-ethernet-device-with-ethtool-features.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure an Ethernet connection with ethtool features
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           - name: enp1s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: yes
             ip:
               address:
                 - 198.51.100.20/24
                 - 2001:db8:1::1/64
               gateway4: 198.51.100.254
               gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
               dns:
                 - 198.51.100.200
                 - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
               dns_search:
                 - example.com
             ethtool:
               features:
                 gro: "no"
                 gso: "yes"
                 tx_sctp_segmentation: "no"
             state: up

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/configure-ethernet-device-with-ethtool-features.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/configure-ethernet-device-with-ethtoolcoalesce-settings.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure an Ethernet connection with ethtool coalesce settings
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
           - name: enp1s0
             type: ethernet
             autoconnect: yes
             ip:
               address:
                 - 198.51.100.20/24
                 - 2001:db8:1::1/64
               gateway4: 198.51.100.254
               gateway6: 2001:db8:1::fffe
               dns:
                 - 198.51.100.200
                 - 2001:db8:1::ffbb
               dns_search:
                 - example.com
             ethtool:
               coalesce:
                 rx_frames: 128
                 tx_frames: 128
             state: up

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/configure-ethernet-device-with-ethtoolcoalesce-settings.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/IPoIB.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure the network
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Configure IPoIB
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.network
   
       vars:
         network_connections:
   
           # InfiniBand connection mlx4_ib0
           - name: mlx4_ib0
             interface_name: mlx4_ib0
             type: infiniband
   
           # IPoIB device mlx4_ib0.8002 on top of mlx4_ib0
           - name: mlx4_ib0.8002
             type: infiniband
             autoconnect: yes
             infiniband:
               p_key: 0x8002
               transport_mode: datagram
             parent: mlx4_ib0
             ip:
               address:
                 - 192.0.2.1/24
                 - 2001:db8:1::1/64
             state: up

   If you set a p_key parameter as in this example, do not set an interface_name parameter on the IPoIB device.

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/IPoIB.yml

Verification

1. On the managed-node-01.example.com host, display the IP settings of the mlx4_ib0.8002 device:

   # ip address show mlx4_ib0.8002
   ...
   inet 192.0.2.1/24 brd 192.0.2.255 scope global noprefixroute ib0.8002
      valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
   inet6 2001:db8:1::1/64 scope link tentative noprefixroute
      valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever

2. Display the partition key (P_Key) of the mlx4_ib0.8002 device:

   # cat /sys/class/net/mlx4_ib0.8002/pkey
   0x8002

3. Display the mode of the mlx4_ib0.8002 device:

   # cat /sys/class/net/mlx4_ib0.8002/mode
   datagram

Procedure

1. If the host on which you want to execute the instructions in the playbook is not yet inventoried, add the IP or name of this host to the /etc/ansible/hosts Ansible inventory file:

   node.example.com

2. Create the ~/reset-firewalld.yml playbook with the following content:

   - name: Reset firewalld example
     hosts: node.example.com
     tasks:
       - name: Reset firewalld
         include_role:
           name: rhel-system-roles.firewall
         vars:
           firewall:
             - previous: replaced

3. Run the playbook:

   1. To connect as root user to the managed node:

      # ansible-playbook -u root ~/reset-firewalld.yml

   2. To connect as a user to the managed node:

      # ansible-playbook -u user_name --ask-become-pass ~/reset-firewalld.yml

      The --ask-become-pass option makes sure that the ansible-playbook command prompts for the sudo password of the user defined in the -u user_name option.

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/port_forwarding.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure firewalld
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Forward incoming traffic on port 8080 to 443
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.firewall
   
       vars:
         firewall:
           - { forward_port: 8080/tcp;443;, state: enabled, runtime: true, permanent: true }

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/port_forwarding.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/opening-a-port.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure firewalld
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Allow incoming HTTPS traffic to the local host
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.firewall
   
       vars:
         firewall:
           - port: 443/tcp
             service: http
             state: enabled
             runtime: true
             permanent: true

   The permanent: true option makes the new settings persistent across reboots.

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/opening-a-port.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook file, for example ~/configuring-a-dmz.yml, with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Configure firewalld
     hosts: managed-node-01.example.com
     tasks:
     - name: Creating a DMZ with access to HTTPS port and masquerading for hosts in DMZ
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.firewall
   
       vars:
         firewall:
           - zone: dmz
             interface: enp1s0
             service: https
             state: enabled
             runtime: true
             permanent: true

2. Run the playbook:

   # ansible-playbook ~/configuring-a-dmz.yml

Procedure

1. Prepare your playbook. You can either start from the scratch or modify the example playbook installed as a part of the rhel-system-roles package:

   # cp /usr/share/doc/rhel-system-roles/selinux/example-selinux-playbook.yml my-selinux-playbook.yml
   # vi my-selinux-playbook.yml

2. Change the content of the playbook to fit your scenario. For example, the following part ensures that the system installs and enables the selinux-local-1.pp SELinux module:

   selinux_modules:
   - { path: "selinux-local-1.pp", priority: "400" }

3. Save the changes, and exit the text editor.

4. Run your playbook on the host1, host2, and host3 systems:

   # ansible-playbook -i host1,host2,host3 my-selinux-playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook that defines the required role:

   1. Create a new YAML file and open it in a text editor, for example:

      # vi logging-playbook.yml

   2. Insert the following content:

      ---
      - name: Deploying basics input and implicit files output
        hosts: all
        roles:
          - rhel-system-roles.logging
        vars:
          logging_inputs:
            - name: system_input
              type: basics
          logging_outputs:
            - name: files_output
              type: files
          logging_flows:
            - name: flow1
              inputs: [system_input]
              outputs: [files_output]

2. Run the playbook on a specific inventory:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory-file /path/to/file/logging-playbook.yml

   Where:

   • inventory-file is the inventory file.
   • logging-playbook.yml is the playbook you use.

Verification

1. Test the syntax of the /etc/rsyslog.conf file:

   # rsyslogd -N 1
   rsyslogd: version 8.1911.0-6.el8, config validation run (level 1), master config /etc/rsyslog.conf
   rsyslogd: End of config validation run. Bye.

2. Verify that the system sends messages to the log:

   1. Send a test message:

      # logger test

   2. View the /var/log/messages log, for example:

      # cat /var/log/messages
      Aug  5 13:48:31 hostname root[6778]: test

      Where `hostname` is the host name of the client system. Note that the log contains the user name of the user that entered the logger command, in this case root.

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Deploying files input and configured files output
     hosts: all
     roles:
       - linux-system-roles.logging
     vars:
       logging_inputs:
         - name: files_input
           type: basics
       logging_outputs:
         - name: files_output0
           type: files
           property: msg
           property_op: contains
           property_value: error
           path: /var/log/errors.log
         - name: files_output1
           type: files
           property: msg
           property_op: "!contains"
           property_value: error
           path: /var/log/others.log
       logging_flows:
         - name: flow0
           inputs: [files_input]
           outputs: [files_output0, files_output1]

   Using this configuration, all messages that contain the error string are logged in /var/log/errors.log, and all other messages are logged in /var/log/others.log.

   You can replace the error property value with the string by which you want to filter.

   You can modify the variables according to your preferences.

2. Optional: Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory_file /path/to/file/playbook.yml

Verification

1. Test the syntax of the /etc/rsyslog.conf file:

   # rsyslogd -N 1
   rsyslogd: version 8.1911.0-6.el8, config validation run (level 1), master config /etc/rsyslog.conf
   rsyslogd: End of config validation run. Bye.

2. Verify that the system sends messages that contain the error string to the log:

   1. Send a test message:

      # logger error

   2. View the /var/log/errors.log log, for example:

      # cat /var/log/errors.log
      Aug  5 13:48:31 hostname root[6778]: error

      Where hostname is the host name of the client system. Note that the log contains the user name of the user that entered the logger command, in this case root.

Procedure

1. Create a playbook that defines the required role:

   1. Create a new YAML file and open it in a text editor, for example:

      # vi logging-playbook.yml

   2. Insert the following content into the file:

      ---
      - name: Deploying remote input and remote_files output
        hosts: server
        roles:
          - rhel-system-roles.logging
        vars:
          logging_inputs:
            - name: remote_udp_input
              type: remote
              udp_ports: [ 601 ]
            - name: remote_tcp_input
              type: remote
              tcp_ports: [ 601 ]
          logging_outputs:
            - name: remote_files_output
              type: remote_files
          logging_flows:
            - name: flow_0
              inputs: [remote_udp_input, remote_tcp_input]
              outputs: [remote_files_output]
      
      - name: Deploying basics input and forwards output
        hosts: clients
        roles:
          - rhel-system-roles.logging
        vars:
          logging_inputs:
            - name: basic_input
              type: basics
          logging_outputs:
            - name: forward_output0
              type: forwards
              severity: info
              target: _host1.example.com_
              udp_port: 601
            - name: forward_output1
              type: forwards
              facility: mail
              target: _host1.example.com_
              tcp_port: 601
          logging_flows:
            - name: flows0
              inputs: [basic_input]
              outputs: [forward_output0, forward_output1]
      
      [basic_input]
      [forward_output0, forward_output1]

      Where host1.example.com is the logging server.

      Note

      You can modify the parameters in the playbook to fit your needs.

      Warning

      The logging solution works only with the ports defined in the SELinux policy of the server or client system and open in the firewall. The default SELinux policy includes ports 601, 514, 6514, 10514, and 20514. To use a different port, modify the SELinux policy on the client and server systems. Configuring the firewall through System Roles is not yet supported.

2. Create an inventory file that lists your servers and clients:

   1. Create a new file and open it in a text editor, for example:

      # vi inventory.ini

   2. Insert the following content into the inventory file:

      [servers]
      server ansible_host=host1.example.com
      [clients]
      client ansible_host=host2.example.com

      Where:

      • host1.example.com is the logging server.
      • host2.example.com is the logging client.

3. Run the playbook on your inventory.

   # ansible-playbook -i /path/to/file/inventory.ini /path/to/file/_logging-playbook.yml

   Where:

   • inventory.ini is the inventory file.
   • logging-playbook.yml is the playbook you created.

Verification

1. On both the client and the server system, test the syntax of the /etc/rsyslog.conf file:

   # rsyslogd -N 1
   rsyslogd: version 8.1911.0-6.el8, config validation run (level 1), master config /etc/rsyslog.conf
   rsyslogd: End of config validation run. Bye.

2. Verify that the client system sends messages to the server:

   1. On the client system, send a test message:

      # logger test

   2. On the server system, view the /var/log/messages log, for example:

      # cat /var/log/messages
      Aug  5 13:48:31 host2.example.com root[6778]: test

      Where host2.example.com is the host name of the client system. Note that the log contains the user name of the user that entered the logger command, in this case root.

Procedure

1. Copy the example playbook for the sshd System Role:

   # cp /usr/share/doc/rhel-system-roles/sshd/example-root-login-playbook.yml path/custom-playbook.yml

2. Open the copied playbook by using a text editor, for example:

   # vim path/custom-playbook.yml
   
   ---
   - hosts: all
     tasks:
     - name: Configure sshd to prevent root and password login except from particular subnet
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.sshd
       vars:
         sshd:
           # root login and password login is enabled only from a particular subnet
           PermitRootLogin: no
           PasswordAuthentication: no
           Match:
           - Condition: "Address 192.0.2.0/24"
             PermitRootLogin: yes
             PasswordAuthentication: yes

   The playbook configures the managed node as an SSH server configured so that:

   • password and root user login is disabled
   • password and root user login is enabled only from the subnet 192.0.2.0/24

   You can modify the variables according to your preferences. For more details, see SSH Server System Role variables .

3. Optional: Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check path/custom-playbook.yml

4. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory_file path/custom-playbook.yml
   
   ...
   
   PLAY RECAP
   **************************************************
   
   localhost : ok=12 changed=2 unreachable=0 failed=0
   skipped=10 rescued=0 ignored=0

Verification

1. Log in to the SSH server:

   $ ssh user1@10.1.1.1

   Where:

   • user1 is a user on the SSH server.
   • 10.1.1.1 is the IP address of the SSH server.

2. Check the contents of the sshd_config file on the SSH server:

   $ vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config
   
   # Ansible managed
   HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key
   HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
   HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key
   AcceptEnv LANG LC_CTYPE LC_NUMERIC LC_TIME LC_COLLATE LC_MONETARY LC_MESSAGES
   AcceptEnv LC_PAPER LC_NAME LC_ADDRESS LC_TELEPHONE LC_MEASUREMENT
   AcceptEnv LC_IDENTIFICATION LC_ALL LANGUAGE
   AcceptEnv XMODIFIERS
   AuthorizedKeysFile .ssh/authorized_keys
   ChallengeResponseAuthentication no
   GSSAPIAuthentication yes
   GSSAPICleanupCredentials no
   PasswordAuthentication no
   PermitRootLogin no
   PrintMotd no
   Subsystem sftp /usr/libexec/openssh/sftp-server
   SyslogFacility AUTHPRIV
   UsePAM yes
   X11Forwarding yes
   Match Address 192.0.2.0/24
     PasswordAuthentication yes
     PermitRootLogin yes

3. Check that you can connect to the server as root from the 192.0.2.0/24 subnet:

   1. Determine your IP address:

      $ hostname -I
      192.0.2.1

      If the IP address is within the 192.0.2.1 - 192.0.2.254 range, you can connect to the server.

   2. Connect to the server as root:

      $ ssh root@10.1.1.1

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: all
     tasks:
     - name: "Configure ssh clients"
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.ssh
       vars:
         ssh_user: root
         ssh:
           Compression: true
           GSSAPIAuthentication: no
           ControlMaster: auto
           ControlPath: ~/.ssh/.cm%C
           Host:
             - Condition: example
               Hostname: example.com
               User: user1
         ssh_ForwardX11: no

   This playbook configures the root user’s SSH client preferences on the managed nodes with the following configurations:

   • Compression is enabled.
   • ControlMaster multiplexing is set to auto.
   • The example alias for connecting to the example.com host is user1.
   • The example host alias is created, which represents a connection to the example.com host the with user1 user name.
   • X11 forwarding is disabled.

   Optionally, you can modify these variables according to your preferences. For more details, see ssh System Role variables .

2. Optional: Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check path/custom-playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory_file path/custom-playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Add a configuration snippet with the sshd_config_namespace variable to the playbook:

   ---
   - hosts: all
     tasks:
     - name: <Configure SSHD to accept some useful environment variables>
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.sshd
       vars:
         sshd_config_namespace: <my-application>
         sshd:
           # Environment variables to accept
           AcceptEnv:
             LANG
             LS_COLORS
             EDITOR

   When you apply the playbook to the inventory, the role adds the following snippet, if not already present, to the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file.

   # BEGIN sshd system role managed block: namespace <my-application>
   Match all
     AcceptEnv LANG LS_COLORS EDITOR
   # END sshd system role managed block: namespace <my-application>

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   - name: Host to host VPN
     hosts: managed_node1, managed_node2
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.vpn
     vars:
       vpn_connections:
         - hosts:
             managed_node1:
             managed_node2:

   This playbook configures the connection managed_node1-to-managed_node2 using pre-shared key authentication with keys auto-generated by the system role.

2. Optional: Configure connections from managed hosts to external hosts that are not listed in the inventory file by adding the following section to the vpn_connections list of hosts:

       vpn_connections:
         - hosts:
             managed_node1:
             managed_node2:
             external_node:
               hostname: 192.0.2.2

   This configures two additional connections: managed_node1-to-external_node and managed_node2-to-external_node.

1. Optional: You can specify multiple VPN connections for the managed nodes by using additional sections within vpn_connections, for example a control plane and a data plane:

   - name: Multiple VPN
     hosts: managed_node1, managed_node2
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.vpn
     vars:
       vpn_connections:
         - name: control_plane_vpn
           hosts:
             managed_node1:
               hostname: 192.0.2.0 # IP for the control plane
             managed_node2:
               hostname: 192.0.2.1
         - name: data_plane_vpn
           hosts:
             managed_node1:
               hostname: 10.0.0.1 # IP for the data plane
             managed_node2:
               hostname: 10.0.0.2

2. Optional: You can modify the variables according to your preferences. For more details, see the /usr/share/doc/rhel-system-roles/vpn/README.md file.

3. Optional: Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check /path/to/file/playbook.yml -i /path/to/file/inventory_file

4. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i /path/to/file/inventory_file /path/to/file/playbook.yml

Verification

1. On the managed nodes, confirm that the connection is successfully loaded:

   # ipsec status | grep connection.name

   Replace connection.name with the name of the connection from this node, for example managed_node1-to-managed_node2.

1. On the managed nodes, confirm that the connection is successfully started:

   # ipsec trafficstatus | grep connection.name

2. Optional: If a connection did not successfully load, manually add the connection by entering the following command. This will provide more specific information indicating why the connection failed to establish:

   # ipsec auto --add connection.name

   Note

   Any errors that may have occurred during the process of loading and starting the connection are reported in the logs, which can be found in /var/log/pluto.log. Because these logs are hard to parse, try to manually add the connection to obtain log messages from the standard output instead.

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   - name: Mesh VPN
     hosts: managed_node1, managed_node2, managed_node3
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.vpn
     vars:
       vpn_connections:
         - opportunistic: true
           auth_method: cert
           policies:
             - policy: private
               cidr: default
             - policy: private-or-clear
               cidr: 198.51.100.0/24
             - policy: private
               cidr: 192.0.2.0/24
             - policy: clear
               cidr: 192.0.2.7/32

2. Optional: You can modify the variables according to your preferences. For more details, see the /usr/share/doc/rhel-system-roles/vpn/README.md file.

3. Optional: Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

4. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory_file /path/to/file/playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: all
     tasks:
     - name: Configure crypto policies
       include_role:
         name: rhel-system-roles.crypto_policies
       vars:
         - crypto_policies_policy: FUTURE
         - crypto_policies_reboot_ok: true

   You can replace the FUTURE value with your preferred crypto policy, for example: DEFAULT, LEGACY, and FIPS:OSPP.

   The crypto_policies_reboot_ok: true variable causes the system to reboot after the System Role changes the cryptographic policy.

   For more details, see crypto_policies System Role variables and facts .

2. Optional: Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory_file playbook.yml

Verification

1. On the control node, create another playbook named, for example, verify_playbook.yml:

   - hosts: all
     tasks:
    - name: Verify active crypto policy
      include_role:
        name: rhel-system-roles.crypto_policies
   
    - debug:
        var: crypto_policies_active

   This playbook does not change any configurations on the system, only reports the active policy on the managed nodes.

2. Run the playbook on the same inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory_file verify_playbook.yml
   
   TASK [debug] **************************
   ok: [host] => {
       "crypto_policies_active": "FUTURE"
   }

   The "crypto_policies_active": variable shows the policy active on the managed node.

Procedure

1. Prepare your playbook containing settings for Tang servers. You can either start from the scratch, or use one of the example playbooks from the /usr/share/ansible/roles/rhel-system-roles.nbde_server/examples/ directory.

   # cp /usr/share/ansible/roles/rhel-system-roles.nbde_server/examples/simple_deploy.yml ./my-tang-playbook.yml

2. Edit the playbook in a text editor of your choice, for example:

   # vi my-tang-playbook.yml

3. Add the required parameters. The following example playbook ensures deploying of your Tang server and a key rotation:

   ---
   - hosts: all
   
     vars:
       nbde_server_rotate_keys: yes
   
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.nbde_server

4. Apply the finished playbook:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory-file my-tang-playbook.yml

   Where: * inventory-file is the inventory file. * logging-playbook.yml is the playbook you use.

Procedure

1. Prepare your playbook containing settings for Clevis clients. You can either start from the scratch, or use one of the example playbooks from the /usr/share/ansible/roles/rhel-system-roles.nbde_client/examples/ directory.

   # cp /usr/share/ansible/roles/rhel-system-roles.nbde_client/examples/high_availability.yml ./my-clevis-playbook.yml

2. Edit the playbook in a text editor of your choice, for example:

   # vi my-clevis-playbook.yml

3. Add the required parameters. The following example playbook configures Clevis clients for automated unlocking of two LUKS-encrypted volumes by when at least one of two Tang servers is available:

   ---
   - hosts: all
   
     vars:
       nbde_client_bindings:
         - device: /dev/rhel/root
           encryption_key_src: /etc/luks/keyfile
           servers:
             - http://server1.example.com
             - http://server2.example.com
         - device: /dev/rhel/swap
           encryption_key_src: /etc/luks/keyfile
           servers:
             - http://server1.example.com
             - http://server2.example.com
   
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.nbde_client

4. Apply the finished playbook:

   # ansible-playbook -i host1,host2,host3 my-clevis-playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Optional: Create an inventory file, for example inventory.file:

   $ *touch inventory.file*

2. Open your inventory file and define the hosts on which you want to request the certificate, for example:

   [webserver]
   server.idm.example.com

3. Create a playbook file, for example request-certificate.yml:

   • Set hosts to include the hosts on which you want to request the certificate, such as webserver.

   • Set the certificate_requests variable to include the following:

     • Set the name parameter to the desired name of the certificate, such as mycert.
     • Set the dns parameter to the domain to be included in the certificate, such as *.example.com.
     • Set the ca parameter to self-sign.

   • Set the rhel-system-roles.certificate role under roles.

     This is the playbook file for this example:

     ---
     - hosts: webserver
     
       vars:
         certificate_requests:
           - name: mycert
             dns: "*.example.com"
             ca: self-sign
     
       roles:
         - rhel-system-roles.certificate

4. Save the file.

5. Run the playbook:

   $ *ansible-playbook -i inventory.file request-certificate.yml*

Procedure

1. Optional: Create an inventory file, for example inventory.file:

   $ *touch inventory.file*

2. Open your inventory file and define the hosts on which you want to request the certificate, for example:

   [webserver]
   server.idm.example.com

3. Create a playbook file, for example request-certificate.yml:

   • Set hosts to include the hosts on which you want to request the certificate, such as webserver.

   • Set the certificate_requests variable to include the following:

     • Set the name parameter to the desired name of the certificate, such as mycert.
     • Set the dns parameter to the domain to be included in the certificate, such as www.example.com.
     • Set the principal parameter to specify the Kerberos principal, such as HTTP/www.example.com@EXAMPLE.COM.
     • Set the ca parameter to ipa.

   • Set the rhel-system-roles.certificate role under roles.

     This is the playbook file for this example:

     ---
     - hosts: webserver
       vars:
         certificate_requests:
           - name: mycert
             dns: www.example.com
             principal: HTTP/www.example.com@EXAMPLE.COM
             ca: ipa
     
       roles:
         - rhel-system-roles.certificate

4. Save the file.

5. Run the playbook:

   $ *ansible-playbook -i inventory.file request-certificate.yml*

Procedure

1. Optional: Create an inventory file, for example inventory.file:

   $ *touch inventory.file*

2. Open your inventory file and define the hosts on which you want to request the certificate, for example:

   [webserver]
   server.idm.example.com

3. Create a playbook file, for example request-certificate.yml:

   • Set hosts to include the hosts on which you want to request the certificate, such as webserver.

   • Set the certificate_requests variable to include the following:

     • Set the name parameter to the desired name of the certificate, such as mycert.
     • Set the dns parameter to the domain to be included in the certificate, such as www.example.com.
     • Set the ca parameter to the CA you want to use to issue the certificate, such as self-sign.
     • Set the run_before parameter to the command you want to execute before this certificate is issued or renewed, such as systemctl stop httpd.service.
     • Set the run_after parameter to the command you want to execute after this certificate is issued or renewed, such as systemctl start httpd.service.

   • Set the rhel-system-roles.certificate role under roles.

     This is the playbook file for this example:

     ---
     - hosts: webserver
       vars:
         certificate_requests:
           - name: mycert
             dns: www.example.com
             ca: self-sign
             run_before: systemctl stop httpd.service
             run_after: systemctl start httpd.service
     
       roles:
         - rhel-system-roles.certificate

4. Save the file.

5. Run the playbook:

   $ *ansible-playbook -i inventory.file request-certificate.yml*

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: kdump-test
     vars:
       kdump_path: /var/crash
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.kdump

2. Optional: Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory_file /path/to/file/playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   - hosts: all
     vars:
       storage_safe_mode: false
       storage_volumes:
         - name: data
           type: raid
           disks: [sdd, sde, sdf, sdg]
           raid_level: raid0
           raid_chunk_size: 32 KiB
           mount_point: /mnt/data
           state: present
     roles:
       - name: rhel-system-roles.storage

   Warning

   Device names can change in certain circumstances; for example, when you add a new disk to a system. Therefore, to prevent data loss, we do not recommend using specific disk names in the playbook.

2. Optional. Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory.file /path/to/file/playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   - hosts: all
     vars:
       storage_safe_mode: false
       storage_pools:
         - name: my_pool
           type: lvm
           disks: [sdh, sdi]
           raid_level: raid1
           volumes:
             - name: my_pool
               size: "1 GiB"
               mount_point: "/mnt/app/shared"
               fs_type: xfs
               state: present
     roles:
       - name: rhel-system-roles.storage

   Note

   To create an LVM pool with RAID, you must specify the RAID type using the raid_level parameter.

2. Optional. Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory.file /path/to/file/playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   - hosts: all
     vars:
       storage_volumes:
         - name: barefs
           type: disk
           disks:
            - sdb
           fs_type: xfs
           fs_label: label-name
           mount_point: /mnt/data
           encryption: true
           encryption_password: your-password
     roles:
      - rhel-system-roles.storage

2. Optional: Verify playbook syntax:

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory.file /path/to/file/playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: timesync-test
     vars:
       timesync_ntp_servers:
         - hostname: 2.rhel.pool.ntp.org
           pool: yes
           iburst: yes
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.timesync

2. Optional: Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory_file /path/to/file/playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Create a playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: timesync-test
     vars:
       timesync_ntp_servers:
         - hostname: ptbtime1.ptb.de
           iburst: yes
           nts: yes
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.timesync

   ptbtime1.ptb.de is an example of public server. You may want to use a different public server or your own server.

2. Optional: Verify playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i inventory_file /path/to/file/playbook.yml

Verification

1. Perform a test on the client machine:

   # chronyc -N authdata
   
   Name/IP address         Mode KeyID Type KLen Last Atmp  NAK Cook CLen
   =====================================================================
   ptbtime1.ptb.de         NTS     1   15  256  157    0    0    8  100

2. Check that the number of reported cookies is larger than zero.

Procedure

1. Configure localhost in the /etc/ansible/hosts Ansible inventory by adding the following content to the inventory:

   localhost ansible_connection=local

2. Create an Ansible playbook with the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: localhost
     vars:
       metrics_graph_service: yes
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.metrics

3. Run the Ansible playbook:

   # ansible-playbook name_of_your_playbook.yml

   Note

   Since the metrics_graph_service boolean is set to value="yes", Grafana is automatically installed and provisioned with pcp added as a data source.

4. To view visualization of the metrics being collected on your machine, access the grafana web interface as described in Accessing the Grafana web UI.

Procedure

1. Add the name or IP of the machines you wish to monitor via the playbook to the /etc/ansible/hosts Ansible inventory file under an identifying group name enclosed in brackets:

   [remotes]
   webserver.example.com
   database.example.com

2. Create an Ansible playbook with the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: remotes
     vars:
       metrics_retention_days: 0
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.metrics

3. Run the Ansible playbook:

   # ansible-playbook name_of_your_playbook.yml -k

Procedure

1. Create an Ansible playbook with the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: localhost
     vars:
       metrics_graph_service: yes
       metrics_query_service: yes
       metrics_retention_days: 10
       metrics_monitored_hosts: ["database.example.com", "webserver.example.com"]
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.metrics

2. Run the Ansible playbook:

   # ansible-playbook name_of_your_playbook.yml

   Note

   Since the metrics_graph_service and metrics_query_service booleans are set to value="yes", grafana is automatically installed and provisioned with pcp added as a data source with the pcp data recording indexed into redis, allowing the pcp querying language to be used for complex querying of the data.

3. To view graphical representation of the metrics being collected centrally by your machine and to query the data, access the grafana web interface as described in Accessing the Grafana web UI.

Procedure

1. Include the following variables in the Ansible playbook you want to setup authentication for:

   ---
     vars:
       metrics_username: your_username
       metrics_password: your_password

2. Run the Ansible playbook:

   # ansible-playbook name_of_your_playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Configure localhost in the /etc/ansible/hosts Ansible inventory by adding the following content to the inventory:

   localhost ansible_connection=local

2. Create an Ansible playbook that contains the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: localhost
     roles:
       - role: rhel-system-roles.metrics
         vars:
           metrics_from_mssql: yes

3. Run the Ansible playbook:

   # ansible-playbook name_of_your_playbook.yml

Procedure

1. Install Ansible Core which is available in the RHEL 8 AppStream repository:

   # *yum install ansible-core*

2. Install the microsoft.sql.server Ansible role:

   # *yum install ansible-collection-microsoft-sql*

Procedure

1. Create a file with the .yml extension. For example, mssql-server.yml.

2. Add the following content to your .yml file:

   ---
   - hosts: all
     vars:
       mssql_accept_microsoft_odbc_driver_17_for_sql_server_eula: true
       mssql_accept_microsoft_cli_utilities_for_sql_server_eula: true
       mssql_accept_microsoft_sql_server_standard_eula: true
       mssql_password: <password>
       mssql_edition: Developer
       mssql_tcp_port: 1443
     roles:
       - microsoft.sql.server

   Replace <password> with your SQL Server password.

3. Run the mssql-server.yml ansible playbook:

   # *ansible-playbook mssql-server.yml*

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Deploy session recording
     hosts: all
     vars:
       tlog_scope_sssd: some
       tlog_users_sssd:
         - recorded-user
   
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.tlog

   Where,

   • tlog_scope_sssd:

     • some specifies you want to record only certain users and groups, not all or none.

   • tlog_users_sssd:

     • recorded-user specifies the user you want to record a session from. Note that this does not add the user for you. You must set the user by yourself.

2. Optionally, verify the playbook syntax.

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i IP_Address /path/to/file/playbook.yml -v

1. Navigate to the folder where the SSSD configuration drop file is created:

   # cd /etc/sssd/conf.d

2. Check the file content:

   # cat /etc/sssd/conf.d/sssd-session-recording.conf

Procedure

1. Create a new playbook.yml file with the following content:

   ---
   - name: Deploy session recording excluding users and groups
     hosts: all
     vars:
       tlog_scope_sssd: all
       tlog_exclude_users_sssd:
         - jeff
         - james
       tlog_exclude_groups_sssd:
         - admins
   
     roles:
       - rhel-system-roles.tlog

   Where,

   • tlog_scope_sssd:

     • all: specifies that you want to record all users and groups.

   • tlog_exclude_users_sssd:

     • user names: specifies the user names of the users you want to exclude from the session recording.

   • tlog_exclude_groups_sssd:

     • admins specifies the group you want to exclude from the session recording.

2. Optionally, verify the playbook syntax;

   # ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml

3. Run the playbook on your inventory file:

   # ansible-playbook -i IP_Address /path/to/file/playbook.yml -v

1. Navigate to the folder where the SSSD configuration drop file is created:

   # cd /etc/sssd/conf.d

2. Check the file content:

   # cat sssd-session-recording.conf