Chapter 2. Installing an Identity Management server using an Ansible playbook

1. If your system is running on RHEL 8.5 and earlier, enable the required repository:

   # subscription-manager repos --enable ansible-2.8-for-rhel-8-x86_64-rpms

2. If your system is running on RHEL 8.5 and earlier, install the ansible package:

   # yum install ansible

3. Install the ansible-freeipa package:

   # yum install ansible-freeipa

   The roles and modules are installed into the /usr/share/ansible/roles/ and /usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules directories.

Procedure

1. Open the inventory file for editing. Specify the fully-qualified domain names (FQDN) of the host you want to use as an IdM server. Ensure that the FQDN meets the following criteria:

   • Only alphanumeric characters and hyphens (-) are allowed. For example, underscores are not allowed and can cause DNS failures.
   • The host name must be all lower-case.
2. Specify the IdM domain and realm information.

3. Specify that you want to use integrated DNS by adding the following option:

   ipaserver_setup_dns=yes

4. Specify the DNS forwarding settings. Choose one of the following options:

   • Use the ipaserver_auto_forwarders=yes option if you want the installer to use forwarders from the /etc/resolv.conf file. Do not use this option if the nameserver specified in the /etc/resolv.conf file is the localhost 127.0.0.1 address or if you are on a virtual private network and the DNS servers you are using are normally unreachable from the public internet.
   • Use the ipaserver_forwarders option to specify your forwarders manually. The installation process adds the forwarder IP addresses to the /etc/named.conf file on the installed IdM server.

   • Use the ipaserver_no_forwarders=yes option to configure root DNS servers to be used instead.

     Note

     With no DNS forwarders, your environment is isolated, and names from other DNS domains in your infrastructure are not resolved.

5. Specify the DNS reverse record and zone settings. Choose from the following options:

   • Use the ipaserver_allow_zone_overlap=yes option to allow the creation of a (reverse) zone even if the zone is already resolvable.
   • Use the ipaserver_reverse_zones option to specify your reverse zones manually.

   • Use the ipaserver_no_reverse=yes option if you do not want the installer to create a reverse DNS zone.

     Note

     Using IdM to manage reverse zones is optional. You can use an external DNS service for this purpose instead.

6. Specify the passwords for admin and for the Directory Manager. Use the Ansible Vault to store the password, and reference the Vault file from the playbook file. Alternatively and less securely, specify the passwords directly in the inventory file.

7. (Optional) Specify a custom firewalld zone to be used by the IdM server. If you do not set a custom zone, IdM will add its services to the default firewalld zone. The predefined default zone is public.

   Important

   The specified firewalld zone must exist and be permanent.

   Example of an inventory file with the required server information (excluding the passwords)

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=yes
   ipaserver_auto_forwarders=yes
   [...]

   Example of an inventory file with the required server information (including the passwords)

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=yes
   ipaserver_auto_forwarders=yes
   ipaadmin_password=MySecretPassword123
   ipadm_password=MySecretPassword234
   
   [...]

   Example of an inventory file with a custom firewalld zone

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=yes
   ipaserver_auto_forwarders=yes
   ipaadmin_password=MySecretPassword123
   ipadm_password=MySecretPassword234
   ipaserver_firewalld_zone=custom zone

   Example playbook to set up an IdM server using admin and Directory Manager passwords stored in an Ansible Vault file

   ---
   - name: Playbook to configure IPA server
     hosts: ipaserver
     become: true
     vars_files:
     - playbook_sensitive_data.yml
   
     roles:
     - role: ipaserver
       state: present

   Example playbook to set up an IdM server using admin and Directory Manager passwords from an inventory file

   ---
   - name: Playbook to configure IPA server
     hosts: ipaserver
     become: true
   
     roles:
     - role: ipaserver
       state: present

Procedure

1. Open the inventory file for editing. Specify the fully-qualified domain names (FQDN) of the host you want to use as an IdM server. Ensure that the FQDN meets the following criteria:

   • Only alphanumeric characters and hyphens (-) are allowed. For example, underscores are not allowed and can cause DNS failures.
   • The host name must be all lower-case.
2. Specify the IdM domain and realm information.
3. Make sure that the ipaserver_setup_dns option is set to no or that it is absent.
4. Specify the passwords for admin and for the Directory Manager. Use the Ansible Vault to store the password, and reference the Vault file from the playbook file. Alternatively and less securely, specify the passwords directly in the inventory file.

5. (Optional) Specify a custom firewalld zone to be used by the IdM server. If you do not set a custom zone, IdM will add its services to the default firewalld zone. The predefined default zone is public.

   Important

   The specified firewalld zone must exist and be permanent.

   Example of an inventory file with the required server information (excluding the passwords)

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=no
   [...]

   Example of an inventory file with the required server information (including the passwords)

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=no
   ipaadmin_password=MySecretPassword123
   ipadm_password=MySecretPassword234
   
   [...]

   Example of an inventory file with a custom firewalld zone

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=no
   ipaadmin_password=MySecretPassword123
   ipadm_password=MySecretPassword234
   ipaserver_firewalld_zone=custom zone

   Example playbook to set up an IdM server using admin and Directory Manager passwords stored in an Ansible Vault file

   ---
   - name: Playbook to configure IPA server
     hosts: ipaserver
     become: true
     vars_files:
     - playbook_sensitive_data.yml
   
     roles:
     - role: ipaserver
       state: present

   Example playbook to set up an IdM server using admin and Directory Manager passwords from an inventory file

   ---
   - name: Playbook to configure IPA server
     hosts: ipaserver
     become: true
   
     roles:
     - role: ipaserver
       state: present

Procedure

1. Run the ansible-playbook command with the name of the playbook file, for example install-server.yml. Specify the inventory file with the -i option:

   $ ansible-playbook --vault-password-file=password_file -v -i <path_to_inventory_directory>/hosts <path_to_playbooks_directory>/install-server.yml

   Specify the level of verbosity by using the -v, -vv, or -vvv option.

   You can view the output of the Ansible playbook script on the command-line interface (CLI). The following output shows that the script has run successfully as 0 tasks have failed:

   PLAY RECAP
   server.idm.example.com : ok=18   changed=10   unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=21   rescued=0    ignored=0

2. Choose one of the following options:

   • If your IdM deployment uses external DNS: add the DNS resource records contained in the /tmp/ipa.system.records.UFRPto.db file to the existing external DNS servers. The process of updating the DNS records varies depending on the particular DNS solution.

     ...
     Restarting the KDC
     Please add records in this file to your DNS system: /tmp/ipa.system.records.UFRBto.db
     Restarting the web server
     ...

   Important

   The server installation is not complete until you add the DNS records to the existing DNS servers.

   • If your IdM deployment uses integrated DNS:

     • Add DNS delegation from the parent domain to the IdM DNS domain. For example, if the IdM DNS domain is idm.example.com, add a name server (NS) record to the example.com parent domain.

       Important

       Repeat this step each time after an IdM DNS server is installed.

     • Add an _ntp._udp service (SRV) record for your time server to your IdM DNS. The presence of the SRV record for the time server of the newly-installed IdM server in IdM DNS ensures that future replica and client installations are automatically configured to synchronize with the time server used by this primary IdM server.

Procedure

1. Open the inventory file for editing. Specify the fully-qualified domain names (FQDN) of the host you want to use as an IdM server. Ensure that the FQDN meets the following criteria:

   • Only alphanumeric characters and hyphens (-) are allowed. For example, underscores are not allowed and can cause DNS failures.
   • The host name must be all lower-case.
2. Specify the IdM domain and realm information.

3. Specify that you want to use integrated DNS by adding the following option:

   ipaserver_setup_dns=yes

4. Specify the DNS forwarding settings. Choose one of the following options:

   • Use the ipaserver_auto_forwarders=yes option if you want the installation process to use forwarders from the /etc/resolv.conf file. This option is not recommended if the nameserver specified in the /etc/resolv.conf file is the localhost 127.0.0.1 address or if you are on a virtual private network and the DNS servers you are using are normally unreachable from the public internet.
   • Use the ipaserver_forwarders option to specify your forwarders manually. The installation process adds the forwarder IP addresses to the /etc/named.conf file on the installed IdM server.

   • Use the ipaserver_no_forwarders=yes option to configure root DNS servers to be used instead.

     Note

     With no DNS forwarders, your environment is isolated, and names from other DNS domains in your infrastructure are not resolved.

5. Specify the DNS reverse record and zone settings. Choose from the following options:

   • Use the ipaserver_allow_zone_overlap=yes option to allow the creation of a (reverse) zone even if the zone is already resolvable.
   • Use the ipaserver_reverse_zones option to specify your reverse zones manually.

   • Use the ipaserver_no_reverse=yes option if you do not want the installation process to create a reverse DNS zone.

     Note

     Using IdM to manage reverse zones is optional. You can use an external DNS service for this purpose instead.

6. Specify the passwords for admin and for the Directory Manager. Use the Ansible Vault to store the password, and reference the Vault file from the playbook file. Alternatively and less securely, specify the passwords directly in the inventory file.

7. (Optional) Specify a custom firewalld zone to be used by the IdM server. If you do not set a custom zone, IdM adds its services to the default firewalld zone. The predefined default zone is public.

   Important

   The specified firewalld zone must exist and be permanent.

   Example of an inventory file with the required server information (excluding the passwords)

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=yes
   ipaserver_auto_forwarders=yes
   [...]

   Example of an inventory file with the required server information (including the passwords)

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=yes
   ipaserver_auto_forwarders=yes
   ipaadmin_password=MySecretPassword123
   ipadm_password=MySecretPassword234
   
   [...]

   Example of an inventory file with a custom firewalld zone

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=yes
   ipaserver_auto_forwarders=yes
   ipaadmin_password=MySecretPassword123
   ipadm_password=MySecretPassword234
   ipaserver_firewalld_zone=custom zone
   
   [...]

8. Create a playbook for the first step of the installation. Enter instructions for generating the certificate signing request (CSR) and copying it from the controller to the managed node.

   ---
   - name: Playbook to configure IPA server Step 1
     hosts: ipaserver
     become: true
     vars_files:
     - playbook_sensitive_data.yml
     vars:
       ipaserver_external_ca: yes
   
     roles:
     - role: ipaserver
       state: present
   
     post_tasks:
     - name: Copy CSR /root/ipa.csr from node to "{{ groups.ipaserver[0] + '-ipa.csr' }}"
       fetch:
         src: /root/ipa.csr
         dest: "{{ groups.ipaserver[0] + '-ipa.csr' }}"
         flat: yes

9. Create another playbook for the final step of the installation.

   ---
   - name: Playbook to configure IPA server Step -1
     hosts: ipaserver
     become: true
     vars_files:
     - playbook_sensitive_data.yml
     vars:
       ipaserver_external_cert_files: "/root/chain.crt"
   
     pre_tasks:
     - name: Copy "{{ groups.ipaserver[0] + '-chain.crt' }}" to /root/chain.crt on node
       copy:
         src: "{{ groups.ipaserver[0] + '-chain.crt' }}"
         dest: "/root/chain.crt"
         force: yes
   
     roles:
     - role: ipaserver
       state: present

Procedure

1. Open the inventory file for editing. Specify the fully-qualified domain names (FQDN) of the host you want to use as an IdM server. Ensure that the FQDN meets the following criteria:

   • Only alphanumeric characters and hyphens (-) are allowed. For example, underscores are not allowed and can cause DNS failures.
   • The host name must be all lower-case.
2. Specify the IdM domain and realm information.
3. Make sure that the ipaserver_setup_dns option is set to no or that it is absent.
4. Specify the passwords for admin and for the Directory Manager. Use the Ansible Vault to store the password, and reference the Vault file from the playbook file. Alternatively and less securely, specify the passwords directly in the inventory file.

5. (Optional) Specify a custom firewalld zone to be used by the IdM server. If you do not set a custom zone, IdM will add its services to the default firewalld zone. The predefined default zone is public.

   Important

   The specified firewalld zone must exist and be permanent.

   Example of an inventory file with the required server information (excluding the passwords)

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=no
   [...]

   Example of an inventory file with the required server information (including the passwords)

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=no
   ipaadmin_password=MySecretPassword123
   ipadm_password=MySecretPassword234
   
   [...]

   Example of an inventory file with a custom firewalld zone

   [ipaserver]
   server.idm.example.com
   
   [ipaserver:vars]
   ipaserver_domain=idm.example.com
   ipaserver_realm=IDM.EXAMPLE.COM
   ipaserver_setup_dns=no
   ipaadmin_password=MySecretPassword123
   ipadm_password=MySecretPassword234
   ipaserver_firewalld_zone=custom zone
   
   [...]

6. Create a playbook for the first step of the installation. Enter instructions for generating the certificate signing request (CSR) and copying it from the controller to the managed node.

   ---
   - name: Playbook to configure IPA server Step 1
     hosts: ipaserver
     become: true
     vars_files:
     - playbook_sensitive_data.yml
     vars:
       ipaserver_external_ca: yes
   
     roles:
     - role: ipaserver
       state: present
   
     post_tasks:
     - name: Copy CSR /root/ipa.csr from node to "{{ groups.ipaserver[0] + '-ipa.csr' }}"
       fetch:
         src: /root/ipa.csr
         dest: "{{ groups.ipaserver[0] + '-ipa.csr' }}"
         flat: yes

7. Create another playbook for the final step of the installation.

   ---
   - name: Playbook to configure IPA server Step -1
     hosts: ipaserver
     become: true
     vars_files:
     - playbook_sensitive_data.yml
     vars:
       ipaserver_external_cert_files: "/root/chain.crt"
   
     pre_tasks:
     - name: Copy "{{ groups.ipaserver[0] + '-chain.crt' }}" to /root/chain.crt on node
       copy:
         src: "{{ groups.ipaserver[0] + '-chain.crt' }}"
         dest: "/root/chain.crt"
         force: yes
   
     roles:
     - role: ipaserver
       state: present

Procedure

1. Run the ansible-playbook command with the name of the playbook file that contains instructions for the first step of the installation, for example install-server-step1.yml. Specify the inventory file with the -i option:

   $ ansible-playbook --vault-password-file=password_file -v -i <path_to_inventory_directory>/host.server <path_to_playbooks_directory>/install-server-step1.yml

   Specify the level of verbosity by using the -v, -vv or -vvv option.

   You can view the output of the Ansible playbook script on the command-line interface (CLI). The following output shows that the script has run successfully as 0 tasks have failed:

   PLAY RECAP
   server.idm.example.com : ok=18   changed=10   unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=21   rescued=0    ignored=0

2. Locate the ipa.csr certificate signing request file on the controller and submit it to the external CA.
3. Place the IdM CA certificate signed by the external CA in the controller file system so that the playbook in the next step can find it.

4. Run the ansible-playbook command with the name of the playbook file that contains instructions for the final step of the installation, for example install-server-step2.yml. Specify the inventory file with the -i option:

   $ ansible-playbook -v -i <path_to_inventory_directory>/host.server <path_to_playbooks_directory>/install-server-step2.yml

5. Choose one of the following options:

   • If your IdM deployment uses external DNS: add the DNS resource records contained in the /tmp/ipa.system.records.UFRPto.db file to the existing external DNS servers. The process of updating the DNS records varies depending on the particular DNS solution.

     ...
     Restarting the KDC
     Please add records in this file to your DNS system: /tmp/ipa.system.records.UFRBto.db
     Restarting the web server
     ...

   Important

   The server installation is not complete until you add the DNS records to the existing DNS servers.

   • If your IdM deployment uses integrated DNS:

     • Add DNS delegation from the parent domain to the IdM DNS domain. For example, if the IdM DNS domain is idm.example.com, add a name server (NS) record to the example.com parent domain.

       Important

       Repeat this step each time after an IdM DNS server is installed.

     • Add an _ntp._udp service (SRV) record for your time server to your IdM DNS. The presence of the SRV record for the time server of the newly-installed IdM server in IdM DNS ensures that future replica and client installations are automatically configured to synchronize with the time server used by this primary IdM server.