Ansible 203 - Windows Server Automation

Agenda

Ansible and Python Review

• Overview of Python and Ansible
• Python whitespace rules & best practices
• Conditional expressions
• Relational and Boolean operators
• Lists, Tuples, Dictionaries
• Indexing and slicing
• Built-in functions
• Writing custom functions
• Getting at methods
• Iterating with Loops (for and while)
• Working with files
• Software Control Management (SCM) (Git, Github, GitLab, Bitbucket, Cloudshare, etc.)
• Getting at RESTful interfaces
• Working with JSON
• Ansible with WinRM vs OpenSSH

Windows Automation

• RESTful API review
• Understanding API documentation
• Windows operations
• Getting running services on Windows platforms
• Install and uninstall MSIs
• Enable and disable Windows features
• Start, stop, and manage Windows services
• Create and manage local users and groups in Windows

Building Ansible Skillsets for Windows

• Common Windows operations
• Building roles
• Manage Windows packages via the Chocolatey package manager
• Manage and install Windows updates
• Fetch files from remote sites
• Push and execute PowerShell scripts
• Community modules for Windows
• Writing Ansible playbooks that respond to failures
• Writing Ansible playbooks that respond to failures

Blending Python and Ansible Skillsets

• Review how to use Python within Ansible
• Calling Python scripts with Ansible
• Jinja2 Templating Engine for Python (and Ansible)
• Using Templates in Ansible playbooks
• Jinja2 filters, looping, and other useful tricks for automating with Ansible
• Playbook tagging for selective runs
• When to use Python and when to use Ansible
• Writing a custom collection
• Writing custom roles
• Extending Ansible to support Windows

Customizing Ansible with Python

• Review – Running Scripts with Ansible
• Prompting for Ansible user input
• Writing a custom Ansible Module with Python
• Ansible “Engine” vs Ansible “Tower” – marketing hype, capabilities, costs, etc.
• Molecule – Testing your roles