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70 lines
3.8 KiB
Plaintext
Control node
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============
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The machine from which you run the Ansible CLI tools (``ansible-playbook`` , ``ansible``, ``ansible-vault`` and others).
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You can use any computer that meets the software requirements as a control node - laptops, shared desktops, and servers can all run Ansible.
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Multiple control nodes are possible, but Ansible itself does not coordinate across them, see ``AAP`` for such features.
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Managed nodes
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=============
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Also referred to as 'hosts', these are the target devices (servers, network appliances or any computer) you aim to manage with Ansible.
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Ansible is not normally installed on managed nodes, unless you are using ``ansible-pull``, but this is rare and not the recommended setup.
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Inventory
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=========
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A list of managed nodes provided by one or more 'inventory sources'. Your inventory can specify information specific to each node, like IP address.
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It is also used for assigning groups, that both allow for node selection in the Play and bulk variable assignment.
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To learn more about inventory, see :ref:`the Working with Inventory<intro_inventory>` section. Sometimes an inventory source file is also referred to as a 'hostfile'.
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Playbooks
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=========
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They contain Plays (which are the basic unit of Ansible execution). This is both an 'execution concept' and how we describe the files on which ``ansible-playbook`` operates.
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Playbooks are written in YAML and are easy to read, write, share and understand. To learn more about playbooks, see :ref:`about_playbooks`.
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Plays
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-----
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The main context for Ansible execution, this playbook object maps managed nodes (hosts) to tasks.
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The Play contains variables, roles and an ordered lists of tasks and can be run repeatedly.
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It basically consists of an implicit loop over the mapped hosts and tasks and defines how to iterate over them.
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Roles
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.....
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A limited distribution of reusable Ansible content (tasks, handlers, variables, plugins, templates and files) for use inside of a Play.
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To use any Role resource, the Role itself must be imported into the Play.
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Tasks
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.....
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The definition of an 'action' to be applied to the managed host. Tasks must always be contained in a Play, directly or indirectly (Role, or imported/included task list file).
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You can execute a single task once with an ad hoc command using ``ansible`` or ``ansible-console`` (both create a virtual Play).
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Handlers
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........
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A special form of a Task, that only executes when notified by a previous task which resulted in a 'changed' status.
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Modules
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=======
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The code or binaries that Ansible copies to and executes on each managed node (when needed) to accomplish the action defined in each Task.
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Each module has a particular use, from administering users on a specific type of database to managing VLAN interfaces on a specific type of network device.
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You can invoke a single module with a task, or invoke several different modules in a playbook.
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Ansible modules are grouped in collections. For an idea of how many collections Ansible includes, see the :ref:`list_of_collections`.
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Plugins
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=======
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Pieces of code that expand Ansible's core capabilities, they can control how you connect to a managed node (connection plugins),
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manipulate data (filter plugins) and even control what is displayed in the console (callback plugins).
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See :ref:`working_with_plugins` for details.
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Collections
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===========
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A format in which Ansible content is distributed that can contain playbooks, roles, modules, and plugins. You can install and use collections through `Ansible Galaxy <https://galaxy.ansible.com>`_. To learn more about collections, see :ref:`collections`. Collection resources can be used independently and discretely from each other.
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AAP
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===
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Short for 'Ansible Automation Platform'. This is a product that includes enterprise level features and integrates many tools of the Ansible ecosystem: ansible-core, awx, galaxyNG, and so on.
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