Ansible Core Concepts and Advanced Features

Ansible Core Concepts and Advanced Features

by Sander van Vugt
Released August 2024
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 0135391660

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Video description

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11 hours of video training

Get started with Ansible for managing Linux, Windows, Containers, Network Devices, and Cloud.

  • Get the fundamentals of Ansible and its core concepts
  • Learn how to use Ansible modules to manage any IT asset
  • Labs in each lesson for real-world applications

Ansible is the leading solution for configuration management. It can be used to automate the management of different assets in an IT environment, including Linux, Windows, Cloud, Network Devices and more. This course has been built to help developers, administrators and users get up to speed quickly on Ansible’s concepts and functionality. Learn what Ansible is and how to modify and organize your Ansible set-up, it is organized, and explore playbooks, modules, content collections and how to use these with variables and conditionals. You will also explore how to manage files with Jinja2 templates, and Ansible roles to include standardized components in Ansible. Further, it will look at more advanced topics, including filters and plugins, which let you extend Ansible functionality easily.

Every lesson contains many practical examples that show how Ansible is used in the real world. At the end of each lesson there is an exercise, which is followed by an exercise explanation, which makes this course an ideal solution for getting started with Ansible.

Related learning:

About the Instructor

Sander van Vugt has many years of experience working with, writing about, and teaching Linux and Open-Source topics. He is the author of the best-selling Red Hat RHCSA Cert Guide and the Red Hat RHCSA Complete Video Course along with many other titles on topics that include RHCE, Bash, Kubernetes, Ansible and more. Sander also works as a Linux instructor, teaching on-site and online classes for customers around the world. Sander is the co-founder of Living Open-Source Foundation, which provides free education in open-source software worldwide.

Skill Level:

  • Beginner

Course requirement:

  • None

About Pearson Video Training:

Pearson publishes expert-led video tutorials covering a wide selection of technology topics designed to teach you the skills you need to succeed. These professional and personal technology videos feature world-leading author instructors published by your trusted technology brands: Addison-Wesley, Cisco Press, Pearson IT Certification, Prentice Hall, Sams, and Que Topics include: IT Certification, Network Security, Cisco Technology, Programming, Web Development, Mobile Development, and more. Learn more about Pearson Video training at http://www.informit.com/video.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
    1. Ansible Core Concepts and Advanced Features: Introduction
  2. Module 1: Fundamentals
    1. Module Introduction
  3. Lesson 1: What is Ansible
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 1.1 What is Configuration Management
    3. 1.2 Solutions for Configuration Management
    4. 1.3 Configuring as Code and DevOps
    5. 1.4 Ansible Components
    6. 1.5 Working with Ansible in Small Environments
    7. 1.6 Working with Ansible in Large Environments
  4. Lesson 2: Getting Started
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 2.1 Ansible Infrastructure Components
    3. 2.2 Setting up a RHEL Ansible Control Node
    4. 2.3 Setting up an Ubuntu Ansible Control Node
    5. 2.4 Setting up an Ansible Control Node with Python pip
    6. 2.5 Requirements for Managing Assets
    7. 2.6 Modules and Collections
    8. 2.7 Using Ansible to Configure Managed Nodes
    9. 2.8 Defining Default Settings in ansible.cfg
    10. 2.9 Managing Windows
    11. 2.10 Using MacOS as a Control Node
  5. Lesson 3: Using Ansible in Large Environments
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 3.1 Centralizing Configuration as Code Using Git
    3. 3.2 Using AWX and Ansible Automation Platform
    4. 3.3 Configuring ansible-navigator
    5. 3.4 Working with ansible-navigator
    6. 3.5 Providing Required Collections for ansible-navigator
    7. 3.6 ansible-navigator Configuration
    8. Lesson 3 Lab: Using ansible-navigator
  6. Lesson 4: Using Ad-Hoc Commands
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 4.1 Ad-hoc Commands versus Playbooks
    3. 4.2 Using Ansible Content Collections
    4. 4.3 Exploring Essential Ansible Modules
    5. 4.4 Using Module Documentation
    6. 4.5 Using Ansible in an Idempotent Way
    7. Lesson 4 Lab: Using Ad-Hoc Commands
    8. Lesson 4 Lab Solution: Using Ad-Hoc Commands
  7. Lesson 5: Using Ansible Playbooks
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 5.1 Understanding Playbook Structure
    3. 5.2 Running Your First Playbook
    4. 5.3 Understanding Task Execution and Errors
    5. 5.4 Using ansible-navigator to Run Playbooks
    6. Lesson 5 Lab: Using a Playbook to Deploy a Webserver
    7. Lesson 5 Lab Solution: Using a Playbook to Deploy a Webserver
  8. Module 2: Developing Flexible Playbooks
    1. Module Introduction
  9. Lesson 6: Working with Variables
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 6.1 Separating Code from Site-Specific Configuration
    3. 6.3 Understanding Where to Define Your Variables
    4. 6.4 Using Ansible Facts
    5. 6.5 Using set_fact
    6. 6.6 Understanding Different Notations for Facts and Variables
    7. 6.7 Using Multi-valued Variables
    8. 6.8 Using Magic Variables
    9. 6.9 Using Register
    10. 6.10 Using Vault to Store Sensitive Information
  10. Lesson 7: Using Conditionals
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 7.1 Conditionals Overview
    3. 7.2 Using loop to Process a List of Items
    4. 7.3 Using Handlers for Conditional Task Execution
    5. 7.4 Using when to Run Tasks in Specific Situations
    6. 7.5 Using register to Work with Task Results
    7. 7.6 Using Blocks
    8. 7.8 Using assert
    9. Lesson 7 Lab: Using when to Create Idempotency
    10. Lesson 7 Lab Solution: Using when to Create Idempotency
  11. Lesson 8: Managing Files
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 8.1 Manipulating Files
    3. 8.2 Changing File Contents
    4. 8.3 Using the find Module
    5. 8.4 Using Templates
    6. 8.5 Using Conditional Statements in Templates
    7. Lesson 8 Lab: Working with Files
    8. Lesson 8 Lab Solution: Working with Files
  12. Lesson 9: Using Roles
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 9.1 Understanding and Using Roles
    3. 9.2 Working with ansible-galaxy
    4. 9.3 How Roles are Organized
    5. 9.4 Writing Custom Roles
    6. 9.5 Using System Roles
    7. Lesson 9 Lab: Working with Roles
  13. Module 3: Advanced Ansible Management
    1. Module Introduction
  14. Lesson 10: Ansible Best Practices and Optimization
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 10.1 Using include and import
    3. 10.2 Configuring Security
    4. 10.3 Using Tags
    5. 10.4 Using Delegation
    6. 10.5 Managing Parallelism
    7. 10.6 Efficiently Copying Files
    8. 10.7 Optimizing SSH
    9. 10.8 Case Study: Optimizing Ansible
    10. Lesson 10 Lab: Optimizing Ansible
  15. Lesson 11: Using Filters
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 11.1 Understanding Filters and Plugins
    3. 11.2 Filters, Plugins, and Collections
    4. 11.3 Understanding Filters and Variable Types
    5. 11.4 Using Filters to Change Variables
    6. 11.5 Using Filters to Work with Network Addresses
    7. 11.6 Examples of Using Filters
    8. 11.7 More examples of using filters
    9. Lesson 11 Lab: Using Filters
    10. Lesson 11 Lab Solution: Using Filters
  16. Lesson 12: Using Plugins
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 12.1 Understanding Plugins
    3. 12.2 Exploring Lookup Plugins
    4. 12.3 Common Lookup Plugins
    5. 12.4 Using the fileglob Plugin
    6. 12.5 Plugin-based Inventory
    7. 12.6 Fact Caching
    8. 12.7 Creating Random Passwords
    9. 12.8 The test Plugin
    10. Lesson 12 Lab: Using Callback Plugins
    11. Lesson 12 Lab Solution: Using Callback Plugins
  17. Summary
    1. Ansible Core Concepts and Advanced Features: Summary

Product information

  • Title: Ansible Core Concepts and Advanced Features
  • Author(s): Sander van Vugt
  • Release date: August 2024
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 0135391660