Deploying files

Using Modules to Manipulate Files

Common modules to manipulate files

copy

Copies files to remote locations fetch
Fetches files from remote locations file
Manage file and file properties
Create new files or directories
Create links
Remove files
Set permissions and ownership

acl

Work with file system ACLs find
Find files based on properties lineinfile
Manages lines in text files blockinfile
Manage blocks in text files replace
Replaces strings in text files based on regex synchronize
Performs rsync-based synchronization tasks stat
Retrieves file or file system status
not used to change anything
use it to check specific file and perform an action if the properties are not set as expected. Shows:
which permission mode is set,
whether it is a link,
which checksum is set on the file
etc.
See ansible-doc stat for list of full output

Lab: write a message if the expected permission mode is not set.

---
- name: stat module test
  hosts: ansible1
  tasks:
  - command: touch /tmp/statfile
  - stat:
      path: /tmp/statfile
    register: st
  - name: show current values
    debug:
      msg: current value of the st variable is {{ st }}
  - fail:
      msg: "unexpected file mode, should be set to 0640"
    when: st.stat.mode != '0640'

Lab: Use the file Module to Correct File Properties Discovered with stat

---
- name: stat module tests
  hosts: ansible1
  tasks:
  - command: touch /tmp/statfile
  - stat:
      path: /tmp/statfile
    register: st
  - name: show current values
    debug:
      msg: current value of the st variable is {{ st }}
  - name: changing file permissions if that's needed
    file:
      path: /tmp/statfile
      mode: 0640
    when: st.stat.mode != '0640'

Managing File Contents

Use lineinfile, template, or blockinfile instead of copy to manage text in a file.

Lab: Change a string, based on a regular expression.

---
- name: configuring SSH
  hosts: all
  tasks:
  - name: disable root SSH login
    lineinfile:
      dest: /etc/ssh/sshd_config
      regexp: "^PermitRootLogin"
      line: "PermitRootLogin no"
    notify: restart sshd

  handlers:
  - name: restart sshd
    service:
      name: sshd
      state: restarted

Lab: Manipulate multiple lines

---
- name: modifying file
  hosts: all
  tasks:
  - name: ensure /tmp/hosts exists
    file:
      path: /tmp/hosts
      state: touch
  - name: add some lines to /tmp/hosts
    blockinfile:
      path: /tmp/hosts
      block: |
        192.168.4.110 host1.example.com
        192.168.4.120 host2.example.com
      state: present

When blockinfile is used, the text specified in the block is copied with a start and end indicator.

[ansible@ansible1 ~]$ cat /tmp/hosts
127.0.0.1   localhost localhost.localdomain localhost4 localhost4.localdomain4
::1         localhost localhost.localdomain localhost6 localhost6.localdomain6
192.168.122.201 ansible1
192.168.122.202 ansible2
192.168.122.203 ansible3
# BEGIN ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK
192.168.4.110 host1.example.com
192.168.4.120 host2.example.com
# END ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK

Lab: Creating and Removing Files

Use the file module to create a new directory and in that directory create an empty file, then remove the directory recursively.

---
- name: using the file module
  hosts: ansible1
  tasks:
  - name: create directory
    file:
      path: /newdir
      owner: ansible
      group: ansible
      mode: 770
      state: directory
  - name: create file in that directory
    file:
      path: /newdir/newfile
      state: touch
  - name: show the new file
    stat:
      path: /newdir/newfile
    register: result
  - debug:
      msg: |
        This shows that newfile was created
        "{{ result }}"
  - name: removing everything again
    file:
      path: /newdir
      state: absent

state: absent recursively removes the directory.

Moving Files Around

copy module Copies a file from the Ansible control host to a managed machine.

fetch module Enables you to do the opposite.

synchronize module Performs Linux rsync-like tasks. Ensures that a file from the control host is synchronized to a file with that name on the managed host.

copy module always creates a new file, whereas the synchronize module updates a current existing file.

Lab: Moving a File Around with Ansible

---
- name: file copy modules
  hosts: all
  tasks:
  - name: copy file demo
    copy:
      src: /etc/hosts
      dest: /tmp/
  - name: add some lines to /tmp/hosts
    blockinfile:
      path: /tmp/hosts
      block: |
        192.168.4.110 host1.example.com
        192.168.4.120 host2.example.com
      state: present
  - name: verify file checksum
    stat:
      path: /tmp/hosts
      checksum_algorithm: md5
    register: result
  - debug:
      msg: "The checksum of /tmp/hosts is {{ result.stat.checksum }}"
  - name: fetch a file
    fetch:
      src: /tmp/hosts
      dest: /tmp/

Ansible creates a subdirectory on the control node for each managed host in the dest directory and puts the file that fetch has copied from the remote host in that subdirectory:

/tmp/ansible1/tmp/hosts
/tmp/ansible2/tmp/hosts

Lab: Managing Files with Ansible

1. Create a file with the name exercise81.yaml and give it the following play header: 2. Add a task that creates a new empty file: 3. Use the stat module to check on the status of the new file: 4. To see what the status module is doing, add a line that uses the debug module: 5. Now that you understand which values are stored in newfile, you can add a conditional play that changes the current owner if not set correctly: 6. Add a second play to the playbook that fetches a remote file: 7. Now that you have fetched the file so that it is on the Ansible control machine, use blockinfile to edit it: 8. In the final step, copy the modified file to ansible2 by including the following play: 9. At this point you’re ready to run the playbook. Type ansible-playbook exercise81.yaml to run it and observe the results. 10. Type ansible ansible2 -a "cat /tmp/motd" to verify that the modified motd file was successfully copied to ansible2.

---
- name: testing file manipulation skills
  hosts: ansible1
  tasks:
    - name: create new file
      file:
        name: /tmp/newfile
        state: touch
    - name: check the status of the new file
      stat:
        path: /tmp/newfile
      register: newfile
    - name: for debugging only
      debug:
        msg: the current values for newfile are {{ newfile }}
    - name: change file owner if needed
      file:
        path: /tmp/newfile
        owner: ansible
      when: newfile.stat.pw_name != 'ansible'

- name: fetching a remote file
  hosts: ansible1
  tasks:
    - name: fetch file from remote machine
      fetch:
        src: /etc/motd
        dest: /tmp
        
- name: adding text to the text file that is now on localhost
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
  - name: add a message
    blockinfile:
      path: /tmp/ansible1/etc/motd
      block: |
        welcome to this server
        for authorized users only
      state: present

- name: copy the modified file to ansible2
  hosts: ansible2
  tasks:
  - name: copy motd file
    copy:
      src: /tmp/ansible1/etc/motd
      dest: /tmp