Скачать или смотреть Solving User Delegation Issues in Ansible with Encrypted Variables

Discover how to effectively handle user switching and leverage encrypted variable management in Ansible for seamless tasks across different servers.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/62952302/ asked by the user 'Dominik S' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/7533331/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/63034606/ provided by the user 'Dominik S' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/7533331/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Switching user for delegation to host outside of inventory with Ansible/awx

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Switching User for Delegation in Ansible: Best Practices and Solutions

Managing network devices and remote servers with Ansible can sometimes present challenges, especially when it comes to user authentication. One common scenario is needing to access devices with different users who are not part of the standard inventory. This article delves into how to address this issue effectively, particularly when using Ansible AWX.

The Problem

You might find yourself needing to perform tasks that involve reading facts from Cisco IOS devices, saving the results, and then copying files to a remote server using a different user. However, this can lead to complications, especially if the required user is not part of the Ansible inventory. The ultimate goal is to use become_user and delegate_to to manage this process effectively. Here’s an overview of the standard steps in such a scenario:

Read facts from IOS devices.

Save the output using a template.

Transfer the final file with a different user context.

However, issues can arise, such as failing to access SSH key files due to user directory permissions, leading to error messages during playbook execution.

The Solution: Utilizing Encrypted Variables

Fortunately, one way to address this issue is by leveraging Ansible Vault, which allows you to securely encrypt sensitive data like passwords. Below is a breakdown of the steps to implement this solution effectively.

Step 1: Encrypt Your Passwords

To start with, encrypt the passwords needed for accessing your Cisco devices. This step should be performed from any command line where Ansible is installed. Use the following command:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This command prompts you for a password to encrypt and decrypt your data, ensuring that sensitive information remains secure. For Cisco devices, make sure to encrypt both the SSH and enable passwords.

Step 2: Add Encrypted Passwords to Inventory

Once your passwords are encrypted, add them to your Ansible inventory file. For example, you can create an inventory structure like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This structure utilizes ansible_ssh_pass for SSH access and ansible_become_pass for privileged access, both stored securely.

Step 3: Configure Vault Password in AWX

In your AWX setup, you need to add the vault password as a credential:

Create a new credential with the type "Vault."

Input the password you used for encryption.

Attach this credential to your relevant job template in AWX.

With this configuration, your playbooks can automatically leverage the vault credential and decrypt sensitive strings seamlessly during execution.

Step 4: Craft the Final Playbook

Your playbook needs to be structured to ensure it can gather facts and manage file transfers effectively. Here’s an example of how your playbook might look:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This playbook manages the entire process, from gathering facts to executing templates and finally transferring files while maintaining secure access through encrypted credentials.

Conclusion

Incorporating encrypted variables into your Ansible playbooks and configurations significantly enhances security and flexibility when working with multiple user roles. By following the outlined steps, you can effectively manage user delegation challenges while maintaining best practices in handling sensitive information. Embrace these solutions to streamline your networking automation tasks efficiently!