Welcome to ApiusLAB - ansible_journey project

Project Overview

ansible_journey is a project aimed at automating network configurations using Ansible within a Docker environment, specifically targeting Arista EOS switches. This project includes the creation of a Docker container with Ansible, installation of the Arista EOS galaxy collections, and execution of basic network configuration tasks such as setting hostnames and managing VLANs.

Getting Started

Project Structure

docker/ansible_journey.docker: Dockerfile that defines the Docker container with Ansible and Arista EOS galaxy collections.
contanerlab_DEMO: Guide how to setup network part of this project - Demo, simple topology based on Arista cEOS images.
ansible/ansible.cfg: Ansible main configuration file
ansible/inventory.yml: Ansible inventory, credential setup and hierarchy definition.
ansible/group_vars: Ansible group vars definitions, common for all NE.
ansible/host_vars: Ansible host specific vars for SWITCH-1 and SWITCH-2 independently.
ansible/playbooks/set_MOTD.yml: Ansible playbook to set Message of the Day banner.
ansible/playbooks/change_hostname.yml: Ansible playbook to change the hostname on an Arista switch.
ansible/playbooks/add_vlans.yml: Ansible playbook to add VLANs to an Arista switch.
ansible/playbooks/revert_changes.yml: Ansible playbook to revert changes made by the other playbooks.

Prerequisites

Docker
Git (for cloning the repository)

Installation

Clone the Repository:

git clone https://github.com/marekplaza/ansible_journey.git
cd ansible_journey

Build the Docker Image:

cd docker
docker build -t ansible_journey -f ansible_journey.docker .

This command builds a Docker image named ansible_journey based on the ansible_journey.docker file in the repository, which includes Ansible and the necessary Arista collections:

# Use an official Python runtime as a parent image
FROM python:3.9-slim
# Set the working directory in the container
WORKDIR /ansible
# Install Ansible and necessary libraries
RUN pip install ansible pyyaml requests paramiko jsonschema ansible-pylibssh
# Install Arista collections
RUN ansible-galaxy collection install arista.eos arista.cvp
# Install SSH clients
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y ssh-client sshpass
# Optional tools
RUN apt-get install -y git
# Command to run when starting the container
CMD [ "ansible-playbook", "--version" ]

Usage

Running the Docker Container

To run the Docker container and access the Ansible environment:

docker run -it --rm ansible_journey

To gain access to your configuration and playbook localized on host mount your host workdir as container workdir, and then run docker:

 docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd):/ansible ansible_journey [CMD]

For example you can check if everthinig has been installed properly:

sudo docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd):/ansible ansible_journey ansible-galaxy collection list |grep arista
arista.cvp                    3.8.0  ✅
arista.eos                    6.2.1  ✅

Running the Demo Lab Network

To begin, please prepare at least two network devices. These could be set up using https://containerlab.dev/ tool. Guide how to set up sample DEMO enviroment, you will find in folder: containerlab_DEMO

Playbooks

Setting a Hostname The change_hostname.yml playbook sets a new hostname on the Arista switch. It first retrieves the current hostname and stores it for potential reversion.
```
docker run -it --rm --network host -v /etc/hosts:/etc/hosts -v $(pwd):/ansible ansible_journey ansible-playbook ./playbooks/set_motd.yml -i inventory.yml
```

Creating VLANs The add_vlans.yml playbook adds specified VLANs to the switch, demonstrating basic VLAN management.

docker run -it --rm --network host -v /etc/hosts:/etc/hosts -v $(pwd):/ansible ansible_journey ansible-playbook ./playbooks/add_vlans.yml -i inventory.yml

Reverting Changes The revert_changes.yml playbook can revert the hostname change and remove any VLANs that were added, showcasing the ability to rollback configurations.
```
docker run -it --rm --network host -v /etc/hosts:/etc/hosts -v $(pwd):/ansible ansible_journey ansible-playbook ./playbooks/revert_changes.yml -i inventory.yml
```

Sample Executions

In this scenario, we will add to SWITCH-1 a list of VLANs resulting from the sum of VLANs defined in host_vars and the common part of group_vars. Please take a closer look on the files including mentioned items:

group_vars (all.yml):

vlans:
 - id: 10
   name: "VLAN10__by_group_vars"
 - id: 20
   name: "VLAN20__by_group_vars"

host_vars (SWITCH-1.yml):

vlans:
 - id: 31
   name: "Admin_VLAN__by_host_vars"
 - id: 41
   name: "IoT_VLAN__by_host_vars"

Playbook add_vlans.yml, based on eos_vlan as a part of the eos collection and it presents itself as below:

---
  - hosts: SWITCH-1
    gather_facts: no
    tasks:
    - name: Add VLANs
      eos_vlans:
        config:
        - vlan_id: "{{ item.id }}"
          name: "{{ item.name }}"
        state: merged
      with_items: 
        - "{{ vlans }}"

❯ cd ansible
❯ docker run -it --rm --network host -v /etc/hosts:/etc/hosts -v $(pwd):/ansible ansible_journey ansible-playbook ./playbooks/add_vlans.yml -i inventory.yml -v
Using /ansible/ansible.cfg as config file

PLAY [SWITCH-1] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

TASK [Add VLANs] *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [SWITCH-1] => (item={'id': 31, 'name': 'Admin_VLAN__by_host_vars'}) => {"after": [{"name": "VLAN10bygroupvars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 10}, {"name": "VLAN20_by_group_vars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 20}, {"name": "Admin_VLAN__by_host_vars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 31}], "ansible_loop_var": "item", "before": [{"name": "VLAN10bygroupvars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 10}, {"name": "VLAN20_by_group_vars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 20}], "changed": true, "commands": ["vlan 31", "name Admin_VLAN__by_host_vars"], "item": {"id": 31, "name": "Admin_VLAN__by_host_vars"}}
changed: [SWITCH-1] => (item={'id': 41, 'name': 'IoT_VLAN__by_host_vars'}) => {"after": [{"name": "VLAN10bygroupvars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 10}, {"name": "VLAN20_by_group_vars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 20}, {"name": "Admin_VLAN__by_host_vars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 31}, {"name": "IoT_VLAN__by_host_vars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 41}], "ansible_loop_var": "item", "before": [{"name": "VLAN10bygroupvars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 10}, {"name": "VLAN20_by_group_vars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 20}, {"name": "Admin_VLAN__by_host_vars", "state": "active", "vlan_id": 31}], "changed": true, "commands": ["vlan 41", "name IoT_VLAN__by_host_vars"], "item": {"id": 41, "name": "IoT_VLAN__by_host_vars"}}

PLAY RECAP ***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
SWITCH-1                   : ok=1    changed=1    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0

Contributing

Contributions to ansible_journey are welcome. Please ensure that your contributions adhere to best practices and include appropriate documentation and tests.

marekplaza / ansible_journey