Automation tools can help transform unwieldly IT tasks—managing zero downtime rolling updates, for example—into something far more manageable. In this course, explore Ansible, an easy-to-use IT automation engine. To begin, instructor Jesse Keating explains what the Ansible system is, and how to install Ansible on a Linux operating system so you can start experimenting with it. Next, Jesse goes into the different components in an Ansible system, covering concepts such as how to work with hosts and variables and control task and play behavior. After he goes over the fundamental concepts of this system, Jesse shares some of the high-level use cases that Ansible was designed to tackle.

Topics include:

What is Ansible?

Working with hosts and variables

Controlling task and play behavior

Coordinating complicated sets of actions

Managing system configurations

Reacting to configuration changes

Repeating a task across a fleet

Managing extensions in Ansible

0. Introduction

Welcome

What you should know

1. What Is Ansible?

An introduction to Ansible

Low-cost fleet management

Get started with Ansible

2. What Are the Parts of Ansible?

Work with hosts and variables

Provided code to accomplish work

Playbooks: Collections of tasks

Control task and play behavior

Challenge: Write a playbook

Solution: Write a playbook

3. What Is Ansible Good For?

Code-driven deployments and operations

Coordinate complicated sets of actions

Manage system configurations

React to configuration changes

Infrastructure management

Repeat a task across a fleet

Challenge: Ad-hoc task

Solution: Ad-hoc task

4. Why Choose Ansible

Ansible ease of use

Manage extensions in Ansible

Advantages to using Ansible

Next steps