Linux Automation with Ansible («LINANS»)

• Understanding the architecture and functionality of Ansible
• Understanding the differences between static and dynamic inventories
• Understanding Ansible's configuration files
• Understanding the differences between ad hoc commands and playbooks
• Using “define” and register variables and facts
• Using Jinja2 templates and control structures
• Iterating over lists, dictionaries, files, inventory and number sequences
• Understanding, creating and deploying roles and Ansible galays
• Learning how to handle and encrypt passwords and Vault IDs

• What is Ansible and why automation?
• Architecture and functionality
• The inventory system: Static & dynamic
• Practice: Ansible installation and first SSH connections

• Configuration files and their order
• Ad-hoc commands vs. playbooks
• Modules and syntax help
• Practice: Ad-hoc commands and first tasks

• YAML basics and common errors
• Structure and flow of playbooks
• Modules by category: System, network, cloud, Windows
• Practice: File & service management, security, user management

• Defining and using variables
• Facts & registered variables
• Variable hierarchy and priority
• Inclusions (include/import)
• Practice: Displaying facts, testing variables

• Syntax, expressions, filters and tests
• Lookup plugins and data processing
• Control structures (if/for) and whitespace control
• Practice: Template creation and dynamic configuration

• Standard and nested loops
• Iteration via lists, dictionaries, files, inventory, number series
• “until” for repetitions with condition
• Practice: Repeated tasks and targeted evaluations

• when clauses: Conditional execution of tasks
• Handlers & notify/lists
• Tags for selective execution
• Block/Rescue/Always for robust error handling
• Practice: checking ACLs, restarting services, intercepting errors

• Structure and advantages of roles
• pre-/post_tasks, dependencies and Ansible Galaxy
• Creating and documenting roles
• Practice: converting playbooks into roles, system checks as roles

• Handling sensitive data
• Encryption and password management
• Vault IDs for multiple environments
• Practice: encrypting variables and using them securely

The course is structured as a workshop with theoretical impulses. For each chapter there is initial information and then labs, which the participants solve independently. The labs contain the solutions so that the participant can also recapitulate them after the course during self-study.

The labs are extensive and take a total of around 3 hours per day.

• Linux system administrators who want to automate daily tasks and manage their environment more efficiently
• IT professionals who are looking for an easy introduction to modern automation tools - without having to learn complex programming languages
• DevOps newcomers who want to integrate automation into their workflow
• Teams who want to rely on standardized, repeatable deployments
• IT instructors or trainers who want to integrate Ansible as a topic in training courses
• Experienced admins who already write shell, bash or PowerShell scripts - and now want to rely on a central tool

• Basic knowledge of Linux and the command line
• Experience with SSH and text-based configuration files is an advantage
• No previous knowledge of Ansible or YAML required