Red Hat 8 System Administration - Part 3 - Linux Automation with Ansible

Learn how to define and manage variables using lists and dictionaries. You’ll discover how to load variables from files, pass them via the command line, and prompt for user input during playbook execution. We cover registering values from tasks, accessing Ansible facts, and using conditionals based on system information. Understand how to iterate through variables using loops and capture failures for more resilient automation. By combining these techniques, you’ll make your automation smarter and more adaptable to different environments and deployment contexts. 

Understand how to create and use Jinja2 templates to dynamically generate configuration files based on variables and logic. You’ll construct file templates and learn how to use them within roles and playbooks. This section also guides you through searching, downloading and using shared roles and playbooks from Ansible Galaxy. You’ll develop the confidence to incorporate public content into your projects while maintaining best practices. Exercises cover real examples of templated configuration files to illustrate the flexibility and power of templating with Ansible. 

Delve into advanced topics such as parallel execution, forks and connection strategies to increase efficiency. Learn to enable fact caching and understand its role in performance. Use Ansible Vault to encrypt sensitive information and manage secure access to confidential data. You’ll also configure server and client logging, manage output redirection and implement error-handling techniques including retries and ignore conditions. The section finishes by integrating Ansible into shell scripts, enabling you to trigger automation as part of wider workflows and processes.