Exercise - Surveys

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Table of Contents

• Objective
• Guide
• The Apache-Configuration Role
• Create the Project
• Create a Template with a Survey
  • Create Template
  • Add the Survey
• Launch the Template
• What About Some Practice?

Objective

Demonstrate the use of the Ansible Automation Controller survey feature. Surveys allow for setting extra variables for the playbook, similar to ‘Prompt for Extra Variables,’ but in a user-friendly Q&A format. They also allow for validation of user input.

Guide

You’ve installed Apache on all hosts in the job you just ran. Now, let’s build on this:

• Use a proper role that includes a Jinja2 template to deploy an index.html file.
• Create a job Template with a survey to collect values for the index.html template.
• Launch the job Template.

Additionally, the role will ensure that the Apache configuration is set up correctly for this exercise.

Tip
The survey feature provides a simple query for data but does not support dynamic data queries, nested menus, or four-eye principles.

The Apache-Configuration Role

The playbook and role with the Jinja2 template are located in the GitHub repository https://github.com/ansible/workshop-examples in the rhel/apache directory.

• Have a look at the playbook apache_role_install.yml, which references the role.
• The role is located in the roles/role_apache subdirectory.
• Inside the role, note the two variables in the templates/index.html.j2 template file marked by ``.
• The tasks/main.yml file deploys the template.

The playbook creates a file (dest) on the managed hosts from the template (src).

Because the playbook and role are located in the same GitHub repo as the apache_install.yml playbook, you don’t need to configure a new project for this exercise.

Create a Template with a Survey

Now, let’s create a new Template that includes a survey.

Create Template

1. Go to Automation Execution → Templates, click the Create template button, and choose Create job template.

2. Fill out the following details:

Parameter	Value
Name	Create index.html
Job Type	Run
Inventory	Workshop Inventory
Project	Workshop Project
Playbook	rhel/apache/apache_role_install.yml
Execution Environment	Default execution environment
Credentials	Workshop Credential
Limit	web
Options	Privilege Escalation

1. Click Create job template.

Warning
Do not run the template yet!

Add the Survey

1. In the Template, click the Survey tab, then click Create survey question.
2. Fill out the following for the first survey question:

Parameter	Value
Question	First Line
Answer Variable Name	first_line
Answer Type	Text

1. Click Create survey question.
2. Click Create survey question to create a second survey question:

Parameter	Value
Question	Second Line
Answer Variable Name	second_line
Answer Type	Text

1. Click Create survey question.
2. Enable the survey by toggling the Survey disabled button to the on positon.

Launch the Template

Now, launch the Create index.html job template by clicking the Launch template button.

Before the job starts, the survey will prompt for First Line and Second Line. Enter your text and click Next. The Preview window shows the values—if all looks good, click Finish to start the job.

Once the job completes, verify the Apache homepage by running the following curl command in the SSH console on the control host:

Go to Automation Execution → Infrastructure → Inventories → Workshop Inventory

In the **Automation Execution → Infrastructure → Inventories → Workshop Inventory, select the Hosts tab and select node1 and click Run Command

Within the Details window, select Module command, in Arguments type curl http://node1 and click Next.

Within the Execution Environment window, select Default execution environment and click Next.

Within the Credential window, select Workshop Credentials and click Next.

Review your inputs and click Finish.

Verify that the output result is as expected.

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