6_workflow.md

Ansible AWX Guide: from scratch to REST API (6/8)

AWX Workflow Use Case

This topic is about creating an AWX workflow.

Table of Contents

• Concepts
• Accessing AWX
• Create a machine credential
• Create a project
• Create a job template for basic playbook
• Create a job template for awx-api-inventory playbook
• Create a workflow template
• Run workflow
• Check workflow results
• Check inventory
• Summary
• References

Concepts

What is Workflows

Workflows allow you to configure a sequence of disparate job templates (or workflow templates) that may or may not share inventory, playbooks, or permissions. However, workflows have ‘admin’ and ‘execute’ permissions, similar to job templates. A workflow accomplishes the task of tracking the full set of jobs that were part of the release process as a single unit. ¹

Accessing AWX

Log in to AWX, in my case "https://awx.example.com"

Access login page, insert your credentials > click [SIGN IN]

Create a machine credential

Create the "DevOps User" machine credential.
Use the OpenSSH Private Key generated by previous topic.

Left Menu (Credentials) > click [+] > Fill the form > click [SAVE]

Here is another way to do the same task using tower-cli:

tower-cli credential create --organization "Default" --name "DevOps User" \
  --credential-type "Machine" \
  --inputs "{'username': 'devops', 'ssh_key_data': \"$( sed -z 's/\n/\\n/g' ~/.ssh/id_rsa )\", 'become_method': 'sudo', 'become_username': 'root'}"

Create a project

Create the "GitHub AWX" project.
Use: https://github.com/cdomingos/ansible-playbook-awxapiinventory.git

Left Menu (Projects) > click [+] > Fill the form > click [SAVE]

Here is another way to do the same task using tower-cli:

tower-cli project create --organization "Default" --name "GitHub AWX" \
  --scm-type git \
  --scm-url https://github.com/cdomingos/ansible-playbook-awxapiinventory.git \
  --scm-update-on-launch true \
  --wait

Create a job template for basic playbook

Create the "JT - GitHub AWX Basic" job template.

Left Menu (Templates) > click [+] (Job Template) > Fill the form > click [SAVE]

Here is another way to do the same task using tower-cli:

tower-cli job_template create --name="JT - GitHub AWX Basic" --inventory="Example Inventory" \
  --credential="DevOps User" \
  --project="GitHub AWX" --become-enabled true --playbook=basic.yml

Create a job template for awx-api-inventory playbook

Create the "JT - GitHub AWX API" job template.

NOTE: no credentials are required.

Left Menu (Templates) > click [+] (Job Template) > Fill the form > click [SAVE]

Here is another way to do the same task using tower-cli:

tower-cli job_template create --name="JT - GitHub AWX API" --inventory="Example Inventory" \
    --project="GitHub AWX" --playbook=awx-api-inventory.yml

Create a workflow template

Create the "WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX" workflow template.

Left Menu (Templates) > click [+] (Workflow Template) > Fill the form > click [SAVE] After [SAVE] will redirect to workflow visualizer > click [START] > Select (JT - GitHub AWX Basic) / RUN: ALWAYS > click [SELECT] > click (+) in (JT - GitHub AWX Basic) > Select (JT - GitHub AWX API) / RUN: On Success > click [SELECT] > click [SAVE]

Here is another way to do the same task using tower-cli ²:

tower-cli workflow create --name="WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX"

tower-cli node create --workflow-job-template "WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX" \
  --job-template "JT - GitHub AWX Basic"

tower-cli node create --workflow-job-template "WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX" \
  --job-template "JT - GitHub AWX API"

tower-cli node associate_success_node 1 2

Run workflow

Run the "WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX" workflow.

Left Menu (Templates) > click [rocket icon] in (WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX)

Here is another way to do the same task using tower-cli:

tower-cli workflow_job launch --workflow-job-template "WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX" --monitor

Check workflow results

Check the "WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX" workflow and their jobs results.

Left Menu (Jobs) > click last job for (WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX)

Here is another way to do the same task using tower-cli:

tower-cli job list --job-template "JT - GitHub AWX Basic"

tower-cli job list --job-template "JT - GitHub AWX API"

tower-cli workflow_job list --workflow-job-template "WORKFLOW - GitHub AWX"

Check inventory

Check the "Example Inventory" inventory status.

Left Menu (Inventories) > click (Example Inventory) > click [HOSTS]

Here is another way to do the same task using tower-cli:

tower-cli host list --inventory "Example Inventory"

Summary

In this topic was presented:

• Working with AWX using Web UI and CLI;
• Create a complete workflow in AWX;
• Execute a workflow in AWX.

References

[1] - https://docs.ansible.com/ansible-tower/latest/html/userguide/workflows.html

[2] - https://github.com/ansible/tower-cli/blob/master/docs/source/cli_ref/usage/WORKFLOWS.rst

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