Master Ansible: Using yum_repository, yum, and systemd Modules for Efficient Automation

With the rise of cloud computing and container technologies, automated operations have become essential for IT infrastructure management. Ansible, a lightweight agentless automation tool, excels in deployment and configuration management.

yum_repository Module

The yum_repository module configures YUM repositories in Ansible, offering many options to add or remove repositories.

name (required) : The repository name part in the repo file.

file : Filename (without .repo) to store the repository; defaults to the name.

description : Human‑readable description, maps to the name attribute in the repo file.

baseurl : URL to download packages.

enabled : Whether to use the repository, default yes.

state : Repository file state, default present.

gpgcheck : Whether to perform GPG signature check (yes/no).

gpgkey : URL of the ASCII‑armored GPG key file.

Example to create a repo:

<code>ansible -i hosts -m yum_repository -a "name=epel file=test-epel description='Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux 7' baseurl=https://mirrors.aliyun.com/epel/7/x86_64/ state=present enabled=yes gpgcheck=no"</code>

Example to delete the repo:

<code>ansible -i hosts -m yum_repository -a "name=epel file=test-epel state=absent"</code>

yum Module

The yum module manages packages on RHEL/CentOS systems, similar to apt, supporting install, update, and removal.

name : Package name, optionally with version, path, or URL.

state : absent, installed, latest, present, removed (default none).

enablerepo : Repo ID to enable for the operation.

disablerepo : Repo ID to disable.

download_only : Download without installing, default no.

download_dir : Directory to store downloaded packages.

Examples:

<code># Install vim
ansible -i hosts -m yum -a "name=vim state=present"

# Download jq without installing
ansible -i hosts -m yum -a "name=jq-1.6-2.el7 state=present download_only=yes download_dir=/tmp/test"

# Install jq from epel repository
ansible -i hosts -m yum -a "name=jq-1.6-2.el7 state=present enablerepo=epel disablerepo=*"</code>

systemd Module

The systemd module manages services on remote hosts, allowing start, stop, restart, or enable at boot.

name : Service name.

state : reloaded, restarted, started, stopped.

enabled : Whether the service should start on boot.

daemon_reload : Reload systemd manager configuration.

Examples:

<code># Reload systemd configuration
ansible -i hosts -m systemd -a "daemon_reload=yes"

# Start kubelet and enable at boot
ansible -i hosts -m systemd -a "name=kubelet state=started enabled=yes"</code>

By mastering these modules, readers can enhance automation efficiency in daily operations.