How do I build automation with ChatGPT and keep my system running with Ansible

 Simplify Your Ansible Playbook Creation with ChatGPT

Are you tired of writing complex Ansible playbooks manually? Want to streamline your DevOps processes and save time? Look no further! I’ve just released a new video that shows you how to use ChatGPT to simplify and speed up the process of generating Ansible code.

In the video, I walk you through several practical examples where ChatGPT helps in automating the creation of Ansible playbooks. Whether you’re checking system resources, verifying Java installations, monitoring WebSphere applications, or ensuring your filesystems aren’t running out of space, ChatGPT can help you generate the required playbook code with ease.

What You’ll Learn:

1. System Resource Monitoring:

   • Learn how to create an Ansible playbook that monitors CPU, memory, disk, and network usage across your servers.

2. Conditional Logic for Different Linux Distros:

   • See how to write playbooks that adapt to different Linux distributions, ensuring that the correct commands are executed regardless of the environment.

3. Java and WebSphere Application Checks:

   • Discover how to automate the process of checking for Java installations and monitoring the status of WebSphere Application Server instances.

4. Filesystem Usage Alerts:

   • Watch how to create a playbook that checks filesystem usage and triggers alerts if any directory exceeds a specified storage threshold.

Why This Video is Essential:

Ansible is a powerful tool for automating IT infrastructure, but writing playbooks can be time-consuming and error-prone. By leveraging ChatGPT, you can generate accurate, optimized code faster and with less effort. This video is a must-watch for DevOps professionals, system administrators, and anyone looking to improve their Ansible workflows.

Watch the video now to see how ChatGPT can transform your approach to Ansible playbook creation and make your automation tasks more efficient than ever!

Ansible is giving below error - consul1 | UNREACHABLE!

Hello all and welcome again into my DevSecOps Blog!!

I am getting the below error while running the ansible consul1 -m ping on my Debian controller and host..

consul1 | UNREACHABLE! => {
    "changed": false,
    "msg": "Failed to create temporary directory.In some cases, you may have been able to authenticate and did not have permissions on the target directory. Consider changing the remote tmp path in ansible.cfg to a path rooted in \"/tmp\", for more error information use -vvv. Failed command was: ( umask 77 && mkdir -p \"` echo /home/ansible/.ansible/tmp `\"&& mkdir \"` echo /home/ansible/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1723792189.0846684-1866486-106472010969667 `\" && echo ansible-tmp-1723792189.0846684-1866486-106472010969667=\"` echo /home/ansible/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1723792189.0846684-1866486-106472010969667 `\" ), exited with result 127",
    "unreachable": true
}

....

As I could figure out a way to result from this - I consulted ChatGPT to help work around this..

Here is My prompt.

Prompt: 

[ Hey Brian, good morning .. I am getting below error while running the ansible consul1 -m ping on my debian controller and host. consul1 | UNREACHABLE! => { "changed": false, "msg": "Failed to create temporary directory.In some cases, you may have been able to authenticate and did not have permissions on the target directory. Consider changing the remote tmp path in ansible.cfg to a path rooted in \"/tmp\", for more error information use -vvv. Failed command was: ( umask 77 && mkdir -p \" echo /home/ansible/.ansible/tmp \"&& mkdir \" echo /home/ansible/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1723792189.0846684-1866486-106472010969667 \" && echo ansible-tmp-1723792189.0846684-1866486-106472010969667=\" echo /home/ansible/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1723792189.0846684-1866486-106472010969667 \" ), exited with result 127", "unreachable": true }" , can you please help me troubleshoot this and suggest me solutions for this problem?  ]

- I have made this GPT Myself and if you are into Code for Ansible you can find it here - Brian YML CODER. 

Ok, here is the output result.

The error message you're encountering suggests that Ansible is unable to create a temporary directory on the remote host. This issue is often related to permissions or the remote user not having the necessary privileges to create directories in the specified path.

Here’s a breakdown of the possible causes and steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve this issue:

1. Permission Issues on the Remote Host

• Issue: The user under which Ansible is executing commands (likely ansible based on the paths) might not have the necessary permissions to create directories in the /home/ansible/.ansible/tmp directory.
• Solution: Ensure that the remote user has appropriate permissions to write to the /home/ansible/.ansible/tmp directory. You can do this by connecting to the remote host and manually checking the permissions:

  bash
  ssh user@remote_host
  mkdir -p /home/ansible/.ansible/tmp

  If the ansible user cannot create the directory, adjust the permissions or use sudo as needed.

2. Insufficient Space or Quota Limits

• Issue: The remote system might be out of disk space, or the user might have hit their quota limit, preventing directory creation.
• Solution: Check the available disk space on the remote host with:

  bash
  df -h
  

  Also, check if there are any quota limits set for the user:

  bash
  quota -v ansible
  

  Ensure that there is sufficient space, and no quota limits are being exceeded.

3. Invalid or Non-Standard Shell Environment

• Issue: The shell environment might not be set up correctly, or the shell is non-standard, which might cause issues with command execution.
• Solution: Verify the shell environment for the user, and ensure that it’s a standard shell like bash or sh. You can also check if the shell initialization files (.bashrc, .profile, etc.) are misconfigured or not being executed properly.

4. Change the Remote Temporary Directory Path

• Issue: The default temporary directory might not be accessible or appropriate.
• Solution: Change the temporary directory to a path under /tmp in your ansible.cfg. You can do this by adding or updating the following setting in your ansible.cfg:

  ini
  [defaults]
  remote_tmp = /tmp/.ansible/tmp
  

  This setting will ensure that the temporary directory is created in /tmp, which is generally accessible by all users.

5. Verbose Output for Detailed Error Information

• Issue: The error message might not provide enough details.
• Solution: Run the Ansible command with the -vvv flag for verbose output to get more detailed information:

  bash
  ansible consul1 -m ping -vvv
  

  This will give you more insight into what’s failing and why.

By following these steps, you should be able to identify the root cause of the issue. Let me know if any particular step is unclear, or if you encounter any additional errors while troubleshooting!

How to Use Jenkinsfile to connect into Ansible Tower and execute a server reboot running a ansible playbook ?

Let’s create a Jenkinsfile that integrates with Ansible Tower and executes a playbook to reboot a server. We’ll also include parameters for environment, target hostname group, and boolean options.

First, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

1. Jenkins: Set up Jenkins on your system.
2. Ansible Tower: Ensure you have Ansible Tower installed and configured.
3. SSH Key Pair: Set up an SSH key pair for authentication between Jenkins and Ansible Tower.

Now, let’s create the Jenkinsfile:

pipeline {
    agent any

    parameters {
        string(name: 'ENV', description: 'Environment (e.g., dev, staging, prod)')
        string(name: 'TARGET_HOSTNAME_GROUP', description: 'Ansible inventory group for target hosts')
        booleanParam(name: 'REBOOT_ENABLED', defaultValue: true, description: 'Enable server reboot')
    }

    stages {
        stage('Checkout') {
            steps {
                checkout scm
            }
        }

        stage('Run Ansible Playbook') {
            steps {
                script {
                    def ansiblePlaybookCmd = """
                        ansible-playbook -i ${TARGET_HOSTNAME_GROUP} playbook.yml
                        --extra-vars 'reboot_enabled=${REBOOT_ENABLED}'
                    """
                    sh ansiblePlaybookCmd
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Explanation:

• The Jenkinsfile defines a pipeline with two stages: “Checkout” and “Run Ansible Playbook.”
• We use parameters to allow users to input the environment, target hostname group, and whether to enable server reboot.
• In the “Run Ansible Playbook” stage, we execute the Ansible playbook using the provided parameters.
• The ansible-playbook command includes the inventory group and an extra variable (reboot_enabled) to control the reboot behavior.

Make sure to adjust the playbook.yml path and customize the playbook according to your specific requirements. Additionally, ensure that Jenkins has the necessary permissions to execute Ansible playbooks on the target hosts.

Remember to replace placeholders (such as ${TARGET_HOSTNAME_GROUP}) with actual values in your environment. If you encounter any issues, feel free to ask for further assistance! 🚀

- For more information on integrating Ansible with Jenkins, you can explore the official Ansible Tower plugin for Jenkins1. 

- Additionally, check out the Red Hat blog post on integrating Ansible with Jenkins in a CI/CD process2..

####################################################################

Let’s enhance the Jenkinsfile by adding the three boolean parameters: reboot, stop_application, and start_application. These parameters will allow you to control additional actions during your pipeline execution. Here’s the updated Jenkinsfile:

pipeline {
    agent any

    parameters {
        string(name: 'ENV', description: 'Environment (e.g., dev, staging, prod)')
        string(name: 'TARGET_HOSTNAME_GROUP', description: 'Ansible inventory group for target hosts')
        booleanParam(name: 'REBOOT_ENABLED', defaultValue: true, description: 'Enable server reboot')
        booleanParam(name: 'STOP_APP_ENABLED', defaultValue: false, description: 'Stop application before reboot')
        booleanParam(name: 'START_APP_ENABLED', defaultValue: false, description: 'Start application after reboot')
    }

    stages {
        stage('Checkout') {
            steps {
                checkout scm
            }
        }

        stage('Run Ansible Playbook') {
            steps {
                script {
                    def ansiblePlaybookCmd = """
                        ansible-playbook -i ${TARGET_HOSTNAME_GROUP} playbook.yml
                        --extra-vars 'reboot_enabled=${REBOOT_ENABLED}'
                        --extra-vars 'stop_app_enabled=${STOP_APP_ENABLED}'
                        --extra-vars 'start_app_enabled=${START_APP_ENABLED}'
                    """
                    sh ansiblePlaybookCmd
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Explanation:

• I’ve added three new boolean parameters: STOP_APP_ENABLED and START_APP_ENABLED.
• If STOP_APP_ENABLED is set to true, the pipeline will stop the application before rebooting the server.
• If START_APP_ENABLED is set to true, the pipeline will start the application after the server reboot.

Remember to adjust the playbook (playbook.yml) to handle these additional actions based on the provided parameters. Feel free to customize the playbook according to your specific requirements.

How to Write a DevOps Handover Document

A DevOps Handover document template to help a person leaving a project pass on the work done to another engineer, so it is continued, the work is around the Ansible playbook, for ci/cd automation, Jenkins pipeline and GitLab repository..

                          ##### BEGINNING OF  DOCUMENT TEMPLATE #########

DevOps Handover Document

Project Overview

Provide a brief overview of the project, its objectives, and its key components.

• Project Name:
• Project Description:
• Key Stakeholders:
• Project Timeline:
• Current Status:

Ansible Playbook

Overview

Provide an overview of the Ansible playbook used in the project.

• Purpose: Describe the purpose of the playbook.
• Main Playbooks and Roles: List the primary playbooks and roles, their locations, and their functions.
• Dependencies: Outline any dependencies or prerequisites for running the playbooks.

Directory Structure

├── ansible/
│   ├── playbooks/
│   │   ├── main_playbook.yml
│   │   └── other_playbooks.yml
│   ├── roles/
│   │   ├── role1/
│   │   └── role2/
│   ├── inventory/
│   │   ├── production
│   │   └── staging
│   └── ansible.cfg

• Playbooks: Detailed description of key playbooks and their functions.
• Roles: Detailed description of key roles and their tasks.
• Inventory: Description of the inventory files and their purpose.
• Configuration: Any special configurations in ansible.cfg.

Running Playbooks

Provide step-by-step instructions for running the playbooks.

1. Setup Environment:

   bash
   ansible-playbook -i inventory/production main_playbook.yml
   

2. Common Commands:
   • Command for running a specific playbook.
   • Command for running playbooks in staging/production environments.
   • Command for checking the playbook syntax.
   • Any other relevant commands.

CI/CD Automation

Jenkins Pipeline

Overview

Provide an overview of the Jenkins pipeline configuration.

• Purpose: Describe the pipeline’s role in the project.
• Pipeline Stages: List and describe each stage of the pipeline.

Configuration

• Jenkinsfile Location:
• Pipeline Script: Provide a snippet or full script of the Jenkinsfile if possible.
• Plugins: List the Jenkins plugins used and their purposes.

Common Tasks

• Triggering Builds: How to manually trigger builds.
• Monitoring Builds: How to monitor build status and logs.
• Debugging Issues: Steps to debug common issues.

GitLab Repository

Overview

Provide an overview of the GitLab repository setup.

• Repository URL:
• Branches: List and describe the purpose of key branches (e.g., main, develop, feature/*, hotfix/*).
• Branching Strategy: Explain the branching strategy used in the project.
• Merge Requests: Outline the process for creating and reviewing merge requests.

Repository Structure

bash
├── .gitlab/
│   ├── ci/
│   │   ├── stages/
│   │   ├── jobs/
│   │   └── scripts/
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   └── test/
├── docs/
└── README.md

• Key Directories: Description of key directories and their contents.
• CI Configuration: Details of GitLab CI configuration (.gitlab-ci.yml).

Common Tasks

• Cloning the Repository:

  bash
  git clone <repository_url>
  

• Working with Branches:
  • Creating a new branch.
  • Merging branches.
• CI/CD Pipelines:
  • How to trigger pipelines.
  • Monitoring pipeline status.
  • Debugging failed pipelines.

Contacts and Resources

Provide a list of key contacts and resources for further assistance.

• Project Manager: Name, email, phone number.
• Technical Lead: Name, email, phone number.
• Relevant Documentation: Links to any additional documentation or resources.
• Access Credentials: Securely provide any necessary credentials or access details.

Additional Notes

Any additional notes, tips, or important information to be aware of.

---

Prepared by: [Your Name]
Date: [Date]

                                   ##### END OF  DOCUMENT TEMPLATE #########

Kubernetes CKA Exam preparation Links

 Here is a link to of links for the material to help me prepare for the Kubernetes Administration Exam.

• https://go-talks.appspot.com/github.com/jecnua/notes-presentations/notes/containers/orchestration/k8s/certifications/00-preparation.article
• https://go-talks.appspot.com/github.com/jecnua/notes-presentations/notes/containers/orchestration/k8s/certifications/01-cka.article
• https://go-talks.appspot.com/github.com/jecnua/notes-presentations/notes/containers/orchestration/k8s/certifications/02-questions.article

• https://cloudacademy.com/learning-paths/certified-kubernetes-administrator-exam-preparation-242/
• https://vmtechie.blog/2019/01/12/how-to-prepare-for-certified-kubernetes-administration-cka-exam/
• https://scriptcrunch.com/kubernetes-exam-guide/

• https://boxboat.com/2018/07/02/kubernetes-nginx-ingress-tls-secrets-all-namespaces/
• https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-deploy-nginx-on-a-kubernetes-cluster/ -

• Kubernetes Docs online docs - https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/access-application-cluster/configure-access-multiple-clusters/
• Kubernetes Change Context -- https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43643463/how-to-switch-kubectl-clusters-between-gcloud-and-minikube

• Kubernetes Cheat Sheet - https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/cheatsheet/ 
• How to Set Up Ingress On Kubernetes Using Nginx Controller - https://devopscube.com/setup-ingress-kubernetes-nginx-controller/
• Deploy Nginx on K8 - https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-deploy-nginx-on-a-kubernetes-cluster/
• Nginx TLS - K8 - https://boxboat.com/2018/07/02/kubernetes-nginx-ingress-tls-secrets-all-namespaces/
• Manchester Exams Centers - https://www.ielts-exam.net/test-center-search/the-united-kingdom/england/manchester

• The Ultimate Guide to Passing the CKA Exam: https://www.contino.io/insights/the-ultimate-guide-to-passing-the-cka-exam
• https://medium.com/platformer-blog/how-i-passed-the-cka-certified-kubernetes-administrator-exam-8943aa24d71d

https://www.componentsoft.io/blog/the-kubernetes-cka-exam-11-tips-for-better-chances/

How to Prepare for Certified Kubernetes Administration (CKA) Exam - https://vmtechie.blog/2019/01/12/how-to-prepare-for-certified-kubernetes-administration-cka-exam/

PASSING CKA IS NOT HARD, BUT PREPARATION IS --- https://thecloudcaptain.com/blog/passing_cka_is_not_hard/

Studying for the Certified Kubernetes Administrator Exam - http://www.kubernet.io/

The Ultimate List of Python YouTube Channels – Real Python

 These are materials which can be used when learning to code in Python

---

The Ultimate List of Python YouTube Channels

Table of Contents

• Al Sweigart
• Anaconda Inc.
• Christian Thompson
• Clever Programmer
• CodingEntrepreneurs
• Corey Schafer
• Chris Hawkes
• CS Dojo
• Data School (Kevin Markham)
• David Beazley
• Enthought
• Michael Kennedy (Talk Python)
• PrettyPrinted
• PyCon Session Recordings
• PyData
• Real Python
• Reuven Lerner
• Sentdex (Harrison Kinsley)
• Socratica
• TheNewBoston (Bucky Roberts)
• Smaller Python Conferences

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We couldn’t find a good, up-to-date list of Python developer or Python programming YouTube channels online.

Learning Python on YouTube is a viable option these days, and we’re excited about what this new medium can do for programming education.

There are some really good YouTube channels that focus on Python development out there, but we just couldn’t find a list that was both comprehensive and up-to-date. So we created our own with the best and most Pythonic YouTubers.

We initially wrote this list based on information we gathered by reading forum posts and searching YouTube for Python channels directly. We’ll continue to add to the list with your feedback. We plan to keep this list updated, so feel free to leave a comment at the end of the page or tweet at us if you think anything is missing or if you’d like to see your own YouTube Python tutorials added.

In order for a channel to be included in our list, it must:

• Focus on Python tutorials
• Not be brand-new (> 2,000 subscribers)
• Be active (new videos are coming out) OR have an interesting archive with old content worth watching

Enjoy the Python goodness!

Al Sweigart

“Tons of sweet computer related tutorials and some other awesome videos too!”

• Website: automatetheboringstuff.com
• Twitter: @AlSweigart
• Subscribe: YouTube

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Anaconda Inc.

“With over 4.5 million users, Anaconda is the world’s most popular Python data science platform. Anaconda, Inc. continues to lead open source projects like Anaconda, NumPy and SciPy that form the foundation of modern data science. Anaconda’s flagship product, Anaconda Enterprise, allows organizations to secure, govern, scale and extend Anaconda to deliver actionable insights that drive businesses and industries forward.”

In addition to their company developed videos, including a fun lego-mation and Pyception short, Anaconda’s YouTube channel contains all the videos from AnacondaCon, a gathering of the passionate community of data scientists, IT professionals, analysts, developers, and business leaders all using the Anaconda distribution.

Christian Thompson

“A little bit about me and a lot about Python programming for beginners. I am a middle and high school teacher who uses Python as my teaching language. I firmly believe anyone can (and should) learn to program a computer and that Python is the perfect language for doing so.”

• Website: christianthompson.com
• Twitter: @tokyoedtech
• Subscribe: YouTube

Clever Programmer

“You can find awesome programming lessons here! Also, expect programming tips and tricks that will take your coding skills to the next level.”

CodingEntrepreneurs

“Coding for Entrepreneurs is a Programming Series for Non-Technical Founders. Learn Django, Python, APIs, Accepting Payments, Stripe, jQuery, Twitter Bootstrap, and much more.”

• Website: www.codingforentrepreneurs.com
• Twitter: @joincfe
• Subscribe: YouTube

Corey Schafer

“This channel is focused on creating tutorials and walkthroughs for software developers, programmers, and engineers. We cover topics for all different skill levels, so whether you are a beginner or have many years of experience, this channel will have something for you.”

Chris Hawkes

“We’re going to learn about programming, web design, responsive web design, Reactjs, Django, Python, web scraping, games, forms applications and more!”

CS Dojo

“Hey everyone! My name is YK, and I make videos mostly about programming and computer science here.”

• Website: csdojo.io
• Twitter: @ykdojo
• Subscribe: YouTube

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Data School (Kevin Markham)

“You’re trying to launch your career in data science, and I want to help you reach that goal! My in-depth tutorials will help you to master crucial data science topics using open source tools like Python and R.”

David Beazley

“An archive of David Beazley’s conference, user group, and training talks.”

Enthought

“For more than 15 years, Enthought has built AI solutions with science and engineering at the core. We accelerate digital transformation by enabling companies and their people to leverage the benefits of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.”

Additionally, Enthought is best known for the early development, maintenance, and continued support of SciPy, as well as the primary sponsor for the SciPy US and EuroSciPy Conferences. In addition to the company developed content, this channel provides all the video recordings from the SciPy US and EuroScipy (before 2016) Conferences, talks and tutorials specifically focused on the advancement of scientific computing through open source Python software for mathematics, science, and engineering.

Michael Kennedy (Talk Python)

“Videos, demos, and lectures about programming - especially Python and web topics.”

PrettyPrinted

“I’m Anthony. I make programming videos.”

• Website: prettyprinted.com
• Twitter: @pretty_printed
• Subscribe: YouTube

PyCon Session Recordings

These are all PyCon talk and session recordings made available on YouTube. There’s no single channel that combines these. Instead, you’ll access each year’s videos on a separate “PyCon 20…” channel. Alternatively, you can use PyVideo.org to watch the session recordings.

PyData

“PyData provides a forum for the international community of users and developers of data analysis tools to share ideas and learn from each other. The global PyData network promotes discussion of best practices, new approaches, and emerging technologies for data management, processing, analytics, and visualization. PyData communities approach data science using many languages, including (but not limited to) Python, Julia, and R.”

• Website: pydata.org
• Twitter: @PyData
• Subscribe: YouTube

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Real Python

“Python tutorials and training videos for Pythonistas that go beyond the basics. On this channel you’ll get new Python videos and screencasts every week. They’re bite-sized and to the point so you can fit them in with your day and pick up new Python skills on the side.”

Reuven Lerner

“I’m Reuven Lerner, and I teach Python and data science to companies around the world. On this YouTube channel, I publish videos that will help you with Python programming.”

Sentdex (Harrison Kinsley)

“Python Programming tutorials, going further than just the basics. Learn about machine learning, finance, data analysis, robotics, web development, game development and more.”

Socratica

“Socratica makes high-quality educational videos on math and science. New videos every week! We’re a couple of Caltech grads who believe you deserve better videos. You’ll learn more with us!”

TheNewBoston (Bucky Roberts)

“Tons of sweet computer related tutorials and some other awesome videos too!”

Smaller Python Conferences

The following channels provide the tutorials, talks, and session recordings from many of the smaller local Python conferences held throughout the world.

Though on their own, most of these channels do not meet the requirement for 2000 subscribers, we list them here as honorable mentions because they represent the diverse Python community throughout the world.

Note that some (maybe older) videos from these conferences are available (together with other non-Python content) on the Next Day Video and Engineers.SG channels. Alternatively, PyVideo.org can serve as a one-stop-shop where you can find most (but not all) of these session recordings.

• EuroPython
• EuroSciPy
• Kiwi PyCon
• PyCascades
• PyCon Argentina (Ar)
• PyCon Australia (AU)
• PyCon Canada
• PyCon Czech (CZ)
• PyCon Finland
• PyCon Germany (DE)
• PyCon Hong Kong (HG)
• PyCon Ireland (IE)
• PyCon Italy (Nove)
• PyCon Japan (JP)
• PyCon Korea (KR)
• PyCon Malaysia (MY)
• PyCon Phillipines (PH)
• PyCon Poland (PL)
• PyCon Singapore (SG)
• PyCon Slovakia (SK)
• PyCon Ukraine (UA)
• PyCon United Kingdom (UK)
• PyGotham 2017
• PyOhio

If you think anything is missing from this list or if you’d like to see your own Python YouTube channel added, then please leave a comment below