How to install Ansible AWX on CentOS 7

Learn how to install Ansible AWX on CentOS 7 with our step-by-step guide. Follow these instructions for a successful setup of the AWX web-based UI for Ansible automation. #centlinux #ansible #docker

What is Ansible AWX?

Ansible AWX is an open-source web-based user interface for managing and visualizing Ansible automation. It provides a central platform for managing your Ansible playbooks, inventory, and credentials, offering features that streamline and enhance the automation process.

AWX is designed to make Ansible more usable for DevOps members of different technical proficiencies and skill sets. AWX is a hub for automation tasks. Ansible Tower is a commercial product supported by Red Hat, Inc. but derived from AWX upstream project, which is open source since September 2017. This makes AWX a good alternative of Ansible Tower.

Key Features

Here are some key features and benefits of Ansible AWX:

1. Web-Based Interface: AWX provides a graphical interface to manage Ansible playbooks, schedules, and inventories, making it easier to handle automation tasks.
2. Role-Based Access Control: It supports fine-grained access control, allowing administrators to define who can access different parts of the automation process.
3. Job Scheduling: AWX enables you to schedule Ansible playbook runs, so you can automate tasks on a recurring basis.
4. Inventory Management: You can manage dynamic and static inventories, making it easier to keep track of the systems and environments you’re managing.
5. Project Management: AWX allows you to manage and organize your Ansible playbooks, roles, and collections as projects.
6. Task Logging: It provides detailed logs and audit trails for all automation tasks, which helps with troubleshooting and tracking changes.
7. Notifications: AWX supports notifications via various channels (e.g., email, Slack) to keep you informed about the status of automation tasks.
8. API Support: AWX offers a RESTful API, allowing integration with other tools and custom applications.

Benefits

• Centralized Management: AWX centralizes management tasks, making it easier to oversee and coordinate automation efforts across different environments.
• Enhanced Usability: The web UI and visual tools make it more accessible for users who may not be familiar with the command line.
• Scalability: AWX is designed to handle large-scale automation tasks, making it suitable for both small teams and large enterprises.

How It Fits with Ansible

AWX is essentially the upstream project for Red Hat’s Ansible Tower, which is the commercial version of AWX with additional features and support. If you’re using Ansible for automation, AWX provides an easy-to-use interface and management capabilities that can complement your automation efforts.

Recommended Training: Dive Into Ansible – Beginner to Expert in Ansible – DevOps

Problem Statement

Currently, stable version of AWX 7.0 has been released that requires a containerized environment to install and run. According to AWX Project Documentation, we can deploy AWX on following containerization platforms.

• OpenShift
• Kubernetes
• Docker-Compose

We are using Docker-Compose here, because it is relatively easy to setup and requires less hardware resources as compare to OpenShift and Kubernetes.

We have already install Ansible on CentOS 7. Now, we are installing AWX with Docker-Compose on the same Ansible control node.

Linux Server Specification

We have deployed three CentOS 7 virtual machines, each configured with the following specifications to ensure optimal performance, stability, and scalability. These machines are set up to efficiently handle various workloads and provide a robust environment for our applications and services.

• CPU – 3.4 Ghz (2 Cores)
• Memory – 4 GB
• Storage – 60 GB
• Hostname – ansible-01.centlinux.com
• IP Address – 192.168.116.201 /24
• Operating System – CentOS 7.6

Read Also: How to install Ansible Semaphore on CentOS 8

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Install EPEL Yum Repository

Connect with ansible-01.centlinux.com by using ssh as root user.

AWX requires some packages that are available in EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) yum repository. Therefore, we are installing epel-release package by using yum command to enable EPEL.

# yum install -y epel-release

Install Ansible AWX Prerequisites

AWX requires several prerequisite software packages to function properly. Fortunately, all these necessary packages are readily available in the standard CentOS and EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) yum repositories.

To simplify the installation process and ensure all dependencies are met, we will install these prerequisite packages using a single yum command, making the setup process more efficient and seamless.

# yum -y install git gcc gcc-c++ nodejs gettext device-mapper-persistent-data lvm2 bzip2 python-pip

Install Docker CE on CentOS 7

To install the Docker CE (Community Edition) yum repository, we need to obtain it from the official Docker website. This repository provides access to the latest stable versions of Docker, ensuring compatibility, security, and performance enhancements. Adding this repository is an essential step before installing Docker CE on CentOS 7.

# yum-config-manager --add-repo=https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror
adding repo from: https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo
grabbing file https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo to /etc/yum.repos.d/docker-ce.repo
repo saved to /etc/yum.repos.d/docker-ce.repo

Since the Docker CE yum repository has been added, we can now install Docker CE using yum command.

# yum install -y docker-ce

Enable and start Docker service.

# systemctl enable --now docker.service
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/docker.service to /usr/lib/systemd/system/docker.service.

Install Docker Compose on CentOS 7

PyPI (Python Package Index) is a software package repository of software written  in Python. PyPA (Python Package Authority) recommend use of PyPI for installation of Python software packages.

Therefore, we are installing docker-compose using pip command.

# pip install docker-compose

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Install Ansible AWX on CentOS 7

Use git command to download AWX project from GitHub.

# git clone --depth 50 https://github.com/ansible/awx.git
Cloning into 'awx'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 8850, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (8850/8850), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (4428/4428), done.
remote: Total 8850 (delta 5006), reused 6388 (delta 4234), pack-reused 0
Receiving objects: 100% (8850/8850), 11.30 MiB | 246.00 KiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (5006/5006), done.

Go to ~/awx/installer directory and set a custom admin_password for AWX and PostgreSQL in inventory file.

# cd awx/installer
# sed -i 's|admin_password=.*|admin_password=Ahmer@1234|g' inventory

Generate a random key to use for encryption in inventory file.

# openssl rand -base64 30
ejv9P72oNvD4AtWLhOUTvpxfdIfKIid3skwuK+ES

Add the generated string as secret_key in inventory file.

# sed -i 's|secret_key=.*|secret_key=ejv9P72oNvD4AtWLhOUTvpxfdIfKIid3skwuK+ES|g' inventory

In this configuration file, you have the flexibility to customize various directives to suit your specific requirements. You can modify parameters such as database settings, authentication methods, port configurations, and other essential options to optimize the AWX setup according to your needs.

Once you have made the necessary changes, it is crucial to verify and review the modifications in the inventory file to ensure accuracy and prevent potential configuration issues before proceeding with the installation.

# grep -v '^#' inventory | grep -v '^

Install AWX by using ansible-playbook command.

# ansible-playbook -i inventory install.yml

Ansible uses docker-compose to create the required containers by AWX. It will take time, according to your server’s specs, therefore sit back and relax for a while.

After successful configuration of AWX and relevant containers. You can check the list of Docker processes to the running containers that are created by docker-compose for AWX.

# docker ps
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE                        COMMAND                  CREATED             STATUS              PORTS                                                 NAMES
2c36037e1edf        ansible/awx_task:7.0.0       "/tini -- /bin/sh -câ¦"   2 minutes ago       Up 2 minutes        8052/tcp                                              awx_task
4af8c2a57530        ansible/awx_web:7.0.0        "/tini -- /bin/sh -câ¦"   2 minutes ago       Up 2 minutes        0.0.0.0:80->8052/tcp                                  awx_web
5580f44da60a        memcached:alpine             "docker-entrypoint.sâ¦"   2 minutes ago       Up 2 minutes        11211/tcp                                             awx_memcached
341e0660e369        ansible/awx_rabbitmq:3.7.4   "docker-entrypoint.sâ¦"   2 minutes ago       Up 2 minutes        4369/tcp, 5671-5672/tcp, 15671-15672/tcp, 25672/tcp   awx_rabbitmq
6529a106ab89        postgres:10                  "docker-entrypoint.sâ¦"   2 minutes ago       Up 2 minutes        5432/tcp                                              awx_postgres

Allow HTTP service in Linux firewall, because the port 80 is mapped to the AWX container and it is used to access AWX web console.

# firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
success
# firewall-cmd --reload
success

Open URL http://ansible01.centlinux.com in a web browser.

Login as Admin User.

We are reached at the dashboard of Ansible AWX.

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Final Thoughts

Installing Ansible AWX on CentOS 7 can significantly enhance your automation capabilities by providing a powerful web-based interface for managing your Ansible tasks. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can set up a robust automation environment to streamline your IT operations.

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Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further assistance. Happy automating!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the prerequisites for installing Ansible AWX on CentOS 7?
You need Docker, Docker Compose, Ansible, and Git installed before setting up AWX.

2. How do I clone the AWX repository?
Run the following command:

git clone https://github.com/ansible/awx.git cd awx/installer

3. How do I install Ansible AWX using Ansible?
Edit the inventory file with your settings and then run:

ansible-playbook -i inventory install.yml

4. How do I access the AWX web interface?
Open your browser and go to http://<your-server-ip>:80, then log in using the default credentials:

• Username: admin
• Password: password

5. How do I check if AWX is running properly?
Use the following command to check running Docker containers:

docker ps