Ansible with VMware – Install multiple apps, using variables and targeting groups examples – Part 10

So installing multiple apps in your playbook helps consolidate your playbook, makes it run faster and it is easier to read. Below is an example.

sudo nano install-multiple-apps-ubuntu.yml

---
- hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
  - name: install vlc and apache2 Ubuntu
    apt:
      name:
        - vlc
        - apache2
      state: latest
    when: ansible_distribution == 'Ubuntu'

ansible-playbook --ask-become-pass install-multiple-apps-ubuntu.yml

The below variable example is using package instead of apt or dnf as package runs what ever the package installer is for the operating system. What we are doing is defying a name in the playbook and telling it what to install in the inventory.ini file.

sudo nano using-variables.yml

---
- hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
  - name: install apache2 Ubuntu and httpd centos
    package:
      name:
        - "{{ apache_package }}"

sudo nano inventory.ini

#centos
192.168.1.151 apache_package=httpd
#Ubuntu
192.168.1.130 apache_package=apache2

ansible-playbook --ask-become-pass using-variables.yml

So you can group server type in the inventory.ini file and the playbook to specify the group type. See below example

cat inventory.ini
#centos
[fileservers]
192.168.1.151 apache_package=httpd
#Ubuntu
[webservers]
192.168.1.130 apache_package=apache2

sudo nano targeting-groupservers.yml

---
- hosts: webservers
  become: true
  tasks:
  - name: install apache2 on Ubuntu
    apt:
      name: apache2
      state: latest
    when: ansible_distribution == 'Ubuntu'

- hosts: fileservers
  become: true
  tasks:
  - name: install samba on Centos
    dnf:
      name: samba
      state: latest
    when: ansible_distribution == 'CentOS'

ansible-playbook --ask-become-pass targeting-groupservers.yml

Below are outputs from ansible control node, we are looking at changed value