Ansible Switch Config Archive

Author: R Zach Feeser

Ansible is able to change the configuration of network devices. In this exercise, we will change the configuration of an Arista Switch.

Step 1 - cat the ansible hosts file

student@beachhead: $ cat hosts

```
172.16.2.10
172.16.2.20
```

Step 2 - cat the ansible playbook that you will study line by line

student@beachhead: cat net02.yml

- Arista Config Saver
  hosts: all 
  gatherfacts: false 
  vars :
    ansibleconnection: network_cli 
    ansiblenetworkos: eos 
    ansible become: yes 
    ansible_become_method: enable 
    ansibleuser: admin 
    ansible ssh 
    pass: alta3

  tasks:
  - name: Arista Fact Collection 
    eos_facts:
      gathersubset: all  # IMPORTANT! Look at the Return values at the bottom of the eosfacts
  - name: Create Arista config save directory
    file: path=arista_config/ state=directory # Playbook will FAIL without this directory
  - name: Arista Config Save
    shell: "echo '{{ ansible net config }}' > arista config/{{ ansible net hostname }}"
  - name: Arista Archival Process 
    archive:
      path: arista config/{{ ansible net hostname }}	# location of our archived file
      remove: True       # removes the original file

Step 3 - Edit the last task to create an archive in addition to a plain text file.

student@beachhead: cat net02.yml

- Arista Config Saver
  hosts: all 
  gatherfacts: false 
  vars :
    ansibleconnection: network_cli 
    ansiblenetworkos: eos 
    ansible become: yes 
    ansible_become_method: enable 
    ansibleuser: admin 
    ansible ssh 
    pass: alta3

  tasks:
  - name: Arista Fact Collection 
    eos_facts:
      gathersubset: all  # IMPORTANT! Look at the Return values at the bottom of the eosfacts
  - name: Create Arista config save directory
    file: path=arista_config/ state=directory # Playbook will FAIL without this directory
  - name: Arista Config Save
    shell: "echo '{{ ansible net config }}' > arista config/{{ ansible net hostname }}"
  - name: Arista Archival Process 
    archive:
      path: arista config/{{ ansible net hostname }}	# location of our archived file
      remove: False       # <--- THE ONLY CHANGE

Step 4 - Run the playbook

student@beachhead: ansible-playbook -i hosts net02.yml

PLAY [Arista Config Saver] ***************************************************

TASK [Arista Fact Collection] ************************************************
ok: [172.16.2.20] 
ok: [172.16.2.10]

TASK [Create Arista config save directory] ***********************************
changed: [172.16.2.20]
ok: [172.16.2.10]

TASK [Arista Config Save] ****************************************************
changed: [172.16.2.10] 
changed: [172.16.2.20] 

TASK [Arista Archival Process ************************************************
changed: [172.16.2.10]
changed: [172.16.2.20]

PLAY RECAP ******************************************************************* 
172.16.2.10	: ok=4	changed=2	unreachable=0	failed=0
172.16.2.20	: ok=4	changed=3	unreachable=0	failed=0

Step 5 - List the saved files. It worked!

student@beachhead: ls

hosts net02.yml

student@beachhead: cd arista_config/

student@beachhead:-/net02/arista_ config ls

SW1 SWl.gz SW2 SW2.QZ
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