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2. Ansible Python Venv Creation

If you bootstrapped an ephemeral controller you can skip the first part

Controller Setup

Requirements

openssh server

sudo apt install openssh-server

sshpass

[Depreciate after testing without using this]

Provides cached user password when prompted by target system.

Required when ssh logins require a passwords, for example prior to running the user role and/or configuring and ansible deployment user on the systems targeted for configuration using Ansible. 

sudo apt install sshpass

Connectivity testing

ssh localhost

You will be prompted for the users login password

About venv

We are going invest slightly more effort here in order to ensure that you don't mess with your systems Python version. System python runs your system.

Running from a sandbox in your home directory has a lot of advantages:

  • You don need to mess with your system python at all
  • You can switch back and forth between python, pip and ansible versions easily
  • Delete any virtual python Ansible environments that you know you will never need and it have no affect on your other environments (venvs).

Disadvantages:

  • You'll never need to try that fancy tool for managing multiple system pythons that everyone is talking about and swears is a miracle because leaving your system python alone keeps everyone significantly happy and better educated.

Latest Available Ansible Version

Next we are going to see what versions of Ansible are currently available for installation using pip. We are not installing here:

pip3 install ansible==

Make a note of the latest version from your output if that's what you want.

Create your virtual environment

First we are going to create a virtual python env for the version of Ansible you want to install. So if you saw that version 9.13.0 was the latest stable version and thats what you want you prep a custom environment for it:

python3 -m venv ~/.venv/ansible-9.13.0

Activate the environment

source ~/.venv/ansible-9.13.0/bin/activate

Now your prompt should now reflect your active python venv:

(ansible-9.13.0) julie@ada:~/

Confirm paths for python and pip

which python

/home/julie/.venv/ansible-9.13.0/bin/python

which pip3

/home/julie/.venv/ansible-9.13.0/bin/pip3

Install ansible!

pip3 install ansible==9.13.0

Create an alias

If you set up an alias for each venv you create you can activate them at will very quickly using keyboard tab key completion.

Add it to your (bash/dash) aliases file

nano ~/.bash_aliases

alias ansible-9.13.0='source ~/.venv/ansible-9.13.0/bin/activate'

source it to load your new alias in your current session

. ~/.bash_aliases

deactivate your current venv (notice the prompt)

deactivate

Now the system ansible will be active (if you have one)

which ansible
/home/julie/.venv/ansible-9.13.0/bin/ansible

Start it again using your new alias 

ansible-9.13.0

Even is you have a system ansible installed, activating your venv will override the system ansible

which ansible
/home/julie/.venv/ansible-9.13.0/bin/ansible

Great! we are done

deactivate

Resources

Python venv Ansible

  • https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/python-venv-ansible