Vagrant: ansible provisionner: support collections using ansible-galaxy

[nqb]

Hello,

First of all, thanks for this nice software !

Context

Current Ansible provisionner is able to download roles from Ansible Galaxy website during provisioning (option galaxy_role_file).

Since Ansible 2.8 and Galaxy 3.2, users can upload collections on Galaxy website.

Collections could be install using mazer tool and a collections lock file:

$ mazer install --collections-lock collections_lockfile.yml

collections_lockfile.yml (see format):

alikins.collection_inspect: "*"
alikins.collection_ntp: "*"

Request

Have a dedicated option for Ansible provisionner to install collections from a collection lockfile if mazer is present on the host.

[nqb]

According to https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/57106, we will not need to support collections lockfile and mazer because support of ansible collections has been added to ansible-galaxy command starting from ansible 2.9.

I will made some tests when Ansible 2.9 will be released.

[gildegoma]

@nqb thank you very much! Please let us know when you have some Ansible 2.9+ results :+1:

[nqb]

Hello @gildegoma,

According to following documentations:

• Using collections
• Developing collections

ansible-galaxy collection is now the command to manage collections, mazer has been deprecated.

A requirements file can be used to install collections and roles. Example:

---
roles:
  - src: inverse_inc.gitlab_buildpkg_tools

collections:
  - name: inverse_inc.packetfence

BUT:

While both roles and collections can be specified in one requirements file, they need to be installed separately. The ansible-galaxy role install -r requirements.yml will only install roles and ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml -p ./ will only install collections.

[nqb]

We can have same usage as for roles with following command: 

ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml -p collections`

This will install collections in a relative collections directory which will be find by Ansible even if this path is not part of COLLECTIONS_PATHS (see https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/2.9/user_guide/collections_using.html#installing-collections-with-ansible-galaxy)

[nqb]

We certainly need to use a new compatibility mode for Ansible 2.9

[IyadKandalaft]

+1

[nqb]

I did a test today with:

• Vagrant 2.2.10
• Ansible 2.10.2 (not ansible-base)
• following requirements.yml in my VAGRANT_CWD dir:

---
roles:
  - src: geerlingguy.nodejs
  - src: inverse_inc.gitlab_buildpkg_tools

collections:
  - name: inverse_inc.packetfence
  - name: debops.debops
  - name: inverse_inc.windows
  - name: inverse_inc.cumulus
  - name: inverse_inc.utils

• my usual Ansible provisioner:

  config.vm.provision "ansible", type: 'ansible' do |ansible|
    ansible.playbook = "site.yml"
    ansible.config_file = "ansible.cfg"
    ansible.inventory_path = "inventory"
    ansible.galaxy_role_file = "requirements.yml"
end

• following ansible.cfg:

[defaults]
inventory = inventory/

# change display of log
stdout_callback = yaml

# disable host key checking
host_key_checking = False

# forks
forks = 50

# Installs collections into [current dir]/ansible_collections/namespace/collection_name
collections_paths = ./

And due to changes related to ansible-galaxy command between 2.9 and 2.10, Vagrant Ansible provisioner installed roles and collections in my VAGRANT_CWD and everything works !

[elreydetoda]

Trying to do ansible_local local provisioner, this doesn't work for me. So, as a hack I had to add the following to handle the installation of collections

ansible.galaxy_command = "sudo ansible-galaxy collection install -r %{role_file} --force && sudo ansible-galaxy role install -r %{role_file} --force"

which will just install it to the default collections location, but if people wanted to do the path as well ( like mentioned here: https://github.com/hashicorp/vagrant/issues/10958#issuecomment-558083915 ) then they should be able to add -p %{roles_path} like mentioned in this tips and tricks section: https://www.vagrantup.com/docs/provisioning/ansible_local#install-galaxy-roles-in-a-path-owned-by-root