Ansible automation for Linux infrastructure
Ansible describes how your servers should be configured and applies that over SSH. inett writes roles and playbooks with your team, in a form you can maintain yourselves.
The problem
Servers that were built the same way drift apart. After a year, one has a different SSH setting, another is missing a package, and nobody knows which one is right. New machines are set up from a wiki page that was accurate two releases ago. Patching is done by hand, one host at a time, usually in the evening.
Shell scripts help, until a script runs twice and appends the same line to a configuration file a second time.
What inett does
We work with your team to turn recurring tasks into Ansible roles and playbooks. Common starting points are the baseline configuration of new Linux servers, user accounts and SSH keys, patching with reboots in a controlled order, and service configuration for web servers or databases.
Ansible modules describe a desired state. Run a playbook twice and the second run only changes what has drifted. Check mode (--check --diff) shows what would change before anything is touched.
Everything goes into a Git repository: inventory, variables and roles. You can review every change and roll it back. Passwords and keys are encrypted with Ansible Vault, or read from a secrets store you already run.
Ansible also ties the other building blocks together. Modules for Proxmox VE create VMs and containers, and the vendor-maintained Checkmk collection registers new hosts in Checkmk as part of the same run. For teams who want to build the skills in-house, we also run training courses.
Technical details
- Current versions
- ansible-core 2.21 and the Ansible community package 14 (as of October 2026)
- ansible-core vs. the Ansible package
- ansible-core is the engine with its built-in modules; the
ansiblepackage bundles ansible-core with a curated set of collections for Linux, Windows, network and cloud - Control node
- Linux or macOS with Python 3.12 or later; Windows only through WSL
- Linux and Unix targets
- SSH, no agent; Python 3 required on the target (except for the
rawmodule) - Windows targets
- WinRM or SSH, modules written in PowerShell
- Network devices
- dedicated connection types such as
network_cliorhttpapi, no Python on the device - Language
- playbooks, roles and inventory in YAML
- Licence
- GPLv3
- Documentation
- docs.ansible.com
Ansible vs. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform: the Automation Platform is a commercial Red Hat subscription. It adds a web interface with role-based access, scheduling and job history, certified content and vendor support. Many environments do not need it: ansible-core or the community package, run from an admin workstation or a CI pipeline, covers the same automation. AWX, the upstream project of the automation controller, provides a free web interface.
What is included
- Review of recurring tasks and a shortlist of what to automate first
- Inventory design with group and host variables
- Roles and playbooks for baseline configuration, patching and services
- Git repository layout and naming conventions
- Secrets encrypted with Ansible Vault
- Testing with check mode and, where it pays off, Molecule
- Handover sessions so your team can extend the code
- Maintenance of the roles as distributions and Ansible versions change
We work with Ansible without licence costs: ansible-core and the community collections. We do not currently offer the paid Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.
Who it is for
Ansible suits teams that run more than a handful of Linux servers and want them consistent. No programming language is needed to get started: YAML and solid Linux administration skills are enough. IT service providers gain because the same roles run across several customer environments.
For two or three servers that rarely change, writing roles can take longer than doing the work by hand. And for provisioning resources in a public cloud, Ansible is usually paired with a tool such as OpenTofu or Terraform.
Frequently asked questions
Do we have to install anything on our servers?
No agent. Linux hosts need SSH access and Python 3, which common distributions ship by default.
Do we need Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform?
Only if you want a central web interface with access control and vendor support. The free Ansible package is enough to start.
Can Ansible manage Windows servers?
Yes, over WinRM or SSH. Windows modules are written in PowerShell and do not need Python on the target.