Ansible Tower: Everything You Need to Know

Do you feel overwhelmed by the complexity and scale of your IT automation tasks? Or do you struggle to collaborate and share your automation workflows with your team and organisation? If any of these scenarios resonate with you, then maybe you need a solution that can help you operationalise and scale your Ansible automation in a secure and compliant manner. 

Ansible Tower is an enterprise-grade management console and UI that helps you to operationalise and scale your Ansible automation in organisations. This blog will explain everything in detail about Ansible Tower, its features, benefits, use cases, and installation steps. 

Table of Contents 

1) What is Ansible 

2) What is Ansible Tower? 

3) Features of Ansible Tower? 

4) Architecture of Ansible Tower 

5) Ansible Tower installation process 

6) Applications of Ansible Tower 

7) Ansible Tower Editions 

8) Best Practices of Ansible Tower 

9) Benefits of Ansible Tower 

10) Conclusion  

What is Ansible? 

Ansible is a robust open-source IT automation tool that simplifies complex tasks like configuration management, application deployment, and task orchestration. It can easily operate endlessly while relying on SSH and WinRM protocols to communicate with remote systems. Furthermore, its declarative language allows users to define desired system states, and playbooks – Ansible's configuration files – provide a step-by-step guide for automation.   

In addition, while it emphasise simplicity and efficiency, Ansible streamlines infrastructure management, ensuring ptimal consistency and scalability across diverse environments. As a cornerstone of DevOps practices, Ansible also offers a versatile solution for orchestrating IT processes, enhancing efficiency, and fostering collaboration between operations and development teams. 
 

  

What is Ansible Tower?  

Ansible Tower is a web-based automation platform designed to simplify and centralise IT automation tasks. As the enterprise version of Ansible, it enhances scalability and management with features like a graphical dashboard, multi-playbook workflows, real-time job updates, and self-service capabilities. 

Its REST API and CLI tools enable seamless integration, allowing users to schedule tasks, manage credentials, and execute jobs efficiently. Ansible Tower offers a comprehensive solution for orchestrating and optimising automation processes in complex IT environments. 

Features of Ansible Tower 

To fully leverage its capabilities, Ansible Tower is equipped with tools that are designed to simplify and scale IT automation in complex environments. Here are some of the most essential features offered by Ansible Tower:    

1) Ansible Tower’s Dashboard  

The Dashboard in Ansible Tower is a comprehensive hub that offers real-time insights into automation activities. Here, users can gain immediate visibility into job statuses, system health metrics, and recent automation activities with an intuitive interface. This centralised view further simplifies monitoring and helps administrators maintain control over the entire automation landscape.  

2) Multi-playbook Workflows 

One of Ansible Tower's standout features is its ability to construct intricate automation workflows by combining multiple playbooks. This enables users to create sophisticated processes to enhance the orchestration of automation tasks. The Multi-Playbook Workflow feature also ensures flexibility and adaptability to varying automation requirements.  

3) Real-time Job Updates 

Ansible Tower keeps users informed with real-time updates during job execution. This feature provides a dynamic view of task progress. It allows users to promptly respond to issues, analyse outcomes, and ensure the successful execution of automation jobs. 

4) Scalability with Cluster Support 

Ansible Tower goes beyond simple automation by supporting cluster configurations. This feature enhances scalability, which allows the distribution of workloads across multiple instances. Moreover, its cluster support is instrumental in managing more extensive infrastructures and ensuring optimal performance.  

5) Self-service Capabilities 

Ansible Tower reduces the reliance on administrators by empowering teams with self-service capabilities, for routine operations. Its user-friendly interface allows users to execute predefined tasks and playbooks with ease. This approach promotes autonomy and enhances efficiency within the organisation by enabling quick task management and execution. 

6) Remote Command Execution 

Ansible Tower facilitates remote command execution on managed nodes while providing a powerful tool for on-the-fly troubleshooting and task execution. This feature enhances the platform's versatility, enabling administrators to respond quickly to emerging issues and address tasks without the involvement of manual intervention directly.  

7) Inventory Management and Tracking 

Efficient organisation and tracking of managed nodes are essential for effective automation. Ansible Tower offers robust inventory management features. This ensures accurate classification and organisation of nodes. Furthermore, this capability streamlines automation workflows and contributes to the overall efficiency of IT operations.  

8) Integrated Notification System 

Communication is key in automation, and Ansible Tower excels in this area with its integrated notification system. Stakeholders can now receive timely alerts about changes in job status. This allows them to stay informed and respond proactively to successes, failures, or other significant events in the automation pipeline.  

9) Scheduled Ansible Jobs 

Automation tasks can be scheduled with Ansible Tower, enabling organisations to plan and execute routine operations at specified intervals. This feature ensures that repetitive tasks are handled automatically, reducing manual intervention and promoting consistency in IT operations.   

10) Rest API and Tower CLI Tool Support 

Ansible Tower provides extensive support for automation integration through its REST API. This allows seamless collaboration with other tools and platforms, further promoting interoperability. The Tower CLI tool also enhances command-line interactions and scripting to provide flexibility for advanced users and other automation scenarios.  

Architecture of Ansible Tower 

Ansible Tower, an integral part of the Ansible Automation Platform, offers users a versatile interaction framework through its web interface and RESTful API. The web interface, serving as a graphical overlay for API calls, ensures a user-friendly experience, while actions initiated through this interface are mirrored and accessible via the API, providing flexibility and accessibility in managing automation tasks.
 

1) Versatile Interaction Framework: Ansible Tower, part of the Ansible Automation Platform, offers a versatile interaction framework through its web interface and RESTful API. 

2) Intuitive Web Interface: The web interface acts as a graphical overlay for API calls, ensuring an intuitive user experience. This design provides flexibility and accessibility for managing automation tasks seamlessly. 

3) Crucial RESTful API: The RESTful API facilitates integration into existing software ecosystems, allowing seamless communication with the Ansible Automation Platform. 

4) Robust Messaging and Database System: Utilising the RabbitMQ messaging system and a PostgreSQL backend database, the platform ensures optimal robustness and scalability. 

5) Flexible Deployment Architectures: The Ansible Automation Platform offers multiple deployment options, from a single-machine setup with an integrated database to a more complex system with a remote database connection. 

Ansible Tower Installation Process 

Users can choose between the Standard installer or the Bundled installer, which is designed for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 to install Ansible Tower. Before proceeding, ensure your platform aligns with the OS requirements: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 and 8 or Ubuntu 16.04.   

1) Begin by installing and configuring Ansible along with PostgreSQL on your operating system. Red Hat provides the following steps tailored for users with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8. 

2) Download and extract Ansible Tower on your control machine. 

3) Navigate to the ansible-tower-setup-3.5.1.1 directory after extraction. 

4) Open the inventory file (e.g., vi inventory) to customise settings such as admin_password, pg_password, and rabbitmq_password. 

5) After adding the necessary details, run the setup.sh script to initiate the Ansible Tower installation, typically completed within 10 to 15 minutes. 

6) Once the setup script concludes, access your Ansible Tower instance through the web by entering your control machine’s IP address in the browser. 

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Applications of Ansible Tower 

Ansible Tower is a powerful tool that streamlines IT operations and enhances automation capabilities. It is widely used in various scenarios, offering a centralised hub for orchestrating tasks and ensuring consistency and efficiency. Here are some key applications of Ansible Tower: 

1) Managing Complex Infrastructures: Ansible Tower excels in large-scale environments by providing a centralised hub for orchestrating tasks seamlessly. This ensures consistency and efficiency by enforcing standardised configurations and workflows. 

2) CI/CD Pipelines: In Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, Ansible Tower automates the deployment process. This enables rapid and reliable application delivery, resulting in faster release cycles. It also reduces manual intervention and improves collaboration between development and operations teams. 

3) Configuration Management: Ansible Tower plays a pivotal role in enforcing desired configurations across diverse systems. This approach ensures consistent performance and security policies across various environments, which is crucial when managing diverse systems and applications.  

4) Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): The platform's RBAC features are instrumental in managing user permissions and delegating responsibilities. Furthermore, it enhances security by restricting access based on roles and safeguarding sensitive configurations and data. 

5) Versatility in IT Landscapes: Ansible Tower's versatility extends to diverse IT landscapes, providing a robust solution for configuration management, automation, and orchestration. It helps enterprises achieve efficiency, scalability, and enhanced collaboration. 

Ansible Tower Editions 

Ansible Tower offers distinct editions, each catering to specific requirements and organisational needs. Understanding the unique features of these editions is crucial for businesses looking to optimise their automation strategies. 

1) Ansible Tower Self-Supported: It is ideal for organisations who are looking for autonomy in managing their Ansible Tower instances. While lacking official support, this edition empowers users to leverage Ansible Tower's core capabilities independently.  

2) Ansible Tower Standard: Organisations benefit from official Red Hat support with the Standard edition. This includes expert guidance, updates, and maintenance to ensure a stable and secure automation environment. The Standard edition is well-suited for enterprises that prioritise reliability and seek assistance from the Ansible Tower experts.   

3) Ansible Tower Premium: The Premium edition offers additional features such as insights and analytics for businesses with advanced automation needs. These capabilities provide valuable data-driven insights into automation performance, enhancing decision-making and efficiency. Furthermore, Ansible Tower Premium is the go-to choice for organisations aiming to elevate their automation strategies to a more sophisticated level.  

4) Ansible Tower Premium with Smart Management: The Premium edition with Smart Management encompasses all the benefits of the Premium edition with the added advantage of Smart Management features. This includes tools for optimising and managing Red Hat environments efficiently. This edition is tailored for enterprises with integrated Red Hat solutions, providing a comprehensive automation and management solution. 

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Best Practices of Ansible Tower 

Here are some best practices for using Ansible Tower to ensure efficient and effective automation. Following these guidelines can help you maintain a well-organised and secure environment: 

1) Use Source Control: While Tower supports playbooks stored directly on the server, it is best practice to store your playbooks, roles, and associated details in source control. This provides an audit trail for changes and allows easy sharing of playbooks with other parts of your infrastructure or team. 

2) Ansible File and Directory Structure: Follow the Ansible best practices for file and directory structure. If creating a common set of roles for use across projects, access them via source control submodules or a general location such as /opt. Projects should not import roles or content from other projects. 

3) Avoid Using vars_prompt: Playbooks should not use the vars_prompt feature, as Tower does not support interactive prompts. Instead, use the Surveys functionality of Tower if you need to prompt for variables. 

4) Use Dynamic Inventory Sources: Define an inventory sync process if you have an external source of truth for your infrastructure, such as a cloud provider or local CMDB. Tower’s support for dynamic inventory ensures your inventory is always up to date. 

5) Variable Management for Inventory: Keep variable data along with the objects in the Tower using the inventory editor rather than using group_vars/ and host_vars/. Tower can sync such variables with the database as long as the Overwrite Variables option is not set. 

6) Autoscaling: Use the “callback” feature to allow newly booting instances to request configuration. This is useful for auto-scaling scenarios or provisioning integration. 

7) Handling Larger Host Counts: Set “forks” on a job template to larger values to increase the parallelism of execution runs. For more information on tuning Ansible, refer to the Ansible blog. 

Benefits of Ansible Tower 

Ansible Tower offers numerous benefits that enhance automation and streamline IT operations. Here are some key advantages of Ansible Tower listed below: 

 

1) Centralised Control: Ansible Tower provides a centralised user interface for managing automation across various systems and contexts. This makes it easier to monitor and handle automated jobs, allowing you to oversee your entire infrastructure from a single location. 

2) Management of Inventories: Ansible Tower allows you to maintain inventory files that specify the types of systems and environments Ansible can manage. This simplifies infrastructure management and ensures that automation tasks are executed on the correct systems. 

3) REST API: Ansible Tower includes a REST API that facilitates integration with various tools and systems. This capability enables you to automate processes and streamline your IT operations. 

4) Consolidated Dashboard: The centralised dashboard provides an in-depth view of all automation activities across your infrastructure. It offers real-time visibility into job progress, helping you quickly identify and resolve issues. 

5) CI/CD Workflow Support: Developing a CI/CD workflow with Ansible can involve complex error handling and conditional expressions. Ansible Tower simplifies this by allowing you to create multiple small, basic playbooks and then use Tower to construct a workflow that sequentially executes these playbooks, improving performance and manageability. 

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Conclusion  

Ansible Tower is an essential tool to drive modern IT automation. It helps seamlessly enhance the management and scalability of the IT infrastructure. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Ansible Tower enables enterprises to orchestrate complex automation tasks efficiently. This capability makes it a crucial asset in IT operations. So, ready to transform your automation strategies with Ansible Tower? 

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