Exercise 1.8: Gather and display virtual server facts.¶

Objective¶

Demonstrate use of the BIG-IP device info module to gather facts about virtual servers based on different conditions

Guide¶

Step 1:

Using your text editor of choice create a new file called bigip-virtual-server-facts.yml.

[student1@ansible ~]$ nano bigip-virtual-server-facts.yml

``vim`` and ``nano`` are available on the control node

Step 2

Enter the following play definition into bigip-virtual-server-facts.yml:

---
- name: GET F5 FACTS
  hosts: lb
  connection: local
  gather_facts: false

The --- at the top of the file indicates that this is a YAML file.
The hosts: f5, indicates the play is run only on the F5 BIG-IP device
connection: local tells the Playbook to run locally (rather than SSHing to itself)
gather_facts: no disables facts gathering. We are not using any fact variables for this playbook.

Step 3

Next, add the task. This task will set the ‘provider’ facts and use bigip_device_info to collect virtual server object information in a variable.

---
- name: BIG-IP SETUP
  hosts: lb
  connection: local
  gather_facts: false

  vars:
    default_pool: "/Common/http-pool"
    vip_port: 8088

  tasks:

    - set_fact:
       provider:
        server: "{{private_ip}}"
        user: "{{ansible_user}}"
        password: "{{ansible_ssh_pass}}"
        server_port: 8443
        validate_certs: no

    - name: Collect information of all virtual servers
      bigip_device_facts:
        gather_subset:
         - virtual-servers
        provider: "{{provider}}"
      register: facts_result

    - name: Display the results
      debug:
        var: facts_result

vars: defines the variables which will be used elsewhere in this defined playbook.
default_pool: is a user defined variable which uses /Common/http-pool as the default pool.
vip_port: is a user defined variable which sets the vip service port to listen on port 8888.
set_fact: this Ansible module allows setting variables which will be available for subsequent plays throughout a playbook run.
The provider: creates a reusable object containing connection details.
The server: "{{private_ip}}" parameter tells the module to connect to the F5 BIG-IP IP address, which is stored as a variable private_ip in inventory
The user: "{{ansible_user}}" parameter tells the module the username to login to the F5 BIG-IP device with
The password: "{{ansible_ssh_pass}}" parameter tells the module the password to login to the F5 BIG-IP device with
The server_port: 8443 parameter tells the module the port to connect to the F5 BIG-IP device with
The validate_certs: "no" parameter tells the module to not validate SSL certificates. This is just used for demonstration purposes since this is a lab.
name: "Collect information of all virtual servers" is a user defined description that will display in the terminal output.
bigip_device_facts: tells the task which module to use. Everything except register is a module parameter defined on the module documentation page.
The gather_subset: virtual-servers parameter tells the module only to grab virtual system information.
register: facts_result tells the task to save the output to a variable facts_result.
The name: Display the results is a user defined description that will display in the terminal output.
debug: tells the task to use the debug module.
The var: facts_result parameter tells the module to display the variable facts_result.

Step 4

Run the playbook - exit back into the command line of the control host and execute the following:

[student1@ansible ~]$ ansible-playbook bigip-virtual-server-facts.yml

Playbook Output 1¶

[student1@ansible ~]$ ansible-playbook bigip-virtual-server-facts.yml

PLAY [GET F5 FACTS] **************************************************************

TASK [set_fact] ******************************************************************
ok: [f5]

TASK [Collect information of all virtual servers] ********************************
changed: [f5]

TASK [Display the results] *******************************************************
ok: [f5] =>
  facts_result:
    ansible_facts:
      discovered_interpreter_python: /usr/bin/python
    changed: true
    failed: false
    virtual_servers:
    - auto_lasthop: default
      availability_status: available
      client_side_bits_in: 430288
      client_side_bits_out: 983960
      client_side_current_connections: 0
      client_side_evicted_connections: 0
      client_side_max_connections: 5
      client_side_pkts_in: 454
      client_side_pkts_out: 523
      client_side_slow_killed: 0
      client_side_total_connections: 60
      cmp_enabled: 'yes'
      cmp_mode: all-cpus
      connection_limit: 0
      connection_mirror_enabled: 'no'
      cpu_usage_ratio_last_1_min: 0
      cpu_usage_ratio_last_5_min: 0
      cpu_usage_ratio_last_5_sec: 0
      current_syn_cache: 0
      default_pool: /Common/http_pool
      destination: /Common/172.16.82.208:443
      destination_address: 172.16.82.208
      destination_port: 443
      enabled: 'yes'
      ephemeral_bits_in: 0
      ephemeral_bits_out: 0
      ephemeral_current_connections: 0
      ephemeral_evicted_connections: 0
      ephemeral_max_connections: 0
      ephemeral_pkts_in: 0
      ephemeral_pkts_out: 0
      ephemeral_slow_killed: 0
      ephemeral_total_connections: 0
      full_path: /Common/vip
      gtm_score: 0
      hardware_syn_cookie_instances: 0
      irules:
      - /Common/irule1
      - /Common/irule2
      max_conn_duration: 679290
      mean_conn_duration: 19248
      min_conn_duration: 36
      name: vip
      nat64_enabled: 'no'
      profiles:
      - context: client-side
        full_path: /Common/clientssl
        name: clientssl
      - context: all
        full_path: /Common/http
        name: http
      - context: all
        full_path: /Common/oneconnect
        name: oneconnect
      - context: all
        full_path: /Common/tcp
        name: tcp
      protocol: tcp
      rate_limit: -1
      rate_limit_destination_mask: 0
      rate_limit_mode: object
      rate_limit_source_mask: 0
      snat_type: automap
      software_syn_cookie_instances: 0
      source_address: 0.0.0.0/0
      source_port_behavior: preserve
      status_reason: The virtual server is available
      syn_cache_overflow: 0
      syn_cookies_status: not-activated
      total_hardware_accepted_syn_cookies: 0
      total_hardware_syn_cookies: 0
      total_requests: 113
      total_software_accepted_syn_cookies: 0
      total_software_rejected_syn_cookies: 0
      total_software_syn_cookies: 0
      translate_address: 'yes'
      translate_port: 'yes'
      type: standard

PLAY RECAP ***********************************************************************
f5                         : ok=3    changed=1    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0

Step 5

The result of the variable facts_result is shown in the playbook output. This output will get used to find the more specific information we want to obtain.

Next, add underneath yaml file to the bottom of the bigip-virtual-server-facts.yml playbook.

- name: Display all VIP's available
  debug: "msg={{item.name}}"
  loop: "{{facts_result.virtual_servers}}"
  loop_control:
        label: "{{item.name}}"

- name: Display VIP's that has a specific destination port
  debug: "msg={{item.name}}"
  when: item.destination_port == vip_port
  loop: "{{facts_result.virtual_servers}}"
  loop_control:
        label:
        - "{{item.name}}"
        - "{{item.destination_port}}"

- name: Display VIP's that have a specific default pool
  debug: "msg={{item.name}}"
  when: item.default_pool == default_pool
  loop: "{{facts_result.virtual_servers}}"
  loop_control:
        label:
        - "{{item.name}}"
        - "{{item.default_pool}}"

- name: Store the first vip name in a variable
  set_fact:
        first_vip_name: "{{facts_result.virtual_servers[0].name}}"

- name: Display all profiles attached to a VIP "name={{first_vip_name}}"
  debug: "msg={{item}}"
  loop: "{{facts_result.virtual_servers | json_query(query_string)}}"
  vars:
   query_string: "[?name=='{{first_vip_name}}'].profiles[*].name"

Explanation of the used functions: - name: "Display all VIP's available" is a user defined description that will display in the terminal output. - debug: This module prints statements during execution where msg is pulling the name from the facts_result output - loop: tells the task to loop over the provided list. The list of virtual servers is taken from the facts_result output. - loop_control: to limit the output a label of name is used for each item. For the next sections we see a returning partern where ‘loop_control’ is used to limit the outcome of the loop function by using the labels name, destination_port, default pool. - when: is used to compare results from the facts_result variable output and only when this is true go through the loop and output the results. - vars: the query string is a variable which is used to get the result from the JSON filter in the previous loop. It requests to search for the ‘first vip name’ and deliver the configured profiles as the output.

Step 6

Run the playbook - exit back into the command line of the control host and execute the following:

[student1@ansible ~]$ ansible-playbook bigip-virtual-server-facts.yml

Playbook Output 2¶

PLAY [GET F5 FACTS] **************************************************************

TASK [set_fact] ******************************************************************
ok: [f5]

TASK [Collect information of all virtual servers] ********************************
changed: [f5]

TASK [Display the results] *******************************************************
ok: [f5] =>
  facts_result:
    ansible_facts:
      discovered_interpreter_python: /usr/bin/python
    changed: true
    failed: false
    virtual_servers:
    - auto_lasthop: default
      availability_status: available
      client_side_bits_in: 431248
      client_side_bits_out: 984280
      client_side_current_connections: 0
      client_side_evicted_connections: 0
      client_side_max_connections: 5
      client_side_pkts_in: 457
      client_side_pkts_out: 524
      client_side_slow_killed: 0
      client_side_total_connections: 61
      cmp_enabled: 'yes'
      cmp_mode: all-cpus
      connection_limit: 0
      connection_mirror_enabled: 'no'
      cpu_usage_ratio_last_1_min: 0
      cpu_usage_ratio_last_5_min: 0
      cpu_usage_ratio_last_5_sec: 0
      current_syn_cache: 0
      default_pool: /Common/http_pool
      destination: /Common/172.16.82.208:443
      destination_address: 172.16.82.208
      destination_port: 443
      enabled: 'yes'
      ephemeral_bits_in: 0
      ephemeral_bits_out: 0
      ephemeral_current_connections: 0
      ephemeral_evicted_connections: 0
      ephemeral_max_connections: 0
      ephemeral_pkts_in: 0
      ephemeral_pkts_out: 0
      ephemeral_slow_killed: 0
      ephemeral_total_connections: 0
      full_path: /Common/vip
      gtm_score: 0
      hardware_syn_cookie_instances: 0
      irules:
      - /Common/irule1
      - /Common/irule2
      max_conn_duration: 679290
      mean_conn_duration: 19044
      min_conn_duration: 36
      name: vip
      nat64_enabled: 'no'
      profiles:
      - context: client-side
        full_path: /Common/clientssl
        name: clientssl
      - context: all
        full_path: /Common/http
        name: http
      - context: all
        full_path: /Common/oneconnect
        name: oneconnect
      - context: all
        full_path: /Common/tcp
        name: tcp
      protocol: tcp
      rate_limit: -1
      rate_limit_destination_mask: 0
      rate_limit_mode: object
      rate_limit_source_mask: 0
      snat_type: automap
      software_syn_cookie_instances: 0
      source_address: 0.0.0.0/0
      source_port_behavior: preserve
      status_reason: The virtual server is available
      syn_cache_overflow: 0
      syn_cookies_status: not-activated
      total_hardware_accepted_syn_cookies: 0
      total_hardware_syn_cookies: 0
      total_requests: 113
      total_software_accepted_syn_cookies: 0
      total_software_rejected_syn_cookies: 0
      total_software_syn_cookies: 0
      translate_address: 'yes'
      translate_port: 'yes'
      type: standard

TASK [Display all VIP's available] ***********************************************
ok: [f5] => (item=vip) =>
  msg: vip

TASK [Display VIP's that has a specific destination port] ************************
skipping: [f5] => (item=[u'vip', u'443'])
skipping: [f5]

TASK [Display VIP's that have a specific default pool] ***************************
skipping: [f5] => (item=[u'vip', u'/Common/http_pool'])
skipping: [f5]

TASK [Store the first vip name in a variable] ************************************
ok: [f5]

TASK [Display all profiles attached to a VIP "name=vip"] *************************
ok: [f5] => (item=[u'clientssl', u'http', u'oneconnect', u'tcp']) =>
  msg:
  - clientssl
  - http
  - oneconnect
  - tcp

PLAY RECAP ***********************************************************************
f5                         : ok=6    changed=1    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=2    rescued=0    ignored=0

Solution¶

The finished Ansible Playbook is provided here for an Answer key. Click here: bigip-virtual-server-facts.yml.

You have finished this exercise and Section 1.

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