HTTPD SERVER | ANSIBLE | MANAGING STATE OF HTTPD | CHANGED_WHEN

The problem that we are going to solve is restarting HTTPD Service is not idempotence in nature and also consume more resources suggest a way to rectify this challenge in Ansible playbook.

I made a Play-book that configures the HTTPd server on a RedHat system

This code will show CHANGED (YELLOW ) color even if it's not.

- hosts: all
  vars_prompt:
     - name: dvd_dir
       private: no
       prompt: "enter dvd mount point"
  tasks:
  - file:
       state: directory
       path: "{{ dvd_dir }}"
  - mount:
       src: "/dev/cdrom"
       path: "{{ dvd_dir }}"
       state: mounted
       fstype: "iso9660"
  - yum_repository:
       baseurl: "{{ dvd_dir }}/AppStream"
       name: "mydvd1"
       description: "my dvd1 for pakage"
       gpgcheck: no
  - yum_repository:
       baseurl: "{{ dvd_dir }}/BaseOS"
       name: "mydvd2"
       description: "my dvd2 for pakage"
       gpgcheck: no
  - package:
       name: "httpd"
       state: present
  - file:
       state: directory
       path: "/var/www/suyog"
  - copy:
       src: "/root/ansible/playbook/new.conf"
       dest: "/etc/httpd/conf.d/new.conf"
  - copy:
       dest: "/var/www/suyog/index.html"
       content: "This is my web site\n"
  
  - name: "Restarting httpd Service"
    shell: "/usr/sbin/httpd"
    
  - firewalld:
       port: "8080/tcp"
       state: enabled
       permanent: yes
       immediate: yes

The Httpd Server is already running on the target node

Then also when running ansible-playbook it will say changed (YELLO) but it should be GREEN

Here comes the play of changed_when to explicitly tell ansible when to consider the task as Successful or changed.

What is Changed_when?

These modules give us a way to make ansible do something when a certain condition is met or satisfied

• Just adding changed_when and a debug message to display the startoutput

 - name: "Restarting httpd service"
   shell: "/usr/sbin/httpd"
   register: startoutput
   changed_when: "'already running' not in startoutput.stdout"
- debug:
     msg: "{{startoutput.stdout}}"

• After changing the above code we get the needed output

The color is Not changed(GREEN) this time and not YELLOW(Changed)

 In other words, It is unchanged

HOPE YOU GET IT

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