Ansible with Linux and Windows Administration — Lesson 1: Ansible Architecture, Inventories, Connectivity, Variables, and Playbook Design

Learning Objectives

• Explain the structures, services, data, settings, roles, and dependencies governing Ansible architecture and mixed inventories.
• Implement and validate SSH and WinRM, variables, and playbook structure using reviewable evidence.
• Evaluate the condition where the observed result differs from the approved configuration because a prerequisite, permission, dependency, or sequence was missed and select a proportionate corrective response.

Detailed Topics

• Ansible architecture applied to the course scenario, expected platform behavior, dependencies, controls, and evidence.
• mixed inventories applied to the course scenario, expected platform behavior, dependencies, controls, and evidence.
• SSH and WinRM applied to the course scenario, expected platform behavior, dependencies, controls, and evidence.
• variables applied to the course scenario, expected platform behavior, dependencies, controls, and evidence.
• playbook structure applied to the course scenario, expected platform behavior, dependencies, controls, and evidence.

Instructor Demonstration

The instructor traces an infrastructure automation team standardizing recurring changes across mixed Linux and Windows server estates. The walkthrough connects navigation, commands, configuration logic, system messages, and evidence captured in the cross-platform automation repository, credential design, test evidence, and mixed-estate operations runbook. It also tests the exception where the observed result differs from the approved configuration because a prerequisite, permission, dependency, or sequence was missed.

Hands-On Exercise

Complete a controlled Red Hat exercise covering Ansible Architecture, Inventories, Connectivity, Variables, and Playbook Design and preserve the verified result in the cross-platform automation repository, credential design, test evidence, and mixed-estate operations runbook.

1. Confirm scope, prerequisites, versions, identities, dependencies, and acceptance criteria.
2. Execute the workflow while recording commands, settings, outputs, events, and system messages.
3. Test normal behavior, one boundary condition, and the stated exception.
4. Document corrections, evidence, ownership, retest criteria, rollback, and handover actions.

Scenario Analysis

• Identify which object, service, policy, setting, or sequence most strongly influences Ansible architecture.
• Compare two defensible responses and explain technical, security, operational, and support trade-offs.
• Determine how the cross-platform automation repository, credential design, test evidence, and mixed-estate operations runbook should be approved, retained, retested, and updated.

Troubleshooting Guidance

Start where expected behavior first differs from the observed result. Check prerequisites, identity, configuration order, version compatibility, connectivity, status, resource limits, and evidence separately. Treat “the observed result differs from the approved configuration because a prerequisite, permission, dependency, or sequence was missed” as a hypothesis until commands, logs, settings, and retest outcomes confirm the cause.

Validation Checklist

• Required platform components, identities, permissions, settings, and dependencies are present.
• The cross-platform automation repository, credential design, test evidence, and mixed-estate operations runbook connects each conclusion to objective, reviewable evidence.
• Normal processing, a boundary condition, dependency behavior, and the stated exception were tested.
• Corrections, ownership, retest criteria, rollback, documentation, and operational handover are complete.

Lesson Outcome

Learners can apply Ansible Architecture, Inventories, Connectivity, Variables, and Playbook Design, explain the resulting platform behavior, and defend the outcome through the cross-platform automation repository, credential design, test evidence, and mixed-estate operations runbook.