Automating IBM Installation Manager Installation with Ansible

If you're looking to automate the installation of IBM Installation Manager (IIM) for WebSphere Application Server using Ansible, this guide is for you! We'll walk through creating an Ansible role to handle the installation process, making it simple and efficient.

Step 1: Create the Ansible Role Structure

First, let's set up the directory structure for our Ansible role. You can create a new role using the ansible-galaxy command:

ansible-galaxy init my_ansible_role

This command will create the following directory structure:

my_ansible_role/
├── defaults/
│   └── main.yml
├── files/
├── handlers/
│   └── main.yml
├── meta/
│   └── main.yml
├── tasks/
│   └── main.yml
├── templates/
├── tests/
│   └── inventory
│   └── test.yml
├── vars/
│   └── main.yml

For this particular role, we only need the defaults, tasks, and templates directories. We'll define our variables in defaults/main.yml, our tasks in tasks/main.yml, and our response file template in templates/iim_responsefile.xml.

Step 2: Define Variables in `defaults/main.yml`

In the defaults/main.yml file, we'll define the necessary variables for the installation:

# defaults/main.yml
iim_install_path: "/opt/IBM/InstallationManager"
iim_binary_file: "agent.installer.linux.gtk.x86_64_1.9.0.20190715_0328.zip"
iim_version: "1.9.0"
iim_binary_path: "/software/was/iim/{{ iim_binary_file }}"

Step 3: Create Tasks in `tasks/main.yml`

In the tasks/main.yml file, we'll define the tasks to install IIM using the cmd module. We'll also create a temporary directory for log files, extract the IIM binary, template out the response file, and ensure the temporary directory is removed after the installation:

# tasks/main.yml
- name: Create temporary directory for logs
  ansible.builtin.tempfile:
    state: directory
  register: temp_dir

- name: Extract IIM binary
  ansible.builtin.unarchive:
    src: "{{ iim_binary_path }}"
    dest: "{{ temp_dir.path }}"
    remote_src: yes

- name: Template out the response file
  ansible.builtin.template:
    src: iim_responsefile.xml
    dest: "{{ temp_dir.path }}/iim_responsefile.xml"

- name: Install IBM Installation Manager
  ansible.builtin.command: >
    {{ temp_dir.path }}/userinstc
    -acceptLicense
    -installationDirectory {{ iim_install_path }}
    -dataLocation {{ iim_install_path }}/data
    -log {{ temp_dir.path }}/install_log.xml
    -input {{ temp_dir.path }}/iim_responsefile.xml
  args:
    creates: "{{ iim_install_path }}/eclipse"

- name: Remove temporary directory
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ temp_dir.path }}"
    state: absent
  when: temp_dir.path is defined
  always: yes

Step 4: Create the Response File Template in `templates/iim_responsefile.xml`

In the templates/iim_responsefile.xml file, we'll create a Jinja2 template for the response file:

<!-- templates/iim_responsefile.xml -->
<agentInput>
  <server>
    <repository>
      <repository location="{{ iim_install_path }}"/>
    </repository>
  </server>
  <install>
    <offering features='agent_core,agent_jre' id='com.ibm.cic.agent' version='{{ iim_version }}'/>
  </install>
</agentInput>

Step 5: Example Execution of the Role

To execute the role, create a playbook install_iim.yml:

# install_iim.yml
- hosts: all
  roles:
    - role: my_ansible_role

Run the playbook using Ansible:

ansible-playbook install_iim.yml

Example AWX Job Template Output

When you run the playbook in AWX, you might see output similar to this:

PLAY [all] *********************************************************************

TASK [Gathering Facts] *********************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [my_ansible_role : Create temporary directory for logs] *******************
changed: [localhost]

TASK [my_ansible_role : Extract IIM binary] ************************************
changed: [localhost]

TASK [my_ansible_role : Template out the response file] ************************
changed: [localhost]

TASK [my_ansible_role : Install IBM Installation Manager] **********************
changed: [localhost]

TASK [my_ansible_role : Remove temporary directory] ****************************
changed: [localhost]

PLAY RECAP *********************************************************************
localhost                  : ok=6    changed=5    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0

Conclusion

With this Ansible role, you can automate the installation of IBM Installation Manager for WebSphere Application Server, making the process seamless and efficient. By defining variables, tasks, and templates, you ensure a consistent and repeatable installation process.

Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. 😊

Useful Links

For more detailed information, you can refer to the official IBM documentation:

Happy automating! 🚀

Automating IBM Installation Manager Installation with Ansible

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