Module 3 Lab 3: Events - Troubleshooting Event-Driven Ansible

When running an agentless url_check lab, the most common issues arise from network visibility or rulebook syntax. Use the following steps to debug the environment using Ansible ad-hoc commands and platform logs.

1. Verify Network Reachability

If the EDA Rulebook never reports a "down" or "up" status, the EDA Controller container may be unable to reach the Windows host. Use an ad-hoc command to test connectivity from the automation environment.

ansible --module-name ansible.windows.win_shell windows \
  --args "Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 80" \
  --extra-vars @/projects/env/secrets.yml

2. Inspect EDA Activation Logs

The Rulebook Activation logs provide a real-time stream of the polling attempts.

In EDA Controller, navigate to Rulebook Activations.
Select your running activation and click the History tab.
Look for the url_check output. A successful poll will look like this:
```
{
  "url_check": {
    "url": "http://windows.aap.svc.cluster.local",
    "status": "up",
    "status_code": 200
  }
}
```
Edit the Rulebook Activation and change the Log level to Debug and restart the Rulebook Activation

3. Validate Service State via Ad-Hoc

If the remediation job runs but the site remains "down", use an ad-hoc command to check if the IIS service is actually in a Running state or if it is stuck in StartPending.

ansible --module-name ansible.windows.win_service windows \
  --args "name=W3SVC" \
  --extra-vars @/projects/env/secrets.yml

4. Common Resolution Steps

EDA Activation is stuck: Restart the Rulebook Activation to clear the internal event queue.
Remediation Job Fails: Check the Jobs tab in Automation Controller. Ensure the Windows Admin Credential has not expired.
URL Check doesn’t trigger "down": Ensure the delay in the rulebook isn’t set too high (e.g., 60 seconds), which might cause a lag in detection.