Workflows

In this exercise, you will link multiple job templates into a workflow. Workflows connect templates that may or may not share inventory, playbooks, or permissions, with conditional logic: if one job succeeds, the next runs; if it fails, an alternate job runs instead. Workflows can also include project or inventory updates, enabling different teams to collaborate efficiently.

Lab scenario

You have two departments in your organization:

  • Web operations team: developing playbooks in their Git branch webops.

  • Web developers team: working in their branch webdev.

When a new Node.js server is needed, the following tasks must be performed:

Web operations team tasks

  • Install httpd, firewalld, and node.js.

  • Configure SELinux settings, open the firewall, and start httpd and node.js.

Web developers team tasks

  • Deploy the latest version of the web application and restart node.js.

The web operations team sets up the server, and the developers deploy the application.

For this example, both teams use branches of the same Git repository. In a real scenario, your source control structure may vary.

Set up projects

First, set up the Git repositories as projects.

If logged in as wweb, log out and log in as admin.

Within Automation Execution → Projects, click Create project to set up the web operations team’s project:

Parameter Value

Name

Webops Git Repo

Organization

Default

Execution Environment

Default execution environment

Source control type

Git

Source control URL

https://github.com/ansible/workshop-examples.git

Source control branch/tag/commit

webops

Options

✓ Clean
✓ Delete
✓ Update Revision on Launch

Click Create project.

Repeat the process to set up the Webdev Git Repo, using the branch webdev.

Parameter Value

Name

Webdev Git Repo

Organization

Default

Execution Environment

Default execution environment

Source control type

Git

Source control URL

https://github.com/ansible/workshop-examples.git

Source control branch/tag/commit

webdev

Options

✓ Clean
✓ Delete
✓ Update Revision on Launch

Set up job templates

Within Automation Execution → Templates, click the Create template dropdown and select Create job template. Fill out the form with the following values:

Parameter Value

Name

Web App Deploy

Inventory

Workshop Inventory

Project

Webops Git Repo

Playbook

rhel/webops/web_infrastructure.yml

Execution Environment

Default execution environment

Credentials

Workshop Credentials

Options

✓ Privilege Escalation

Click Create job template, and then repeat the process for the Node.js Deploy template, changing the project to Webdev Git Repo and the playbook to rhel/webdev/install_node_app.yml.

Set up the workflow

Within Automation Execution → Templates, click the Create template dropdown and select Create workflow job template. Fill in the details:

Parameter Value

Name

Deploy Webapp Server

Click Create workflow job template to open the Workflow Visualizer.

add_step

  1. Click Add step and fill in the following for the first node:

    Parameter Value

    Node type

    Job Template

    Job template

    Web App Deploy

    Convergence

    Any
    app_deploy

Click Next then Finish.

  1. On the first node, click the kebab menu (⋮) and select Add step and link. Fill in the following for the second node:

add_link

+

Parameter Value

Node type

Job Template

Job template

Node.js Deploy

Convergence

Any

Run type

On Success

+ Click Next then Finish.

add_nodejs

Click Save to finalize the workflow.

overview

Launch workflow

From the Deploy Webapp Server template, select Launch template.

launch_template

Once the workflow completes, verify the result using Run Command:

  1. Go to Automation Execution → Infrastructure → Inventories → Workshop Inventory and open the Hosts tab.

  2. Select node01 and node02, then click Run Command.

  3. In the Details window, set Module to command and Arguments to curl http://localhost/nodejs. Click Next.

  4. In the Execution Environment window, select Default execution environment. Click Next.

  5. In the Credential window, select Workshop Credentials. Click Next.

  6. Review your inputs and click Finish.

Verify that the output shows Hello World.

Summary

In this exercise you:

  • Created two Git-backed projects for separate teams (webops and webdev)

  • Built job templates for web infrastructure deployment and Node.js application deployment

  • Linked the templates into a conditional workflow using the Workflow Visualizer

  • Launched the workflow and verified the deployed application