AAP 2.6 Install Guide: Containerized, RPM & OpenShift Methods (2026)

Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) 2.6 offers three installation methods: containerized on RHEL (recommended), RPM on RHEL (deprecated), and operator-based on OpenShift. This guide covers all three paths with requirements, inventory configuration, and deployment steps.

Installation Methods Overview

See also: Install Ansible Automation Platform in Red Hat Ansible OpenShift Platform operator via Operator

System Requirements

Growth Topology (Single VM)

For organizations getting started or resource-constrained environments:

Enterprise Topology (Multi-VM)

For production deployments requiring redundancy and scalability — uses separate VMs for each component (gateway, controller, hub, EDA, database).

Containerized Installation (Recommended)

The containerized installer deploys AAP on RHEL using Podman, running all platform components in containers.

Prerequisites

# Ensure RHEL 9.4+ or RHEL 10
cat /etc/redhat-release

# Install ansible-core from AppStream
sudo dnf install ansible-core

# Ensure Podman is available
podman --version

Download the Installer

Download the containerized installer from the Red Hat Customer Portal.

Growth Topology Inventory File

All components on a single host:

# Container growth deployment topology
# All AAP components on one host

[automationgateway]
aap.example.org

[automationcontroller]
aap.example.org

[automationhub]
aap.example.org

[automationeda]
aap.example.org

[database]
aap.example.org

[all:vars]
ansible_connection=local

# Common variables
postgresql_admin_username=postgres
postgresql_admin_password=<set-your-own>

registry_username=<your-RHN-username>
registry_password=<your-RHN-password>

redis_mode=standalone

# Platform gateway
gateway_admin_password=<set-your-own>
gateway_pg_host=aap.example.org
gateway_pg_password=<set-your-own>

# Automation controller
controller_admin_password=<set-your-own>
controller_pg_host=aap.example.org
controller_pg_password=<set-your-own>
controller_percent_memory_capacity=0.5

# Automation hub
hub_admin_password=<set-your-own>
hub_pg_host=aap.example.org
hub_pg_password=<set-your-own>
hub_seed_collections=false

# Event-Driven Ansible controller
eda_admin_password=<set-your-own>
eda_pg_host=aap.example.org
eda_pg_password=<set-your-own>

Enterprise Topology Inventory File

Separate hosts for each component with redundancy:

[automationgateway]
gateway1.example.org
gateway2.example.org

[automationcontroller]
controller1.example.org
controller2.example.org

[automationhub]
hub1.example.org

[automationeda]
eda1.example.org

[database]
db1.example.org

[all:vars]
postgresql_admin_username=postgres
postgresql_admin_password=<set-your-own>

registry_username=<your-RHN-username>
registry_password=<your-RHN-password>

redis_mode=cluster

# ... (set passwords for each component)

Run the Installer

# Extract the installer
tar xvf ansible-automation-platform-containerized-setup-2.6-1.tar.gz
cd ansible-automation-platform-containerized-setup-2.6-1

# Edit inventory
vi inventory

# Run installation
ansible-playbook -i inventory ansible.containerized_installer.install

See also: Deploy and Configure the MCP Server for Ansible Automation Platform: Complete Guide (Containerized and OpenShift)

Network Ports

AAP 2.6 uses several ports for inter-component communication:

RPM Installation (Deprecated)

⚠️ Only use for specific upgrade scenarios, not new installations.

Available only on RHEL 9. No RPM installer for RHEL 8 or RHEL 10. Will be removed in AAP 2.7.

# Download the RPM setup bundle
tar xvf ansible-automation-platform-setup-bundle-2.6-1.tar.gz
cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-bundle-2.6-1

# Edit inventory
vi inventory

# Run setup
./setup.sh

OpenShift Operator Installation

For Kubernetes/cloud-native environments:

1. Log in to OpenShift Console
2. Navigate to Operators → OperatorHub
3. Search for "Ansible Automation Platform"
4. Click Install
5. Select the 2.6 channel
6. Choose installation namespace
7. Click Subscribe

apiVersion: controller.ansible.com/v1beta1
kind: AutomationController
metadata:
  name: my-aap
  namespace: aap
spec:
  admin_user: admin
  admin_password_secret: aap-admin-password
  postgres_configuration_secret: aap-postgres-config

See also: Renew and Change SSL/TLS Certificates in AAP 2.7: Operator-Based OpenShift Installation

Database Requirements

• Managed databases: PostgreSQL 15 (automatically handled by installer)
• External databases: PostgreSQL 15, 16, or 17
• ICU support required for external databases (available but not default on AWS RDS, Azure SQL, EDB)
• Backup/restore: External databases on PostgreSQL 16/17 must handle backup/restore independently

Post-Installation Verification

# Check container status (containerized)
podman ps --format "{{.Names}} {{.Status}}"

# Verify gateway is accessible
curl -k https://aap.example.org/api/gateway/v1/

# Check all services
curl -k https://aap.example.org/api/v2/ping/

FAQ

Should I use containerized or RPM installation for a new deployment?

Always use containerized. RPM installation is deprecated since AAP 2.5 and will be removed in AAP 2.7. The containerized installer is the recommended and future-proof method for all new RHEL deployments.

Can I install AAP 2.6 on RHEL 8?

No. RHEL 8 is no longer supported for AAP 2.6. You must use RHEL 9.4+ or RHEL 10. If you're currently on RHEL 8, migrate to RHEL 9 first.

What's the difference between growth and enterprise topologies?

Growth topology puts all components on a single VM — suitable for development, testing, or small organizations. Enterprise topology distributes components across multiple VMs with redundancy — required for production environments needing high availability.

How much disk space do I need?

Minimum 60 GB total: 15 GB for the installation directory, 1-3 GB for /var/tmp (depending on online vs bundled), and 10 GB temporary space for offline installations. Plan additional space for execution environments, collections, and job artifacts.

Conclusion

For new AAP 2.6 deployments, use the containerized installer on RHEL 9 or RHEL 10. Reserve RPM installation only for specific upgrade scenarios. Use the OpenShift operator for cloud-native environments. Start with the growth topology for evaluation, then scale to enterprise topology for production workloads.

Related Articles

• AAP 2.6 Upgrade Guide
• AAP 2.6 Tested Deployment Models
• What's New in AAP 2.6

Related

For a production-focused walkthrough, see Luca Berton's guide on automating Kubernetes with Ansible.