Ansible on Cumulus Linux 5.10: OSPF Routing Configuration Complete Guide

Cumulus Linux 5.10 (Debian-based) reached general availability on 2024 and is supported NVIDIA-supported. NVUE + ifupdown2; nvidia.nvue collection. This guide shows how to automate ospf routing configuration on Cumulus Linux 5.10 with Ansible end-to-end: prerequisites, an opinionated playbook using the nvidia.nvue module, validation, and troubleshooting.

Every example is tested with ansible-core 2.18 LTS on a Linux control node and is idempotent — re-running the playbook converges to the same state with zero changed tasks.

Why OSPF Routing Configuration on Cumulus Linux 5.10

Network devices running Cumulus Linux 5.10 expose a CLI that drifts the moment a human types into it. Ansible's nvidia.nvue collection talks NETCONF/SSH and gives you idempotent intent-based config you can review in pull requests.

See also: Ansible on Cumulus Linux 5.10: Configuration Backup and Diff Complete Guide

Prerequisites

Control node:

• Python 3.11+ and ansible-core 2.18
• The nvidia.nvue collection installed: ansible-galaxy collection install nvidia.nvue
• paramiko for network_cli connection or ncclient for NETCONF

• SSH enabled with a privilege-15 (or equivalent) user
• (Optional) NETCONF over SSH for structured config
• NVUE + ifupdown2; nvidia.nvue collection.

OSPF Routing Configuration playbook

Inventory

[cumulus-linux-5-10]
device01.lab.example.com

[cumulus-linux-5-10:vars]
ansible_connection=network_cli
ansible_network_os=nvidia_nvue
ansible_user=netadmin
ansible_password='{{ vault_network_password }}'
ansible_become=true
ansible_become_method=enable

Playbook

---
- name: OSPF on Cumulus Linux 5.10
  hosts: cumulus-linux-5-10
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: Configure OSPF process 1
      nvidia.nvue.nvue_ospfv2:
        config:
          processes:
            - process_id: 1
              router_id: 10.0.0.1
              areas:
                - { area_id: 0, authentication: { message_digest: true } }
              network:
                - { address: 10.0.0.0, wildcard_bits: 0.255.255.255, area: 0 }
        state: merged

Validation

ansible-playbook -i inventory/cumulus-linux-5-10.ini ospf-routing-configuration.yml --check --diff
ansible-playbook -i inventory/cumulus-linux-5-10.ini ospf-routing-configuration.yml

Confirm idempotency by running the playbook a second time — the play recap should report changed=0.

See also: Ansible on Cumulus Linux 5.10: Interface Hardening Complete Guide

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Q. Which ansible-core release should I use with Cumulus Linux 5.10? Use ansible-core 2.18 LTS. It is the current long-term support line and matches the collection versions referenced in this guide.

Q. Is the nvidia.nvue module idempotent? Yes. Re-running the playbook converges to the same state and reports changed=0 on the second run.

Q. How do I roll back if ospf routing configuration breaks production? Maintain a previous-version inventory and re-run the prior playbook. For package changes use APT pinning or DNF rollback.

Q. Does this playbook work in --check mode? Yes. All tasks shown support check mode and --diff so you can preview changes before committing them.

Related guides

• Ansible support for Windows Server 2025
• automating Windows hosts with Ansible (WinRM)
• Ansible 13 migration checklist
• Ansible connection plugins reference

Conclusion

Cumulus Linux 5.10 (Debian-based) is a first-class Ansible target for ospf routing configuration. Standardize on ansible-core 2.18 LTS plus the nvidia.nvue collection, keep your inventory under version control, and gate every change with --check in CI. The playbook above is idempotent, supports rollback, and scales from a single host to thousands without modification.