Ansible on IBM i 7.5 Automation Complete Guide

IBM i 7.5 (formerly OS/400, i5/OS) is the integrated operating environment running on IBM Power servers, with built-in DB2 for i, IFS, and the unique object-based architecture. Ansible automates IBM i through the ibm.power_ibmi collection, which uses Db2 SQL services and CL commands to manage PTFs, user profiles, libraries, journaling, and IFS objects. This is the master Ansible guide for IBM i 7.5.

IBM i 7.5 release facts

| Item | Value | |---|---| | Released | 2022-05-10 | | Hardware | Power9 / Power10 / Power11 | | End of program services | 2031 (planned, with TRs) | | Key features | Db2 Mirror improvements, MFA, Open Source via RPM (yum) |

See also: Ansible AWS: Complete Guide to Cloud Automation (2026)

Ansible-core compatibility

Use ansible-core 2.18 LTS. The IBM i collection requires the 5733-OPS Open Source environment with Python (e.g., /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/python3):

[ibmi:vars]
ansible_python_interpreter=/QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/python3

Collection:

collections:
  - name: ibm.power_ibmi
    version: ">=3.0.0"

Inventory

[ibmi]
ibmi01 ansible_host=10.0.6.11
ibmi02 ansible_host=10.0.6.12
[ibmi:vars]
ansible_user=ANSIBLE
ansible_password='{{ vault_ibmi_password }}'

See also: Ansible Become: Privilege Escalation with sudo, su & runas (Complete Guide)

Run a CL command

- name: Display system status
  hosts: ibmi
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: DSPMSG
      ibm.power_ibmi.ibmi_cl_command:
        cmd: DSPMSG MSGQ(QSYS/QSYSOPR)
      register: out
- name: Print
      ansible.builtin.debug:
        var: out.stdout_lines

PTF management

- name: Apply PTF group
  hosts: ibmi
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: Load and apply PTF group
      ibm.power_ibmi.ibmi_fix:
        operation: load_and_apply
        product: "*ALL"
        fix_omit_list: []
        save_file_object: PTF12345
        save_file_lib: QGPL
        delayed_option: "*NO"
        temp_or_perm: "*PERM"

See also: Ansible check_mode: Dry Run & Test Playbooks Without Making Changes

Library/user management via SQL services

- name: Create user profile
  hosts: ibmi
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: CRTUSRPRF
      ibm.power_ibmi.ibmi_user_and_group:
        operation: create
        user: APPUSR1
        password: "{{ vault_appusr1 }}"
        user_class: "*USER"
        special_authority:
          - "*JOBCTL"
        text: "Application user 1"

IFS file management

- name: Manage file in IFS
  hosts: ibmi
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: Push config into IFS
      ansible.builtin.copy:
        src: files/app.properties
        dest: /home/appusr1/app.properties
        owner: APPUSR1
        mode: '0600'

Journaling check

- name: Verify journals
  hosts: ibmi
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: Query journals
      ibm.power_ibmi.ibmi_sql_query:
        sql: |
          SELECT JOURNAL_LIBRARY, JOURNAL_NAME, JOURNAL_STATE
          FROM QSYS2.JOURNAL_INFO
          WHERE JOURNAL_LIBRARY NOT LIKE 'Q%';
      register: journals
- name: Show
      ansible.builtin.debug:
        var: journals.row_changed

Best practices

• Always install Open Source 5733-OPS and Python before running playbooks; pin ansible_python_interpreter. • Use SQL services (QSYS2, SYSTOOLS) over CL commands when both exist — easier to consume programmatically. • Apply PTFs via ibmi_fix with delayed_option: "YES" for IPL-required group PTFs, then orchestrate IPL. • Use a dedicated service profile with limited SECADM rights for Ansible.

Conclusion

IBM i 7.5 + ibm.power_ibmi brings the green-screen world into modern Ansible pipelines. Drive PTFs, user profiles, IFS files, and Db2 SQL services through playbooks while preserving IBM i's object-level security model.