Ansible troubleshooting - chgrp failed

When you try to change permission to file your Ansible Playbook might end up with "chgrp failed" error. Let's investigate together why this error happens and how to solve it!

September 7, 2021

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Introduction

Welcome to another episode of Ansible Pilot. I’m Luca Berton, and today we’ll delve into Ansible troubleshooting, specifically focusing on the “chgrp failed” error. This error can be encountered when attempting to change permissions within an Ansible Playbook. Let’s explore the root causes of this issue and discover effective solutions.

Live Demo: Understanding the chgrp Failed Error

The best way to comprehend Ansible troubleshooting is through a live demonstration. In this video, I’ll walk you through a practical example of encountering the “chgrp failed” error and demonstrate how to resolve it.

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Code

Here’s a snippet from the demo showcasing the creation of a user and the associated group modifications:

# groups devops
devops : wheel
# useradd -a -G users devops
# groups devops
devops : wheel users
# id devops
uid=1001(devops) gid=10(wheel) groups=10(wheel),100(users)

The commands you provided are a sequence of Linux commands that demonstrate the creation of a user named “devops” and the associated group modifications. Let’s break down each line:

groups devops: This command is used to display the groups to which the user “devops” belongs. In this case, it shows that the user “devops” is a member of the group “wheel.”
```
devops : wheel
```
This output indicates that the user “devops” is currently only a member of the “wheel” group.
useradd -a -G users devops: This command is used to add the user “devops” to additional groups. The options -a and -G are used to append the user to the supplementary groups specified. In this case, the user “devops” is added to the “users” group.
After running this command, the next time we check the groups for “devops,” it should show that the user is a member of both the “wheel” and “users” groups.
groups devops: This command is used again to display the groups to which the user “devops” belongs after the modifications.
```
devops : wheel users
```
Now, the output indicates that the user “devops” is a member of both the “wheel” and “users” groups.
id devops: This command provides detailed information about the user “devops,” including the user ID (uid), primary group ID (gid), and the supplementary groups to which the user belongs.
```
uid=1001(devops) gid=10(wheel) groups=10(wheel),100(users)
```
- uid=1001(devops): This shows that the user “devops” has a user ID of 1001.
- gid=10(wheel): This indicates that the primary group of the user is “wheel” with a group ID of 10.
- groups=10(wheel),100(users): This lists all the supplementary groups to which the user “devops” belongs, which are “wheel” (group ID 10) and “users” (group ID 100).

In summary, these commands demonstrate the process of creating a user named “devops,” adding them to the “users” group, and confirming the changes in group membership. This can be useful when configuring user permissions and access in a Linux environment.

Recap: Troubleshooting Ansible chgrp Failed Error

By now, you have gained insights into identifying and resolving the “chgrp failed” error in Ansible. Remember these key takeaways:

The error can arise when attempting to change permissions using Ansible.
Group-related issues are often the cause of the “chgrp failed” error.
Analyzing user and group configurations is crucial in resolving the problem.

For more troubleshooting tips and Ansible insights, don’t forget to subscribe to Ansible Pilot! Subscribe to the YouTube channel, Medium, and Website, X (formerly Twitter) to not miss the next episode of the Ansible Pilot.