Ansible 'Invalid Argument' Error: Fix Wrong Module Parameters (Guide) — Video Tutorial

Fix Ansible invalid argument errors. Resolve wrong module parameters, typos, deprecated options, and unsupported arguments with troubleshooting steps.

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Tutorial summary

What you'll learn

Introduction
The Demo
Understanding the Error
Verbose Execution
Fixing the Code
Successful Execution
Conclusion
Common Causes
Wrong parameter name
Module version mismatch

Introduction Welcome to another episode of Ansible Pilot! I'm Luca Berton, and today we'll delve into Ansible troubleshooting, focusing on the infamous "Invalid Argument" error. This error commonly occurs when using the Ansible `file` module to create a symlink in a Linux environment. Let's explore how to reproduce, troubleshoot, and fix this issue. The Demo To better understand Ansible troubleshooting, let's dive into a live Playbook. We'll create a playbook (`invalidargument_error.yml`) that attempts to create a symbolic link using the `file` module. In this example, we're trying to symlink `/proc/cpuinfo` to `~/example`. ```yaml --- - name: file module demo hosts: all vars: mylink: "~/example" mysrc: "/proc/cpuinfo" tasks: - name: Creating a symlink ansible.builtin.file: path: "{{ mylink }}" dest: "{{ mysrc }}" state: link ``` Executing this playbook (`ansible-playbook -i inventory invalidargument_error.yml`) results in the following error: ```bash TASK [Creating a symlink] ****************************************************** An exception occurred during task execution. OSError: [Errno 22] Invalid argument: b'/proc/cpuinfo' ``` Understanding the Error The error is clear: "OSError: [Errno 22] Invalid argument." This occurs because the `file` module expects a valid source (`src`) and destination (`dest`) when creating a symlink. In our original playbook, we only provided the `path` and `dest` parameters, leading to the "Invalid argument" error. Verbose Execution Executing the playbook with increased verbosity (`-vvv`) provides a more detailed traceback, helping us pinpoint the issue: ```bash ansible-playbook -i inventory invalidargument_error.yml -vvv ``` The output reveals the exact error in the `file` module, emphasizing the need for a valid source parameter. Fixing the Code To resolve the "Invalid Argument" error, we need to correct our playbook. The fixed playbook (`invalidargument_fix.yml`) includes the missing `src` parameter: ```yaml --- - name: file module demo hosts: all vars: mylink: "~/example" mysrc: "/proc/cpuinfo" tasks: - name: Creating a symlink ansible.builtin.file: src: "{{ mysrc }}" dest: "{{ mylink }}" state: link ``` Successful Execution Executing the fixed playbook (`ansible-playbook -i inventory invalidargument_fix.yml`) should now complete without errors: ```bash PLAY [file module demo] *************************************************************************** TASK [Gathering Facts] **************************************************************************** ok: [demo.example.com] TASK [Creating a symlink] ************************************************************************* ok: [demo.example.com] PLAY RECAP **************************************************************************************** demo.example.com : ok=2 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0 i

About this tutorial

Author: Luca Berton
Difficulty: Beginner
Read time: 7 min
Category: troubleshooting

Topics covered

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