Containerized Ansible Automation Platform 2024 Update — Video Tutorial

Introduction The recent Technology Preview of the containerized Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform has sparked considerable excitement within the tech community. This innovative approach offers a streamlined, feature-rich solution for enterprise-ready automation, gathering interest from both current users and prospects. The journey towards the general availability of this platform has been enriched with valuable feedback, leading to significant enhancements, fixes, and improvements. This article dives into these updates, highlighting how they contribute to a more simplified installation process, enhanced security measures, and other notable changes. Further Installation Simplification One of the major strides in improving the user experience with the containerized Ansible Automation Platform is the simplification of the installation process. By leveraging core features of the platform, the need for some command-line instructions has been eliminated, making the setup smoother. For instance, the `ansible.cfg` file now automatically sets up the collections path, default inventory file, and logs: ```plaintext $ cat ansible.cfg [defaults] collections_path = ./collections inventory = ./inventory log_path = ./aap_install.log ``` This adjustment means users no longer have to manually specify a collections path or pass in the inventory when sticking to installation defaults, streamlining the initial setup process. Enhanced Security Security is paramount, and the latest update defaults to using Transport Layer Security (TLS) across all services, fortifying network security. Users have the flexibility to use their own certificates or rely on those generated by the installer, offering both customization and convenience. Port Changes To mitigate potential conflicts, default UI ports have undergone adjustments: - **Automation controller**: Changed from 443 to 8443 - **Ansible automation hub**: Changed from 444 to 8444 - **Event-Driven Ansible controller**: Changed from 445 to 8445 These modifications help avoid clashes with existing applications and can be customized further during installation. Automation Mesh The introduction of automation mesh capabilities to containerized installations marks a significant upgrade. Users can now incorporate hop and remote execution nodes right from the installation phase, enhancing the platform's flexibility and scalability. For example, to add a remote execution node, users can simply update their inventory file accordingly: ```plaintext [execution_nodes] execution.example.com ``` Event-Driven Ansible Improvements extend to Event-Driven Ansible, with Decision Environments (DEs) being set up during installation, streamlining the integration of custom or supported DEs and associated credentials resources. Networking and Content Seeding Networking advancements include IPv6 support for the user interface, broadening accessibility. Moreover, the platform now embraces a configuration-as-code model for pre-s