Ansible Tower and AWX Flashcards

How do you install AWX on Kubernetes using the official deployment method?

Answer: Deploy the AWX Operator using kubectl, then create an AWX custom resource definition (CRD) to provision the AWX instance

The AWX Operator (a Kubernetes operator) is the official and recommended deployment method for AWX on Kubernetes clusters.

What is the purpose of 'schedules' in Ansible Tower/AWX?

Answer: They automate job launches at specified times using cron-like syntax, enabling unattended recurring automation

Schedules enable time-based automation—running playbooks automatically at defined intervals without human intervention.

What is the 'callback URL' (Provisioning Callback) feature in Ansible Tower?

Answer: A feature that allows newly provisioned hosts to call Tower and trigger a Job Template to configure themselves, enabling auto-provisioning workflows

Provisioning callbacks allow hosts to initiate their own configuration by calling Tower's API, enabling push-based provisioning from cloud init or user-data scripts.

In Ansible Tower/AWX, what is 'fact caching' and how does it benefit automation at scale?

Answer: Tower stores Ansible facts from previous runs in its database, enabling playbooks to use cached facts without running the setup module on every execution

Fact caching eliminates repeated setup module runs, significantly reducing playbook execution time for large inventories.

What does the 'ask_variables_on_launch' setting on a Tower Job Template enable?

Answer: It allows operators launching the job to provide extra variables at launch time through the UI or API without a survey

Enabling 'ask_variables_on_launch' presents a text box in the Tower UI where operators can provide ad-hoc extra variables in YAML/JSON format at launch time.

How does Ansible Tower/AWX support high availability (HA) deployments?

Answer: Multiple Tower nodes share a PostgreSQL database, with jobs distributed across execution nodes and a load balancer fronting the web tier

Tower/AWX HA uses a shared PostgreSQL database for state with stateless web/execution nodes that can be scaled horizontally.