# Latest **URL:** https://forum.ansible.com/latest.md?page=968 [Latest](https://forum.ansible.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://forum.ansible.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://forum.ansible.com/tags.md) **Page:** 969 --- ## [AWS tagging needed to work dynamically with Rackspace instances?](https://forum.ansible.com/t/aws-tagging-needed-to-work-dynamically-with-rackspace-instances/15258)
**Author:** [@Gallagher\_Polyn](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Gallagher_Polyn)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/aws-tagging-needed-to-work-dynamically-with-rackspace-instances/15258 "2014-05-19T03:15:26Z")
Hi, Will Thames has written very helpfully (for me) on how to use Ansible to interact with newly provisioned EC2 servers dynamically. I’d like to dupe Will’s approach for some other cloud providers, or at least, Racksp… --- ## [How to ask good questions - ansible versions and expected vs actuals](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-ask-good-questions-ansible-versions-and-expected-vs-actuals/15265)
**Author:** [@Michael\_DeHaan1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan1)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-ask-good-questions-ansible-versions-and-expected-vs-actuals/15265 "2014-05-19T03:10:18Z")
Hi folks, As this list grows, I think it is worthwhile to review some points on how it functions. In particular, I’d like the way questions get asked to get a little more focused. A good read here is perhaps http://ww… --- ## [dynamic inventory and jinja template](https://forum.ansible.com/t/dynamic-inventory-and-jinja-template/15264)
**Author:** [@Michael\_DeHaan1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan1)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/dynamic-inventory-and-jinja-template/15264 "2014-05-19T02:59:47Z")
Whenever a quesiton about something “not working” is asked, please share what behaviors you are witnessing, so we can better understand the context of the question. Are you sure you are enumerating the right group? Fro… --- ## [update](https://forum.ansible.com/t/update/15263)
**Author:** [@jose\_moya\_carballo](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jose_moya_carballo)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/update/15263 "2014-05-18T12:20:54Z")
Hi everyone! how can I do "aptitude update && upgrade " whith playbook? --- ## [Two remote users one for production and one from staging](https://forum.ansible.com/t/two-remote-users-one-for-production-and-one-from-staging/15262)
**Author:** [@raul\_rodriguez](https://forum.ansible.com/u/raul_rodriguez)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2014, 11:40am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/two-remote-users-one-for-production-and-one-from-staging/15262 "2014-05-18T11:40:41Z")
Hi there, I’ve been playing with ansible for the last month, and now I finally have the opportunity to provision our small cluster with it. Bye bye puppet. So far the instructions are pretty clear. But I have some que… --- ## [Accessing Variables within Inventory Vars using Jinja2](https://forum.ansible.com/t/accessing-variables-within-inventory-vars-using-jinja2/15257)
**Author:** [@Adam\_Keech](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Adam_Keech)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/accessing-variables-within-inventory-vars-using-jinja2/15257 "2014-05-16T23:28:10Z")
I have been having a really tough time trying to use variables that are defined within an Inventory file. For Example: Inventory File: \[WebApp\_Login\] server1 server2 server3 \[WebApp\_Login:vars\] route=login \[WebA… --- ## [Append to lists](https://forum.ansible.com/t/append-to-lists/15234)
**Author:** [@Martin\_Devlin](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Martin_Devlin)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/append-to-lists/15234 "2014-05-16T22:47:44Z")
Why can't I append to a list so that items in different group\_vars, for example, can stack up in the same list depending on which inventory groups a node is a member of. E.g: group\_vars/chocolate includes: sauces: -… --- ## [\--step option for ansible-playbook](https://forum.ansible.com/t/step-option-for-ansible-playbook/15256)
**Author:** [@Petr\_Sukharev](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Petr_Sukharev)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/step-option-for-ansible-playbook/15256 "2014-05-16T18:32:06Z")
Hello! Simple question - does letter “c” in --step mode means “cancel” or “continue”? :slight\_smile: Today i try to deploy some single task from role to my test hosts and use --start-at-task plus --step. After 3 steps … --- ## [ansible user module](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-user-module/15236)
**Author:** [@bryon](https://forum.ansible.com/u/bryon)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-user-module/15236 "2014-05-16T15:53:15Z")
ok I have been working with the user module for the last week. I really want to like ansible because it does not have any additional client requirements except ssh. The problem I am having is that I am getting inconsiste… --- ## [Change a global var in a task](https://forum.ansible.com/t/change-a-global-var-in-a-task/15246)
**Author:** [@Ernest0x](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Ernest0x)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/change-a-global-var-in-a-task/15246 "2014-05-16T14:56:23Z")
Is there any way to change a global variable (e.g. defined in the vars section of a playbook) in a task for the current playbook run? The use case is that I want to start with a boolean variable set to True, and then … --- ## [how to exclude . in facts key](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-exclude-in-facts-key/15247)
**Author:** [@oliver\_bril](https://forum.ansible.com/u/oliver_bril)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2014, 6:22am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-exclude-in-facts-key/15247 "2014-05-16T06:22:51Z")
All, Perhaps someone knows the answer for my problem: I gather the facts of a machine and want to use it as variable in a template. As far as i know you just use {{ ansible\_eth0.ipv4.address }} to get the ip address o… --- ## [Excluding hosts in a single line ansible command](https://forum.ansible.com/t/excluding-hosts-in-a-single-line-ansible-command/15251)
**Author:** [@iamaims](https://forum.ansible.com/u/iamaims)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/excluding-hosts-in-a-single-line-ansible-command/15251 "2014-05-16T04:43:43Z")
New at ansible… Have used “pdsh” a lot. In pdsh, assuming it uses the default host list, if I want to run the same command on all hosts. I say something like ‘pdsh ’ If I want to run on only a few hosts, I could run … --- ## [How to run a command/task on another host and use output on current target hosts](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-a-command-task-on-another-host-and-use-output-on-current-target-hosts/15241)
**Author:** [@edrozenberg](https://forum.ansible.com/u/edrozenberg)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-run-a-command-task-on-another-host-and-use-output-on-current-target-hosts/15241 "2014-05-15T23:24:21Z")
Hello, I’m working through implementing the following scenario: A central software repo host stores various software packages Use Ansible to install the latest version of a particular package on various target ho… --- ## [Nested Loop Variables](https://forum.ansible.com/t/nested-loop-variables/15242)
**Author:** [@Wynne\_Pirini](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Wynne_Pirini)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/nested-loop-variables/15242 "2014-05-15T22:31:34Z")
Hi there I’ve searched for days for a clear and straight forward answer to this question. In the following nested loop I want to use variables instead of the static values I have there. name: Create/assign database u… --- ## [Dynamic callback](https://forum.ansible.com/t/dynamic-callback/15243)
**Author:** [@Adham\_H](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Adham_H)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/dynamic-callback/15243 "2014-05-15T21:49:35Z")
Hey, Is it possible to have play set a callback or that has to be done before the execution ? --- ## [get\_url - counterintuitive that it re-downloads if "dest" is a directory](https://forum.ansible.com/t/get-url-counterintuitive-that-it-re-downloads-if-dest-is-a-directory/15248)
**Author:** [@edrozenberg](https://forum.ansible.com/u/edrozenberg)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/get-url-counterintuitive-that-it-re-downloads-if-dest-is-a-directory/15248 "2014-05-15T18:29:07Z")
Hello, I noticed that my get\_url calls were taking a long time even if the file was already downloaded. After digging in the docs I found the following: “If dest is a directory, the file will always be downloaded (reg… --- ## [Run a command on just 1 server (like pause)](https://forum.ansible.com/t/run-a-command-on-just-1-server-like-pause/15239)
**Author:** [@Michael\_Peters](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_Peters)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/run-a-command-on-just-1-server-like-pause/15239 "2014-05-15T18:18:40Z")
I feel like I'm missing something, but I couldn't find it in the documentation. Please feel free to RTFM me. I was just playing around with the pause module in a playbook and noticed that it only ran on a single host … --- ## [first\_available\_file & deprecation warnings](https://forum.ansible.com/t/first-available-file-deprecation-warnings/15231)
**Author:** [@Bas\_Meijer](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Bas_Meijer)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/first-available-file-deprecation-warnings/15231 "2014-05-15T13:38:00Z")
I cannot find documentation needed to clean up before upgrading to 1.6. Searching 'first\_available\_file' on http://docs.ansible.com, shows 4 results, but the pages themselves do not contain the search term. PROBLEM: In … --- ## [Roles directory layout](https://forum.ansible.com/t/roles-directory-layout/13783)
**Author:** [@Francois\_Durand](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Francois_Durand)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 12:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/roles-directory-layout/13783 "2014-05-15T12:34:40Z")
Hello, While it is sometimes indeed nice to have a complete folder to put all the task files or all the var files, most of the time, we only have one main file. That sometimes seems like a bit over-engineered and not ve… --- ## [Documentation update needed: vars\_files no longer expands 'facts' variables in paths since 1.5.4](https://forum.ansible.com/t/documentation-update-needed-vars-files-no-longer-expands-facts-variables-in-paths-since-1-5-4/15235)
**Author:** [@Paddy\_Doyle](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Paddy_Doyle)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 11:29am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/documentation-update-needed-vars-files-no-longer-expands-facts-variables-in-paths-since-1-5-4/15235 "2014-05-15T11:29:03Z")
Hi, The 1.5.4 change to stop expanding ‘facts’ variables in ‘vars\_files’ paths has just hit me (I know I’m behind, running of Scientific Linux 6 so updates are slow!). I’d just like to point out that the web documentat… --- ## [string comparison](https://forum.ansible.com/t/string-comparison/15221)
**Author:** [@Christian\_Huck](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Christian_Huck)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 10:16am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/string-comparison/15221 "2014-05-15T10:16:21Z")
Hi, this when: item.mount != "/ does unfortunatly no do what it is supposed to do. The condition fails even though item.mount contains a “/”. For explanation: item.mount is derived from ansible\_mounts and describes t… --- ## [Use raw module to install python-simplejson](https://forum.ansible.com/t/use-raw-module-to-install-python-simplejson/15230)
**Author:** [@Tom\_Laredo](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Tom_Laredo)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2014, 9:25am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/use-raw-module-to-install-python-simplejson/15230 "2014-05-15T09:25:09Z")
Hi, I’m trying to use the raw module in a plybook in order to install python-simplejson and python-apt modules on my nodes. I saw that there already is a topic on this https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/4079 but… --- ## [User that runs ansible](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-that-runs-ansible/13053)
**Author:** [@Mathias\_Bogaert](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Mathias_Bogaert)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-that-runs-ansible/13053 "2014-05-14T23:45:18Z")
Hi, How do I get the local user in an variable? My usercase: name: Make sure my authorized key is installed authorized\_key: user=${USER} key=“{{ lookup(‘file’, ‘/home/’ + $USER + ‘/.ssh/id\_rsa.pub’) }}” Thanks, Mat… --- ## [User management and roles-reuse](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-management-and-roles-reuse/15238)
**Author:** [@Francisco\_Reyes](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Francisco_Reyes)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/user-management-and-roles-reuse/15238 "2014-05-14T22:13:22Z")
I have a role that sets up “admin users”… On both FreeBSD and Ubuntu. I would like to expand that role to use it for other users as needed. Is there a way to over-ride the vars/main.yml file with a different list on a … --- ## [output json variable to file](https://forum.ansible.com/t/output-json-variable-to-file/15233)
**Author:** [@Khuong\_Dinh\_Pham](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Khuong_Dinh_Pham)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/output-json-variable-to-file/15233 "2014-05-14T20:38:36Z")
Hi I have this: some\_action: … register: jsonformat debug: var=jsonformat local\_action: shell echo {{ jsonformat }} \> output The json in console is displayed fine from debug action but the output file is not a val… --- ## [Append to lists](https://forum.ansible.com/t/append-to-lists/15237)
**Author:** [@Martin\_Devlin](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Martin_Devlin)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/append-to-lists/15237 "2014-05-14T20:33:30Z")
Why can’t I append to a list of the same name depending on what groups a node is in? For example: group\_vars/chocolate contains: sauces: name : chocolate value : yummy group\_vars/strawberry contains: sauces: na… --- ## [Ad hoc commands are not returning to the prompt?](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ad-hoc-commands-are-not-returning-to-the-prompt/15217)
**Author:** [@Robin\_Speekenbrink](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Robin_Speekenbrink)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ad-hoc-commands-are-not-returning-to-the-prompt/15217 "2014-05-14T14:26:42Z")
Hi everyone, Just started out using Ansible for managing our various hosts / docker containers etc… The only problem i have whilst testing this: all my ad-hoc commands never finish :slight\_smile: just a simple ‘ansible… --- ## [file path variable for playbook](https://forum.ansible.com/t/file-path-variable-for-playbook/15232)
**Author:** [@profhase85](https://forum.ansible.com/u/profhase85)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2014, 12:25pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/file-path-variable-for-playbook/15232 "2014-05-14T12:25:43Z")
I use ansible to prepare some (unfortunately untidy) updates which consist of replacing old files by new files. Therefore I would need to backup old files copy new files So I create for each update a playbook folder w… --- ## [UnicodeEncodeError: 'ascii' codec can't encode character u'\\xa0' in position 84: ordinal not in range(128)](https://forum.ansible.com/t/unicodeencodeerror-ascii-codec-cant-encode-character-u-xa0-in-position-84-ordinal-not-in-range-128/15215)
**Author:** [@Joel\_Sdc](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Joel_Sdc)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/unicodeencodeerror-ascii-codec-cant-encode-character-u-xa0-in-position-84-ordinal-not-in-range-128/15215 "2014-05-14T12:24:17Z")
Hi, I’m having a little problem. When I run a simple playbook, on some servers I get a UnicodeEncodeError and the playbook is not executed. I have the role “users\_admin”, it creates 3 groups, makes sure that 4 users ex… --- ## [Is it possible to see the JSON output of an ad-hoc command?](https://forum.ansible.com/t/is-it-possible-to-see-the-json-output-of-an-ad-hoc-command/15227)
**Author:** [@Kevin\_Bell](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kevin_Bell)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2014, 12:21pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/is-it-possible-to-see-the-json-output-of-an-ad-hoc-command/15227 "2014-05-14T12:21:16Z")
If I run something like: $ ansible -a “\[ -d my\_app \] chdir=/run/uwsgi/app” ec2 Even with max verbosity, this doesn’t seem to output the raw JSON output. However if I do, e.g. : command: “\[ -d uwsgi\_dev \] chdir=/run/… [Previous page](https://forum.ansible.com/latest.md?page=967) [Next page](https://forum.ansible.com/latest.md?page=969)