Another way to set the mysql root password

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1

I’ve just gotten started with Ansible. I must say it’s ridiculously simple. :slight_smile:

I’ve created a few playbooks and was setting up mysql. The module documentation mentions editing ~/.my.cnf and some links on the net recommend using the file in order to create a idempotent mysql playbook.

However I didn’t want to write the password in a textfile.

Instead as a workaround I created two tasks in the playbook:

This task will fail the first time when the password

is blank

  • name: Ensure MySQL Root Password is changed, this task will fail the first time
    mysql_user: name=root password={{ mysqlrootpass }} login_user=root login_password={{ mysqlrootpass }} state=present
    register: mysqlwithpassword
    ignore_errors: True

  • name: Set MySQL root password
    mysql_user: name=root password={{ mysqlrootpass }} login_user=root login_password=‘’ state=present
    when: mysqlwithpassword|failed

The first task will always fail on the first run and when it fail the second task will run. Running the Playbook a second time won’t change the system making the playbook idempotent.

Would this be considered bad form in a Ansible sort of way? :slight_smile: Do you see any downside to solving the problem in this way?

2

IMHO, as long as this works for you it is okay.

3

The way we do it it to register a variable on the installation of mysql and set the root password “when: mysqlInstall|changed”

4

In case you weren’t aware, there is a pretty full featured mysql role on Ansible Galaxy. That may give you some hints.

https://galaxy.ansible.com/list#/roles/1

  • James