# Ansible: Creating a file on Local machine fails **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Tags:** ubuntu\ **Created:** [August 1, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-creating-a-file-on-local-machine-fails/25161 "2017-08-01T22:23:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Victor1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/6de8d8/32.png) [@Victor1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Victor1)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-creating-a-file-on-local-machine-fails/25161/1 "2017-08-01T22:23:55Z")
Hi All, I am new to ansible and i am not sure about the become and become\_user usage and looks like that is the cause of my problem. looking for a simple solution. I have to create a simple results.txt file locally on the control machine( ubuntu machine) and log the success and failure based upon the pass/fail test cases executed through different roles. In my host file i have created the entry for localhost as below ```auto [localhost] 127.0.0.1 ansible_connection=local ansible_ssh_user=XXXX ansible_ssh_pass=XXXXXX ansible_ssh_user is my ubuntu machine user( Question: Do I necessarily need to give the user and password here?) now i have a separate role for creating a file in /etc/ansible directory as below. --- - name: Create the results file file: path: /etc/ansible/results.txt state: touch mode: 0777 I am calling the above role from playbook .yml file as below. --- - hosts: localhost roles: - Local_File when i execute the playbook I always get this error. ansible-playbook vcenter_snaprestore.yml [WARNING]: log file at /var/log/ansible.log is not writeable and we cannot create it, aborting PLAY [localhost] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** TASK [Gathering Facts] ************************************************************************************************************************************************** ok: [127.0.0.1] TASK [Local_File : Create the results file] ***************************************************************************************************************************** An exception occurred during task execution. To see the full traceback, use -vvv. The error was: IOError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/etc/ansible/results.txt' fatal: [127.0.0.1]: FAILED! => {"changed": false, "failed": true, "module_stderr": "Traceback (most recent call last):\n File \"/tmp/ansible_te7z37/ansible_module_file.py\", line 480, in \n main()\n File \"/tmp/ansible_te7z37/ansible_module_file.py\", line 451, in main\n open(b_path, 'wb').close()\nIOError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/etc/ansible/results.txt'\n", "module_stdout": "", "msg": "MODULE FAILURE", "rc": 0} ************************************************************************************* And since it shows permission issue, I include become: yes in the role as below - hosts: localhost become: yes roles: - Local_File then i get the following error: vmisra@ubuntu:/etc/ansible$ ansible-playbook vcenter_snaprestore.yml [WARNING]: log file at /var/log/ansible.log is not writeable and we cannot create it, aborting PLAY [localhost] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** TASK [Gathering Facts] ************************************************************************************************************************************************** fatal: [127.0.0.1]: FAILED! => {"changed": false, "failed": true, "module_stderr": "sudo: a password is required\n", "module_stdout": "", "msg": "MODULE FAILURE", "rc": I am confused and this looks prety trivial thing but not sur to me what i am missing? Thanks for help. -VM ``` ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 9:19am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-creating-a-file-on-local-machine-fails/25161/2 "2017-08-02T09:19:35Z")
> [localhost] > 127.0.0.1 ansible\_connection=local ansible\_ssh\_user=XXXX ansible\_ssh\_pass=XXXXXX > > ansible\_ssh\_user is my ubuntu machine user( Question: Do I necessarily need to give the user and password here?) This is not correct, localhost is not a group. Default Ansible sets "localhost ansible\_connection=local" so you do not need this set in your inventory. Since ansible\_connection=local and not ssh you don't need to set ansible\_ssh\_user/pass since it will not be using ssh, it will run the command directly on the localhost in the current shell. > And since it shows permission issue, I include become: yes in the role as below > > - hosts: localhost >    become: yes >    roles: >     - Local\_File > > then i get the following error: > vmisra@ubuntu:/etc/ansible$ ansible-playbook vcenter\_snaprestore.yml > [WARNING]: log file at /var/log/ansible.log is not writeable and we cannot create it, aborting > > PLAY [localhost] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > > TASK [Gathering Facts] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > fatal: [127.0.0.1]: FAILED! =\> {"changed": false, "failed": true, "module\_stderr": "sudo: a password is required\n", "module\_stdout": "", "msg": "MODULE FAILURE", "rc": > > I am confused and this looks prety trivial thing but not sur to me what i am missing? As the error message say "sudo: a password is required", since you can't run sudo without specifying a password you need to provide the sudo password to Ansible. To do that add -K or --ask-become-pass on the command line ansible-playbook -K vcenter\_snaprestore.yml