# Grabbing data from a pool... **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [January 17, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/grabbing-data-from-a-pool/12207 "2013-01-17T14:42:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nigel\_Metheringham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nigel\_Metheringham](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Nigel_Metheringham)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/grabbing-data-from-a-pool/12207/1 "2013-01-17T14:42:41Z")
I've put together a module, and would like to get some feedback on whether the idea is hated or usable - ie should I put it together as a pull request for the main development or not... The idea is that sometimes you need to grab some data from a pool of data items - think of something like root passwords if you have a unique root password per machine policy, or software licenses, or ... pooldata takes data in from json files. One parameter is the name of the file for this host/group/whatever (so you use a variable to make it appropriately unique). If that file exists then it is read and added to the current facts. If the file does not exist then a file from a pool directory is renamed into place and that file's contents returned. Reactions? [Database - why - I have a filesystem!]   Nigel. ---
**Author:** ![jpmens1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jpmens1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/jpmens1)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/grabbing-data-from-a-pool/12207/2 "2013-01-17T14:52:35Z")
Nigel, > pooldata takes data in from json files. One parameter is the name > of the file for this host/group/whatever (so you use a variable to > make it appropriately unique). If that file exists then it is read > and added to the current facts. Sounds to me a bit like group\_vars. What's the difference? Can you show an example? > If the file does not exist then a > file from a pool directory is renamed into place and that file's > contents returned. ... as in returning defaults? If so, why would that file be renamed in place. I dread the thought of having to enable that on some crazy read-only file system...         -JP ---
**Author:** ![Nigel\_Metheringham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nigel\_Metheringham](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Nigel_Metheringham)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/grabbing-data-from-a-pool/12207/3 "2013-01-17T15:22:47Z")
Jan-Piet Mens wrote: > Nigel, > > > pooldata takes data in from json files. One parameter is the name > > of the file for this host/group/whatever (so you use a variable to > > make it appropriately unique). If that file exists then it is read > > and added to the current facts. > > Sounds to me a bit like group\_vars. What's the difference? Can you show > an example? in that case its not much different, but... > > If the file does not exist then a > > file from a pool directory is renamed into place and that file's > > contents returned. > > ... as in returning defaults? If so, why would that file be renamed in > place. I dread the thought of having to enable that on some crazy > read-only file system... OK, a fictional use case. Each node used within a service needs a service IP. You have a pool (directory) of service IPs, one per json file.    - name: Allocate a service IP      action:        pooldata        data\_file=pools/service\_ip/alloc/${ansible\_fqdn}.json        pool\_directory=pools/service\_ip/pool First time you use this with a machine it grabs a new service IP record, removing it from the pool. Subsequent times it reuses the same record it was given the first time round. There are ways I could implement this without the rename (although would need permanent storage), but they are likely to involve more grovelling through the directory structure...   Nigel. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/grabbing-data-from-a-pool/12207/4 "2013-01-17T15:34:47Z")
If you want to write a custom fact module or something or a custom module that's totally fine and welcome, I think this is too off-the-beaten-track for core. ---
**Author:** ![Nigel\_Metheringham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nigel\_Metheringham](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Nigel_Metheringham)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/grabbing-data-from-a-pool/12207/5 "2013-01-17T16:58:46Z")
Michael DeHaan wrote: > If you want to write a custom fact module or something or a custom > module that's totally fine and welcome, I think this is too > off-the-beaten-track for core. Thats fine - I suspected it might suffer from a limited requirement. I currently have some prototyping of what I described. I may in future look at using a database rather than a filesystem, but in any case I can easily run it locally without it needing to go into the mainline   Nigel.