How do I use openSSH instead of paramiko (i.e. no connection:local) for IOS modules?

Archives Ansible Project
1

I’m trying to use the ios networking modules (ios_config, ios_template etc.) and the only way I can get them to work properly is via connection: local and passing the parameters to each task via something like this

  • hosts: all
    connection: local
    gather_facts: no

tasks:

  • name: define provider
    set_fact:
    provider:
    host: “{{ inventory_hostname }}”
    username: “{{ username }}”
    password: “{{ password }}”
    auth_pass: “{{ auth_pass }}”
    authorize: “{{ authorize }}”
    backup: “{{ backup }}”

1.) Is there a way to use standard SSH AND pass the ios module specific parameters such as auth_pass? Whatever I do, whether I place the username, password or auth_pass variables in inventory, play or host variables, it ignores them and connects with no user.

2.) Using the current method I understand its paramiko under the hood. This has a MAJOR problem where each task keeps its SSH connection open and does not close it. How do I get it to close the SSH connection and not fill uip my devices? This is a major issue as network devices normally restrict to several concurrent connections.

Note this is also relevant to the Arista (EOS) templates.

Thanks

2

The short answer is you don’t.

Traditional network devices that dump an authenticated session to the “CLI” effectively prevent you from being able to use OpenSSH as a programmable transport in the way that is implemented for other systems.

WRT point #2. SSH connections being made by network modules should be cleaning up the connections behind themselves. If that is not the case, then its a bug and we need to get it fixed.