# How to implement regular Ansible runs?

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-implement-regular-ansible-runs/20288>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [January 20, 2016, 11:02am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-implement-regular-ansible-runs/20288 "2016-01-20T11:02:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Frank\_Thommen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@Frank\_Thommen](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Frank_Thommen)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 11:02am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-implement-regular-ansible-runs/20288/1 "2016-01-20T11:02:08Z")

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Hi,

we plan to deploy Linux client configurations via Ansible. Since not all clients are running all the time, we want Ansible to run the deployment in regular invervals, e.g. every 2-3 hours. What is “the Ansible way” to implement this? Is there a better way than to have a cronjob on the Ansible server, which runs the appropriate playbook (or playbooks) in regular intervals? Is there some kind of “pull” mechanism supported by Ansible, so that the /clients/ can initiate Ansible runs? I couldn’t find anything in the documentation, but then I wasn’t even sure what keywords I should look for 😉

And no: Ansible Tower is not an option. We can’t afford it.

I appreciate any pointers  
Frank

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**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 2:03pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-implement-regular-ansible-runs/20288/2 "2016-01-20T14:03:57Z")

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Cron can work fine, ansible-pull can run from the client machines  
(also from cron), if you want an app server Ansible Tower  
([http://ansible.com/tower](http://ansible.com/tower)) \* disclaimer, this pays my salary or any  
other job execution server with scheduling should work.

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**Author:** ![Frank\_Thommen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@Frank\_Thommen](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Frank_Thommen)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-implement-regular-ansible-runs/20288/3 "2016-01-20T14:34:38Z")

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Thanks. Will have a look at ansible-pull. That seems to exactly do what we need.

frank