# Lineinfile task problem **URL:** \ **Category:** Get Help\ **Tags:** playbook\ **Created:** [July 27, 2024, 8:13am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/lineinfile-task-problem/7509 "2024-07-27T08:13:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marianna\_Buffa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/marianna_buffa/32/3008_2.png) [@Marianna\_Buffa](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Marianna_Buffa)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 8:13am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/lineinfile-task-problem/7509/1 "2024-07-27T08:13:28Z")
Hello, I wrote a playbook to check if linux VM had new kernel downloaded and have to be rebooted to set them. So in the top of the tasks of the playbook I put the “needs restarting -r” command, and if it says yes, the following tasks execute the reboot of the VM. If it instead says no, the following tasks will not be executed because they have all a when condition on “if the VM has to be rebooted”. After this I have to know which VM of the inventory list has been rebooted, so I put a lineinfile task after the reboot task, for write in a file a hostname/ip for every VM it contacts at this point of the playbook. But when it write the hostname/IP of the VM in the file, it doesn’t work every time, infact some times, the list in the file reports some VM minus of the realm ones it rebooted. I think it is due to the contemporary attempt to write to the file, because the ssh connection to the VM are in parallel. I put the throttle option to 2 in the lineinfile task, but it seems not to work. Any suggestions? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![russoz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/russoz/32/127_2.png) [@russoz](https://forum.ansible.com/u/russoz)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 9:47am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/lineinfile-task-problem/7509/2 "2024-07-27T09:47:54Z")
Hi @Marianna_Buffa Not sure I am visualizing your situation. Could you provide excerpts of your code? Cheers ---
**Author:** ![Marianna\_Buffa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/marianna_buffa/32/3008_2.png) [@Marianna\_Buffa](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Marianna_Buffa)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 11:09am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/lineinfile-task-problem/7509/3 "2024-07-27T11:09:06Z")
Hello, Here the tasks I’ve described before in my playbook. - name: yum install pkg yum: name: yum-utils state: present - name: needs-restarting -r shell: ‘needs-restarting -r’ register: needs\_restarting\_output ignore\_errors: true - name: mostra needs\_restarting\_output debug: var: needs\_restarting\_output.stdout - name: check kernel word - la trova debug: msg: ‘kernel nuovo da installare’ when: needs\_restarting\_output.stdout.find(‘kernel’) != -1 #se != -1 allora la trova - name: cancella file kernel\_update.txt file: path: /var/lib/awx/projects/playbook/vm/kernel-update/kernel\_update.txt state: absent when: needs\_restarting\_output.stdout.find(‘kernel’) != -1 #se != -1 allora la trova delegate\_to: localhost ignore\_errors: true - name: crea file kernel\_update.txt file: path: /var/lib/awx/projects/playbook/vm/kernel-update/kernel\_update.txt state: touch when: needs\_restarting\_output.stdout.find(‘kernel’) != -1 #se != -1 allora la trova delegate\_to: localhost - name: attende creazione file /var/lib/awx/projects/playbook/vm/kernel-update/kernel\_update.txt wait\_for: path: /var/lib/awx/projects/playbook/vm/kernel-update/kernel\_update.txt state: present delay: 10 timeout: 30 when: needs\_restarting\_output.stdout.find(‘kernel’) != -1 #se != -1 allora la trova delegate\_to: localhost - name: popola file kernel\_update.txt lineinfile: #line: ‘{{ host\_ip }} {{ ansible\_hostname }}’ line: ‘{{ ansible\_default\_ipv4.address }} {{ ansible\_hostname }}’ path: /var/lib/awx/projects/playbook/vm/kernel-update/kernel\_update.txt when: needs\_restarting\_output.stdout.find(‘kernel’) != -1 #se != -1 allora la trova delegate\_to: localhost - name: reboot vm reboot: reboot\_timeout: 3600 test\_command: w when: needs\_restarting\_output.stdout.find(‘kernel’) != -1 #se != -1 allora la trova At the end I added a task to send me a mail with attached the file kernel\_update.txt ---
**Author:** ![hugonz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/hugonz/32/503_2.png) [@hugonz](https://forum.ansible.com/u/hugonz)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/lineinfile-task-problem/7509/4 "2024-07-27T15:29:45Z")
I think you may be having problems posting your code. Twice it looks like you are posting code, but I can see nothing. Can you check that you are posting correctly, preferably with the` preformatted text` format in the editor? ---
**Author:** ![Marianna\_Buffa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/marianna_buffa/32/3008_2.png) [@Marianna\_Buffa](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Marianna_Buffa)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 3:50pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/lineinfile-task-problem/7509/5 "2024-07-27T15:50:44Z")
I update the post with the code. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![hugonz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/hugonz/32/503_2.png) [@hugonz](https://forum.ansible.com/u/hugonz)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/lineinfile-task-problem/7509/6 "2024-07-27T22:23:51Z")
I suggest you don’t use line in file to create your report, but use a pattern with the assemble module: [ansible.builtin.assemble module – Assemble configuration files from fragments — Ansible Community Documentation](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/ansible/builtin/assemble_module.html) ```yaml - name: Create a directory for all the lines on the control node ansible.builtin.file: path: server_report state: directory delegate_to: localhost - name: Render one file per line on the control node ansible.builtin.copy: dest: server_report/line_for_{{ inventory_hostname }} content: > "{{ ansible_default_ipv4.address }} {{ ansible_hostname }}" delegate_to: localhost when: needs_restarting_output.stdout.find(‘kernel’) != -1 - name: Assemble the pieces together ansible.builtin.assemble: src: server_report dest: kernel_update.txt delegate_to: localhost run_once: true ``` ---
**Author:** ![binbashroot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@binbashroot](https://forum.ansible.com/u/binbashroot)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/lineinfile-task-problem/7509/7 "2024-07-28T15:34:58Z")
I would take a bit of a different approach by using the return code as opposed to looking for a string/line and build an in memory inventory. ```auto - name: Build dynamic inventory ansible.builtin.add_host: hostname: "{{ ansible_hostname }}" groups: reboot_group when: needs_restarting_output['rc'] | int == 1 - name: Create a list ansible.builtin.copy: content: | {% for host in groups['reboot_group'] %} {{ hostvars[host]['ansible_facts']['eth0']['ipv4']['address'] }} {{ hostvars['host']['ansible_facts']['hostname'] }} {% endfor %} dest: /tmp/destfile delegate_to: localhost run_once: true when: groups['reboot_group'] is defined ``` ---
**Author:** ![Marianna\_Buffa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/marianna_buffa/32/3008_2.png) [@Marianna\_Buffa](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Marianna_Buffa)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2024, 7:46pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/lineinfile-task-problem/7509/8 "2024-07-28T19:46:48Z")
Thanks, both of them are great Solutions. I will try them And take you updated. Thanks again