Running Ansible from source on Linux with F-Secure SSH instead of OpenSSH; only user privileges

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1

Hi,

Started discussing this on Twitter with a.o. @laserllama. I’m facing a nice (*) challenge:

  • As a regular user (no special sudo / root privileges),

  • I need to run Ansible from source

  • on a Linux which has /usr/bin/python == Python 2.6.8

  • with F-Secure SSH instead of OpenSSH

*) For small values of ‘nice’

I’m encountering the following issues so far:

  1. Ansible source seems to hard code “/usr/bin/python” (2.6.8).

I decided to go the “virtualenv” route, so I can at least install required Python modules in a specific ‘ansible’ virtualenv.

I’m still fighting PIP’s refusal to talk through our SSL proxy.

(ansible)$ pip --version
pip 1.5.6 from /opt/local/python/ansible/lib/python2.6/site-packages (python 2.6)

I have other virtualenv’s based on more recent (non-OS supplied) Python 2.7.2, and they don’t appear to have this issue.

  1. Lots of OpenSSH-specific options are hard coded in ssh.py

F-Secure SSH is a completely different beast from OpenSSH; completely different set of options.
I’ve hacked around in ssh.py a bit, and progressed somewhat.

Any advice on the best way forward?

  • Is there a proper way to use another Python when running Ansible from source?
  • Anyone have experience getting Ansible to work with other SSH than OpenSSH?

Thanks,
Ed.

2

Hi,

Started discussing this on Twitter with a.o. @laserllama. I'm facing a nice
(*) challenge:

- As a regular user (no special sudo / root privileges),
- I need to run Ansible from source
- on a Linux which has /usr/bin/python == Python 2.6.8
- with F-Secure SSH instead of OpenSSH

*) For small values of 'nice'

I'm encountering the following issues so far:

1) Ansible source seems to hard code "/usr/bin/python" (2.6.8).

I decided to go the "virtualenv" route, so I can at least install required
Python modules in a specific 'ansible' virtualenv.
I'm still fighting PIP's refusal to talk through our SSL proxy.
  (ansible)$ pip --version
  pip 1.5.6 from /opt/local/python/ansible/lib/python2.6/site-packages
(python 2.6)

Which operating system? I had to update setuptools to 1.0.1 on CentOS7
to get pip working over a proxy.

3

for fsecure you might need a new connection plugin if it is that
different than the ssh one. Have you tried with paramiko?

4

Hi Vincent,

Which operating system? I had to update setuptools to 1.0.1 on CentOS7
to get pip working over a proxy.

It’s SLES10 update 3; I suspect that it’s the ancient Python version that’s biting me. Due to other fires, I haven’t made much progress.

Perhaps next week :wink:

5

Hi Brian,

for fsecure you might need a new connection plugin if it is that
different than the ssh one. Have you tried with paramiko?

Nope, haven’t tried Paramiko - will look into that, thanks.

6

“1) Ansible source seems to hard code “/usr/bin/python” (2.6.8).”

See the docs regarding ansible_python_interpreter for remote interpreters, elsewhere it will use whatever Python is in your path.