# yum module - conf\_file parameter

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/yum-module-conf-file-parameter/15080>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [April 24, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/yum-module-conf-file-parameter/15080 "2014-04-24T00:47:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jacob\_Seeley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@Jacob\_Seeley](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jacob_Seeley)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/yum-module-conf-file-parameter/15080/1 "2014-04-24T00:47:59Z")

</div>

Hello,

I’m trying to use the conf\_file parameter to the yum module and it does not appear to be working. My playbook is as follows:

- name: Remove java  
yum: name=@java-platform conf\_file=[http://somehost/yum.conf](http://somehost/yum.conf) state=absent

What I would expect to happen is the yum module to grab a copy of yum.conf from the URL listed. However, the file is never retrieved. I can verify this through 1. the web logs of the server hosting yum.onf (no logs showing yum.conf being downloaded) and 2. The option I have set in yum.conf is not being applied when the above playbook is executed.

Any idea why this isn’t working?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jacob\_Seeley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@Jacob\_Seeley](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jacob_Seeley)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/yum-module-conf-file-parameter/15080/2 "2014-04-24T01:59:30Z")

</div>

After some more testing, I’ve found the parameter conf\_file works when the file is on the server the playbook is being run against.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan1)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/yum-module-conf-file-parameter/15080/3 "2014-04-24T14:45:15Z")

</div>

Yep yep, in general most modules in ansible don’t perform automatic remote file transfer.

“unarchive” is one module that does, and naturally “template” and “copy” do. But most require a reference to a local file.

–Michael
