Introduction

Ansible is a powerful tool for automating IT tasks, and installing it on Ubuntu 23.10 is a straightforward process. This article will guide you through the steps to install Ansible on a Ubuntu system, based on a real-world example from a remote SSH session.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have:

  • Access to a terminal.
  • Sudo privileges on your Ubuntu system.

In this guide, we'll connect remotely to an Ubuntu server using SSH. The Ubuntu version we are working with is Ubuntu 23.10.

Step 1: Connecting to the Ubuntu Server

First, establish an SSH connection to your Ubuntu server:

``bash

ssh [email protected]

`

Once connected, you'll be greeted with the Ubuntu welcome message, confirming that you are running Ubuntu 23.10.

`bash

Welcome to Ubuntu 23.10 (GNU/Linux 6.5.0-14-generic aarch64)

* Documentation: https://help.ubuntu.com

* Management: https://landscape.canonical.com

* Support: https://ubuntu.com/advantage

System information as of Tue Jan 23 02:45:47 PM UTC 2024

System load: 0.03 Processes: 206

Usage of /: 41.8% of 9.75GB Users logged in: 0

Memory usage: 6% IPv4 address for ens160: 192.168.246.144

Swap usage: 0%

42 updates can be applied immediately.

To see these additional updates run: apt list --upgradable

Last login: Tue Jan 23 14:40:48 2024

devops@ubuntu:~$

`

Step 2: Checking for Ansible

Before installing Ansible, it's a good practice to check if it's already installed:

`bash

ansible

`

If Ansible is not installed, Ubuntu's package manager will suggest installing it through apt install ansible-core.

`bash

Command 'ansible' not found, but can be installed with:

apt install ansible-core

`

Step 3: Installing Ansible

Now, proceed with the installation:

1. Update the package list to ensure you get the latest version available:

`bash

sudo apt update

`

2. Install Ansible using apt:

`bash

sudo apt install ansible

`

During the installation, you'll see a list of additional packages that will be installed along with Ansible. These dependencies are necessary for Ansible's optimal performance.

3. Confirm the installation by pressing Y when prompted.

The installation process will retrieve and install Ansible along with its dependencies. You'll see progress as each package is downloaded and installed.

``bash

Reading package lists... Done

Building dependency tree... Done

Reading state information... Done

The following additional packages will be installed:

ansible-core ieee-data python3-argcomplete python3-distutils python3-dnspython

python3-jmespath python3-kerberos python3-lib2to3 python3-libcloud python3-lockfile

python3-netaddr python3-ntlm-auth python3-packaging python3-passlib

python3-requests-kerberos python3-requests-ntlm python3-requests-toolbelt

python3-resolvelib python3-selinux python3-simplejson python3-winrm python3-xmltodict

Suggested packages:

c