AnsibleByExample

Ansible AAP on OpenShift — Operator

BeginneransibleenterpriseAnsible Automation PlatformOpenShift Container Platform

2024-01-014By Luca Berton

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Ansible Automation Platform and AWX — full curriculum

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Introduction

The Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) Operator provides a cloud-native way to deploy and manage AAP on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) 4.9+. The operator handles the full lifecycle — installation, upgrades, backups, and restores — for both the Automation Controller and Automation Hub.

Prerequisites

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.9 or later
Cluster admin access
Red Hat subscription (or 60-day trial)
Minimum resources: 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM for the Controller

Step 1: Install the AAP Operator

Via OperatorHub (Web Console)

Log in to the OpenShift web console
Navigate to Operators → OperatorHub
Search for "Ansible Automation Platform"
Click Install

Ansible Automation Platform Operator

Operator Configuration

Parameter	Description	Recommendation
Update Channel	AAP version to install	Latest stable (e.g., `stable-2.4`)
Installation Mode	Cluster-wide or namespace	`All namespaces` for production
Installed Namespace	Target namespace	Default: `aap`
Update Approval	Manual or automatic	`Manual` for production

AAP operator installation parameters

Via CLI

# Create namespace
oc new-project aap

# Create OperatorGroup
cat <<EOF | oc apply -f -
apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1
kind: OperatorGroup
metadata:
  name: aap-operator-group
  namespace: aap
spec:
  targetNamespaces:
    - aap
EOF

# Create Subscription
cat <<EOF | oc apply -f -
apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
kind: Subscription
metadata:
  name: ansible-automation-platform
  namespace: aap
spec:
  channel: stable-2.4
  name: ansible-automation-platform-operator
  source: redhat-operators
  sourceNamespace: openshift-marketplace
  installPlanApproval: Manual
EOF

# Approve install plan
oc get installplan -n aap
oc patch installplan <plan-name> -n aap \
  --type merge -p '{"spec":{"approved":true}}'

Verify the operator is running:

oc get pods -n aap
# NAME                                                READY   STATUS
# aap-operator-controller-manager-xxxxx               2/2     Running

AAP operator installed

Step 2: Deploy Automation Controller

apiVersion: automationcontroller.ansible.com/v1beta1
kind: AutomationController
metadata:
  name: my-controller
  namespace: aap
spec:
  replicas: 1
  admin_user: admin
  admin_password_secret: controller-admin-password
  postgres_configuration_secret: controller-postgres-config
  route_tls_termination_mechanism: Edge
  garbage_collect_secrets: true

Create the admin password secret:

oc create secret generic controller-admin-password \
  -n aap \
  --from-literal=password='YourSecurePassword!'

Apply the Controller CR:

oc apply -f controller.yml
# Wait for deployment (5-10 minutes)
oc get automationcontroller -n aap -w

Step 3: Deploy Automation Hub

apiVersion: automationhub.ansible.com/v1beta1
kind: AutomationHub
metadata:
  name: my-hub
  namespace: aap
spec:
  replicas: 1
  route_tls_termination_mechanism: Edge
  storage_type: file
  file_storage_size: 50Gi
  file_storage_access_mode: ReadWriteOnce

oc apply -f hub.yml
oc get automationhub -n aap -w

Step 4: Access the Dashboard

# Get the Controller route
oc get route -n aap
# NAME            HOST/PORT
# my-controller   my-controller-aap.apps.cluster.example.com

Navigate to https://my-controller-aap.apps.cluster.example.com and log in with admin credentials.

AAP operator dashboard

Operator Custom Resources

The AAP Operator manages these resource types:

Resource	Purpose
AutomationController	Deploy Controller instance
AutomationControllerBackup	Back up Controller (jobs, inventories, credentials)
AutomationControllerRestore	Restore from backup
AutomationHub	Deploy Hub instance
AutomationHubBackup	Back up Hub (collections, secrets, DB)
AutomationHubRestore	Restore Hub from backup

Backup Example

apiVersion: automationcontroller.ansible.com/v1beta1
kind: AutomationControllerBackup
metadata:
  name: controller-backup-2024-01
  namespace: aap
spec:
  deployment_name: my-controller
  backup_pvc: controller-backup-pvc
  backup_pvc_namespace: aap

Restore Example

apiVersion: automationcontroller.ansible.com/v1beta1
kind: AutomationControllerRestore
metadata:
  name: controller-restore
  namespace: aap
spec:
  deployment_name: my-controller-restored
  backup_name: controller-backup-2024-01

Upgrading AAP on OpenShift

Update the operator subscription channel:

oc patch subscription ansible-automation-platform -n aap \
  --type merge -p '{"spec":{"channel":"stable-2.5"}}'

Approve the new install plan (if manual approval)
The operator automatically upgrades Controller and Hub instances

Troubleshooting

Pods Not Starting

# Check operator logs
oc logs -n aap deployment/aap-operator-controller-manager -c manager

# Check Controller pod events
oc describe pod -n aap -l app.kubernetes.io/name=my-controller

Database Connection Issues

# Verify PostgreSQL pod is running
oc get pods -n aap -l app.kubernetes.io/component=database

# Check DB secrets
oc get secret controller-postgres-config -n aap -o yaml

Insufficient Resources

The Controller needs at least 4 vCPU and 16 GB RAM. Check node resources:

oc describe nodes | grep -A5 "Allocated resources"

Conclusion

The AAP Operator is the recommended way to deploy Ansible Automation Platform on OpenShift. It handles the complete lifecycle — from initial deployment through upgrades and backup/restore — using Kubernetes-native custom resources. Start by installing the operator from OperatorHub, then create AutomationController and AutomationHub resources to get your enterprise automation platform running in minutes.

For a production-focused walkthrough, see Luca Berton's guide on automating Kubernetes with Ansible.