Introduction
In the ever-evolving world of IT automation and monitoring, the use of Ansible and Zabbix has become a popular choice for many professionals. One of the critical aspects of managing Zabbix servers is ensuring secure communication and certificate validation. To simplify the process, Steffen Scheib, a Senior Technical Account Manager at Red Hat, has released a new Ansible role — ‘zabbix_add_host.’ In this article, we will explore this role and its purpose in enhancing Zabbix server management.
Automating Monitoring with Ansible
Ansible is a powerful open-source automation tool that allows you to automate tasks, configuration management, and application deployment. It simplifies complex processes and makes them easily repeatable. When it comes to Zabbix, an open-source monitoring solution, Ansible can be a valuable tool for managing and configuring your monitoring infrastructure.
Steffen Scheib, an experienced professional in the field, has recognized the need for simplifying the process of certificate validation in Zabbix, and as a result, he created the ‘zabbix_add_host’ Ansible role.
Introducing the ‘zabbix_add_host’ Role
The ‘zabbix_add_host’ role is designed to streamline the process of adding hosts to Zabbix server instances with certificate validation enabled. This role leverages the certified ‘zabbix.zabbix.zabbix_host’ module, which makes the task of authenticating with Zabbix easier for both newcomers and experienced users.
When to Consider Using ‘zabbix_add_host’
You might be wondering when it’s appropriate to use the ‘zabbix_add_host’ role. Steffen Scheib recommends considering this role in the following scenarios:
1. Certificate Validation: If you’ve deployed certificates to your Zabbix clients and want to use certificate validation without delving too deep into certificates and Zabbix intricacies, this role is perfect for you.
2. Host Addition: If your primary goal is adding hosts to the Zabbix server, Steffen Scheib suggests making use of the excellent ‘community.zabbix.zabbix_host’ and ‘zabbix.zabbix.zabbix_host’ modules instead.
Requirements
Before using the ‘zabbix_add_host’ role, it’s essential to ensure that the following collections are available on your system:
1. zabbix.zabbix: Version 1.1.1 or greater.
2. community.crypto: Version 2.3.2 or greater.
Please note that to access Red Hat-certified collections, you need to be a Red Hat subscriber with a subscription that includes the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. If you don’t have access to these subscriptions, you can take advantage of Red Hat’s Developer Subscription, which is provided at no cost.
Links
https://github.com/sscheib/ansible-role-zabbix_add_host
Role Usage
The ‘zabbix_add_host’ role offers several role variables that you can customize to fit your specific environment and requirements. These variables include:
zba_api_host: Host name of the Zabbix server instance serving the API.
zba_api_user: