Build advanced automation skills with this practical, live virtual classroom course focused on Ansible. Learn to streamline remote system administration for RHEL-based environments, write and manage playbooks, roles, and tasks, and apply best practices using live labs, preparing you for enterprise automation and the RHCE certification pathway.
Red Hat 8 System Administration - Part 3 - Linux Automation with Ansible
Mastering Linux automation with Ansible
Gain hands-on experience using Ansible to automate RHEL system administration tasks. This course strengthens your awareness of key automation principles, deepens your understanding of Ansible’s capabilities, and equips you to develop robust, scalable solutions, preparing you for implementation at work and further certification.
Learning objectives
- Understand Ansible and its architecture
- Install and configure Ansible on RHEL and Debian
- Execute ad-hoc Ansible commands using modules
- Write and manage YAML configuration files
- Develop and execute Ansible Playbooks
- Automate tasks with system administration modules
- Use variables, facts, and conditionals in tasks
- Implement roles, templates and Ansible Galaxy content
- Configure Ansible Vault and logging
- Use loops and integrate Ansible in shell scripts
What you’ll learn
Understand core automation concepts using Ansible to streamline tasks and improve system reliability. You’ll get hands-on experience creating robust solutions for enterprise environments.
Deploying Ansible
Gain hands-on experience installing Ansible on both RHEL and Debian-based systems. You’ll learn how to authenticate securely using SSH keys, edit and configure the Ansible configuration file, and create and structure inventory files for managing hosts. This section also covers setting up clients and exploring core command line options that control execution and behaviour. You’ll configure host groups and define static or dynamic inventories. Practical exercises give you the confidence to deploy Ansible in real environments, prepare systems for automation, and ensure configurations are consistent across multiple machines.
Creating playbooks
Master the foundations of playbooks, the core of Ansible automation. You'll write playbook headers, define tasks, use handlers and organise content using tags. This section also introduces importing other playbooks and reusing elements effectively. You’ll follow playbook best practices to create modular, maintainable and reusable automation content. Real-world exercises reinforce each concept, ensuring you know how to structure playbooks logically for efficient and predictable results. By the end, you’ll have the skills to automate administrative tasks and ensure repeatable outcomes across your infrastructure.
Using modules and roles
Explore key modules such as file, lineinfile, copy, archive, service, user and firewalld, and understand their real-life use cases. Learn to construct roles that encapsulate tasks, handlers, templates and variables into well-organised, reusable units of automation. You’ll get to know how Ansible Galaxy supports sharing and discovering community roles. You’ll create structured roles, use templates for files, and use the command line to install and manage them from Ansible Galaxy. This section shows how to streamline configurations and adopt a scalable approach for managing multiple systems efficiently.
What’s included
- Four days in a live virtual classroom
- Practical live lab exercises
- Access to digital course materials
- Expert support throughout the course
- Certificate of attendance
Key facts
Ideal for
Linux System Administrators, DevOps teams and technical managers looking to automate and scale RHEL systems.
Prerequisites
Experience of Linux system administration to the level of Red Hat 8 System Administration – Part 2 or equivalent.
Learning experience
Our experienced trainers and interactive labs create a focused, practical environment – so you can put theory into practice from day one.
FAQs
This Red Hat 8 System Administration - Part 3: Linux Automation with Ansible course teaches how to automate the configuration, deployment and management of RHEL 8 systems at scale.
What is Ansible and why should I use it with RHEL 8?
Ansible is an open-source automation tool that simplifies IT tasks such as configuration management, application deployment and task automation. Using it with RHEL 8 helps streamline operations and ensures consistency across systems.
How do I install and configure Ansible on RHEL 8?
You'll learn to install Ansible using YUM or DNF, configure SSH access, and manage Ansible’s configuration and inventory files during the course.
What are Ansible playbooks and how do they work?
Playbooks are YAML files that define tasks for automation. They allow users to describe the desired state of systems and automate workflows efficiently and repeatably.
How do Ansible roles improve automation projects?
Roles help organise playbooks into reusable and modular components. They separate logic and content, improving structure, scalability and team collaboration.
Can I use variables in Ansible playbooks?
Yes, variables allow dynamic control over tasks. You’ll learn to create and manage variables, use facts, and apply conditionals to tailor automation.
What our customers say
"I have taken a number of virtual training courses over the years, and I have to say this one was the best delivery wise. Stuart was engaging and explanatory, extremely patient and no question seemed unimportant or ridiculous."
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"John made the subject matter interesting. The pacing was spot on, and he clearly knew what he was talking about and was able to communicate that easily. Very pleased and would highly recommend."
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