Ansible Integration with VyOS

Ansible Integration with VyOS#

VyOS is supported in Ansible through a dedicated collection. This collection provides modules to manage and configure VyOS devices.

  • To install the VyOS collection, run the following command:

ansible-galaxy collection install vyos.vyos

Setting Up the Lab#

To interact with VyOS from our Ansible control node and automate configuration tasks, we will set up a lab environment. The lab topology is illustrated below:

../_images/vyos-lab.png

VyOS Lab Topology#

In this lab, we have the following devices:

  • One VyOS router

  • One Cisco router

  • One switch

Configuring Ansible for Multi-Vendor Environment#

Initially, our group_vars/all.yaml file is set up for Cisco devices only:

# Group_vars/all.yaml - Variables for all hosts
ansible_user: admin
ansible_password: cisco12
ansible_network_os: cisco.ios.ios

To support both Cisco and VyOS devices, we need to create separate configuration files in the group_vars directory.

  1. Rename all.yaml to cisco.yaml for Cisco devices and create vyos.yaml for VyOS devices.

group_vars/cisco.yaml#

# Group_vars/cisco.yaml - Variables for Cisco devices
ansible_user: admin
ansible_password: cisco  # New password
ansible_network_os: cisco.ios.ios

group_vars/vyos.yaml#

# Group_vars/vyos.yaml - Variables for VyOS devices
ansible_user: vyos
ansible_password: vyos
ansible_network_os: vyos.vyos.vyos

  1. Update the ansible.cfg file to define the inventory for the lab:

[all]
172.16.10.15  
172.16.10.16  
172.16.10.17  

[cisco]
172.16.10.16  
172.16.10.17  

[vyos]
172.16.10.15

With this setup, Ansible is now ready to work with a multi-vendor environment, allowing you to automate configuration tasks across both Cisco and VyOS devices.

In the next sections, we will explore specific Ansible playbooks and tasks to configure and manage VyOS devices effectively.

Configuring VyOS Router Banner with Ansible#

Before we begin configuring the VyOS router banner using Ansible, ensure that your Ansible control node is correctly set up with the necessary inventory and group variables. With the lab environment ready, we can proceed to create and execute Ansible playbooks to automate configurations for VyOS devices.

Sample Playbook#

Let’s create a playbook specifically to configure the banner on the VyOS router.

  1. Create a new playbook file named configure_vyos_banner.yaml:

---
- name: Configure VyOS Router Banner
  hosts: vyos
  gather_facts: false
  connection: network_cli

  tasks:
    - name: Set pre-login Banner
      vyos.vyos.vyos_banner:
        banner: pre-login
        text: "Welcome to VyOS Router"
        state: present

    - name: Set post-login Banner
      vyos.vyos.vyos_banner:
        banner: post-login
        text: "Authorized users only"
        state: present

  1. Run the playbook using the following command:

(.venv) ➜  ansible-cbt-lab git:(main) ✗ ansible-playbook playbook/vyos_banner.yaml

PLAY [Configure VyOS Router Banner] ****************************************************

TASK [Set pre-login Banner] ************************************************************
changed: [172.16.10.15]

TASK [Set post-login Banner] ***********************************************************
changed: [172.16.10.15]

PLAY RECAP *****************************************************************************
172.16.10.15               : ok=2    changed=2    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0

This playbook performs the following actions:

  • Sets the pre-login and post-login banners on the VyOS router.

Verifying Configuration#

After running the playbook, verify that the banners have been applied correctly on the VyOS router:

show system login

Using Ansible, you can easily configure specific aspects of your network devices, such as banners on VyOS routers. This approach allows for efficient management and maintenance of network configurations across different vendor devices.

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