Ansible ansible.builtin.tree Callback Saving Host Events to Files

Unveiling the Power of ansible.builtin.tree Callback: Enhanced Visibility and Control in Ansible Automation

Introduction

Ansible, an open-source automation tool, is renowned for its ability to streamline IT tasks and configuration management. One of Ansible’s powerful features is its extensible callback system, which allows users to capture and handle events triggered during playbook execution. In this article, we’ll delve into the ansible.builtin.tree callback, introduced in Ansible-core version 2.11, and explore how it can be utilized to save host events to files.

Understanding the Callback Parameters

directory Parameter

The directory parameter is a crucial component of the ansible.builtin.tree callback. It specifies the path to the directory where per-host JSON files will be saved. When using ad-hoc commands, this directory can be set using the --tree option. The default directory is "~/.ansible/tree."

Let’s break down the relevant details:

• Added in Ansible-core 2.11: The directory parameter was introduced in Ansible-core version 2.11, making it available for users in more recent releases. INI Entry:

[callback_tree]
directory = ~/.ansible/tree

• Users can configure the directory parameter in the ansible.cfg file under the [callback_tree] section.
• Environment Variable:

export ANSIBLE_CALLBACK_TREE_DIR=~/.ansible/tree

• Alternatively, the directory parameter can be set using the ANSIBLE_CALLBACK_TREE_DIR environment variable.

Practical Example

To illustrate the usage of the ansible.builtin.tree callback, consider the following example playbook and configuration:

Inventory (inventory)

localhost ansible_connection=local

Playbook (ping.yml)