Create or Remove files and directories

In this Lab, you will learn to manage files and directories on remote hosts using Ansible playbooks. By the end of this Lab, you will be able to create and delete directories and files on remote systems using ansible playbooks. This will give you practical experience with Ansible's file management capabilities, which are crucial for configuring systems and managing server states.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand how to create and remove files and directories using Ansible playbooks.

• Learn to use the file module for managing files and directories.

• Verify playbook syntax and ensure tasks execute as expected.

• Understand how to interact with remote systems through Ansible for efficient file management.

Key Concepts:

• file Module: A core Ansible module used for file and directory management, which allows you to create, delete, or modify files and directories on remote systems.

• Host Mapping: Mapping IP addresses to human-readable hostnames in the /etc/hosts file for ease of management.

• Verification: Checking the success of Ansible tasks with commands like ls, grep, and systemctl.

Why Needed:

• Automating file and directory creation reduces manual work and human error.

• Ensures that files and directories are created in a consistent manner across multiple remote hosts.

• Managing files with Ansible makes it easier to configure and maintain servers.

• Essential for administrators to automate server setup, backups, and cleanup tasks.

• Supports the practice of treating server configurations and file management as code, making them more reproducible and auditable.