As enterprise IT environments grow more complex, automation becomes not just a convenience but a necessity. With native support for Ansible in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 (SLES 16), IT teams can manage systems at scale with greater consistency and control.

This guide introduces the fundamentals of Ansible and walks you through installing it, writing your first playbook, and automating your SLES 16 environment.

What Is Ansible?

Ansible is a widely adopted open source automation framework used for configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration across hybrid infrastructure. It’s agentless, secure by default, and uses human-readable YAML to define infrastructure as code.

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With Ansible now integrated into SLES 16, administrators can streamline repetitive tasks, standardize system configuration, and reduce human error without needing to install any agents on managed systems.

Key Terminology

Before diving into hands-on steps, here’s a quick overview of common terms used in Ansible:

Why Use Ansible on SLES?

  • Agentless: No dedicated connection software is required on the managed nodes.
  • Secure by Default: Uses SSH for communication
  • Parallel Execution: Runs tasks across many systems simultaneously
  • Simple Syntax: YAML-based playbooks that anyone on your team can read
  • Integrated in SLES 16: Supported by SUSE

Prerequisites

Control Node:

  • A host running SLES 16
  • Root user or user with sudo permissions
  • Connection to Managed Nodes by SSH port.

Managed Node(s):

  • A host(s) running SLES 15SP6+ or 16
  • Root user or user with sudo permissions

Step 1: Install Ansible

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With SLES 16, Ansible is already part of the base system no additional repositories or modules needed.

sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper install ansible

Verify the installation:

ansible --version

Expected output:

ansible [core 2.18.3]
  config file = None
  configured module search path = ['/root/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/ansible
  ansible collection location = /root/.ansible/collections:/usr/share/ansible/collections
  executable location = /usr/bin/ansible
  python version = 3.13.5 (main, Jun 12 2025, 00:40:24) [GCC] (/usr/bin/python3.13)
  jinja version = 3.1.6
  libyaml = True

Step 2: Configure SSH Access for Automation

For Ansible to operate seamlessly, set up SSH key-based authentication from the control node to each managed node.

Generate a key pair on the control node:

ssh-keygen


(Note: It is recommended to use dedicated SSH key, which requires SSH key to be defined in the variable ansible_ssh_private_key_file .)

Then copy the public key to the managed node:

ssh-copy-id <target user>@<IP address/Hostname of the managed node>

This one-time setup allows Ansible to connect securely without prompting for credentials during automation.

Step 3: Define an Inventory File

An inventory is a list of systems Ansible manages. You can define individual hosts or group them based on roles such as web, app, or database servers.

Although Ansible uses /etc/ansible/hosts by default, it’s best practice to maintain a separate inventory file and specify it using the -i flag. In this guide, we’ll connect using a dedicated automation user ansible with sudo privileges.

Example (hosts.ini):

[webservers]
10.10.10.11 ansible_user=ansible
10.10.10.12 ansible_user=ansible

[dbservers]
10.10.20.5 ansible_user=ansible

Step 4: Verify Connectivity with an Ad-Hoc Command

Once your inventory and SSH configuration are in place, test the connection between the control node and managed systems using an Ansible ad-hoc command:

ansible all -i hosts.ini -m ping

If configured correctly, you should see a response like:

10.10.10.11 | SUCCESS => {"ping": "pong"}
10.10.10.12 | SUCCESS => {"ping": "pong"}

This confirms Ansible can securely reach the managed nodes over SSH.

Step 5: Create and Run Your First Playbook

Playbooks are YAML files that define the tasks Ansible should perform. Create a file named install.yml to define a basic automation task for example, installing common packages on all managed SUSE systems:

---
- name: Ensure essential packages are present
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install vim and curl
      ansible.builtin.package:
        name:
          - suseconnect
          - curl
        state: present

Run the playbook:

ansible-playbook -i hosts.ini install.yml

Ansible will connect to each host in your inventory and execute the defined tasks using the system’s package manager.

Conclusion

With Ansible now included in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16, getting started with automation is straightforward. This guide covered the basics installing Ansible, setting up access to managed systems, and running your first playbook.

Ansible is a practical, scriptable way to manage multiple systems more reliably. SUSE’s integration ensures it works out of the box, so teams can focus on building repeatable tasks and improving day-to-day system administration.

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