Can Ansible Manage Windows?

Ansible is a powerful tool for automating tasks across various platforms, including Windows systems. While it’s widely known for managing Linux, Ansible’s support for Windows enables seamless cross-platform automation. This article explains how Ansible can manage Windows, the prerequisites, and use cases.

Can Ansible Manage Windows?

Yes, Ansible can manage Windows systems using WinRM (Windows Remote Management) or SSH. With its agentless architecture, Ansible performs tasks like software deployment, configuration management, and system updates on Windows nodes.

Prerequisites for Managing Windows with Ansible

1. Enable WinRM on Windows Hosts

WinRM allows Ansible to communicate with Windows machines remotely.

Steps to Enable WinRM:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Run the following commands:

winrm quickconfig
winrm set winrm/config/service/auth '@{Basic="true"}'
winrm set winrm/config/service '@{AllowUnencrypted="true"}'
Set-Item wsman:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "<Ansible_Control_Node_IP>"

2. Install pywinrm on the Ansible Control Node

Install the pywinrm library to enable WinRM communication:

pip install pywinrm

3. Configure Inventory for Windows

Define the Windows hosts in your inventory file:

[windows]
windows_host ansible_host=192.168.1.10 ansible_user=Administrator ansible_password=your_password ansible_connection=winrm

Ansible Modules for Windows Automation

Ansible provides several modules specifically for managing Windows systems. Here are some commonly used ones:

1. win_service:

Manage Windows services.

- name: Ensure IIS is running
  win_service:
    name: W3SVC
    state: started

2. win_package:

Install or uninstall software.

- name: Install Google Chrome
  win_package:
    path: "https://dl.google.com/chrome/install/GoogleChromeStandaloneEnterprise.msi"

3. win_user:

Manage user accounts.

- name: Create a new user
  win_user:
    name: dev_user
    password: StrongPassword123!
    state: present

4. win_file:

Manage files and directories.

- name: Create a directory
  win_file:
    path: C:\Temp
    state: directory

5. win_shell:

Execute PowerShell or command-line commands.

- name: Run a PowerShell command
  win_shell: Get-Service

Use Cases for Ansible on Windows

1. Application Deployment: Automate the installation and configuration of software.

2. System Configuration: Apply consistent configurations across multiple Windows machines.

3. Service Management: Start, stop, or restart Windows services as needed.

4. File and Directory Management: Create, delete, or manage file permissions on Windows systems.

5. User Management: Add, update, or remove users and groups.

Running Playbooks on Windows

Once the inventory and playbook are set up, use the ansible-playbook command to run tasks on Windows systems:

ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini windows-playbook.yml

Example Playbook to Configure Windows

- hosts: windows
  tasks:
    - name: Install IIS
      win_feature:
        name: Web-Server
        state: present

    - name: Start IIS service
      win_service:
        name: W3SVC
        state: started

Best Practices for Managing Windows with Ansible

• Encrypt Credentials: Use Ansible Vault to secure sensitive data like passwords.

• Test Playbooks: Validate configurations in a test environment before applying them to production.

• Organize Tasks: Use roles and variables to simplify complex playbooks.

Conclusion

Ansible’s support for Windows makes it a versatile automation tool for hybrid environments. With modules tailored for Windows and its agentless architecture, Ansible simplifies the management of Windows systems alongside Linux and other platforms.

Learn More About Managing Windows with Ansible

Academy

Explore practical Windows automation examples in Ansible by Examples.

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