System automation with Ansible – Enterprise solutions

3.3 System automation with Ansible

Enterprises can spend many precious administrative time performing repetitive tasks and using manual processes. Tasks, such as updating, patching, compliance checks, provisioning new virtual machines or LPARs, and ensuring that the correct security updates are in place, are taking time away from more valuable business activities.

The ability to automate by using Ansible returns valuable time to the system administrators.

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform for Power is fully enabled, so enterprises can automate several tasks within AIX, IBM i, and Linux that include deploying applications. Ansible also can be combined with HMC, PowerVC, and Power Virtual Server to provision infrastructure anywhere you need, including cloud solutions from other IBM Business Partners or third-party providers based on Power processor-based servers.

146  IBM Power E1080: Technical Overview and Introduction

A first task after the initial installation or set up of a new LPAR is to ensure that the correct patches are installed. Also, extra software (whether it is open source software, ISV software, or perhaps their own enterprise software) must be installed. Ansible features a set of capabilities to roll out new software, which makes it popular in

Continuous Delivery/Continuous Integration (CD/CI) environments. Orchestration and integration of automation with security products represent other ways in which Ansible can be applied within the data center.

Despite the wide adoption of AIX and IBM i in many different business sectors by different types of customers, Ansible can help introduce the Power processor-based technology to customers who believe that AIX and IBM i skills are a rare commodity that are difficult to locate in the marketplace but want to take advantage of all the features of the hardware platform. The Ansible experience is identical across Power or x86 processor-based technology and the same steps can be repeated in IBM Cloud.

AIX and IBM i skilled customers also can benefit from the extreme automation solutions that are provided by Ansible.

The Power processor-based architecture features unique advantages over commodity server platforms, such as x86, because the engineering teams that are working on the processor, motherboards, virtualization. and management appliances collaborate closely to ensure an integrated stack that works seamlessly. This approach is in stark contrast to the multivendor x86 processor-based technology approach, in which the processor, server, management, and virtualization must be purchased from different (and sometimes competing) vendors.

The Power stack engineering teams partnered closely to deliver the enterprise server platform, which results in an IT architecture with industry-leading performance, scalability, and security (see Figure 3-3).

Figure 3-3 Power stack

Every layer in the Power stack is optimized to make the Power10 processor-based technology the platform of choice for mission-critical enterprise workloads. This stack includes the Ansible Automation Platform, which is described next.

Chapter 3. Enterprise solutions 147