# Ansible Configs and Settings

### Ansible Config File

Ansible looks for the ***ansible.cfg*** file at the following locations (and in that order of precedence):

**Environment Variables (if set)**

ANSIBLE_CONFIG

**Current Directory**

ansible.cfg

**Home directory (current user)**

~/.ansible.cfg

**or**

/etc/ansible/ansible.cfg

### Working with Ansible Inventory

**Inventory File Location**

/etc/ansible/hosts

**On Ansible Controller**

:mag: Please make the changes and update your local hosts file inside /etc/ansible directory. Sample entries mentioned below

sudo vi /etc/ansible/hosts

[nodes]
w1 ansible_host=178.62.122.74
w2 ansible_host=159.65.51.250

[centos]
159.65.51.250

[ubuntu]
178.62.122.74

[webservers]
178.62.122.74
159.65.51.250

[allnodes:children]
w1
w2

**Validate the groups you have just created**

ansible --list-hosts all

ansible --list-hosts <groupname>
ansible --list-hosts webservers
  hosts (3):
    localhost
    172.31.57.187
    172.31.49.9

:mag: *Note: You might have to add the users (labsuser or ansible) to admin (ubuntu) or wheel (redhat) group in order to get sudo access. Please run the following command in order to do it:*

Syntax:
usermod -aG <groupname> <username>

Command Example:
usermod -aG admin ansible

### Working with Multiple inventory files

#### Providing a different inventory file using -i flag

Syntax:
ansible -m ping -i <filename> <group-name>

Sample Command:
ansible -m ping -i newhosts new-nodes

#### Update a new inventory location in ansible.cfg

/etc/ansible/ansible.cfg

[defaults]
inventory      = /etc/ansible/hosts

:mag: *Note: Checkout following github page for more Ansible configuration defaults and customizations --> https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/stable-2.9/examples/ansible.cfg*

### configure DNS compliant names in host file

sudo vi /etc/ansible/hosts

[nodes]
w1 ansible_host=178.62.122.74
w2 ansible_host=159.65.51.250