ansible

Ansible Playbook Examples

Ansible playbooks that automate NetApp storage workflows. Each playbook is self-contained and designed to be copied and adapted for your environment; today's examples use the netapp.ontap Galaxy collection.

For REST API conventions used by these examples (endpoints, auth, headers, async jobs), see the Platform API patterns guide. To compare this approach with Python or Terraform, see Choosing an approach.

Catalog: catalog.yaml lists every Ansible example with prerequisites, inputs, and outputs. Sections below follow the same format.

---

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• Ansible core 2.15+ (pip install ansible)
• Network access to an ONTAP cluster management LIF (HTTPS)
• Cluster admin credentials (or appropriate RBAC user)

Setup

cd ansible

# Install the NetApp ONTAP collection from Galaxy
ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml

# Configure connection variables
cp group_vars/ontap.yml.example group_vars/ontap.yml
# Edit group_vars/ontap.yml with your cluster details

Update inventory/hosts.yml with your cluster management LIF:

all:
  children:
    ontap:
      hosts:
        cluster1:
          ontap_hostname: 10.0.0.1   # <-- your cluster IP

Configuration

Connection settings live in group_vars/ontap.yml. At minimum, set:

ontap_hostname: "{{ inventory_hostname }}"
ontap_username: admin
ontap_password: your_password
ontap_https: true
ontap_validate_certs: false   # supports self-signed certs; set true once CA-signed certs are in place

For production, encrypt the file with Ansible Vault:

ansible-vault encrypt group_vars/ontap.yml
ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml cluster_info.yml --ask-vault-pass

---

Examples

Cluster Info

Use case: cluster-info | Status: verified | ONTAP: 9.8+

Retrieve the cluster version and list all nodes with serial numbers.

Prerequisites: ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml, group_vars/ontap.yml, inventory/hosts.yml

Usage:

ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml cluster_info.yml

Input	Required	Default	Description
(none)			Connection via group_vars/ontap.yml

Output	Description
cluster_version	Cluster ONTAP version (debug output)
nodes	Node names and serial numbers (debug output)

NFS Volume Provisioning

Use case: nfs-provision | Status: verified | ONTAP: 9.8+

Create a FlexVol volume, set up an NFS export policy with a client rule, and assign the policy to the volume.

Prerequisites: ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml, group_vars/ontap.yml, inventory/hosts.yml

Usage:

ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml nfs_provision.yml

Override variables on the command line:

ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml nfs_provision.yml \
    -e volume_name=vol_nfs_demo \
    -e volume_size=200 \
    -e aggregate_name=aggr1 \
    -e client_match=10.0.0.0/8

Input	Required	Default	Description
svm_name	no	vs0	Target SVM
volume_name	no	vol_nfs_test_01	FlexVol name
volume_size	no	100	Volume size
volume_size_unit	no	mb	Size unit
aggregate_name	yes	aggr1	Target aggregate
client_match	no	0.0.0.0/0	NFS export client CIDR

Output	Description
volume_name	Created volume name
mount_path	NAS junction path
export_policy	Dedicated export policy name

CIFS Share Provisioning

Use case: cifs-provision | Status: verified | ONTAP: 9.8+

Create a FlexVol volume with NTFS security style, a CIFS share, and share ACL.

Prerequisites: ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml, group_vars/ontap.yml, CIFS enabled on the SVM

Usage:

ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml cifs_provision.yml \
    -e volume_name=cifs_test_env

Override variables on the command line:

ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml cifs_provision.yml \
    -e volume_name=cifs_demo \
    -e share_name=demo_share \
    -e aggregate_name=aggr1 \
    -e acl_user=Everyone \
    -e acl_permission=full_control

Input	Required	Default	Description
svm_name	no	vs0	Target SVM
volume_name	yes	—	FlexVol name
volume_size	no	100	Volume size
volume_size_unit	no	mb	Size unit
aggregate_name	yes	aggr1	Target aggregate
share_name	no	cifs_share_test	CIFS share name
share_comment	no	Provisioned by Pace	Share description
acl_user	no	Everyone	ACL user or group
acl_permission	no	full_control	ACL permission level

Output	Description
volume_name	Created volume name
share_name	CIFS share name
mount_path	NAS junction path

Cluster Setup

Use case: cluster-setup | Status: verified | ONTAP: 9.8+

Create a storage cluster from two pre-cluster nodes.

Prerequisites: ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml, pre-cluster node in inventory/hosts.yml, cluster network details as extra vars

Usage:

ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml cluster_setup.yml \
    -e cluster_name=mycluster \
    -e cluster_pass=secret \
    -e cluster_mgmt_ip=10.x.x.x \
    -e cluster_netmask=255.255.192.0 \
    -e cluster_gateway=10.x.x.1 \
    -e partner_mgmt_ip=10.x.x.y

Input	Required	Default	Description
cluster_name	yes	—	New cluster name
cluster_pass	yes	—	Cluster admin password
cluster_mgmt_ip	yes	—	Cluster management LIF IP
cluster_netmask	yes	—	Management subnet mask
cluster_gateway	yes	—	Default gateway
partner_mgmt_ip	yes	—	Partner node management IP

Output	Description
cluster_name	Created cluster name
job_status	Cluster-create job result

SnapMirror Provision (Source-Managed)

Use case: snapmirror-provision-src | Status: verified | ONTAP: 9.8+

Provision a SnapMirror relationship from the source-managed view.

Prerequisites: ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml, cluster/SVM peering, source RW volume, SnapMirror license on both clusters

Usage:

export SOURCE_HOST=10.x.x.x SOURCE_USER=admin SOURCE_PASS=secret
export SOURCE_SVM=vs0 SOURCE_VOLUME=vol_rw_01
export DEST_HOST=10.y.y.y DEST_USER=admin DEST_PASS=secret DEST_SVM=vs1
ansible-playbook snapmirror_provision_src_managed.yml

Input	Required	Default	Description
source_svm	yes	—	Source SVM name
source_volume	yes	—	Source RW volume name
dest_svm	yes	—	Destination SVM name
sm_policy	no	Asynchronous	SnapMirror policy name

Output	Description
relationship_uuid	SnapMirror relationship UUID
relationship_state	Final relationship state
relationship_healthy	Health status

SnapMirror Provision (Destination-Managed)

Use case: snapmirror-provision-dest | Status: verified | ONTAP: 9.8+

Provision a SnapMirror relationship with all API calls driven from the destination cluster.

Prerequisites: ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml, cluster/SVM peering, source RW volume, SnapMirror license on both clusters

Usage:

export SOURCE_HOST=10.x.x.x SOURCE_USER=admin SOURCE_PASS=secret
export SOURCE_SVM=vs0 SOURCE_VOLUME=vol_rw_01
export DEST_HOST=10.y.y.y DEST_USER=admin DEST_PASS=secret DEST_SVM=vs1
ansible-playbook snapmirror_provision_dest_managed.yml

Input	Required	Default	Description
source_svm	yes	—	Source SVM name
source_volume	yes	—	Source RW volume name
dest_svm	yes	—	Destination SVM name
sm_policy	no	Asynchronous	SnapMirror policy name

Output	Description
relationship_uuid	SnapMirror relationship UUID
relationship_state	Final relationship state
relationship_healthy	Health status

SnapMirror Test Failover

Use case: snapmirror-test-failover | Status: verified | ONTAP: 9.8+

Create a writable FlexClone of a SnapMirror destination volume for test failover.

Prerequisites: ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml, healthy SnapMirror relationship in snapmirrored state

Usage:

export CLUSTER_A=10.x.x.x CLUSTER_B=10.y.y.y
export DEST_USER=admin DEST_PASS=secret
export SOURCE_VOLUME=*
ansible-playbook snapmirror_test_failover.yml

Input	Required	Default	Description
source_volume	no	*	Source volume name, or * to auto-detect

Output	Description
clone_volume	Writable FlexClone volume name
relationship_uuid	SnapMirror relationship UUID
relationship_state	Post-failover relationship state

SnapMirror Cleanup Test Failover

Use case: snapmirror-cleanup-failover | Status: verified | ONTAP: 9.8+

Delete the FlexClone created by snapmirror_test_failover.yml.

Prerequisites: ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml, test failover clone must exist

Usage:

export CLUSTER_A=10.x.x.x CLUSTER_B=10.y.y.y
export DEST_USER=admin DEST_PASS=secret
export SOURCE_VOLUME=vol_rw_01 SOURCE_SVM=vs0
ansible-playbook snapmirror_cleanup_test_failover.yml

Input	Required	Default	Description
source_volume	yes	—	Source volume name used to locate the clone
source_svm	yes	vs0	Source SVM name

Output	Description
clone_deleted	Confirmation that the tagged clone was removed

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File Overview

File	Purpose
requirements.yml	Ansible Galaxy collection dependency (netapp.ontap)
inventory/hosts.yml	Sample inventory with an ontap host group
group_vars/ontap.yml.example	Connection and default variable template
cluster_info.yml	Get cluster version + node list
nfs_provision.yml	Create NFS volume with export policy
cifs_provision.yml	Create CIFS share with volume and ACL
cluster_setup.yml	Create cluster from two pre-cluster nodes
snapmirror_provision_src_managed.yml	SnapMirror provision (source-managed view)
snapmirror_provision_dest_managed.yml	SnapMirror provision (destination-managed view)
snapmirror_test_failover.yml	SnapMirror test failover via FlexClone
snapmirror_cleanup_test_failover.yml	Clean up test failover clone

Design Decisions

• FQCNs everywhere - all modules use fully qualified collection names (e.g., netapp.ontap.na_ontap_volume, not na_ontap_volume) per Ansible best practices
• use_rest: always - forces the REST API transport; avoids falling back to ZAPI on older collections
• wait_for_completion: true - the na_ontap_volume module handles job polling internally, unlike the Python scripts where polling is manual
• connection: local - ONTAP modules connect over HTTPS from the control node; no SSH to the cluster
• no_log: false - explicitly set so reviewers can verify no task accidentally hides output; flip to true on tasks that echo credentials in production