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Chapter 3. Container topologies

The containerized installer deploys Ansible Automation Platform on Red Hat Enterprise Linux by using Podman which runs the platform in containers on host machines. Customers manage the product and infrastructure lifecycle.

3.1. Container growth topology
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The growth topology is intended for organizations that are getting started with Ansible Automation Platform and do not require redundancy or higher compute for large volumes of automation. This topology allows for smaller footprint deployments.

3.1.1. Infrastructure topology
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The following diagram outlines the infrastructure topology that Red Hat has tested with this deployment model that customers can use when self-managing Ansible Automation Platform:

Figure 3.1. Infrastructure topology diagram

Container growth topology diagram
View larger image
Container growth topology diagram

A single VM has been tested with the following component requirements:

Expand
Table 3.1. Virtual machine requirements
RequirementMinimum requirement

RAM

16 GB

CPUs

4

Local disk

  • Total available disk space: 60 GB
  • Installation directory: 15 GB (if on a dedicated partition)
  • /var/tmp for online installations: 1 GB
  • /var/tmp for offline or bundled installations: 3 GB
  • Temporary directory (defaults to /tmp) for offline or bundled installations: 10GB

Disk IOPS

3000

Note

If performing a bundled installation of the growth topology with hub_seed_collections=true, then 32 GB RAM is recommended. Note that with this configuration the install time is going to increase and can take 45 or more minutes alone to complete seeding the collections.

Expand
Table 3.2. Infrastructure topology
PurposeExample group names

All Ansible Automation Platform components

  • automationgateway
  • automationcontroller
  • automationhub
  • automationeda
  • database

3.1.2. Tested system configurations
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Red Hat has tested the following configurations to install and run Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform:

Expand
Table 3.3. System configuration
TypeDescriptionNotes

Subscription

  • Valid Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform subscription
  • Valid Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription (to consume the BaseOS and AppStream repositories)
 

Operating system

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 or later minor versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 or later minor versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.
 

CPU architecture

x86_64, AArch64, s390x (IBM Z), ppc64le (IBM Power)

 

ansible-core

  • RHEL 9: installation program uses ansible-core 2.14, Ansible Automation Platform operation uses ansible-core 2.16.
  • RHEL 10: installation program uses ansible-core 2.16, Ansible Automation Platform operation uses ansible-core 2.16.
  • The installation program uses the ansible-core package from the RHEL AppStream repository.
  • Ansible Automation Platform bundles ansible-core 2.16 for operation, so you do not need to install it manually.

Browser

A currently supported version of Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

 

Database

PostgreSQL 15

External (customer supported) databases require ICU support.

3.1.3. Network ports
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Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform uses several ports to communicate with its services. These ports must be open and available for incoming connections to the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform server for it to work. Ensure that these ports are available and are not blocked by the server firewall.

Expand
Table 3.4. Network ports and protocols
Port numberProtocolServiceSourceDestination

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Event-Driven Ansible

Automation hub

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Event-Driven Ansible

Automation controller

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Automation controller

Automation hub

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Platform gateway

Automation controller

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Platform gateway

Automation hub

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Platform gateway

Event-Driven Ansible

5432

TCP

PostgreSQL

Event-Driven Ansible

External database

5432

TCP

PostgreSQL

Platform gateway

External database

5432

TCP

PostgreSQL

Automation hub

External database

5432

TCP

PostgreSQL

Automation controller

External database

6379

TCP

Redis

Event-Driven Ansible

Redis container

6379

TCP

Redis

Platform gateway

Redis container

8443

TCP

HTTPS

Platform gateway

Platform gateway

27199

TCP

Receptor

Automation controller

Execution container

3.1.4. Example inventory file
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Use the example inventory file to perform an installation for this topology: 

# This is the Ansible Automation Platform installer inventory file intended for the container growth deployment topology.
# This inventory file expects to be run from the host where Ansible Automation Platform will be installed.
# Consult the Ansible Automation Platform product documentation about this topology's tested hardware configuration.
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/tested_deployment_models/container-topologies
#
# Consult the docs if you are unsure what to add
# For all optional variables consult the included README.md
# or the Ansible Automation Platform documentation:
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation

# This section is for your platform gateway hosts
# -----------------------------------------------------
[automationgateway]
aap.example.org

# This section is for your automation controller hosts
# -----------------------------------------------------
[automationcontroller]
aap.example.org

# This section is for your automation hub hosts
# -----------------------------------------------------
[automationhub]
aap.example.org

# This section is for your Event-Driven Ansible controller hosts
# -----------------------------------------------------
[automationeda]
aap.example.org

# This section is for the Ansible Automation Platform database
# -----------------------------------------------------
[database]
aap.example.org

[all:vars]
# Ansible
ansible_connection=local

# Common variables
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#general-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
postgresql_admin_username=postgres
postgresql_admin_password=<set your own>

registry_username=<your RHN username>
registry_password=<your RHN password>

redis_mode=standalone

# Platform gateway
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#platform-gateway-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
gateway_admin_password=<set your own>
gateway_pg_host=aap.example.org
gateway_pg_password=<set your own>

# Automation controller
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#controller-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
controller_admin_password=<set your own>
controller_pg_host=aap.example.org
controller_pg_password=<set your own>
controller_percent_memory_capacity=0.5

# Automation hub
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#hub-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
hub_admin_password=<set your own>
hub_pg_host=aap.example.org
hub_pg_password=<set your own>
hub_seed_collections=false

# Event-Driven Ansible controller
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#event-driven-ansible-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
eda_admin_password=<set your own>
eda_pg_host=aap.example.org
eda_pg_password=<set your own>
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SSH keys are only required when installing on remote hosts. If doing a self contained local VM based installation, you can use ansible_connection=local.

3.2. Container enterprise topology
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The enterprise topology is intended for organizations that require Ansible Automation Platform to be deployed with redundancy or higher compute for large volumes of automation.

3.2.1. Infrastructure topology
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The following diagram outlines the infrastructure topology that Red Hat has tested with this deployment model that customers can use when self-managing Ansible Automation Platform:

Figure 3.2. Infrastructure topology diagram

Container enterprise topology diagram
View larger image
Container enterprise topology diagram

Each VM has been tested with the following component requirements:

Expand
Table 3.5. Virtual machine requirements
RequirementMinimum requirement

RAM

16 GB

CPUs

4

Local disk

  • Total available disk space: 60 GB
  • Installation directory: 15 GB (if on a dedicated partition)
  • /var/tmp for online installations: 1 GB
  • /var/tmp for offline or bundled installations: 3 GB
  • Temporary directory (defaults to /tmp) for offline or bundled installations: 10GB

Disk IOPS

3000

Expand
Table 3.6. Infrastructure topology
VM countPurposeExample VM group names

2

Platform gateway with colocated Redis

automationgateway

2

Automation controller

automationcontroller

2

Private automation hub with colocated Redis

automationhub

2

Event-Driven Ansible with colocated Redis

automationeda

1

Automation mesh hop node

execution_nodes

2

Automation mesh execution node

execution_nodes

1

Externally managed database service

N/A

1

HAProxy load balancer in front of platform gateway (externally managed)

N/A

Note
  • 6 VMs are required for a Redis high availability (HA) compatible deployment. When installing Ansible Automation Platform with the containerized installer, Redis can be colocated on any Ansible Automation Platform component VMs of your choice except for execution nodes or the PostgreSQL database. They might also be assigned VMs specifically for Redis use.
  • External Redis is not supported for containerized Ansible Automation Platform.

3.2.2. Tested system configurations
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Red Hat has tested the following configurations to install and run Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform:

Expand
Table 3.7. System configuration
TypeDescriptionNotes

Subscription

  • Valid Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform subscription
  • Valid Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription (to consume the BaseOS and AppStream repositories)
 

Operating system

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 or later minor versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 or later minor versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.
 

CPU architecture

x86_64, AArch64, s390x (IBM Z), ppc64le (IBM Power)

 

ansible-core

  • RHEL 9: installation program uses ansible-core 2.14, Ansible Automation Platform operation uses ansible-core 2.16.
  • RHEL 10: installation program uses ansible-core 2.16, Ansible Automation Platform operation uses ansible-core 2.16.
  • The installation program uses the ansible-core package from the RHEL AppStream repository.
  • Ansible Automation Platform bundles ansible-core 2.16 for operation, so you do not need to install it manually.

Browser

A currently supported version of Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

 

Database

PostgreSQL 15

External (customer supported) databases require ICU support.

3.2.3. Network ports
Copy link

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform uses several ports to communicate with its services. These ports must be open and available for incoming connections to the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform server for it to work. Ensure that these ports are available and are not blocked by the server firewall.

Expand
Table 3.8. Network ports and protocols
Port numberProtocolServiceSourceDestination

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Event-Driven Ansible

Automation hub

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Event-Driven Ansible

Automation controller

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Automation controller

Automation hub

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

HAProxy load balancer

Platform gateway

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Platform gateway

Automation controller

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Platform gateway

Automation hub

80/443

TCP

HTTP/HTTPS

Platform gateway

Event-Driven Ansible

5432

TCP

PostgreSQL

Event-Driven Ansible

External database

5432

TCP

PostgreSQL

Platform gateway

External database

5432

TCP

PostgreSQL

Automation hub

External database

5432

TCP

PostgreSQL

Automation controller

External database

6379

TCP

Redis

Event-Driven Ansible

Redis node

6379

TCP

Redis

Platform gateway

Redis node

8443

TCP

HTTPS

Platform gateway

Platform gateway

16379

TCP

Redis

Redis node

Redis node

27199

TCP

Receptor

Automation controller

Hop node and execution node

27199

TCP

Receptor

Hop node

Execution node

3.2.4. Example inventory file
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Use the example inventory file to perform an installation for this topology: 

# This is the Ansible Automation Platform enterprise installer inventory file
# Consult the docs if you are unsure what to add
# For all optional variables consult the included README.md
# or the Red Hat documentation:
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation

# This section is for your platform gateway hosts
# -----------------------------------------------------
[automationgateway]
gateway1.example.org
gateway2.example.org

# This section is for your automation controller hosts
# -----------------------------------------------------
[automationcontroller]
controller1.example.org
controller2.example.org

# This section is for your Ansible Automation Platform execution hosts
# -----------------------------------------------------
[execution_nodes]
hop1.example.org receptor_type='hop'
exec1.example.org
exec2.example.org

# This section is for your automation hub hosts
# -----------------------------------------------------
[automationhub]
hub1.example.org
hub2.example.org

# This section is for your Event-Driven Ansible controller hosts
# -----------------------------------------------------
[automationeda]
eda1.example.org
eda2.example.org

[redis]
gateway1.example.org
gateway2.example.org
hub1.example.org
hub2.example.org
eda1.example.org
eda2.example.org

[all:vars]

# Common variables
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#general-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
postgresql_admin_username=<set your own>
postgresql_admin_password=<set your own>
registry_username=<your RHN username>
registry_password=<your RHN password>

# Platform gateway
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#platform-gateway-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
gateway_admin_password=<set your own>
gateway_pg_host=externaldb.example.org
gateway_pg_database=<set your own>
gateway_pg_username=<set your own>
gateway_pg_password=<set your own>

# Automation controller
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#controller-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
controller_admin_password=<set your own>
controller_pg_host=externaldb.example.org
controller_pg_database=<set your own>
controller_pg_username=<set your own>
controller_pg_password=<set your own>

# Automation hub
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#hub-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
hub_admin_password=<set your own>
hub_pg_host=externaldb.example.org
hub_pg_database=<set your own>
hub_pg_username=<set your own>
hub_pg_password=<set your own>

# Event-Driven Ansible controller
# https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_ansible_automation_platform/2.5/html/containerized_installation/appendix-inventory-files-vars#event-driven-ansible-variables
# -----------------------------------------------------
eda_admin_password=<set your own>
eda_pg_host=externaldb.example.org
eda_pg_database=<set your own>
eda_pg_username=<set your own>
eda_pg_password=<set your own>
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