Install Ansible automation portal (OpenShift Container Platform only)
Ansible automation portal makes enterprise automation accessible to users of varying roles and skill levels through a simplified web interface designed for business users, not automation experts.
Instead of requiring users to understand Ansible playbooks or complex automation workflows, Ansible automation portal provides a streamlined "point-and-click" experience.
Ansible automation portal uses your existing Ansible Automation Platform setup: it uses the same logins, same security controls, and the same automation logic.
Job templates in Ansible Automation Platform are synced to Ansible automation portal, where they appear as auto-generated self-service templates. Users can launch the auto-generated self-service templates in Ansible automation portal to run the corresponding job templates in Ansible Automation Platform.
When launching a job, users follow step-by-step guided forms in Ansible automation portal. These forms are identical to the forms for the equivalent job templates in Ansible Automation Platform.
You can also import custom self-service templates in Ansible automation portal. These templates are pulled from a git repository, and their configuration file associates them with a job template in Ansible Automation Platform. The configuration file contains the forms for the template.
You can associate more than one custom self-service template with one Ansible Automation Platform job template. You set the RBAC for the custom self-service templates in Ansible automation portal. Therefore you can set up different types of forms for users with different levels of automation experience.
For example, for a job template that configures network settings, you could associate a custom template with minimum scope for adjusting settings to a group with less automation experience, and use a more detailed custom template with deeper scope for configuration for automation experts.
Ansible automation portal connects with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform using an OAuth application for authentication.
The following restrictions apply:
- You can only use one Ansible Automation Platform instance.
- You can only use one Ansible Automation Platform organization.
- Architecture and licensing
Ansible automation portal is built on Red Hat Developer Hub (RHDH), which provides the web interface and plugin framework. Your Ansible Automation Platform subscription includes the use of RHDH for the self-service portal without requiring a separate RHDH subscription. - Supported platforms
Ansible automation portal supports installation using a Helm chart on OpenShift Container Platform. - Select an organization
You must choose an organization in Ansible Automation Platform to use with Ansible automation portal. If you have not set up an organization, use the following procedure to create one. - Create an OAuth application
To use the Helm chart to deploy Ansible automation portal, you must have set up an OAuth application on your Ansible Automation Platform instance. - Generate Git personal access tokens
If you are linking external Source Control Management (SCM) systems to Ansible automation portal, you must generate a Personal Access Token for authentication. - Set up a project for Ansible automation portal in OpenShift
You must set up a project in OpenShift Container Platform for Ansible automation portal. You can create the project from a terminal using theoccommand, or in the OpenShift Container Platform web console. - Create secrets in OpenShift for Ansible automation portal
Before installing the Helm chart, you must create a set of secrets in your OpenShift project. The Ansible automation portal Helm chart fetches environment variables from OpenShift secrets. - Choose a plug-in delivery method
Ansible plug-ins for Red Hat Developer Hub support two delivery methods. Choose the method that fits your environment. - Install the Ansible automation portal Helm chart
You can use the configured secrets and plugin registry to install the Ansible automation portal. Deploy the application onto your OpenShift cluster using the provided Helm chart. - Install Ansible automation portal in air-gapped OpenShift Container Platform environments
You can install Ansible automation portal in a disconnected OpenShift Container Platform environment. - Verify the configuration
You can inspect the deployment logs and ConfigMap on the OpenShift console to verify that the deployment conforms with the settings in your Helm chart. - Update the deployment URL
Complete the necessary post-installation configuration, including updating the OAuth application and setting up initial Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). You can then access and sign in to the portal. - Set up initial RBAC rules in Ansible automation portal
After you install Ansible automation portal and synchronize it with Ansible Automation Platform, only users with Ansible Automation Platform administrator privileges can view the auto-generated templates. - Configure an external PostgreSQL database for Ansible automation portal
By default, Ansible automation portal uses an embedded PostgreSQL database. For production deployments, you can configure Ansible automation portal to use an external PostgreSQL database managed by your organization's database team. - Enable a custom support URL
Update the Helm configuration to redirect the default support link to your organization's specific support resources. - Enable feedback to Red Hat
Enable the optional feedback form to allow users to submit suggestions and general feedback directly through the Ansible automation portal interface.