Demo: Deploy Application

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Demo: Deploy Application
Features show cased
- Video
- Guide

Objective

Demonstrate application deployment for Linux systems. This demonstration will install applications on multiple RHEL servers.

What business problem is solved?

speed to market: reducing human time to install applications
reduce human error: automation of routine manual processes
reduce complexity: does not require a System Administrator familiar with the specific operating system to install the Application. Automate and test once and allow all users access to deploy Ansible Jobs.
enforce policy: Ansible creates guard rails on which applications can be deployed and how they are installed on IT infrastructure.

Features show cased

Push button deployment
Self Service IT - Surveys

For description of these and other features of the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform please refer to the features README

Video

Watch here

Guide

Login to Ansible Platform UX
Navigate to Templates
Click the rocket next to INFRASTRUCTURE / Deploy Application to launch the Job
The survey will prompt you to install an application.
Choose an application and press NEXT

Explain to audience what is happening here depending on audience persona

Persona A: Technical audience that has written Ansible Playbooks before: Surveys create variables that the Job can use within Ansible Playbooks. In this example a pre-defined list of applications that are tested and allowed on IT infrastructure. The variable is named application and the value is httpd in this screenshot.

Persona B: Decision maker audience, IT manager or above: reiterate business values above. This allows a non subject matter expert the ability to automate routine tasks. They can't install applications that are not vetted and put within the survey. In the event that your IT process does not allow the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform to be the front end, it has a rich and powerful API that can work with existing workflows such as ServiceNow.
Execute the job by pressing the green LAUNCH button
Explain what is happening:
- Job has started executed in the background. The user can navigate off this page and the job will continue to execute.
- On the left is the Job Details Pane labeled simply with DETAILS. This information is logged and tells you who, what, when and how.
  - who - who launched the job, in this example is the admin user
  - what - the project and Ansible Playbook used, and which credential to login to the infrastructure
  - when - time stamps for start, end and duration of the job run.
  - how - the job status (pass, fail), enviornment and execution node
- The larger window on the right is the Standard Out Pane. This provides the same console output the user would be used to on the command-line for troubleshooting purposes. Some important takeways to showcase are:
  - aggregate info is at the top including the amount of Plays, tasks, hosts and time duration.
  - this pane can be expanded to take up entire browser window
  - Ansible Playbook can be downloaded for troubleshooting purposes
  - click on task output to show them task-by-task JSON output that can be used for troubleshooting or just getting additional information
Circle back and summarize

You need to circle back what has been showcased to the business reasons listed above. You are welcome to verify on the RHEL web nodes that the application was actually installed but unless you have a very technical audience you are going to start losing folks. The real business solution here is automating away the boring and routine.

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