Microsoft Windows Automation with Red Hat Ansible

Course Overview

Microsoft Windows Automation with Red Hat Ansible (DO417) is designed for Windows Server professionals without previous Ansible® experience. You will use Ansible to write automation playbooks for Microsoft Windows systems to perform common system administration tasks reproducibly at scale. You will also learn to use Red Hat® Ansible Tower to securely manage and run your Ansible playbooks from a central web-based user interface.

This course is based on Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.8, Red Hat Ansible Tower 3.5, and Windows Server 2016 and 2019.

Target Audience

Course Objectives

• Configure Microsoft Windows systems to be managed with Ansible.
• Create and manage inventories of managed hosts and provide credentials to manage them to Red Hat Ansible Tower.
• Write Ansible playbooks to consistently automate multiple tasks and apply them to managed hosts.
• Run individual ad hoc automation tasks and complex playbooks from Red Hat Ansible Tower.
• Create survey forms in Red Hat Ansible Tower to simplify playbook operation.
• Parameterize playbooks using variables and facts.
• Write and reuse existing Ansible roles to simplify playbook creation and reuse code.
• Leverage existing PowerShell DSC code to extend the power of Ansible automation.
• Automate common Windows Server system administration tasks using Ansible.

Course Content

• Introduction to Red Hat Ansible Automation
• Run simple automation commands
• Implement Ansible playbooks
• Manage variables and facts
• Install and update software
• Implement task control
• Deploy files to managed hosts
• Interact with users and domains
• Automate Windows automation tasks
• Manage large projects
• Construct Ansible Tower workflows

Course Prerequisites

You are expected to have experience as Windows Server administrators, but no previous experience with Red Hat Ansible Automation or Linux® is required.

Follow on Courses

• RH294 - Red Hat Enterprise Linux Automation with Ansible
• DO457 - Network Automation with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Further Information

• This class will require internet access.
• You will be expected to "bring your own device" (BYOD).
• Your device must be installed with a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
  • If you are running Microsoft Windows, you should have Microsoft Remote Desktop installed.
  • If you are running macOS, you will need to install Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac (by Microsoft) from the App Store.

  • If you are running Linux, you may install Remmina from their distribution (if available) or following instructions at https://remmina.org (if not).  If they prefer, they may instead install the FreeRDP clients from their Linux distribution (in the freerdp package in Red Hat Enterprise Linux).