Linux Server Automation with Ansible

This case study outlines a strategic automation initiative aimed at streamlining the provisioning and configuration of Linux servers. By leveraging Ansible, the solution addressed critical inefficiencies in manual server setup processes, ensuring faster, error-free and scalable deployment across environments.

Problem

Statement

The client faced considerable challenges with the manual provisioning and configuration of Linux servers, which was time-intensive, prone to errors and unsustainable for an expanding infrastructure.

Key issues included:

  • The manual process significantly increased setup time.
  • Risk of configuration inconsistencies due to human error.
  • Lack of scalability as the server footprint grew.

These obstacles hindered the ability to maintain reliable and consistent environments across development, staging and production.

Solution

To address these issues, the team implemented an Ansible-based automation solution, which included:

01

Developing Ansible playbooks to handle key server setup tasks such as:

  • BB Support Portal Installation of essential packages
  • BB Support Portal Firewall configuration using iptables or UFW
  • BB Support Portal Deployment of monitoring agents like Dynatrace and Splunk
  • BB Support Portal User and permission management
  • BB Support Portal SSH key setup and management
02

Integrating Ansible with inventory files for dynamic server management, allowing efficient configuration of multiple servers simultaneously.

Business

Values

The automation initiative delivered significant benefits:

01

Reduced server setup time from several hours to just minutes.

02

Eliminated human errors, ensuring consistent and reliable server configurations.

03

Enabled effortless scaling of infrastructure with minimal manual intervention.

04

Maintained consistent environments across all stages of deployment, supporting operational stability and growth.