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Manufacturing Veteran Improves IT Operations with Red Hat Ansible

  Ross Beard  ·  1 minute read

A legacy manufacturer located in the South East, with annual revenue of $1 billion, approached Shadow-Soft for assistance in optimizing their IT operations.

Challenge

The client faced increasing difficulties in managing system patching due to their expanding IT footprint. What was once a manageable manual process had become unmanageable as their infrastructure grew.

Key challenges included:

  • Inefficient and time-consuming manual patching of systems
  • Decentralized use of Ansible Core across the organization
  • Need to leverage existing infrastructure and tooling (Red Hat Satellite) more effectively
  • Requirement to integrate with Nutanix environment, particularly for system reboots
  • Desire to improve speed and efficiency of patching processes

Approach & Implementation

Shadow-Soft developed a comprehensive solution, implemented over four phases in a 4-week period. The team consisted of an architect, a consultant with 3+ years of Ansible experience, and a project manager.

Phase 1: Assessment

  • Reviewed current Red Hat Satellite configuration, identifying areas for improvement
  • Analyzed existing RHEL system patching process
  • Designed automation strategies using Ansible for efficient system patching

Phase 2: Ansible Automation Platform Deployment

  • Designed and implemented core Ansible architecture
  • Configured and deployed Ansible Automation Platform
  • Enabled role-based access control and integrated Red Hat IDM authentication

Phase 3: Baseline Ansible Automation Content Creation

  • Developed a series of Ansible playbooks and roles for configuring and patching RHEL systems
  • Created an Ansible Automation Platform Workflow for user creation and deletion playbooks
  • Designed and integrated a custom script to interact with Nutanix API for system reboots

Phase 4: Documentation and Knowledge Transfer

  • Create and review engagement documentation with client
  • Provide documentation and code to client

Throughout the implementation, Shadow-Soft's team faced unique challenges, particularly in developing a script to interact with the Nutanix API for bringing machines back online after patching. The team leveraged their expertise in Red Hat technologies and understanding of Nutanix to overcome these obstacles.

Outcomes

The deployment of Ansible Automation Platform resulted in significant improvements for the client:

  • Reduced manual effort in patching and configuring RHEL systems, allowing the IT team to do more with less
  • Decreased human error in patching and configuration processes
  • Increased standardization and compliance in machine deployment and patching
  • Centralized Ansible service leading to wider adoption across the organization