How to export about controller_configuration

[kedark3]

@tonyreveal I believe @sean-m-sullivan would have more inputs on this. There is some export related code in the repo.

[sean-m-sullivan]

So There are two ways, one is the awx.awx.tower_export module
https://github.com/ansible/awx/blob/devel/awx_collection/plugins/modules/tower_export.py
which is built on the awxkit tower export, which was merged into the awx repo and which is described here
https://github.com/redhat-cop/tower_configuration/blob/devel/playbooks/tower_configs_export_model/README.md
Disregard anything about the johnwescott branch use the awx devel/tagged branch now.

Because of the work of that module/awxkit we haven't done work here, however there is issue #41 that lists the roles that aren't up to speed to use BOTH models the export AND the one we've described here.

The goal of this repo is to import/deploy tower as Code, not to export it. The idea being you export it once, Set it in a github repo, and then use these roles to deploy. Keeping it as tower as code. If your doing wholesale migration the backup/restore in tower/awx and/or the import/export awxkit/modules are the way to go, but not the recommended long term way to do it.

[tonyreveal]

Then maybe consider changing the description of the repository which says "a collection of roles to manage Tower"? Technically you're not managing Tower if all the collection does is apply a configuration from Json definitions.

If you want to leave it as "manage Tower", it can also be noted there are still some things missing. For example there's nothing related to applying a license, configuration of LDAP, log forwarding (aggregation), and so on. I would consider this work incomplete if I couldn't define the Entire Tower configuration as-code.

I see no open issues for any additional items (mentioned above). Are these things defined in a backlog somewhere?

[sean-m-sullivan]

I think part of the miscommunication is that we have two other repos involving this.

1. https://github.com/redhat-cop/tower_configuration_examples
   This is where we are putting examples of using this and the other repo for examples for people to use, I've tried doing a ldap with tests here but I've had some IRL stuff get in the way.
2. https://github.com/redhat-cop/tower_utilities
   Utilities for not tower as code, for example tower install.

Tower licence is a tricky area that can be done with api at the moment, but there is no module for the config endpoint in the awx.awx , more info here https://docs.ansible.com/ansible-tower/latest/html/userguide/import_license.html A role could be created to do this, but we hadn't put effort into it.

As far as the export, I'd say that would be in examples using the modules and then importing but Issue #41 that I renamed still is the blocker/blacklog of getting the tower export model working in those roles.

For Ldap, its expected to use the tower_settings role. I tried to get a testable version working in tower_configuration_examples but ran into getting the docker up and running to run tests against. For some base examples I'd check out https://github.com/redhat-cop/tower_configuration/blob/devel/playbooks/tower_configs/tower_settings.yml

You're right that its incomplete, I'd say its 85% of the way there, and is based on tower as code, but it isn't the be all end all of managing tower.

[kedark3]

@sean-m-sullivan seems like they have added tower_license module: https://github.com/ansible/awx/blob/devel/awx_collection/plugins/modules/tower_license.py Potentially we can add it here in our collection

[kedark3]

@tonyreveal well we can manage all the tower_settings so in a way we are managing a lot of what tower does. The things you noted such as LDAP, log forwarding (aggregation), etc, could be done with tower_settings module. Is that what you wanted to do?

[Tompage1994]

@sean-m-sullivan seems like they have added tower_license module: https://github.com/ansible/awx/blob/devel/awx_collection/plugins/modules/tower_license.py Potentially we can add it here in our collection

We already have implemented that: https://github.com/redhat-cop/tower_configuration/tree/devel/roles/license

[kedark3]

@Tompage1994 awesome, I missed that PR I believe. So we are doing most of what we can I guess.

[sean-m-sullivan]

I totally forgot about licence, but your right on that end, ldap comes down to values and is always tricky even with the gui. Logging is the settings role. The one bit remaining is the export compatibility.