Troubleshooting Ansible for VMware — Ansible Documentation

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# Troubleshooting Ansible for VMware

Topics

- Troubleshooting Ansible for VMware
  - Debugging Ansible for VMware
  - Known issues with Ansible for VMware
    - Network settings with vmware_guest in Ubuntu 18.04
      - Potential Workarounds

This section lists things that can go wrong and possible ways to fix them.

## Debugging Ansible for VMware

When debugging or creating a new issue, you will need information about your VMware infrastructure. You can get this information using govc, For example:

    $ export GOVC_USERNAME=ESXI_OR_VCENTER_USERNAME
    $ export GOVC_PASSWORD=ESXI_OR_VCENTER_PASSWORD
    $ export GOVC_URL=https://ESXI_OR_VCENTER_HOSTNAME:443
    $ govc find /

## Known issues with Ansible for VMware

### Network settings with vmware_guest in Ubuntu 18.04

Setting the network with `vmware_guest` in Ubuntu 18.04 is known to be broken, due to missing support for `netplan` in the `open-vm-tools`. This issue is tracked via:

- https://github.com/vmware/open-vm-tools/issues/240
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/41133

#### Potential Workarounds

There are several workarounds for this issue.

1. Modify the Ubuntu 18.04 images and installing `ifupdown` in them via `sudo apt install ifupdown`. If so you need to remove `netplan` via `sudo apt remove netplan.io` and you need stop `systemd-networkd` via `sudo systemctl disable systemctl-networkd`.
2. Generate the `systemd-networkd` files with a task in your VMware Ansible role:

    - name: make sure cache directory exists
      file: path="{{ inventory_dir }}/cache" state=directory
      delegate_to: localhost

    - name: generate network templates
      template: src=network.j2 dest="{{ inventory_dir }}/cache/{{ inventory_hostname }}.network"
      delegate_to: localhost

    - name: copy generated files to vm
      vmware_guest_file_operation:
        hostname: "{{ vmware_general.hostname }}"
        username: "{{ vmware_username }}"
        password: "{{ vmware_password }}"
        datacenter: "{{ vmware_general.datacenter }}"
        validate_certs: "{{ vmware_general.validate_certs }}"
        vm_id: "{{ inventory_hostname }}"
        vm_username: root
        vm_password: "{{ template_password }}"
        copy:
            src: "{{ inventory_dir }}/cache/{{ inventory_hostname }}.network"
            dest: "/etc/systemd/network/ens160.network"
            overwrite: False
      delegate_to: localhost

    - name: restart systemd-networkd
      vmware_vm_shell:
        hostname: "{{ vmware_general.hostname }}"
        username: "{{ vmware_username }}"
        password: "{{ vmware_password }}"
        datacenter: "{{ vmware_general.datacenter }}"
        folder: /vm
        vm_id: "{{ inventory_hostname}}"
        vm_username: root
        vm_password: "{{ template_password }}"
        vm_shell: /bin/systemctl
        vm_shell_args: " restart systemd-networkd"
      delegate_to: localhost

    - name: restart systemd-resolved
      vmware_vm_shell:
        hostname: "{{ vmware_general.hostname }}"
        username: "{{ vmware_username }}"
        password: "{{ vmware_password }}"
        datacenter: "{{ vmware_general.datacenter }}"
        folder: /vm
        vm_id: "{{ inventory_hostname}}"
        vm_username: root
        vm_password: "{{ template_password }}"
        vm_shell: /bin/systemctl
        vm_shell_args: " restart systemd-resolved"
      delegate_to: localhost

3. Wait for `netplan` support in `open-vm-tools`