http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/index.html In this lab we’ll get connected to the lab environment and walk through the premise for the workshop. This is typically the hardest part of the workshop, if we can make it through this then it’s all smooth sailing! How it works The lab is in a private enclave which is not directly accessible over the internet. Workshop attendees can connect to specific services using a secure proxy with access controlled by Azure Active Directory. Hugo en-us Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:40:21 -0400 http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/gitlab/index.html Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:40:21 -0400 http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/gitlab/index.html After signing into Active Directory, you will see the screen below to complete the Gitlab sign in. Select the Sign in with Flywheel Data Labs button. If you don’t see the screen above, select this link to navigate back to gitlab: https://gitlab.fdlabs.dev After signing in you will be presented with several workshop repos. Select the hyperlink for workshops/ansible_f5 to enter the repo. You can select the X button to remove the ssh key and terraform warning messages. http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/fork/index.html Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:40:21 -0400 http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/fork/index.html Fork the project into your user space. In the upper right corner, select Fork. In the Project URL section, select your username with the Select a namespace dropdown list and then select Fork Project. http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/code_review/index.html Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:40:21 -0400 http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/code_review/index.html After the fork completes, let’s look at the code/config that was used to create the runner VM that will run podman to host containerized runners for all workshop users. All workshop users will use this shared runner that was created previously. Select the runner folder to view the contents. The create_vm_runner.yml is the playbook that creates a VM on Nutanix to host the runner. The cloud-init-runner.yml script is the cloud-init that is run after the VM is created to configure the runner. The vault file contains sensitive variables used by the playbook. The playbook decrypts the file at runtime to bring in the variables. http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/vars/index.html Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:40:21 -0400 http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/vars/index.html Next, we will create a Gitlab personal access token for accessing the registry and repository. Select the icon in the upper left corner to access User Settings, then select Preferences. This icon is unique per user and is located to the right of the + sign near the tanuki icon. Select Access Tokens, then Add new token. Give it a name, select the expiration date of a week from now and select the following under Select scopes: http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/vault/index.html Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:40:21 -0400 http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/vault/index.html Ansible has a feature called vault that lets you encrypt/decrypt files to secure the contents. This is useful for storing sensitive information, such as credentials, in a file. While still in the CI/CD variables section, create a second variable with a key of ANSIBLE_VAULT_PASSWORD and we will provide you with the value of the variable for the Value field. Select the Masked button, unselect the Protect variable box and select Add variable. http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/runner/index.html Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:40:21 -0400 http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/runner/index.html Finally, we will look at the Gitlab runners available to the project. Select Settings then CI/CD. Select the > character in the Runners section to expand the section. There are several runners available under the Instance runners section. Note the runner with the tag of ansible_f5. This is the runner that we will use during this workshop. This tag must be used in each job section in the pipeline definition that we will review shortly. http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/f5_login/index.html Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:40:21 -0400 http://localhost:8080/ansible_f5/1.setup/f5_login/index.html Connect to the F5 virtual appliance Browse to our F5 virtual appliance here: https://f5.workshops.fdlabs.dev/ Note that the appliance is listening on port 8443, but is being proxied by Zscaler. Enter lab_user as your username and we will provide you with a password.