GL294 · 5 days · 10+ hrs hands-on labs

Enterprise Linux Automation with Ansible

GL294 teaches enterprise Linux automation with Ansible, covering objectives from the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE, EX294) exam. Students progress from Ansible architecture and inventory fundamentals through playbook development, variables, Jinja2 templating, task control, and roles, building production-ready automation skills on RHEL 9.

The course covers the modern Ansible toolchain, including ansible-navigator and execution environments built with ansible-builder and Podman. Students work with dozens of Ansible modules for file management, networking, packaging, storage, user accounts, SELinux, firewall rules, and systemd services. Advanced topics include Ansible Vault for secrets management, Jinja2 filters and lookups, delegation and error handling with blocks, and RHEL System Roles for standardized infrastructure configuration.

With 21 hands-on labs across eight chapters, GL294 emphasizes practical skills over theory. Students automate real tasks in a containerized lab environment, from writing their first playbook to completing comprehensive review challenges that combine inventory design, vault-encrypted variables, Jinja2 templates, task control, and system role deployment. Comprehensive capstone labs in the final chapter serve as exam readiness exercises.

Who Should Attend

Linux system administrators, DevOps engineers, and site reliability engineers responsible for managing and automating RHEL infrastructure. Ideal for professionals preparing for the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) exam who want hands-on experience with the modern Ansible toolchain including ansible-navigator and execution environments.

Skills You'll Gain

Configure Ansible inventories with host groups, variables, and dynamic inventory plugins
Deploy and configure the modern Ansible toolchain including ansible-navigator and execution environments
Write and execute Ansible playbooks using core modules for file management, packaging, storage, and services
Manage variables, facts, and secrets using Ansible Vault encryption
Build dynamic configuration files with Jinja2 templates, filters, and control structures
Implement task control with loops, conditionals, handlers, and error handling blocks
Create and manage Ansible roles for reusable automation
Install and apply RHEL System Roles for standardized infrastructure configuration
Build custom execution environment images with ansible-builder and Podman
Use Ansible Content Collections and Ansible Galaxy to extend automation capabilities

Chapters & Labs

18 labs · 10+ hours hands-on
  1. Ansible Overview
  2. Deploying Ansible 2 labs · 45 min
  3. Playbooks Basics 5 labs · 120 min
  4. Managing Variables and Secrets 2 labs · 45 min
  5. Jinja2 Templates 2 labs · 65 min
  6. Task Control 2 labs · 105 min
  7. Roles 2 labs · 50 min
  8. Comprehensive Review 3 labs · 160 min

Appendices

  • Software and Subscription Management

Prerequisites

Solid Linux system administration skills equivalent to GL120 or Red Hat System Administration (RH124/RH134). Familiarity with the Linux command line, file editing, package management, and basic networking. No prior Ansible experience required.