Ansible for IBM Z Glossary

These terms are used often when with Ansible, familiarizing yourself with them will help you understand the Ansible for IBM Z documentation and communicate effectively.

ansible-core: The installable package that contains the command-line tools and the code for basic features and functions that initiate the interaction with the managed node. The ansible-core package includes a few modules and plugins and allows you to add others by installing collections.
Control node: The machine from which you run Ansible commands, manage playbooks, and control the automation process. It can be any machine that meets the software requirements - laptops, shared desktops, servers or Ansible Automation Platform. Multiple control nodes are possible.
Managed node: Also known as a host, is any device or system that Ansible manages through automation tasks. It is the endpoint where Ansible modules are executed to perform various configurations and operations identified in inventory
Collection: A structured format that packages multiple sources of related Ansible content, such as roles, modules, plugins, and playbooks, into a single distributable unit. Collections provide a way to simplify the distribution and reuse of Ansible content. To learn more, see Using Ansible collections.
Module: The code in Ansible that performs a particular operation on a managed node. Modules are invoked by tasks within Ansible playbooks. They generally execute on the managed node unless delegated to execute on localhost.
Plugin: A piece of reusable code that extends the functionality of Ansible. Plugins enable additional features and customization, they execute on the control node. For more information,see Working with plugins.
Role: A way to package and organize related Ansible content (tasks, variables, files, templates, and handlers) into a reusable format. To use any role, the role must first be imported into the play.
Playbook: A YAML file that contains one or more plays, each of which defines a set of tasks to be executed on specified hosts. Playbook orchestrate the execution of these tasks. To learn more, see Ansible playbooks.
Play: The basic unit of Ansible execution. It is a key component of a playbook that maps managed nodes to tasks. It contains variables, roles, and an ordered list of tasks. It can be run repeatedly.
Task: The definition of an action to be executed on managed nodes. Tasks use modules with specific parameters to perform specific operations, such as installing packages or copying files.
Inventory: A configuration file or directory that specifies the hosts and group of hosts on which Ansible commands, modules, and playbooks will operate. It also defines variables and connection details for those hosts, such as IP address. For more information, see Building Ansible inventories.
Ansible Galaxy: An online distribution server for hosting Ansible community content. It is also the command-line utility that lets users install individual Ansible Collections.
Group Vars: The group_vars/ files are files that live in a directory alongside an inventory file, with an optional file name named after each group. This is a convenient place to put variables that are provided to a given group, especially complex data structures, so that these variables do not have to be embedded in the inventory file or playbook.
Host Vars: Just like Group Vars, a directory alongside the inventory file named host_vars/ can contain a file named after each hostname in the inventory file, in YAML format. This provides a convenient place to assign variables to the host without having to embed them in the inventory file. The Host Vars file can also be used to define complex data structures that can’t be represented in the inventory file.