Ansible Sudo Fails on FreeBSD: Incorrect Sudo Password (Password works via SSH)

Title: Resolving Issues with Ansible on FreeBSD Server Group

Introduction

Ansible is a powerful automation tool used for configuring and managing servers. However, when attempting to add a FreeBSD server group, some users may encounter issues. This article will provide a detailed context on the topic, covering key concepts and solutions to common problems.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the solutions, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

1. Ansible installed on the control node (the machine running Ansible)
2. SSH access to the FreeBSD servers
3. The FreeBSD servers' public SSH keys added to the control node's ~/.ssh/known_hosts file

Ansible Becomes Doesn't Work on FreeBSD

If you're experiencing issues with Ansible on your FreeBSD servers, there are a few potential causes:

1. Incorrect Python Version: Ansible requires Python 2.7, 3.5, 3.6, or 3.7. If your FreeBSD server is using a different version of Python, you'll need to install the required version.

# Install Python 3.7
pkg install py37

2. Missing Ansible Python Module: After installing Python, you need to install the Ansible Python module.

# Install Ansible Python module
pip3 install ansible

3. Incorrect Sudo Password (Password works via SSH): If you're receiving an "incorrect sudo password" error, it's likely because Ansible is using the SSH key for authentication but needs to use the sudo password for certain tasks. To resolve this issue, you can configure Ansible to use the sudo password.

Edit your ansible.cfg file:

# Edit ansible.cfg
nano /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg

Add the following lines:

[privilege_escalation]
become = yes
become_method = sudo

Save and close the file.

4. Incorrect Ansible Inventory: Ensure your Ansible inventory file (usually located at ~/.ansible.ini) includes the FreeBSD servers correctly.

[freebsd_servers]
freebsd1 ansible_host=192.168.1.100 ansible_user=your_username
freebsd2 ansible_host=192.168.1.101 ansible_user=your_username

[all:vars]
ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/local/bin/python3

Summary

• Ensure Ansible, Python, and the Ansible Python module are installed on your FreeBSD servers.
• Configure Ansible to use the sudo password for privilege escalation.
• Properly define your FreeBSD servers in the Ansible inventory file.

References

• Ansible Documentation
• FreeBSD Python Packages
• Ansible Python Module