Ansible Playbooks to manange linux desktop clients

These playbooks are used to manage and setup linux clients (right now we are using fedora)

• cinnamon desktop
• create an guest user and hides other users (in this example sysinst) from login screen
  • right now we dont use xguest because it doesnt work with cinnamon
  • that guest user deletes everything when rebooted or logged out via logon and logoff script
• add ricoh printer with usercode support
  • adds an small script on the desktop that allows u to enter ur usercode and saves them in that user session
• installs several programs

Setup Clients with Ventoy

we installed fedora on one client and then copyed the anaconda file and edited it:

all choices made during the installation are saved into a file named anaconda-ks.cfg, located in the /root/ https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/7/html/installation_guide/sect-kickstart-howto

Adding this line and using it with ventoy allows us to name that computer at setup.

# Network information
network  --hostname=$$PCNAME$$

SSH Key for Ansible

# SSH Key
sshkey --username=username "key"

# Firewall Rules
firewall --enabled --ssh

for ventoy auto install plugin look at this:

https://www.ventoy.net/en/plugin_autoinstall.html

Install Ricoh Printer

as we needed an method to install ricoh printer with lpoptions (so we would be able to set up addtional options), we came up with that solution:

    - name: check which printer are installed 
      shell: 
        cmd: "lpstat -t"
      ignore_errors: true
      register: cups_printers
    - name: if printer "Printername"" is not installed
      shell: 
        cmd: "lpadmin -p Printername -E -v socket://ip:9100 -P /opt/share/ppd/PPD.ppd -o finisher=FinAMURBBK -o print-color-mode=monochrome -o printer-is-shared=false -o OptionTray=LCT -o Duplex=None -o UserCode=Custom.STRING -o PageSize=A4"
      when: "'Printername' not in cups_printers.stdout"

First we check which printers are installed - when the printer with "Printername" is missing, we add it (see the lines with "register: cups_printers" and "when: "'Printername' not in cups_printers.stdout"

Wake on LAN and Update

the wol-upgrade playbook is used to wake them up and update them - and when something changed to reboot them for that we add to the inventory for every client an line like that

all:
  hosts:
  children:
    clients:
      hosts:
        client fqdn:
          macaddress: "00:00:00:00:00:00"

ToDos

• use xguest because safer
• log out user when inactive for an certain time
• clean up the programm installation into an list that can easly edited
• clean up printer install into an role