| name | packages_install |
| description | Maintains the ansible/roles/packages_install Ansible role that installs a baseline package set via dnf, as part of the Linux SOE. Use when checking or fixing the baseline troubleshooting/utility package set — note this is distinct from the troubleshooting_tools role, which manages a different, smaller package list plus optional PCP. |
packages_install
Maintains ansible/roles/packages_install/. See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the shared
conventions (role layout, audit vs. remediate via --check --diff, safety
rules, branch + PR contribution workflow).
ansible/roles/packages_install/README.md documents this role's full
configuration surface (every defaults/main.yml variable, with its
original inline comments, rendered as a single reference). Read it
before proposing or explaining how to configure this role — it
reflects the role's actual current defaults even if a variable summary
elsewhere in this file has drifted out of sync with the role.
What the role actually does
Encoded in ansible/roles/packages_install/defaults/main.yml:
packages_install ships a pre-populated default list (acl, bash-completion,
bind-utils, curl, dnf-plugins-core, man-pages, nano, openssh-clients, psmisc,
python3, python3-libselinux, policycoreutils-python-utils, tar, xz, zstd) —
several common extras (git-core, mlocate, rsync, sos, vim-enhanced, wget,
etc.) are present but commented out, not installed by default.packages_install_exclude (default empty) is passed as dnf's exclude.packages_install_weak_deps (default true) maps to dnf's
install_weak_deps.packages_install_display_results (default false) — when true, prints
the list of packages actually installed.
This role is sourced from the myllynen/rhel-ansible-roles import
(see git log -- ansible/roles/packages_install) rather than hand-authored for this
repo. Unlike the original reference domains (e.g. timesync, usbguard_setup),
it applies state declaratively via standard Ansible modules and does not
add its own assert-based drift checks on top — an audit here is exactly
what --check --diff reports from the underlying modules, nothing more.
What to do
Audit (read-only, safe to run any time):
ansible-playbook ansible/configure_rhel.yml --tags packages_install --check --diff
Summarize the diff output and any failed tasks in plain language.
Remediate (modifies the system — only after the user explicitly asks):
first summarize what will change from the --check --diff output, then run
the same command without --check:
ansible-playbook ansible/configure_rhel.yml --tags packages_install
Propose a change to the role itself: never edit and commit directly. On a
branch named soe/packages_install/<short-desc>, edit ansible/roles/packages_install/, validate
locally (--syntax-check, ansible-lint roles/packages_install/, and
--check --diff against a real/test host if available), then push and open a
PR titled [packages_install] <what changed> with the --check --diff output in the
body. Then stop — a human reviews and merges; see docs/ARCHITECTURE.md's
"Contribution workflow".
Wiring into the SOE
This role is in configure_rhel_domains's default value in
ansible/configure_rhel.yml (see .claude/skills/configure_rhel/SKILL.md)
for the general host baseline, and has a row in
.claude/skills/soe/SKILL.md's domain table, so it runs as part of both
ansible-playbook ansible/configure_rhel.yml --tags packages_install ... and a full,
untagged ansible-playbook ansible/configure_rhel.yml run. This repo no longer
uses ansible/site.yml as the baseline entrypoint — see docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.
The same role is also invoked by ansible/load_balancer_setup.yml and ansible/nfs_client_setup.yml and ansible/nfs_server_setup.yml, each with its own
purpose-specific variables set directly in that playbook (not this role's
defaults/main.yml) — e.g. a different package list or file/service set for a
load balancer or NFS host than the general baseline uses. When asked to
audit/remediate packages_install on a host, check which of these playbooks actually
applies to that host's role before picking one; running the wrong playbook's
vars against it reports drift against the wrong intent.
