| name | etc_hosts |
| description | Maintains the ansible/roles/etc_hosts Ansible role that fully manages /etc/hosts content (header, self-entry, static entries) and rebuilds initramfs on change, as part of the Linux SOE. Use when checking or fixing /etc/hosts entries. |
etc_hosts
Maintains ansible/roles/etc_hosts/. See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the shared
conventions (role layout, audit vs. remediate via --check --diff, safety
rules, branch + PR contribution workflow).
ansible/roles/etc_hosts/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/etc_hosts/defaults/main.yml:
- Rewrites the entire file:
etc_hosts_header (default: standard
Fedora/upstream loopback block) + an optional self-entry
(etc_hosts_self_add, default true, built from Ansible network facts) +
etc_hosts_entries (default empty). Anything not produced by these three
inputs is dropped — this is an exclusive rewrite, not an append.
etc_hosts_self_domain overrides ansible_facts.domain for the self-entry;
the role fails if etc_hosts_self_add is true and no domain is available
from either source.etc_hosts_omit_entries (none/ipv4/ipv6) filters entries by address
family across header, self-entry, and static entries alike.- Runs
dracut -f --regenerate-all whenever the file changes (some initramfs
configurations embed /etc/hosts).
This role is sourced from the myllynen/rhel-ansible-roles import
(see git log -- ansible/roles/etc_hosts) 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 etc_hosts --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 etc_hosts
Propose a change to the role itself: never edit and commit directly. On a
branch named soe/etc_hosts/<short-desc>, edit ansible/roles/etc_hosts/, validate
locally (--syntax-check, ansible-lint roles/etc_hosts/, and
--check --diff against a real/test host if available), then push and open a
PR titled [etc_hosts] <what changed> with the --check --diff output in the
body. Then stop — a human reviews and merges; see docs/ARCHITECTURE.md's
"Contribution workflow".
Notes
- Because this is a full rewrite, any entry added outside this role's
variables (manually, or by another tool) will be silently removed on the
next run — check
etc_hosts_entries covers everything the host actually
needs before remediating.
- The
dracut -f --regenerate-all on every content change is not
free — factor that into how often this role runs on a given host.
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)
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 etc_hosts ... 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.
