| name | ima_evm_setup |
| description | Maintains the ansible/roles/ima_evm_setup Ansible role that enables or disables IMA/EVM file-integrity appraisal via a signed policy file, as part of the Linux SOE. Use when checking or fixing IMA/EVM state. Only applies on RHEL 9.7+; no-ops (with a gathered-fact check) on older releases. |
ima_evm_setup
Maintains ansible/roles/ima_evm_setup/. See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the shared
conventions (role layout, audit vs. remediate via --check --diff, safety
rules, branch + PR contribution workflow).
ansible/roles/ima_evm_setup/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/ima_evm_setup/defaults/main.yml:
ima_evm_setup_enable: null (default) leaves current IMA/EVM state
untouched — same null-means-noop pattern as firewall_enable.- Only takes effect when
ansible_facts.distribution_version | float >= 9.7
(gathered if not already present); silently does nothing on 9.6 and earlier.
ima_evm_setup_policy_config_file (default:
/usr/share/ima/policies/01-appraise-executable-and-lib-signatures, part of
ima-evm-utils) must already exist on the target — this is not a local
file copied by the role.ima_evm_setup_verify_policy (default true) validates the new policy
before applying; because the mechanism appends to the current policy
rather than replacing it, the combined policy is only actually in effect
after a reboot.ima_evm_setup_reboot (default false) — disabling IMA fully requires a
reboot to complete per the role's own note.
This role is sourced from the myllynen/rhel-ansible-roles import
(see git log -- ansible/roles/ima_evm_setup) 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
This role is off by default in ansible/configure_rhel.yml — every
role there (active or not) is gated by a single configure_rhel_domains
list variable (when: "'<name>' in configure_rhel_domains"), and ima_evm_setup
isn't in the default value of that list. Nothing needs editing in the
playbook itself to turn it on: pass the full desired domain list via
-e, e.g.
-e '{"configure_rhel_domains": [...the default 20..., "ima_evm_setup"]}'
(see .claude/skills/configure_rhel/SKILL.md for the current default list
to extend, and why it has to be the full list, not just the addition —
-e replaces the variable's value, it doesn't merge into it). --tags ima_evm_setup
alone is not enough — the domains list and --tags/--skip-tags are
separate, ANDed gates, both verified independently: a role only runs if
it's in configure_rhel_domains and matches the requested tags. Some
roles (this one — check its defaults/main.yml and task file) also have
their own internal enable flag or required variable on top of that, which
still needs setting the same as before. Flag all of this to the user before
assuming the commands below will do anything.
Audit (read-only, safe to run any time):
ansible-playbook ansible/configure_rhel.yml --tags ima_evm_setup --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 ima_evm_setup
Propose a change to the role itself: never edit and commit directly. On a
branch named soe/ima_evm_setup/<short-desc>, edit ansible/roles/ima_evm_setup/, validate
locally (--syntax-check, ansible-lint roles/ima_evm_setup/, and
--check --diff against a real/test host if available), then push and open a
PR titled [ima_evm_setup] <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
- A bad or overly strict appraisal policy can block executables/libraries
from running after reboot — this is a boot-risk change in the same class as
boot_parameters; treat proposed policy-file changes with the same caution
and confirm before a real remediate run that reboots.
Wiring into the SOE
This role has a row in .claude/skills/soe/SKILL.md's domain table. It's
present (not commented out) in ansible/configure_rhel.yml's roles: list,
gated by configure_rhel_domains — off by default, on via -e — see the
caveat at the top of "What to do" above and
.claude/skills/configure_rhel/SKILL.md. It is not referenced by any of the
other playbooks (load_balancer_setup.yml, nfs_client_setup.yml,
nfs_server_setup.yml, update_rhel.yml, connect_linux.yml) either. This
repo no longer uses ansible/site.yml; see docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.
