Ansible Upgrade in Mission-Critical Systems: Ensuring Backward Compatibility and Role Integrity

Abstract

In mission-critical systems, where it is necessary to ensure uninterrupted operations during upgrades, Ansible is commonly used for automating configuration management through the use of configuration management automation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence that updating versions of Ansible has on backward compatibility and role integrity within environments like an environment. A descriptive and exploratory research design was utilized in order to assess the data collected from five different real-world information technology infrastructures as well as controlled upgrade testing. According to the findings of the study, small version upgrades typically maintained compatibility and role functionality, however bigger version leaps frequently resulted in role failures and necessitated rollbacks. Among the primary reasons for upgrade problems were the presence of obsolete modules and changes in role syntax. Qualitative insights from DevOps professionals emphasized the necessity of comprehensive testing, detailed documentation, automated rollback mechanisms, and version pinning to ensure upgrade success. For the purpose of properly managing Ansible upgrades and reducing disruptions to important automation activities, the findings provide valuable suggestions.