Get Ansible to work on bare Ubuntu 16.04 without python 2.7

ansible-bootstrap-ubuntu-16.04.yml

# Add this snippet to the top of your playbook. 
# It will install python2 if missing (but checks first so no expensive repeated apt updates)
# gwillem@gmail.com

- hosts: all
  gather_facts: False
  
  tasks:
  - name: install python 2
    raw: test -e /usr/bin/python || (apt -y update && apt install -y python-minimal)

Thanks @dpetukhov

ansible -i /path/to/inventory all -m raw -a "apt -y update && apt install -y python"

I needed to install also pyton-setuptools to avoid the error

raw: test -e /usr/bin/python || (apt -y update && apt install -y python-minimal python-setuptools)

I don't know if that is possible but if CentOS or RHEL comes without python, I did this:

raw: test -e /usr/bin/python || (yum -y update && yum install -y python) || (apt -y update && apt install -y python-minimal)

gather_facts: False pre_tasks: - name: Install python for Ansible raw: test -e /usr/bin/python || (apt -y update && apt install -y python-minimal) changed_when: False - setup: # aka gather_facts

works for me, thanks.

Thanks, a great help

does anyone know how to install python if the target machine has no internet access? Let's say I have python package located on my control machine, is there any way to copy the python package to target machine?

FWIW, I've got an ansible role based upon this thread that works for EL/RedHat/Debian/Ubuntu/FreeBSD. I just published it to ansible- galaxy. Would love for some feedback.

@staekblw

does anyone know how to install python if the target machine has no internet access? Let's say I have python package located on my control machine, is there any way to copy the python package to target machine?

I hope you've found a solution by now, but if not my suggestion would be to use 'local_action' and perform an scp or sftp command.

Lil' update, on ubuntu 18.04 installing python-minimal will prompt interactively for some libssl installation, which then sits there forever. Using test -e /usr/bin/python || (apt -y update && UCF_FORCE_CONFOLD=1 DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold" -qq -y install python-minimal) fixes this behavior.
Inspired by https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ansible/+bug/1833013/comments/6

Why is the raw command necessary for this? I've been having trouble running this lately (likely due to @mahlingam's comment above), and I found that this seems to work for me:

- hosts: all
  become: true
  become_user: root
  become_method: sudo
  gather_facts: no
  pre_tasks:
    - name: Install python for Ansible
      apt:
        update_cache: yes
        name:
          - python-minimal
    - setup: # aka gather_facts
  tasks:
    ...

Just wondering if there's a reason not to do this

Just wondering if there's a reason not to do this

Yep, I think it's simply that a target server without python installed, is unable to run normal ansible task steps. Using 'raw' side-steps the need for python.

PS I think bootstrapping a Python 2 installation is now likely to be unnecessary, since Ansible 2.8+ will auto-detect a suitable Python interpreter to use anyway.

https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/reference_appendices/interpreter_discovery.html

If anyone is looking for a solution for Ubuntu 20.04 - change python-minimal to python2-minimal.