lineinfile task fails on missing file, doesn't add line when it should

[Bret Wortman]

I'm pretty sure I'm doing something wrong here and am hoping some of you with more seasoning can help me figure it out.

I have a task:

 - name: Ensure /etc/hosts.deny has default ALL entry

   lineinfile: >

      dest="/etc/hosts.deny"

      line="ALL {{':'}} ALL"

      insertbefore=EOF

      create=yes

      state=present

   tags:

      - deny

When I run this on a system which doesn't have an /etc/hosts.deny, I get this:

TASK: [compliance | Ensure /etc/hosts.deny has default ALL entry] **************

failed: [us202] => {"failed": true, "parsed": false}

Traceback most recent call last):

  File "<stdin>", line 2200, in <module>

  File "<stdin>", line 395, in main

  File "<stdin>", line 288, in present

  File "<stdin>", line 178, in check_file_attrs

  File "<stdin>", line 1199, in set_fs_attributes_if_different

  File "<stdin>", line 1037, in set_mode_if_different

OSError: [Errorno 2] No such file or directory: '/etc/hosts.deny'

I would have expected ansible to create the file instead of erroring out.

If the file does exist but is empty or contains comments (and not the "ALL : ALL" line), ansible just reports an "ok" without adding the line.

What am I doing wrong?

[Phonthip Namkaew]

Are you sure that EOF in  <insertbefore=EOF> is valid ?

[Phonthip Namkaew]

Try this:

(..)

  tasks:

    - name: add a line to /etc/hosts.deny

      lineinfile:

        "dest='/etc/hosts.deny'

        line='ALL : ALL' 

        insertafter=EOF

        create=yes

        state=present"

 (..)

[Michael Bushey]

> I would have expected ansible to create the file instead of erroring out.

Do this first to make sure it exists:

- name: Create /etc/hosts.deny

  shell: touch /etc/hosts.deny creates=/etc/hosts.deny

[Bret Wortman]

If the file already exists, this task also reports "ok", though it doesn't add the line, even to an empty file.

[Bret Wortman]

That yields a parsing error:

TASK: [compliance | Ensure /etc/hosts.deny has default ALL entry] ************************

failed: [us202] => {"failed": true}

msg: line= is required with state=present

I switched it back to a single-line version but quoted as you showed, but the result is the same. A nonexistent file isn't created, and an existing file isn't modified.

[Bret Wortman]

When I do this and the file already exists, then it fails to add the line.

On Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 5:14:27 PM UTC-4, Michael Bushey wrote:

[Phonthip Namkaew]

Again:

I strongly believe that EOF is not valid option here:  <insertbefore=EOF>

Did you try his :

insertafter=EOF

[Bret Wortman]

Ugh. I just re-checked the online docs and you're absolutely right. And that change fixed the task.

Thank you for pointing this out to me again, after I missed it on my first read. Problem solved!