path to group_vars

[jepper]

This might be a really dumb question. I am working on a project where the directory structure looks like the tree below. I am looking for confirmation from the forum that this will not read anything group_vars, as group_vars from what I can deduct, should live within the inventory directory, being relative to the inventory (and this cannot be changed in ansible.cfg?). Is my understanding correct?

├── apserver.yml

├── dbservers.yml

├── group_vars

│   ├── all (F)

│   ├── apservers (F)

│   └── dbservers (F)

├── inventory

│   ├── dev (F)

│   └── prod  (F)

├── roles

│   ├── activemq

│   │   ├── tasks

│   │   │   ├── main.yml

For avoidance of doubt, (F) means the entry is a file.

[jepper]

On another project, I have my inventory file in a directory called env/sandbox 

├── env

│   └── sandbox

│       ├── group_vars

│       │   └── all

│       └── inventory

I then created this at the root of the ansible directory, with different variables.

├── group_vars

│   └── all

Running ansible-playbook -i env/sandbox/inventory site.yml, values from group_vars/all is used, instead of env/sandbox/group_vars/all.

I am confused. While it is suggested one may elect to have group_vars in the root directory, my understanding was that group_vars was relative to inventory. Apparently not. 

[Brian Coca]

group/host_vars MUST be relative either to the inventory or to the
play being run.


--
Brian Coca