Backup info saved in TXT file is not in readable format, please help

[Vikram S]

Below is my playbook to backup info from router and save it to a file. But when i open the TXT file in ansible controller, backup info is very difficult to read. Please look at the screenshot in below link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QfDUG8j6NKTRhB78RYOSGZrNLRP8TW54/view?usp=sharing

Iam running ansible network automation device in GNS3. Is it because iam opening this file in ansible/linux device that the data is so dis-organized? If i were to open this TXT file in windows PC, will the data be in a readable format or should i change my script to make data more readable?

• name: show version and other user level commands

  hosts: R1

  gather_facts: false

  connection: local

  tasks:

  • name: run multiple commands on remote nodes

    ios_command:

    commands:

    • show ip arp
    • show version
    • show int status
    • show int description

    register: print_output

  • name: save output to a file copy: content="{{ print_output.stdout_lines }}" dest="./output/{{ inventory_hostname }}.txt"

[Stefan Hornburg (Racke)]

On 2/18/21 8:25 AM, Vikram S wrote:
> Below is my playbook to backup info from router and save it to a file. But when i open the TXT file in ansible
> controller, backup info is very difficult to read. Please look at the screenshot in below
> link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QfDUG8j6NKTRhB78RYOSGZrNLRP8TW54/view?usp=sharing
> <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QfDUG8j6NKTRhB78RYOSGZrNLRP8TW54/view?usp=sharing>
>
> Iam running ansible network automation device in GNS3. Is it because iam opening this file in ansible/linux device that
> the data is so dis-organized? If i were to open this TXT file in windows PC, will the data be in a readable format or
> should i change my script to make data more readable?
>

> *

>
> name: show version and other user level commands
>
> hosts: R1
>
> gather_facts: false
>
> connection: local
>
> tasks:
>

> o

>
> name: run multiple commands on remote nodes
>
> ios_command:
>
> commands:
>

> + show ip arp
> + show version
> + show int status
> + show int description
>
> register: print_output
>
> o

>
> name: save output to a file copy: content="{{ print_output.stdout_lines }}" dest="./output/{{ inventory_hostname
> }}.txt"
>

You can either use print_output.stdout (string) or turn print_output.stdout_line (list) into a string:

print_output.stdout_lines | join('\n')

Regards
Racke

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--
Ecommerce and Linux consulting + Perl and web application programming.
Debian and Sympa administration. Provisioning with Ansible.

[Vikram S]

Hi,

I found the solution after a little research

\n is the ASCII symbol for new line. Ansible was catching the raw output the router was sending over the wire to the terminal emulator software, and for some reason it was getting “\\n” rather than “\n”. So below config saves output in proper format.

copy: content="{{ print_output.stdout | replace('\\n', '\n') }}" dest="./output/router1.txt" 

Thanks for trying to help me.