Running Ansible windows-update from Packer permissions error

[Stephen Bennett]

Hi, 

I have ansible doing application installs and everything else (Ie must be running in admin) i want from a packer build, but when it comes to running a ansible windows-update it errors out with: 

TASK [Install all security, critical, and rollup updates] **********************

amazon-ebs: An exception occurred during task execution. To see the full traceback, use -vvv. The error was: KeyError: 'runas'

amazon-ebs: fatal: [default]: FAILED! => {"msg": "Unexpected failure during module execution.", "stdout": ""}

amazon-ebs:     to retry, use: --limit @/home/vsts/work/1/s/packer/hardening-win/ansible/hardening.retry

Ansible file: 

---

- hosts: all

tasks:

- name: Install all security, critical, and rollup updates

win_updates:

category_names:

- SecurityUpdates

- CriticalUpdates

- UpdateRollups

- hosts: all

tasks:

- name: Reboot, if needed

win_reboot:

when: update_result.reboot_required

Packer provisioner: 

{

"type": "ansible",

"playbook_file": "{{ template_dir }}/ansible/hardening.yml",

"extra_arguments": [

"--connection", "packer",

"--extra-vars", "ansible_shell_type=powershell ansible_shell_executable=None"

]

}

Any ideas on a fix or a better way to do windows patching? 

Thanks 

S

[trey perrone]

I've seen the same an Windows updates using ansible (regardless of packer).

Do a register on the ansible task, then use retry, delay, and until. The until should look for something in the register like a return value found_update_count = 0. just typing on my phone so you probably want to ignore errors and debug the register to find a value that suits you.

[trey perrone]

Also, i apparently didn't read it all...derp.

I do not have an issue running my similar playbooks with packer and the normal admin account w autogenerated password. Are you elevating or changing user contexts somewhere else in ansible.cfg, etc? i dont see become or become_method in your playbooks attached. If you are using an account with admin priv on the windows box, then there shouldn't be a need to elevate/runas.

[Stephen Bennett]

Hi Trey, 

Thanks for the reply and apologies for the late reply.

Attached full playbook and packer file to see if that helps. rather new to both, so stumbling along. Will read up on register etc and try them! thanks .

S