This guide provides step-by-step instructions to set up a control node and two target nodes using Ansible, a powerful automation tool. Ansible simplifies the management and configuration of multiple nodes from a single control node.

• Control node and target nodes accessible over SSH
• Ansible installed on the control node
• Basic understanding of Ansible concepts (inventory, playbooks, etc.)

1. Update the package repository:

   sudo apt update
   

2. Install Ansible:

   sudo apt install ansible
   

3. Verify Ansible installation:

   ansible --version
   

1. Generate SSH keys on the control node (if not already done):

   ssh-keygen
   

2. Copy the SSH public key to the target nodes:

   ssh-copy-id user@target-node1
   ssh-copy-id user@target-node2

   Replace user with your username and target-node1, target-node2 with the respective IP addresses or hostnames of your target nodes.

3. Verify SSH connectivity to target nodes:

   ssh user@target-node1
   ssh user@target-node2
   

1. Create an Ansible inventory file (e.g., hosts.ini) on the control node:

   [targets]
   target-node1 ansible_host=ip_address1
   target-node2 ansible_host=ip_address2
   
   [targets:vars]
   ansible_user=user

   Replace ip_address1, ip_address2 with the IP addresses or hostnames of your target nodes, and user with your SSH username.

Create an Ansible playbook (e.g., setup.yml) to configure the target nodes:

---
 - hosts: targets
 tasks:
     - name: Ensure NTP (Network Time Protocol) is installed
     package:
         name: ntp
         state: present

Customize the playbook tasks according to your requirements.

1. Execute the Ansible playbook from the control node:

   ansible-playbook -i hosts.ini setup.yml
   

2. Verify configuration on target nodes:

   ssh user@target-node1
   systemctl status ntp
   

Repeat for target-node2.

You have successfully set up a control node and configured two target nodes using Ansible.