Manage MultiFlexi using Ansible

The vitexus.multiflexi Ansible Collection provides comprehensive automation capabilities for managing MultiFlexi servers and their components. This collection enables Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices for MultiFlexi deployments, allowing you to manage users, companies, applications, jobs, and configurations programmatically.

Installation

Install the collection from Ansible Galaxy:

ansible-galaxy collection install vitexus.multiflexi

Or add it to your requirements.yml:

collections:
  - name: vitexus.multiflexi
    version: ">=1.0.0"

Then install with:

ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml

Prerequisites

Before using the Ansible collection, ensure:

1. MultiFlexi Server: A running MultiFlexi installation (see Installation Guide)

2. multiflexi-cli: The command-line interface must be available in PATH (see MultiFlexi CLI)

3. Python: Python 3.6 or higher must be installed on the Ansible control machine

4. Permissions: Appropriate access rights for the Ansible user

multiflexi-cli Installation

The multiflexi-cli tool is the backbone of all Ansible module operations in this collection. It must be installed on target hosts (typically the MultiFlexi server) and available in PATH.

You can install it from either:

• Stable (production) repository: https://repo.multiflexi.eu/ – recommended for production deployments.

• Testing (nightly) repository: https://repo.vitexsoftware.com/ – provides the latest features and fixes; may be unstable.

Manual Repository Setup (Debian / Ubuntu)

Add the stable repository:

echo 'deb [trusted=yes] https://repo.multiflexi.eu/ stable main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/multiflexi.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install multiflexi-cli

Add (or switch to) the testing/nightly repository:

echo 'deb [trusted=yes] https://repo.vitexsoftware.com/ testing main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/multiflexi-testing.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install multiflexi-cli

(If both are present, pin versions using APT preferences as needed.)

Automated Repository Setup via Ansible Role

You can automate adding the testing repository using the Galaxy role Vitexus.vitex_software_repo_role:

ansible-galaxy role install Vitexus.vitex_software_repo_role

Example playbook to enable testing repo and install the CLI:

- name: Prepare MultiFlexi host with testing repo
  hosts: multiflexi_servers
  become: true
  roles:
   - role: Vitexus.vitex_software_repo_role
    vars:
      vitex_repo_channel: testing   # or 'stable'
  tasks:
   - name: Install multiflexi-cli
    apt:
      name: multiflexi-cli
      state: present
      update_cache: true

Validation:

multiflexi-cli --version

Ensure the reported version meets the requirements of this collection (typically MultiFlexi >= 2.0.0).

Architecture Overview

The collection follows standard Ansible practices with:

• Roles: Server installation and configuration management

• Modules: Entity management (users, companies, applications, etc.)

• CLI Integration: All operations use MultiFlexi CLI for consistency

• Idempotency: Safe, repeatable automation without side effects

Available Components

Roles

multiflexi_server

Complete MultiFlexi server installation and configuration for Debian/Ubuntu systems.

run

Execution and runtime management role.

demo

Creates sample data and configurations for testing and demonstration purposes.

Modules

Core Entity Management:

• user - Manage MultiFlexi users

• company - Manage companies and organizations

• company_info - Retrieve company information

• application - Manage applications and tools

• job - Schedule and manage execution jobs

• runtemplate - Configure execution templates

• topic - Manage categorization topics

Authentication & Security:

• credential - Manage authentication credentials

• credential_type - Define credential types

System Information:

• multiflexi_info - Gather system status and facts

Quick Start Guide

1. Install MultiFlexi Server

- hosts: multiflexi_servers
  become: true
  roles:
    - vitexus.multiflexi.multiflexi_server
  vars:
    multiflexi_server_db_type: mysql
    multiflexi_server_webserver_type: apache

2. Create a Company

- name: Create demo company
  vitexus.multiflexi.company:
    name: "Demo Company Ltd."
    slug: "DEMO"
    ic: "12345678"
    email: "demo@example.com"
    state: present

3. Create a User

- name: Create MultiFlexi user
  vitexus.multiflexi.user:
    state: present
    login: "admin"
    email: "admin@example.com"
    firstname: "System"
    lastname: "Administrator"
    password: "secure_password"
    enabled: true

4. Register an Application

- name: Register application
  vitexus.multiflexi.application:
    state: present
    name: "System Monitor"
    executable: "/usr/bin/htop"
    description: "System monitoring tool"
    uuid: "78fa718c-7ca2-4a38-840e-8e5f0db06432"

5. Create Execution Template

- name: Create run template
  vitexus.multiflexi.runtemplate:
    state: present
    name: "Daily System Check"
    app_uuid: "78fa718c-7ca2-4a38-840e-8e5f0db06432"
    company: "DEMO"
    active: true
    interv: "@daily"

Example Playbooks

Complete MultiFlexi Setup

---
- name: Deploy MultiFlexi Infrastructure
  hosts: multiflexi_servers
  become: true
  vars:
    companies:
      - name: "Acme Corporation"
        slug: "ACME"
        ic: "87654321"
      - name: "Beta Industries"
        slug: "BETA"
        ic: "11223344"

    users:
      - login: "john.doe"
        email: "john@acme.corp"
        firstname: "John"
        lastname: "Doe"
      - login: "jane.smith"
        email: "jane@beta.industries"
        firstname: "Jane"
        lastname: "Smith"

  tasks:
    - name: Install MultiFlexi server
      include_role:
        name: vitexus.multiflexi.multiflexi_server

    - name: Create companies
      vitexus.multiflexi.company:
        name: "{{ item.name }}"
        slug: "{{ item.slug }}"
        ic: "{{ item.ic }}"
        state: present
      loop: "{{ companies }}"

    - name: Create users
      vitexus.multiflexi.user:
        login: "{{ item.login }}"
        email: "{{ item.email }}"
        firstname: "{{ item.firstname }}"
        lastname: "{{ item.lastname }}"
        password: "{{ default_password | default('change_me') }}"
        enabled: true
        state: present
      loop: "{{ users }}"

Application Deployment

- name: Deploy business applications
  hosts: multiflexi_servers
  tasks:
    - name: Register AbraFlexi connector
      vitexus.multiflexi.application:
        name: "AbraFlexi Sync"
        executable: "/opt/abraflexi/sync"
        description: "Synchronizes data with AbraFlexi"
        uuid: "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"
        state: present

    - name: Create sync template
      vitexus.multiflexi.runtemplate:
        name: "Hourly AbraFlexi Sync"
        app_uuid: "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"
        company: "ACME"
        active: true
        interv: "0 * * * *"  # Every hour
        state: present

    - name: Schedule immediate sync job
      vitexus.multiflexi.job:
        runtemplate_id: "{{ sync_template.runtemplate.id }}"
        scheduled: "now"
        executor: "native"
        state: present

Best Practices

Security - Use Ansible Vault for sensitive data like passwords - Implement proper user access controls - Regular credential rotation

Configuration Management - Use group_vars and host_vars for environment-specific settings - Template configuration files for different environments - Version control your playbooks and inventories

Monitoring and Maintenance - Regularly check system status with multiflexi_info module - Implement automated backup procedures - Monitor job execution and failure rates

Example Vault Usage:

# group_vars/multiflexi_servers/vault.yml (encrypted)
vault_multiflexi_admin_password: "super_secure_password"
vault_database_password: "db_secure_password"

# group_vars/multiflexi_servers/main.yml
multiflexi_admin_password: "{{ vault_multiflexi_admin_password }}"
database_password: "{{ vault_database_password }}"

Advanced Usage

Custom Credential Types

- name: Create custom credential type
  vitexus.multiflexi.credential_type:
    name: "Banking API"
    description: "Credentials for banking system integration"
    fields:
      - name: "api_key"
        type: "string"
        required: true
      - name: "endpoint_url"
        type: "url"
        required: true
    state: present

Dynamic Inventory Integration

Use the collection modules within dynamic inventory scripts to automatically discover MultiFlexi infrastructure.

CI/CD Pipeline Integration

- name: Validate MultiFlexi configuration
  vitexus.multiflexi.multiflexi_info:
  register: system_info

- name: Check system health
  assert:
    that:
      - system_info.multiflexi_status == "running"
      - system_info.multiflexi_companies | int > 0
    msg: "MultiFlexi system not healthy"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

1. Authentication Errors: Verify multiflexi-cli access and permissions

2. Module Not Found: Ensure collection is properly installed

3. CLI Command Failures: Check multiflexi-cli version compatibility

4. Permission Denied: Verify sudo access and file permissions

Debug Mode: Enable verbose output for troubleshooting:

ansible-playbook -vv your-playbook.yml

This will show all CLI commands being executed and their output.

Version Compatibility: - Ansible: >= 2.15.0 - MultiFlexi: >= 2.0.0 - Python: >= 3.9

Contributing

The Ansible collection is open source and welcomes contributions:

• Repository: https://github.com/VitexSoftware/multiflexi-ansible-collection

• Issues: https://github.com/VitexSoftware/multiflexi-ansible-collection/issues

• Galaxy: https://galaxy.ansible.com/vitexus/multiflexi

Support

For support and questions:

• MultiFlexi Documentation: https://multiflexi.eu/docs/

• Ansible Collection Issues: GitHub repository

• Community: MultiFlexi user forums and discussions

License

The Ansible collection is licensed under MIT License, same as MultiFlexi core.