Ansible action plugin

that automates the installation of prerequisites for Ansible to run on Windows and uses Ansible playbooks for configuration.

Run

ansible-playbook example-win7-x64.yml --extra-vars iso_output_path="/path/to/output_config.iso"

then attach it to vm with windows iso

Windows Part

in C#

Define the Playbook Hosts and Connection:

This playbook is designed to automate the setup and configuration of a Windows environment, including downloading necessary updates, installing applications, and creating a bootable ISO with all configurations and drivers pre-included. The playbook is set to run on the local machine (127.0.0.1) with a local connection.

Set Variables:

• pkg_dir: Directory name where packages will be stored: toinstall.
  
• drivers_dir: Directory name for drivers $WinpeDriver$.
  

Tasks:

• Create Temporary Work Directory:

• Create a temporary directory for building the ISO, storing the path in iso_temp_root_build_dir.
  

• Create Temp ISO Root Directory:
  

• Create a subdirectory named iso within the temporary directory.
  

• Creating Base Configuration Files:
  

• Use win_setup to create base configuration files for Windows and Ansible, specifying admin and user credentials, and computer name.
  

• Define various installation tasks for different updates and packages, each with an index and specific details (e.g., msu, exe, msi).
  

• Create Package Directory:
  

• Create the directory toinstall within the iso directory.
  

• Download Required Packages:
  

• Download various Windows updates, OpenSSH, .NET framework, and other necessary files using ansible.builtin.get_url.
  

• Download Virtio Drivers:
  

• Download Virtio drivers ISO file.
  

• Create Drivers Directory:
  

• Create the drivers directory.
  

• Extract Virtio Drivers:
  

• Extract specific Virtio driver files from the downloaded ISO.
  

• Create a Windows Config ISO File:
  

• Create the final ISO image with Joliet support, including all required files and directories (drivers_dir, pkg_dir, start.ps1, main.cs, install.json, autounattend.xml).
  

Key Elements:

Variables:

• Used to simplify paths and maintain consistency.
  

Modules:

• ansible.builtin.tempfile: Create temporary files/directories.
  
• ansible.builtin.file: Manage file and directory states.
  
• win_setup: Specific to Windows setup tasks.
  
• ansible.builtin.get_url: Download files from URLs.
  
• community.general.iso_extract: Extract files from ISO images.
  
• community.general.iso_create: Create ISO images.
  

Notes:

• TLS 1.2 Update:
  
• A note is included about TLS 1.2 and a specific update (kb3140245).
  

Windows Configuration:

• Admin and user credentials are hardcoded (should be changed after installation if necessary).
  

Installation Tasks:

• Each installation task is defined with an index, description, type of installer (e.g., msu, exe, msi), and arguments.
  

This playbook is designed to automate the setup and configuration of a Windows environment, including downloading necessary updates, installing applications, and creating a bootable ISO with all configurations and drivers pre-included.