Adding new device to automatically install latest NodeJS before installing the agent

[chopeta]

Would like SSM to automatically install NodeJS (+ any additional requirement) when installing new agents (while adding new devices).

Would that be possible?

I also found this kind of confusing when I started because the documentation mentions this:

But I couldn't make a new agent installation to work until I manually installed NodeJS in the device before adding it into SSM UI.

Here's the log with the error when you try to add a new device without NodeJS previously installed:

Starting... Using /server/src/ansible/ansible.cfg as config file PLAY [Install agent on targeted device] **************************************** TASK [Install agent on targeted device] **************************************** ok: [192.168.122.76] => { "msg": "Host ID 1880f949-4e20-45a7-bbca-f43d6f5931bc with API URL http://192.168.122.76:8000" } TASK [Check if NodeJS does exist] ********************************************** ok: [192.168.122.76] => {"changed": false, "failed_when_result": false, "msg": "non-zero return code", "rc": 1, "stderr": "", "stderr_lines": [], "stdout": "", "stdout_lines": []} TASK [Check if NPM does exist] ************************************************* ok: [192.168.122.76] => {"changed": false, "failed_when_result": false, "msg": "non-zero return code", "rc": 1, "stderr": "", "stderr_lines": [], "stdout": "", "stdout_lines": []} TASK [Install "PM2" node.js package globally.] ********************************* [WARNING]: Platform linux on host 192.168.122.76 is using the discovered Python interpreter at /usr/bin/python3.11, but future installation of another Python interpreter could change the meaning of that path. See https://docs.ansible.com/ansible- core/2.17/reference_appendices/interpreter_discovery.html for more information. fatal: [192.168.122.76]: FAILED! => {"ansible_facts": {"discovered_interpreter_python": "/usr/bin/python3.11"}, "changed": false, "msg": "Failed to find required executable \"npm\" in paths: /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"} PLAY RECAP ********************************************************************* 192.168.122.76 : ok=3 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=1 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0

This is my first attempt at using Ansible so I am not an expert at all in the subject... but the way I understand, the "_installAgent" playbook currently manage only the " PM2" dependency, so we would have to improve this playback to actually install NodeJS (from the official repo instead of your own linux distribution default packages) and anything else that could be missing.

I don't see this a bug and not sure if you want to add this "feature" so I am reporting it here as an idea.

[SquirrelDeveloper]

Yes, your absolutely right, there is also a requirement of the minimum nodejs version that must be installed too to be checked before installing the agent

[n0tOdd]

First time im playing with ansible today so this might be a dumb fix, but after having problems with the first agent setup i edited the _installAgent playbook to this and after that every agent has installed perfectly

`

• name: Install agent on targeted device
  hosts: all
  become: true
  gather_facts: false
  vars:
  base_path: /opt/squirrelserversmanager
  tasks:

  • name: Install agent on targeted device
    ansible.builtin.debug:
    msg: Host ID {{ _ssm_deviceId }} with API URL {{ _ssm_masterNodeUrl }}

  • name: Check if NodeJS does exist
    ansible.builtin.raw: which node
    check_mode: false
    changed_when: false
    failed_when: which_res_node.rc > 1
    register: which_res_node

  • name: Check if NPM does exist
    ansible.builtin.raw: which npm
    check_mode: false
    changed_when: false
    failed_when: which_res_npm.rc > 1
    register: which_res_npm

  • name: Install nodejs and npm if not found
    ansible.builtin.package:
    name:
    - npm
    - nodejs
    state: present
    when: which_res_npm or which_res_node is failed

  • name: Install "PM2" node.js package globally.
    community.general.npm:
    name: pm2
    global: true
    state: latest

  • name: Install PM2 LogRotate
    command: pm2 install pm2-logrotate

  • name: Check out agent
    ansible.builtin.git:
    force: true
    repo: 'https://github.com/SquirrelCorporation/SquirrelServersManager-Agent.git'
    dest: "{{ base_path }}"
    timeout: 600

  • name: Stop PM2 Agent if running
    command: pm2 stop agent
    ignore_errors: yes

  • name: Delete PM2 Agent if present
    command: pm2 delete agent
    ignore_errors: yes

  • name: Clean directory
    command:
    chdir: "{{ base_path }}"
    cmd: rm -f ssm-agent && rm -f agent.blob && rm -rf ./build && rm -f ./hostid.txt

  • name: Write Node Url in .env file
    copy:
    content: "API_URL_MASTER={{ _ssm_masterNodeUrl }}"
    dest: "{{ base_path }}/.env"

  • name: Write HostId in hostid.txt file
    copy:
    content: "{{ _ssm_deviceId }}"
    dest: "{{ base_path }}/hostid.txt"

  • name: NPM install
    command:
    chdir: "{{ base_path }}"
    cmd: npm install

  • name: NPM run build
    command:
    chdir: "{{ base_path }}"
    cmd: npm run build

  • name: Start PM2 Agent
    command:
    chdir: "{{ base_path }}"
    cmd: pm2 start -f "./build/agent.js"

  • name: Install PM2 on startup
    command: pm2 startup

  • name: Save Agent on startup
    command: pm2 save

  • name: Save Agent on startup
    command: pm2 update

`

[SquirrelDeveloper]

@n0tOdd It seems you just updated the playbook to install node and npm. The current playbook is built to fail if those packages are not present.