How to download?
- https://developers.redhat.com/products/ansible/download
- TIME – 1 hour. Size – Approax 4G

Here’s a detailed and up-to-date conclusion for installing the latest Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) 2.5+ with the RPM/bundle installer—including the minimum requirements and what’s possible (and not) for learning/lab setups as of 2024–2025.
Minimal System Requirements for AAP 2.5+ Setup-Bundle
Key Points
- The RPM/bundle installer for AAP 2.4/2.5+ is now designed for enterprise, multi-node deployments.
- You cannot run all major AAP components (Controller, Execution Node, Automation Hub, Gateway, etc.) on a single VM.
- For learning or lab: You will need at least three VMs (can be small), each with its own hostname or IP, to install AAP using the bundle.
- If you absolutely need an all-in-one lab, use AWX (upstream) or the AAP Operator on OpenShift instead.
1. Minimal Topology Required for AAP 2.5+ Bundle Install
Component | Host Requirement | Notes |
---|---|---|
Controller | 1 VM | (Required) |
Automation Hub | 1 VM | (Required) |
Automation Gateway | 1 VM | (Required in 2.5+) |
Execution Node | Can share with Gateway | (Optional, but often separated in prod) |
Database | Can share with others | (Default: installer-managed PostgreSQL) |
- Total: 3 separate VMs/hosts, minimum, for a “minimal” supported learning deployment.
2. System Requirements (Per VM)
- OS: RHEL 8.6+ or RHEL 9.2+ (recommended/supported). Rocky/AlmaLinux for lab, with possible tweaks.
- vCPU: 2+ (4 preferred for Controller/Hub)
- RAM: 4 GB minimum (8 GB recommended)
- Disk: 40 GB+ (Hub needs more if storing lots of collections/content)
- Network: All VMs must reach each other over the network.
3. Minimal Example Inventory (Three VMs)
Suppose your hosts are:
- Controller:
controller.lab.local
- Hub:
hub.lab.local
- Gateway:
gateway.lab.local
[automationcontroller]
controller.lab.local
[automationhub]
hub.lab.local
[automationgateway]
gateway.lab.local
[database]
controller.lab.local
[all:vars]
admin_password=MyStrongAdminPass123!
pg_host=controller.lab.local
pg_port=5432
pg_database=awx
pg_username=awx
pg_password=MyStrongDBPass123!
automationhub_admin_password=MyStrongHubPass123!
automationhub_pg_host=controller.lab.local
automationhub_pg_port=5432
automationhub_pg_database=automationhub
automationhub_pg_username=automationhub
automationhub_pg_password=MyStrongHubDBPass123!
automationgateway_admin_password=MyStrongGatewayPass123!
automationgateway_pg_host=controller.lab.local
automationgateway_pg_port=5432
automationgateway_pg_database=gateway
automationgateway_pg_username=gateway
automationgateway_pg_password=MyStrongGatewayDBPass123!
- You can point all PG (
pg_host
) to one node for simplicity.
4. What is NOT Allowed (as of AAP 2.5+)?
- No all-in-one (everything on one VM) installs using the RPM/bundle installer.
- No multiple components with the same hostname/IP in the inventory.
5. If You Absolutely Want All-in-One for Learning:
- Use AWX (open source, Docker/Podman/Kubernetes, easy to run for demo/lab)
- Or use Red Hat AAP Operator in a single-node OpenShift/OKD/minikube cluster.
6. Download/Install Steps Overview
- Prepare 3 VMs with RHEL 8/9 (same major version).
- Set static hostnames and ensure they can resolve each other (via DNS or
/etc/hosts
). - Prepare your inventory file as above.
- Unpack the setup bundle and run:
./setup.sh
- Access the web UI on your Controller VM after installation.
7. References and Best Practices
Conclusion Table
Scenario | Supported by RPM Bundle? | Recommended For Labs? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Single node/VM all-in-one | ❌ No | ❌ Use AWX/Operator | Not supported by AAP 2.5+ bundle |
3-node minimal cluster | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (labs, PoC) | Each component on separate VM/hostname |
Full prod cluster | ✅ Yes | ✅ | For enterprise/prod use |
AWX all-in-one | N/A (not AAP) | ✅ Yes (labs) | Open source only |
AAP Operator (OpenShift) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (labs/prod) | Supported with Operator |
In Short:
- For minimal AAP 2.5+ bundle install:
You need three VMs/hosts—Controller, Hub, and Gateway—each with a unique hostname/IP. - All-in-one on one VM is NOT supported (use AWX or Operator for that).
- Each VM: RHEL 8.6+/9.2+, 2+ vCPU, 4+ GB RAM, 40+ GB disk, network reachable.
- Best for labs and learning:
Smallest supported cluster is 3 VMs. Use local DNS or/etc/hosts
for name resolution.
You Only Run setup.sh
on ONE Machine (the “Installer Node”)
- You do NOT run
setup.sh
on all 3 VMs. - You run it once, from a “control” or “installer” machine (usually your controller node, but it can be any of the 3, or even a 4th admin node).
- The installer will SSH to all the other nodes listed in your inventory and perform the setup automatically on them.
- All nodes must be accessible via SSH from the installer node (usually as root or a sudo user).
Typical Workflow
- Choose one node to act as your installer node—usually the Controller (
controller.lab.local
). - Place the setup bundle and the completed
inventory
file on this machine. - Ensure you can SSH (passwordless, with key) from this machine to all others as root or a user with passwordless sudo.
- e.g.,
ssh root@hub.lab.local
- e.g.,
ssh root@gateway.lab.local
- e.g.,
- From the installer node (e.g.,
controller.lab.local
), run:./setup.sh
- The installer connects to all hosts listed in the inventory (including itself), installs packages, configures the software, and sets up the cluster.
You Need to Prepare Each Node:
- RHEL 8.6+ or 9.2+ installed, fully updated
- Hostname set and resolvable by the others (use
/etc/hosts
or DNS) - SSH server running
- The user running
setup.sh
must be able to SSH to all nodes as root (or as a user with passwordless sudo) - Optional: Set up
ssh-copy-id
to distribute your SSH key
Summary Table
Node | Needs Setup Bundle? | Run setup.sh ? | Needs to Accept SSH? | Needs Hostname? |
---|---|---|---|---|
controller | Yes (installer) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Yes |
hub | No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Yes |
gateway | No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Yes |
In Short:
- Only run
setup.sh
on one node (commonly the controller) - That machine must be able to SSH to all others using the user you run the installer as
- All other setup is done by the installer over SSH!
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