• Ansible role for your DevOps/SysOps Linux Mint 21.x/Zorin OS based workstation
  • Description
  • Prerequisites
  • Ansible 2.10 and higher reminder
  • Assumptions
  • In-place upgraded OS warning
    • Python2 removal
  • Usage
  • Variables
    • Variables from roles/pld/defaults/main.yml
    • OS specific variables
      • Shared variables
      • Variables for Linux Mint 21.x
      • Variables for Zorin OS 17.x
    • Variables precedence
  • Custom variables, custom variable files
  • Repositories
    • Repositories: Basic
    • Repositories: Optional
  • Packages
    • Packages: Essential
    • Packages: Basic not complete list
    • Packages: Optional not complete list
    • Packages: Flatpak
    • Packages: npm
  • Tasks
    • 'configure_neofetch task
  • Startup applications
    • OS Tweaks
  • Q&A
  • To Do
  • Known issues

This role is designed to configure your Linux Mint 21.x or Zorin OS 17.x workstation. It will install essential packages, main packages, extra/optional packages, 3rd party software, and configure your system. It will also install extra binaries in /usr/local/bin folder.

It will also change startup settings for a specific user (that's why you should not run this as root). It will also change ansible.cfg, dconf settings, and sysctl system settings.

It's an extension od my previous project - https://github.com/marcinbojko/linux_mint which won't be updated anymore.

• installed Linux Mint 21.x - all 64-bit, standard options with extra codecs (available as selection during install)

• installed Zorin OS 17.x - all 64-bit, standard options with extra codecs (available as selection during install)

• access to internet

• openssh-server installed and running

• ansible in version 2.10 or higher

• sudo ansible-galaxy install -r requirements.yml

  sudo apt install openssh-server;sudo systemctl enable ssh && sudo systemctl start ssh

• PermitRootLogin in /etc/ssh/sshd_config if you're using root account

• sudo ansible-galaxy install -r requirements.yml --roles-path /etc/ansible/roles

• 10 GB free space on OS drive (recommended 20-30 due to Flatpak)
• ssh private key or password method
• user specified in group_vars or passed in variable ansible_ssh_user
• by default, extra binaries (outside packages) will be installed in /usr/local/bin (adjustable by pld_bin_path variable) If you prefer to keep them in cloud (sync between computers), down below I'll attach info how to replace binaries with proper -ymlinks (work in progress)
• adds repositories with codename and filename
• adds missing pgp keys for repositories
• installs essential packages
• installs main packages
• installs extra/optional packages
• downloads 3rd party software and puts it in proper path - /usr/local/bin by default (adjustable by pld_bin_path variable)
• changes startup settings for specific user (that's why you should not run this as root)
• changes in ansible.cfg
• changes in dconf settings
• changes in sysctl system settings

Role of this playbook is to work on clean or cleanly-upgraded system. I haven't tested it properly in case of in-place upgrade systems, so both 18=>19 and 19=>20 upgrades and playbook usage, are risky and experimental. Make sure all apt repositories (except system ones) are removed from /etc/apt - playbook works best when this list is empty.

Warning - systems after upgrade will require: ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3 setting.

Be aware several packages (virtualbox-6.1, zenmap) will install python2 and remove python-is-python3 package.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python-is-python3
sudo apt update
sudo apt remove python2 --simulate
sudo apt remove python2

ansible-playbook ./pld.yaml -i myhost.lst

or change user you're using (startup related stuff will be done for that specific user user)

ansible-playbook ./pld.yaml -i myhost.lst --extra-vars "pld_active_user=myuser"

in case you'd like to run as root with password or ssh key, you can do desktop related changes for user bob

ansible-playbook ./pld.yaml -i myhost.lst --extra-vars "pld_active_user=bob"

or passing true/false as JSON

ansible-playbook ./pld.yaml -i myhost.lst --extra-vars '{"install_optional": "true"}'

or passing several variables as variables.yaml file

ansible-playbook ./pld.yaml -i myhost.lst --extra-vars @variables.yaml

Variables are separated into multiple sets of files.

Variables for controlling playbook behavior

Most OS variables are stored in roles/pld/vars/*.yml files.

Are located in file roles/pld/vars/shared.yml

Are located in file roles/pld/vars/Linux Mint.yml

| Variable | Description | |_---------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------| | pld_deb822_repositories_optional | Optional deb822 repositories to add for Mint | | pld_packages_essential | Essential packages to install | | pld_startup | Startup settings for specific user | | pld_dconf | Dconf settings |

Are located in file roles/pld/vars/Zorin OS.yml

| Variable | Description | |_---------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------| | pld_deb822_repositories_optional | Optional deb822 repositories to add for Zorin | | pld_packages_essential | Essential packages to install | | pld_startup | Startup settings for specific user | | pld_dconf | Dconf settings |

graph LR
  A[main.yaml] --> B[Shared]
  B --> C[Linux Mint]
  B --> D[Zorin OS]

TBD

• alexx2000 - Double Commander
• ansible - Ansible
• azure-cli - Azure CLI SDK
• docker-stable - Docker-CE
• gcsfuse - Google Storage gcsfuse - Mount a GCS bucket locally`
• google-cloud-sdk - Google Cloud Tools SDK
• googlechrome - Google Chrome Browser
• hashicorp - Hashicorp tools
• helm-stable-debian - Helm for Kubernetes
• kubernetes-129 - Google Kubernetes kubeadm & kubectl for 1.29
• microsoft-prod-deb - Microsoft .Net Core
• mozilla-team - Stable Firefox and Mozilla Software
• nodesource20 - Node.js LTS
• palemoon - Chromium based Java+Flash browser
• ubuntu-mozilla-security - Firefox and Thunderbird Security
• virtualbox - Virtualization Software
• vscode - Microsoft Visual Studio Code

• dockbarx - DockBarX is a lightweight taskbar
• grub-customizer - customize black screen to something useful
• insync - Googledrive & Onedrive Linux Client
• lens - Kubernetes IDE
• ngrok - Secure tunnels to localhost
• noobslab-icons - Noobslab icons
• rancher-desktop - Rancher Desktop
• trivy - Container security scanner
• veeam-agent - Veeam Agent for Linux
• veracrypt - Device encryption utility

||||

This guide details the automation of Neofetch configuration adjustments using an Ansible playbook. By specifying various tasks in the playbook, users can easily comment out or uncomment specific lines within the Neofetch configuration file, toggle key-value pairs between "on" and "off", and ensure the creation of the Neofetch configuration file if it doesn't exist. Furthermore, it includes adding Neofetch to the global bashrc file for automatic execution.

The playbook operates based on a defined payload structure within a YAML file. Here's an example of the payload configuration for the Neofetch automation task:

neofetch:
  config_path: /home/{{ pld_active_user }}/.config/neofetch/config.conf
  remove_lines:
    - Packages
    - Resolution
    - DE
    - WM
    - WM Theme
    - Theme
    - Icons
    - Terminal
    - Terminal Font
    - cols
  add_lines:
    - Disk
    - Local IP
  toggle_items:
    - key: 'color_blocks'
      value: 'off'

Explanation of Configuration Parameters:

• config_path: Specifies the path to the Neofetch configuration file. This path can be dynamically set to match the active user's home directory.

  config_path: /home/{{ pld_active_user }}/.config/neofetch/config.conf

• remove_lines: A list of items to be commented out in the Neofetch configuration file. This list should contain the titles of the information blocks as they appear in the configuration.

  remove_lines:
  - Packages
  - Resolution

• add_lines: Similar to remove_lines, but these items will be uncommented if they were previously commented out, ensuring they are active in the Neofetch output.

  add_lines:
  - Disk
  - Local IP

• toggle_items: This section allows for toggling specific key-value pairs within the configuration file. For example, changing color_blocks from "on" to "off" or vice versa.

  toggle_items:
  - key: 'color_blocks'
    value: 'off'

Some applications are copied to autostart folder

• Diodon
• DockbarX
• Synapse
• Shutter

• changes timezone and ntpd settings
• modifies sysctl settings to start use tcp_congestion_control set to bbr
• modifies sysctl settings to decrease default swappiness
• changes alternatives for EDITOR
• initial Timeshift launch
• change fstrim schedule to hourly
• installs popular Microsoft Visual Studio Code extensions
• change dconf settings

• Q: Will it work with specific version WSL/Ubuntu/PidgeonOS?

• A: Don't know, don't care. Do your own variables.yml and check

• Q: What will happen if I'll run it multiple times?

• A: I hope - your applications will be upgraded, same for repos and keys. But, due to DEB/APT dependency you have to look for possible downgrade related errors. See Known Issues for it.

• Q: Can i check this in Ubuntu

• A: Yes, but be prepared to create your own variables.yml and pass it as a parameter

• Q: Can I participate?

• A: Yes, but please create your own branch and do PR. Do not merge to master. Please keep master branch clean.

• Q: I don't know how to do the above

• A: Then don't do it ;)

• Q: Why there is so many Ubuntu:Bionic/Xenial, not so many LinuxMint:Tara repositories?

• A: Tara is built over Bionic packages, so rarely it requires to have specific repo.

• better download file versioning (switch to latest where possible, separate version from URL, use separate folder for downloads)
• better docs
• add Vagrant plugins
• manual handle 3rd party deb files - pre-download and re-usage on demand
• configure neofetch
• add cloud-tools section, for people to choose cloud they are using
• better archive handle
• services handling part (by default in Ubuntu/Debian, installed service is set to enabled/started)
• more idempotency
• fix Bionic's broken apps like Asbru-CM
• more OS tweaks (i/o scheduler)
• add AWS/GCE repositories for their tools
• add Visual Studio Code extra extensions
• continue to use tagging
• add Flatpak packages handling
• convert single sysctl values into whole section
• better grub defaults handing

• Due to how deb packages are treated by apt, we should find a way to install always 'latest' version not specific version. If (after initial run) we'll upgrade package outside this script, next time deb part will fail trying to 'downgrade' package.

• Downloading & installing all packages can be time consuming, depending on your Internet connection speed (aprox 40-60 minut)

• pip - no module named _internal

  sudo curl https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py -o get-pip.py && sudo python2.7 get-pip.py --force-reinstall

• Playbook exits with a message Could not import python modules: apt, apt_pkg. Please install python3-apt package

  • Resolution: set ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3

• Older distros have problem with some repositories, using PKI part that wasn't part of a ca-certificates.

  • Resolution: Before continuing you're encouraged to install/upgrade ca-certificates package. Playbook is doing that as one of first steps, but this doesn't always works properly.

• Step apt_initial_refresh can fail due to several reasons:

  • problems with ca-certificates written above
  • duplicate entries found in /etc/apt/sources.list.d files
  • expired keys/certificates for repositories

• Step reset_dconf_values can fail in Linux Mint 20.x due to python-psutil package being too new.

• Insync package strange behavior. Installing packages can fail as Insync ignores entries in it's own insync.list file and adds new ones. This can lead to mutliple sources being added, thus apt is doomed to fail. In rare cases Insync also tries to add new repos codenames before they exist on their side. Currently there is no workaround for this.