- Blog
Automating MuleSoft Standalone Installation using Ansible
- October 01, 2024
- MuleSoft
Introduction
MuleSoft is a widely adopted integration platform, and automating its installation can enhance efficiency and scalability in managing environments. This blog details the automation of MuleSoft Standalone Runtime installation on a server using Ansible. It covers prerequisites, environment setup, and the deployment process using Ansible playbooks, shell scripts, and inventory management.
Prerequisites
Before automating the installation of MuleSoft Standalone, it is essential to ensure that the server environment meets the necessary prerequisites. An automated script can be created to manage several key dependencies.
Server Configuration:
The deployment assumes the target server uses a Red Hat-based Linux distribution such as CentOS or RHEL. Alternatively, you can use a package based on your Linux distribution, such as apt.
Dependencies:
The pre-reqs.sh script ensures the following tasks are automated
- System Update: Updates the package list to ensure all packages are up to date.
 sudo yum update
- Python and pip Installation:Â Installs Python 3, pip, and essential setup tools for Ansible.
sudo yum install -y python3 python3-pip
sudo pip3 install –upgrade pip setuptools
- Ansible Installation: Installs Ansible core using pip, which will be used to run the Ansible playbook for MuleSoft installation.
pip3 install ansible-core
- SSHPass Installation:Â Installs SSHpass, which enables password-based authentication for SSH connections.
sudo yum install -y https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm
sudo yum install sshpass
After running this script, the server will be ready to execute the Ansible playbooks for MuleSoft installation.
Automating MuleSoft Installation
Inventory Setup
The inventory file contains a list of target servers where the MuleSoft Standalone Runtime will be installed. This inventory file is an essential part of the automation process, allowing Ansible to manage different nodes centrally.
An example of the format of the inventory file might look like this:
[all]
server1 ansible_host=XXX.XXX.X.XXX ansible_user=root                ansible_ssh_pass=your_password
server2 ansible_host=XXX.XXX.X.XXX ansible_user=root ansible_ssh_pass=your_password
This file lists the target servers under a host group (all) and provides connection information such as IP addresses, SSH usernames, and passwords. Ansible uses this file to communicate with the servers and execute the installation commands.
Playbook Structure
The Ansible playbook (deploy_mulesoft.yaml) defines the series of tasks that will be performed on the remote server.
Note that this is just a template to start with and you can update it as per your requirement.
Below is an overview of the key tasks involved in this playbook:
1. Defining the Playbook: The deploy_mulesoft.yaml starts with metadata
 – name: Install MuleSoft Standalone
hosts: all
become: yes
- name: Describes the playbook’s purpose, which is to install MuleSoft.
- hosts: Specifies the target group of servers from the inventory file (all in this case).
- become: Enables privilege escalation (typically root) for tasks that require superuser privileges.
2. Ensure Required Packages Are Installed:
– name: Ensure required packages are installed
 yum:
   name: “{{ item }}”
   state: present
 loop:
   – unzip
   – wget
3. Create Installation Directory:
– name: Create MuleSoft installation directory
 file:
   path: /opt/mulesoft
   state: directory
   mode: ‘0755’
4. Download MuleSoft Runtime:
– name: Download MuleSoft Standalone Runtime
 get_url:
   url: “https://example.com/mulesoft-runtime.zip”
   dest: /opt/mulesoft-runtime.zip
   mode: ‘0644’
5. Unzip MuleSoft Runtime:
– name: Unzip MuleSoft Runtime
 unarchive:
   src: /opt/mulesoft-runtime.zip
   dest: /opt/mulesoft
   remote_src: yes
6. Set Environment Variables:
– name: Set MULE_HOME environment variable
 lineinfile:
   path: /etc/profile
   line: “export MULE_HOME=/opt/mulesoft”
   create: yes
This task sets the MULE_HOME environment variable by appending it to the /etc/profile file. This ensures that the MuleSoft environment variable is available system wide.
Next, the playbook adds the MuleSoft bin directory to the PATH:
– name: Add MuleSoft bin directory to PATH
 lineinfile:
   path: /etc/profile
   line: “export PATH=$PATH:$MULE_HOME/bin”
   create: yes
7. Reload Environment Variables:
– name: Reload environment variables
 shell: source /etc/profile
8. Start MuleSoft Service:
– name: Start MuleSoft Service
 shell: “{{ MULE_HOME }}/bin/mule start”
9. Verify MuleSoft Service:
– name: Ensure MuleSoft service is running
 shell: ps aux | grep mule | grep -v grep
 register: mule_process
 ignore_errors: yes
10. Fail if Service is Not Running:
– name: Fail if MuleSoft service is not running
 fail:
   msg: “MuleSoft service is not running”
 when: mule_process.rc != 0
Running the Playbook
Once the prerequisites are met and the inventory file is populated, the Ansible playbook can be executed to deploy MuleSoft on the target servers.
Execute the following command from your control node (where Ansible is installed):
ansible-playbook -i inventory_file deploy_mulesoft.yaml
This command will:
- Connect to the servers listed in the inventory_file.
- Perform the tasks defined in deploy_mulesoft.yaml, including downloading and configuring MuleSoft.
- Start the MuleSoft runtime.
Conclusion
Automating the installation of MuleSoft Standalone Runtime using Ansible improves efficiency and scalability in managing integration environments. We have covered the prerequisites, environment setup, and deployment process, detailing how to use Ansible playbooks, shell scripts, and inventory files to streamline the installation, guiding you through each step from server configuration and dependency management to executing the playbook for a smooth MuleSoft runtime deployment across multiple servers
Looking for more expert insights on MuleSoft? Contact us today!
