Default variable details

Some of debops.avahi default variables have more extensive configuration than simple strings or lists, here you can find documentation and examples for them.

avahi__daemon_conf

The avahi__daemon_conf_* variables are used to specify what parameters should be present in the /etc/avahi/avahi-daemon.conf configuration file. Each pair of variables manages one section of the INI file. The "default" variable is combined with the custom variable therefore it's possible to change the value of a parameter without the need to copy the entire variable over to the Ansible inventory.

Each variable is a YAML dictionary with keys representing the available parameters and values representing the parameter values. You can use boolean YAML values (True, False) to specify yes or no values, as well as strings and numbers. if a value is an empty string, the corresponding parameter will be commented out in the finished configuration file.

See the avahi-daemon.conf(5) manual page for information about recognized parameters and their meaning.

avahi__services

The avahi__*_services variables define the services published by Avahi on its .local domain. The variables are either YAML dictionaries or YAML lists of dictionaries that are combined together in the avahi__combined_services in the order they appear in the defaults/main.yml file.

Each entry in the avahi__*_services variables is a YAML dictionary with specific parameters:

filename

Name of the configuration file that holds the service details. The name will be used in the file path in the format:

/etc/avahi/services/<filename>.service

If the filename is not specified and the main variable uses the YAML dictionary format, the dictionary key will be used as the filename. The examples below are equivalent:

avahi__services:
  'example-service':
    name: 'Example service on %h'
    type: '_example._tcp'
    port: '1234'

avahi__host_services:
  - filename: 'example-service'
    name: 'Example service on %h'
    type: '_example._tcp'
    port: '1234'

services

Optional. A YAML list of services defined by this entry and encloses in a service group. Each list item is a YAML dictionary that specifies given service parameters. If the services parameter is not specified, role will automatically generate one based on parameters defined in the main entry. This parameter is only useful in applications that define multiple services, which can be defined together in a service group, otherwise you can use the simpler syntax.

type

A string similar to DNS SRV Records which defines the service type and protocol (only the service name and protocol are relevant, other parts of the SRV record shouldn't be used). Example service types are _ssh._tcp and _http._tcp.

If the type is not specified and a given entry has no separate services list defined, the service will not be published. This can be used to define host CNAME entries without an associated service (see below).

subtype

Optional. Either a string, or a YAML list of additional subtypes to publish for this service. Example subtype definition: _custom._sub._example._tcp.

port

Optional. Specify the port number on which a given service listens for new connections. If it's not specified, the port number for this service will be set to 0.

name

Optional. Custom description of a service, displayed in compatible Avahi clients. If not specified, the host's hostname will be used instead.

replace_wildcards

Optional, boolean. If not defined or True, Avahi will replace the %h wildcard in the service description with the host's hostname. Setting this parameter to False will turn off the replacement.

protocol

Optional. Specify which network to publish the service on, either IPv4, IPv6 or both (default). Possible values: ipv4, ipv6, any.

domain or domain_name

Optional. Publish the service on a different domain than the default .local domain used by Avahi.

fqdn or hostname or host_name

Optional. Specify a different FQDN for a given service. This can be used to publish services on behalf of other hosts on the network that do not support Avahi themselves. You also need to register the host A/AAAA record separately for the Avahi to correctly publish the service record. See avahi__hosts for more details.

txt or txt_record

Optional. String or YAML list of custom TXT records which should be published for this service. These records are used to provide additional information about the service, configuration options, etc.

The parameters below are additional and related to the role itself, rather than to the Avahi services:

comment

Optional. String or YAML text block with additional comments included in the service configuration file.

state

Optional. If not specified or present, the Avahi service will be configured. If absent, the configuration of a given Avahi service will be removed.

cname

Optional. Specify a custom CNAME record which will be used to register a host alias using the avahi-alias script. The CNAME record will point to the originating host. See Avahi CNAME (alias) support for more details. You can define avahi__*_services entries that only publish CNAME records by not specifying a type, for example:

avahi__services:
  - filename: 'custom-cname-of-host'
    cname: 'custom'

avahi__host_services:
  'other-example':
    cname: 'other.local'

cname_state

Optional. If the cname parameter is specified, you can use this parameter to control the state of the CNAME record separately from the main state parameter. If not specified or present, the CNAME record will be published. If absent, the CNAME record will be removed.