include_role+with_items executes tasks num_hosts*num_items times on *each* host

[amenonsen]

ISSUE TYPE

• Bug Report

COMPONENT NAME

core

ANSIBLE VERSION

devel

CONFIGURATION

N/A

OS / ENVIRONMENT

N/A

SUMMARY

include_role+with_items executes once per item per host on each host.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

x.yml::

---
- hosts: all
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - include_role: name=p
      with_items: [1,2]

roles/p/tasks/main.yml::

- command: cat /proc/uptime

EXPECTED RESULTS

I expected cat /proc/uptime to be executed twice on a and twice on b.

ACTUAL RESULTS

It actually executes cat /proc/uptime four times on both hosts.

TASK [p : command] ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [b] => {"changed": true, "cmd": ["cat", "/proc/uptime"], "delta": "0:00:00.002532", "end": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.080587", "rc": 0, "start": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.078055", "stderr": "", "stdout": "987830.64 3614256.86", "stdout_lines": ["987830.64 3614256.86"], "warnings": []}
changed: [a] => {"changed": true, "cmd": ["cat", "/proc/uptime"], "delta": "0:00:00.002532", "end": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.080587", "rc": 0, "start": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.078055", "stderr": "", "stdout": "987830.64 3614256.86", "stdout_lines": ["987830.64 3614256.86"], "warnings": []}

TASK [p : command] ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [b] => {"changed": true, "cmd": ["cat", "/proc/uptime"], "delta": "0:00:00.002069", "end": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.214287", "rc": 0, "start": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.212218", "stderr": "", "stdout": "987830.77 3614257.08", "stdout_lines": ["987830.77 3614257.08"], "warnings": []}
changed: [a] => {"changed": true, "cmd": ["cat", "/proc/uptime"], "delta": "0:00:00.002710", "end": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.214238", "rc": 0, "start": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.211528", "stderr": "", "stdout": "987830.77 3614257.08", "stdout_lines": ["987830.77 3614257.08"], "warnings": []}

TASK [p : command] ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [a] => {"changed": true, "cmd": ["cat", "/proc/uptime"], "delta": "0:00:00.002648", "end": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.340613", "rc": 0, "start": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.337965", "stderr": "", "stdout": "987830.90 3614257.30", "stdout_lines": ["987830.90 3614257.30"], "warnings": []}
changed: [b] => {"changed": true, "cmd": ["cat", "/proc/uptime"], "delta": "0:00:00.002124", "end": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.345231", "rc": 0, "start": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.343107", "stderr": "", "stdout": "987830.91 3614257.30", "stdout_lines": ["987830.91 3614257.30"], "warnings": []}

TASK [p : command] ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
changed: [b] => {"changed": true, "cmd": ["cat", "/proc/uptime"], "delta": "0:00:00.002734", "end": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.475102", "rc": 0, "start": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.472368", "stderr": "", "stdout": "987831.04 3614257.51", "stdout_lines": ["987831.04 3614257.51"], "warnings": []}
changed: [a] => {"changed": true, "cmd": ["cat", "/proc/uptime"], "delta": "0:00:00.002468", "end": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.478968", "rc": 0, "start": "2016-12-05 20:00:08.476500", "stderr": "", "stdout": "987831.04 3614257.52", "stdout_lines": ["987831.04 3614257.52"], "warnings": []}

PLAY RECAP ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
a                          : ok=4    changed=4    unreachable=0    failed=0   
b                          : ok=4    changed=4    unreachable=0    failed=0   

[sirkubax]

Sorry to say, but it seems to work properly.
I can not see the place, where you would limit or delegate the execution.
You may misunderstood the concept.

Please play with the following:

---
- hosts: all
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - debug: msg="{{ item }}"
      with_items: [1,2]

    - include_role: name=p
     with_items: "{{ play_hosts }}"
     #with_items: [1,2]


roles/p/tasks/main.yml::
- debug: msg="{{ item }} {{ inventory_hostname }}"

- command: cat /proc/uptime
  when: item == inventory_hostname

The 'when: item == inventory_hostname' would work for you in this example, but please note that this would expect the 'item' variable every time you use this role.
You may rethink your concept, and use a delegate but please remember about KISS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle)

[callipeo]

Hi,

I was about to report the same behavior yesterday before noticing this issue. It seems surprising to me, and it certainly behaves very differently than a task include:

# roles/example/tasks/example.yml
---
    -   name: "describe {{ included_variable }} with included task"
        debug: msg="{{ included_variable }} {{ ansible_play_batch }}"


# roles/example/tasks/main.yml
---
    -   include_role:
            name: included
            allow_duplicates: no
        with_items:
            -   example role 1
        loop_control:
            loop_var: included_variable

    -   include: example.yml
        vars:
            included_variable: "{{ item }}"
        with_items:
            -   example task 1


# roles/included/tasks/main.yml
---
    -   name: "describe {{ included_variable }} with included role"
        debug: msg="{{ included_variable }} {{ ansible_play_batch }}"


# site.yml
---
    -   hosts: all

        connection: local
        gather_facts: no

        roles:
            -   example


# inventory.ini
local_a ansible_host=127.0.0.1
local_b ansible_host=127.0.0.1
local_c ansible_host=127.0.0.1


# ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini site.yml
PLAY [all] **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

TASK [example : include_role] *******************************************************************************************************************************************************

TASK [included : describe example role 1 with included role] ************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [local_b] => {
    "msg": "example role 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}
ok: [local_a] => {
    "msg": "example role 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}
ok: [local_c] => {
    "msg": "example role 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}

TASK [included : describe example role 1 with included role] ************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [local_a] => {
    "msg": "example role 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}
ok: [local_b] => {
    "msg": "example role 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}
ok: [local_c] => {
    "msg": "example role 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}

TASK [included : describe example role 1 with included role] ************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [local_a] => {
    "msg": "example role 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}
ok: [local_b] => {
    "msg": "example role 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}
ok: [local_c] => {
    "msg": "example role 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}

TASK [example : include] ************************************************************************************************************************************************************
included: /Users/francesco/Development/ansible_include_role/roles/example/tasks/example.yml for local_b, local_a, local_c

TASK [example : describe example task 1 with included task] *************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [local_a] => {
    "msg": "example task 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}
ok: [local_b] => {
    "msg": "example task 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}
ok: [local_c] => {
    "msg": "example task 1 [u'local_a', u'local_b', u'local_c']"
}

PLAY RECAP **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
local_a                    : ok=5    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0   
local_b                    : ok=5    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0   
local_c                    : ok=5    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0   

Am I missing something, perhaps in the documentation? Why would someone include the very same role in each host, one time for every host included in the playbook?

[jwdevs]

Same problem for me. allow_duplicates: False did not work.
This is also here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/42171103/ansible-include-role-on-a-loop-running-unexpected-number-of-times

I've set serial: 1 on the play and it did help (as a workaround).

[mansunkuo]

Thanks @callipeo's example code.
There is another workaround that you can just replace include_role with include.
For example, you can replace

  tasks:
    - name: Create users
      include_role:
        name: add_user
      vars:
        add_user:
          name: "{{ item.key }}"
          password:
          key: "{{ item.value.key }}"
          is_admin: no
      with_dict: "{{ users }}"

with

  tasks:
    - name: Create users
      include: roles/add_user/tasks/main.yml
      vars:
        add_user:
          name: "{{ item.key }}"
          password:
          key: "{{ item.value.key }}"
          is_admin: no
      with_dict: "{{ users }}"

[dmizelle]

it appears that with an inventory like:

[all]
host1
host2
host3
host4

You can avoid the looping by setting the include_role as static:

---
- name: Include some other role
  include_role:
    name: other_role
  static: yes

I don't really understand why this fixes it, but it stopped us from looping in our setup. It may be related to the fact that setting an include as static doesn't allow you to loop on it with things like with_items, etc.

[IngussNeilands]

Still exists on devel (2.4)

include_role with loop executes num_hosts*num_items times on each host

only thing that helps - serial: 1

[nrwahl2]

Looks like we need to get import_role implemented.