Inventory cache not flushed when using --flush-cache

[ioguix]

SUMMARY

The inventory cache is not flushed when using --flush-cache

ISSUE TYPE

• Bug Report

COMPONENT NAME

cli and/or inventory manager

ANSIBLE VERSION

ansible 2.9.16
  config file = /home/ioguix/git/support/ansible/ansible.cfg
  configured module search path = ['/home/ioguix/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/ansible
  executable location = /usr/bin/ansible
  python version = 3.7.3 (default, Jul 25 2020, 13:03:44) [GCC 8.3.0]

CONFIGURATION

DEFAULT_HOST_LIST(/tmp/prov/ansible/ansible.cfg) = ['/tmp/prov/ansible/bug_report.yml']
DEFAULT_INVENTORY_PLUGIN_PATH(/tmp/prov/ansible/ansible.cfg) = ['/tmp/prov/ansible']
INVENTORY_CACHE_ENABLED(/tmp/prov/ansible/ansible.cfg) = True
INVENTORY_CACHE_PLUGIN(/tmp/prov/ansible/ansible.cfg) = jsonfile
INVENTORY_CACHE_PLUGIN_CONNECTION(/tmp/prov/ansible/ansible.cfg) = .

OS / ENVIRONMENT

Debian 10

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

ansible.cfg:

[defaults]
inventory_plugins = .
inventory = bug_report.yml

[inventory]
cache=True
cache_plugin=jsonfile
cache_connection=.

Dummy inventory plugin bug_report.py displaying if the inventory manager gave cache=True or not:

from ansible.plugins.inventory import BaseInventoryPlugin, Cacheable

class InventoryModule(BaseInventoryPlugin, Cacheable):
    def parse(self, inventory, loader, path, cache=True):
        if cache:
            self.display.v("Using data from cache")
        else:
            self.display.v("Updating cache")

Inventory yaml file bug_report.yml:

---
plugin: bug_report

EXPECTED RESULTS

The doc state in https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/dev_guide/developing_inventory.html#inventory-cache:

This value comes from the inventory manager and indicates whether the inventory is being refreshed (such as via --flush-cache or the meta task refresh_inventory).

From previous minimal test case, as far as I understand the doc and comments in other inventory plugins, the first call, using --flush-cache, should output Updating cache. The second one should output Using data from cache:

$ ansible-playbook -v --list-hosts --flush-cache playbook-dummy.yml
Using /tmp/prov/ansible/ansible.cfg as config file
Updating cache
[...]

$ ansible-playbook -v --list-hosts playbook-dummy.yml
Using /tmp/prov/ansible/ansible.cfg as config file
Using data from cache
[...]

ACTUAL RESULTS

No matter if using --flush-cache or not, the inventory manager is setting cache=True and the plugin always shows Using data from cache:

$ ansible-playbook -v --list-hosts --flush-cache playbook-dummy.yml
Using /tmp/prov/ansible/ansible.cfg as config file
Using data from cache
[...]

$ ansible-playbook -v --list-hosts playbook-dummy.yml
Using /tmp/prov/ansible/ansible.cfg as config file
Using data from cache
[...]

Looking at source code in current devel branch, it seems --flush-cache only flush facts and ignore inventory: https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/devel/lib/ansible/cli/playbook.py#L208

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Files identified in the description:

• lib/ansible/inventory

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[ioguix]

The following patch seem to do the trick, but it's really naive fix, leading to load the inventory from cache, THEN refresh the inventory and the cache:

diff --git a/lib/ansible/cli/playbook.py b/lib/ansible/cli/playbook.py
index a3890df18a..fa9906430e 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/cli/playbook.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/cli/playbook.py
@@ -209,3 +209,4 @@ class PlaybookCLI(CLI):
         for host in inventory.list_hosts():
             hostname = host.get_name()
             variable_manager.clear_facts(hostname)
+        inventory.refresh_inventory()

I'm sure there's some smarter way to fix this. I can imagine at least two different ways:

• adding cache parameter to inventory constructor
• set parse=False to the inventory constructor from _play_prereqs then call inventory.parse_sources(cache=False) there

[wbh1]

This is happening to me on 2.12, as well.

[bvergnaud]

Same thing over here.

ansible-playbook 2.10.17
  config file = /home/bvergnaud/anonymized/ansible.cfg
  configured module search path = ['/home/bvergnaud/anonymized/library/ansible']
  ansible python module location = /home/bvergnaud/.local/share/virtualenvs/iaas-playbooks--tQt6UoE/lib/python3.8/site-packages/ansible
  executable location = /home/bvergnaud/.local/share/virtualenvs/iaas-playbooks--tQt6UoE/bin/ansible-playbook
  python version = 3.8.12 (default, Jan  1 2022, 20:36:01) [GCC 11.1.0]

[bcoca]

Currently the patch above would be only way. To 'properly implement' this requires new features:

1. add 'flush cache' ability to each inventory plugin
2. add a call from inventory manager to cycle over all inventory sources and run their 'flush cache' methods

or

always pass cache=true|false to inventory on startup