1 - Semaphore NetOps

Deploy and manage Ansible Semaphore on your server. The Netos NetOps project lays the foundation for you to install and manage NetBox, and other network tools and labs.

Getting Started

Introduction to the Netos NetOps Project
Key Semaphore Principles
Users, Accounts & Tokens

Deploy Netos Semaphore

Deploy Semaphore & Netos Projects
Sync Semaphore Repository Updates from Netos
Deploying NGINX & Certificates

Manage & Operate Semaphore

Semaphore Backup Guide
Restore Semaphore

Getting Started

Introduction to the Netos NetOps Project

Introduction

Our goal with our Sempahore projects is to deliver a framework that makes it simple and fast to deploy and manage open-source enterprise networking applications and tools.

Quickly spin up an enterprise grade application stack (in minutes).
Deal with all the critical yet time consuming platform engineering at the click of a button.
Deal with the boring but important stuff like backups, restores, and maintenance.
Fast track to the interesting stuff like playing with the tools and dev/test.

Over time we will publish more projects with associated playbooks. Currently available is:

Netos NetOps - A simple wrapper project for managing the underlying Semaphore instance.
Netos NetBox - Contains all the playbooks to deploy and operate NetBox.

Ansible Semaphore

Semaphore UI is a simple and easy to use alternative to Ansible AWX. Netos have used it for over a year without issues to run thousands of playbooks and manage all of our infrastructure.

It is convenient and easy to use - user friendly web interface for executing Ansible playbooks, Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi code and Bash scripts. It is designed to make your automation tasks easier and more enjoyable.

Playbooks

At a click of a button you can perform complex installations, like installing NetBox, and a lot more.

Views

Views group together different playbooks, for example, below you can the tasks that deploy NetBox:

Semaphore Projects

Finally, we group everything together into different projects.

Getting Started

Key Semaphore Principles

Introduction

The following diagram illustrates the purpose of each menu item in Semaphore, in the context of the Netos deployment.

Environments

Environments pass variables into Ansible (or other scripts such as Python or Bash).

For example, in this environment file we pass through variables from the Semaphore Environment, but also set default variables where applicable in the /vars/ files in the Ansible project.

CERT_CONTENT: "{{ lookup('env', 'CERT_CONTENT') | default('must-be-set-in-semaphore-variable') }}"
CERT_DIR: "{{ lookup('env', 'CERT_DIR') | default('/netos/certs/netbox') }}"
DOMAIN: "{{ lookup('env', 'DOMAIN') | default('netos.dev') }}"
NETBOX_DB_NAME: "{{ lookup('env', 'NETBOX_DB_NAME') | default('netbox') }}"

Semaphore also supports encrypted secrets as variables. We decided to use this feature throughout rather than Ansible Vault because it ensures that all data is in one place, rather than being split across different vaults and environments.

There is a bug in Semaphore where updates to Secrets are not saved. Problem: not possible to edit secret name · Issue #2293 · semaphoreui/semaphore (github.com)

Repositories

Repositories are linked to Templates (e.g. an Ansible playbook) and in general point to a Git repository. In the case of all Netos projects, we instead point to a local file system, and instead have a per-project task to pull the repository from Netos Networks (github.com).

Templates

Everything above is pulled together into a Template.

Scheduling

Templates can then be scheduled for repetitive tasks, such as backup and housekeeping tasks.

Tracking Tasks

You can globally track the status of all tasks, as well as within the logs of each Template.

Getting Started

Users, Accounts & Tokens

Introduction

We have set default tokens and passwords to get a test/lab environment up and running quickly. In a production deployment you should replace all the tokens and passwords. We don't suggest changing any directories.

Default Login Values

The default accounts to login to systems following deployment from Semaphore are as follows. The endpoints (URLs) are set in Semaphore environments, and you will need deploy and configure NGINX.

System	Username	Password	Endpoint Settings
Semaphore	`admin`	`admin`	Set in Semaphore environment "Semaphore Global Settings"
NetBox	`admin`	`ohp8toef7Jee`	Set in Semaphore environment "NetBox Global Settings"
Airflow	`admin`	`admin`	Set in Semaphore environment "Pod Global Settings"
Kibana	`elastic_admin`	`ahee0JeebieB`	Set in Semaphore environment "Pod Global Settings"
Elastic	`elastic_admin`	`ahee0JeebieB`	Set in Semaphore environment "Pod Global Settings"

Var Files

There are different Ansible Variable files located in each project, for example:

Here is an example vars_file from the netos-netbox repository. The "lookup" value is taken from.

CERT_CONTENT: "{{ lookup('env', 'CERT_CONTENT') | default('must-be-set-in-semaphore-variable') }}"
CERT_DIR: "{{ lookup('env', 'CERT_DIR') | default('/netos/certs/netbox') }}"
DOMAIN: "{{ lookup('env', 'DOMAIN') | default('netos.dev') }}"
NETBOX_DB_NAME: "{{ lookup('env', 'NETBOX_DB_NAME') | default('netbox') }}"
NETBOX_DB_PASSWORD: "{{ lookup('env', 'NETBOX_DB_PASSWORD') | default('VxW6EnnKRrkxCzcnDnWT8Fz9q') }}"
NETBOX_DB_USER: "{{ lookup('env', 'NETBOX_DB_USER') | default('netbox') }}"
NETBOX_HOSTNAME: "{{ lookup('env', 'NETBOX_HOSTNAME') | default('netbox') }}"
NETBOX_INSTALL_DIR: "{{ lookup('env', 'NETBOX_INSTALL_DIR') | default('/opt/netbox') }}"
NETBOX_REPO: "{{ lookup('env', 'NETBOX_REPO') | default('https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox.git') }}"
NETBOX_TOKEN: "{{ lookup('env', 'NETBOX_TOKEN') | default('d4c5b00f7053317be2ce8993dd74caa14ca53ca8') }}"
ORG_NAME: "{{ lookup('env', 'ORG_NAME') | default('Netos Networks') }}"
PLUGIN_ADD_TAG: "{{ lookup('env', 'PLUGIN_ADD_TAG') | default('') }}"
POSTGRES_USER_PASSWORD: "{{ lookup('env', 'POSTGRES_USER_PASSWORD') | default('3SqtYWH8iy0Y1alOIj2I') }}"
PRIVATE_CERT_CONTENT: "{{ lookup('env', 'PRIVATE_CERT_CONTENT') | default('must-be-set-in-semaphore-variable') }}"
SECRET_KEY: "{{ lookup('env', 'SECRET_KEY') | default('ahz3ool4teiNgo7moh6fiehiuTh6zei5achae2eeshae9vaiYe') }}"
SUPER_USER_EMAIL: "{{ lookup('env', 'SUPER_USER_EMAIL') | default('netbox@netos.dev') }}"
SUPER_USER_PASSWORD: "{{ lookup('env', 'SUPER_USER_PASSWORD') | default('ohp8toef7Jee') }}"
SUPER_USER_USERNAME: "{{ lookup('env', 'SUPER_USER_USERNAME') | default('admin') }}"
AIRFLOW_API_USER_USERNAME: "{{ lookup('env', 'AIRFLOW_API_USER_USERNAME') | default('airflow_api') }}"
AIRFLOW_API_USER_PASSWORD: "{{ lookup('env', 'AIRFLOW_API_USER_PASSWORD') | default('a17baa2b642565b1d7be4d6d52a7fc23a2c6c41a') }}"
AIRFLOW_API_TOKEN: "{{ lookup('env', 'AIRFLOW_API_TOKEN') | default('d6d52a7fc23a2c6c41aa17baa2b642565b1d7be4') }}"

Semaphore Variables

Variables and Secrets are set in Environments which are passed as variables via the lookup command above. Check the Key Semaphore Principles guide for more information about Semaphore.

The variable must be configured in Semaphore if it is referenced in a variable file. If it isn't you will get an error when running the playbook.

In a production system, double check all accounts after setting them. I.e. ensure you can manually authenticate to databases, APIs, applications, etc.

Deploy Netos Semaphore

Deploy Semaphore & Netos Projects

Introduction

This guide details how to install Ansible Semaphore and automatically import all of the projects referenced in Netos NetOps. For example, to be able to Install NetBox, run through this process first.

1. Size Your Server

To run Semaphore and NetBox we'd suggest a server with a minimum of 4 x vCPU and 6GB of RAM, with SSD or NVMe disk.

In the future Netos will publish more comprehensive guidance on server sizing. Many variables need to be taken into account. For example, a static NetBox instance with 100k devices doesn't require many system resources (they are just rows in database tables after all), whereas a NetBox server with 1k devices that is getting hammered by constant API hits, many plugins, and many CPU intensive background jobs is a different story.

2. Install Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

The Netos Semaphore solution has been developed and tested only on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Long Term Support), which you can download from here. The ISO image will look like: ubuntu-24.04-live-server-amd64.iso.

Ubuntu release cycle | Ubuntu

Netos Semaphore will not work on earlier versions of Ubuntu.

3. Install Semaphore

Run Installation Script

On a fresh install of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with internet access, paste this script.

sudo wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/netos-networks/netos-netops/refs/heads/main/easy-deploy.sh && sudo chmod +x easy-deploy.sh && sudo ./easy-deploy.sh

Alternatively, if you want to clone the repo yourself, follow these exact steps:

sudo mkdir /netos
cd /netos
sudo git clone https://github.com/netos-networks/netos-netops
cd netos-netops
sudo chmod +x deploy.sh
clear
sudo ./deploy.sh

The /netos/ directory is central to many features, and in many cases (such as hard coded Semaphore variables) it's not easy to change, unless we start running sed on SQL dumps. Hence, please stick to the directory structure!

Installation Process

The deploy.sh script will:

Install dependencies on Ubuntu using apt
Install Ansible via pip into a venv
Run the semaphore-install Ansible playbook which will:
1. Install MySQL and provision the database
2. Install Semaphore
3. Import the Netos Semaphore projects from a SQL dump (semaphore-netos-netops.sql)
Present you with a URL to login to Semaphore to continue with the setup, e.g. https://10.1.1.1:3000

Re: step 4.3, we decided to import the Semaphore projects using a SQL backup rather than using the Semaphore UI Restore API. The Restore API doesn't support importing secret variables, which would have therefore required a significant amount of work for new users to just get a base instance up and running. You can of course (and should) change all the default passwords in a production build. Over time we'll transition to the Restore API.

Netos maintain a master/clean instance of the Semaphore project and create the semaphore-netos-netops.sql file as updates are made. If you want to add playbooks or tasks to the project, please create an issue in Netos NetOps GitHub.

4. Installation Screenshots

The following screenshots show the installation process when deploy.sh is run on the Ubuntu 24.04LTS server.

Note the URL you can connect to and to use TCP port 3000. Note that in the NGINX configuration guide, you can present this correctly using a FQDN on TCP443.

5. Connect to Semaphore

Once installed you should connect to a page like this, where you can login with the following default credentials. Check the Users, Accounts, and Tokens guide for more information about credentials and variables.

Username: admin
Password: admin

6. Delete Unwanted Projects & Tasks

You can delete unwanted projects, views, and tasks from the default Netos installation. When you pull repository updates, as outlined here, it will not change the Semaphore configuration. For example, maybe you want to delete these, if deployed:

Deploy Netos Semaphore

Sync Semaphore Repository Updates from Netos

Introduction

Each Semaphore project links to an associated GitHub repository, for example:

NetOps = https://github.com/netos-networks/netos-netops
Netos NetBox = https://github.com/netos-networks/netos-netbox

When you run playbooks from within the projects, e.g. "Deploy NetBox" it is running the playbook locally, i.e. on the local filesystem. This is by design to give you control over pulling updates from GitHub, and to ensure stability in your environment. Over time more playbooks will be added and fixes made.

From within each SYSTEM view of each Semaphore project is a task named something like "Git Pull Project_Name Repo". Run this to pull the latest updates for that Semaphore project.

$image.png$

The local directory structure on the server looks like this:

NetOps = /netos/netos-netops
NetBox = /netos/netos-netbox
Netos Pod = /netos/netos-pod
Netos Airflow = /netos/netos-airflow

Don't edit or make changes to the repository directories as they will be force replaced each time you pull the repo.

The repository directories are excluded from the Semaphore backup job in the NetOps project.

Deploy Netos Semaphore

Deploying NGINX & Certificates

Introduction

We have packaged pre-configured NGINX configurations for all applications that can be deployed through Semaphore, e.g. Semaphore, NetBox, Airflow, Elastic, and so on. Within each Netos defined project in Semaphore, there will be a "SYSTEM" tab which is where you deploy NGINX and certificate settings.

Configuration

NGINX

You can find the nginx.conf and {{ app_name }}.conf files in the nginx-* roles in the Ansible playbooks in the Netos GitHub repositories.

We suggest using our templates because each application has different requirements, for example, Semaphore requires WSS configurations for HTMLX, and NetBox requires /static/ to be correctly mounted. We have also configured backend keep-alives from NGINX to NetBox.

Custom vs. Self-Signed Certificates

In a lab environment a self-signed cert is ok (it'll give you a security warning when connecting via the browser). In each Semaphore project you'll see tasks like these which will provision the NGINX configuration and certificates.

Setup the Semaphore Environment

The variables are as follows. At a minimum we suggest setting the domain and hostname in ALL projects before deploying any applications, i.e. this example is for Netos NetOps, but you should do the same in Netos NetBox, etc.

DOMAIN = e.g. netos.io (don't put dots or asterisk at the start)
SEMAPHORE_HOSTNAME = e.g. server01-semaphore
CERT_DIR = This is where the certs will be stored. We suggest leaving everything in /netos/ as we have defined.
ORG_NAME = e.g. Netos Networks Ltd
CERT_CONTENT = the key chain for your private cert
PRIVATE_CERT_CONTENT = the private cert (see example below)

The hostname must be unique for each project, e.g. server01-ansible.netos.dev and server-01-netbox.netos.dev are permitted, however server-01.netos.dev for both Semaphore and NetBox would result in a validation check failure when running the playbook. This is because NGINX cannot have multiples sites with the same name bound to the same port, e.g. TCP/443.

If you want to add your own cert (or wildcard cert), e.g. signed for server-01-ansible.yourcompany.com, then you would paste something like this into the PRIVATE_CERT_CONTENT, and the longer key chain one in CERT_CONTENT.

Deploy the Certificates

In our case we have copied a wildcard full-chain cert and private key for *.core.netos.io into the environments in Semaphore.

After the playbook has deployed NGINX and the certs, you can change the domain in the URL and refresh the page.

Note that we configured DNS in advance of deploy NGINX and the certs. If you are running a local lab, you could set the hosts file on your workstation to point to the respective services. For example, like this:

10.1.1.1    uk-lab-nb05-semaphore.core.netos.io
10.1.1.1    uk-lab-nb05-netbox.core.netos.io

Troubleshooting

If things went wrong, you can always connect on the IP https://x.x.x.x:3000 URL to get into Semaphore, and delete the certs and NGINX site configuration file if required.

As long as you can connect to Semaphore, you can keep running the playbook to re-apply the settings, which will replace the certs and NGINX config files.

Then restart the NGINX process once the above files are deleted: sudo systemctl restart nginx.

Manage & Operate Semaphore

Semaphore Backup Guide

Introduction

The Semaphore backup process provides regular secure backups. In summary the playbook:

Manages retention based on your preferences, e.g. deletes backups older than 14 days old
Backs up and encrypts the /netos/ directory, which contains many important things, such as:
1. Certificates (for NGINX)
2. Past NetBox plugin ZIP file downloads
3. Working directories for other applications and tools
4. Backups (which are excluded from the backup)
Backs up the /etc/nginx/ directory, which contains all the site configurations for different services deployed by Semaphore, such as Semaphore itself, NetBox, Airflow, etc.
Backs up and encrypts the semaphore MySQL database
Optionally SFTP's the backup files to a secure remote SFTP server

The Semaphore process and MySQL database is NOT stopped during the backup.

Semaphore uses MySQL and not PostgreSQL to ensure isolation from other applications running on the server. For example, NetBox and Airflow both use PostgreSQL, and if/when those databases are restarted, we don't want to impact the management wrapper, i.e. Semaphore.

Cron Scheduling

The cron scheduler in Semaphore can be configured to backup the database at regular intervals, for example, at 02:30 every day. You can check the Dashboard page in the menu, or the task history to check the outcomes.

Note that there is a bug in Ansible Semaphore UI that causes the same task to run many times. The solution is to toggle the "Show cron format' button and use UNIX formatting like here.

Backup File Rotation

You can set the retention period for backup files stored in /netos/backups/semaphore in the Environment / variables.

Ensure you use the exact values of days or weeks, i.e. no capitals.

Remote SFTP

To enable remote SFTP, change the No value in the SFTP_ENABLED variable to Yes, and set the SFTP_HOST/USER/PASS values accordingly.

An example of the encrypted backup folder contents is as follows:

Manage & Operate Semaphore

Restore Semaphore

Manual Restore

We haven't included a playbook in Semaphore to restore itself, because it's a bit like sawing the branch off that you're hanging from. To restore from your Semaphore backup, you can follow this process.

Start with a fresh install following the Deploy Semaphore Guide, except CTRL-C and exit the installation.
Search and replace the semaphore-netos-netops.sql file in the /netos/netos-netops/roles/semaphore-install/files with your SQL backup and restart the install using deploy.sh
Restore the tar.gz file to /netos/
Restore the tar.gz file to /etc/nginx
Restart the server and connect to Semaphore

Decrypting Backup Files

If you want to manually decrypt the enc files on your local workstation, use the following commands.

openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -d -in BACKUP_FILE.enc -out OUTPUT.sql.gz/.tar.gz

You will need the password set in the Semaphore Backup Settings Semaphore environment variable ENCRYPTION_KEY.