2019-09-13 update

content/blog/solving-this-module-requires-the-openshift-python-client-error.md

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+---
+title: "Solving the Ansible error 'This module requires the OpenShift Python client'"
+date: 2019-09-13T00:00:00+02:00
+opensource: 
+- OpenShift
+- Ansible
+---
+
+If you are using MacOS to develop Operators based on Ansible or simply running Ansible playbooks straight from your Mac, you might encounter this error:
+
+> **This module requires the OpenShift Python client**.
+
+When coping with this error message, two items need to be checked:
+
+- The *openshift* python module needs to be installed **using the *pip* command bundled with your Ansible**.
+- If you are not using the *implicit localhost*, **your inventory needs to be updated**.
+
+## Install the openshift python module
+
+As a MacOS user, you most likely installed Ansible using *brew*.
+When doing so, Ansible comes bundled with everything needed for its execution: python, all python modules, etc.
+There is a caveat with this approach: the bundled python interpreter does not load the python modules that are installed system-wide.
+
+This means that if you installed the openshift python module using `pip install openshift`, it will not be picked up by Ansible.
+
+**The openshift python module needs to be installed using the pip command bundled with your Ansible.**
+
+First, discover which version of Ansible you are running:
+
+```raw
+$ ansible --version
+ansible 2.7.10
+  config file = /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg
+  configured module search path = ['/Users/nmasse/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
+  ansible python module location = /usr/local/Cellar/ansible/2.7.10/libexec/lib/python3.7/site-packages/ansible
+  executable location = /usr/local/bin/ansible
+  python version = 3.7.3 (default, Mar 27 2019, 09:23:39) [Clang 10.0.0 (clang-1000.11.45.5)]
+```
+
+Then, you can install the *openshift* module using the *pip* command bundled with your Ansible:
+
+```sh
+/usr/local/Cellar/ansible/2.7.10/libexec/bin/pip install openshift
+```
+
+Of course, in the previous command you will have to replace `2.7.10` with your version of Ansible!
+
+If that does not solve the problem, continue with the next item: **check your inventory**.
+
+## Check your inventory
+
+When Ansible runs a task locally (using `connection: local` for instance), there are two python interpreter loaded:
+
+- One for the Ansible process that reads, parses and execute your playbook.
+- One for each task that is run.
+
+When running a task locally, there is a caveat with the [Ansible implicit localhost](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/inventory/implicit_localhost.html).
+
+If your inventory contains a *localhost* entry, it disables the **implicit localhost** entry and you need to set the python interpreter explicitly.
+
+Hopefully, the fix is easy.
+In your inventory, replace your *localhost* entries with this one:
+
+```ini
+localhost ansible_connection=local ansible_python_interpreter="{{ansible_playbook_python}}"
+```
+
+Happy Ansible hacking!