Manage Python and Python Library Dependencies

Projects: c2platform/rws/ansible-gis, c2platform.wincore

Overview

This how-to utilizes Vagrant and Ansible to automate the following:

1. Virtual Machine Setup: Vagrant, with the VirtualBox Provider, initializes a VM named gsd-python.
2. Python Installation: Through Ansible, Vagrant installs Python 3.11.0 from the Chocolatey repository and the requests library using pip. It’s important to note that the PIP installation process will be configured to use a web proxy available at http://webproxy.c2platform.org:1080  , specifically through the gsd-rproxy1 node.

Prerequisites

• Ensure your RWS Development Environment is set up on Ubuntu 22, as detailed here.
• Ensure the web proxy is running by executing vagrant up gsd-rproxy1, as detailed here.

Setup

To set up the Windows node with Python and its libraries, execute the following command, which typically completes in about 5 minutes:

vagrant up gsd-python

Verification

1. A successful playbook execution confirms that Python and the requests package have been installed, as indicated by the final log entries of gsd-python, showing tasks Manage Chocolatey packages and Manage Python library dependencies.

   Show me

    TASK [c2platform.wincore.win : Manage Chocolatey packages] *********************
    changed: [gsd-python] => (item=python present)
   
    TASK [c2platform.wincore.win : Manage Python library dependencies] *************
    changed: [gsd-python] => (item=requests 2.31.0 → present)
   

2. To further verify the installation of Python and the requests package, execute the following commands:

   vagrant ssh gsd-python
   python version
   pip list
   

   This should display Python 3.11.0 and the installed packages, including requests.

   Show me

    Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.20348.707]
    (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
   
    vagrant@GSD-PYTHON C:\Users\vagrant>python --version
    Python 3.11.0
   
    vagrant@GSD-PYTHON C:\Users\vagrant>pip list | grep requests
    'grep' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
    operable program or batch file.
   
    vagrant@GSD-PYTHON C:\Users\vagrant>pip list
    Package            Version
    ------------------ --------
    certifi            2024.2.2
    charset-normalizer 3.3.2
    idna               3.6
    pip                22.3
    requests           2.31.0
    setuptools         65.5.0
    urllib3            2.2.1
   
    [notice] A new release of pip available: 22.3 -> 24.0
    [notice] To update, run: python.exe -m pip install --upgrade pip
   
    vagrant@GSD-PYTHON C:\Users\vagrant>
   

Review

For insights into the VM setup and configuration, review the Ansible Inventory, Vagrant project files, and Ansible collections.

Ansible Inventory

Review the following files in the Ansible inventory / Vagrant project: c2platform/rws/ansible-gis:

The win_resources variable in group_vars/python/main.yml outlines the resources required for the Python setup, including Chocolatey packages and PIP installations:

---
win_resources:
  python:
    - name: python
      type: win_chocolatey
      version: 3.11.0
    - name: requests
      type: win_pip
      version: 2.31.0
      state: present
      environment:
        Path: 'C:\Python311\;C:\Python311\Scripts;{{ ansible_env.Path }}'

The environment variable ensures that the Path variable is updated with the necessary Python paths, which might not be immediately available to Ansible.

Ansible Collections / Roles

Streamlining Development

The gsd-python node encompasses several tasks as it belongs to the windows group. For a more focused setup, specifically targeting Chocolatey and PIP installations, you can leverage Ansible tags like so:

TAGS=win_chocolatey,win_pip vagrant provision gsd-python

This approach allows you to pinpoint and expedite the provisioning process for specific tasks.