vmware_cfg_backup doesn´t create a file

[Callahan78]

COMPONENT NAME community.vmware.vmware_cfg_backup

Hi all, I want to use vmware_cfg_backup module to create config backup from by ESXi 7.0.

My ansible script is:

- hosts: all
  tasks:
     - name: ESXI backup
       local_action:
           module: vmware_cfg_backup
           hostname: name_of_vcenter
           validate_certs: no
           esxi_hostname: name_of_esx_host
           username: [email protected]
           password: *password*
           state: saved
           dest: /tmp/

Script runs successful without erros:

SSH password: 
PLAY [all] *********************************************************************
TASK [Gathering Facts] *********************************************************
ok: [name_of_esx_host]
TASK [ESXI backup] ********************************************************
changed: [name_of_esx_host -> localhost]
PLAY RECAP *********************************************************************
name_of_esx_host        : ok=2    changed=1    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0  

Syslog in ESX says:

2022-07-16T21:31:00.070Z sftp-server[2828203]: session opened for local user root from [192.168.20.83]
2022-07-16T21:31:00.071Z sftp-server[2828203]: sent status No such file
2022-07-16T21:31:00.071Z sftp-server[2828203]: open "/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658007059.7049987-19-49891153652909/AnsiballZ_setup.py" flags WRITE,CREATE,TRUNCATE mode 0600
2022-07-16T21:31:00.077Z sftp-server[2828203]: close "/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658007059.7049987-19-49891153652909/AnsiballZ_setup.py" bytes read 0 written 265755
2022-07-16T21:31:00.077Z sftp-server[2828203]: session closed for local user root from [192.168.20.83]
2022-07-16T21:31:00.472Z ansible-setup[2828210]: Invoked with gather_subset=['all'] gather_timeout=10 filter=* fact_path=/etc/ansible/facts.d
2022-07-16T21:31:02.817Z backup.sh[2828224]: Saving current state in /usr/lib/vmware/hostd/docroot/downloads/52614ced-640e-acdc-8423-f1b66c09150c/firmware-backup.$$
2022-07-16T21:31:03.101Z backup.sh[2828224]: Creating ConfigStore Backup
2022-07-16T21:31:03.108Z configStoreBackup[2828323]: ConfigStore backup completed successfully
2022-07-16T21:31:03.108Z configStoreBackup[2828323]: ConfigStore backup completed with rc = 101
2022-07-16T21:31:03.108Z configStoreBackup[2828323]: ConfigStore backup completed successfully
2022-07-16T21:31:03.109Z configStoreBackup[2828323]: ConfigStore backup completed with rc = 101
2022-07-16T21:31:03.217Z backup.sh[2828224]: Locking esx.conf
2022-07-16T21:31:03.273Z backup.sh[2828224]: Creating archive
2022-07-16T21:31:03.368Z backup.sh[2828224]: Unlocked esx.conf
2022-07-16T21:31:03.399Z backup.sh[2828224]: Using key ID  886fb94b-0da2-458b-b2cd-b180ea6a4a0e to encrypt
2022-07-16T21:31:04.335Z addvob[2828374]: Log for VMware ESXi version=7.0.3 build=build-19482537 option=Release
2022-07-16T21:31:04.335Z addvob[2828374]: Could not expand environment variable HOME.
2022-07-16T21:31:04.335Z addvob[2828374]: Could not expand environment variable HOME.
2022-07-16T21:31:04.335Z addvob[2828374]: Using VMware ESXi syslog APIs

For my point of view everthing looks good.

But there is no file in /tmp

I tried many variations of the ansible script and some run withous errors but at the end there is no file . . .

Any suggestions?

[ansibullbot]

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[ansibullbot]

@Callahan78: Greetings! Thanks for taking the time to open this issue. In order for the community to handle your issue effectively, we need a bit more information.

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[mariolenz]

Wait a second... this:

SSH password: 
PLAY [all] *********************************************************************

and this:

Syslog in ESX says:

2022-07-16T21:31:00.070Z sftp-server[2828203]: session opened for local user root from [192.168.20.83]
2022-07-16T21:31:00.071Z sftp-server[2828203]: sent status No such file
2022-07-16T21:31:00.071Z sftp-server[2828203]: open "/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658007059.7049987-19-49891153652909/AnsiballZ_setup.py" flags WRITE,CREATE,TRUNCATE mode 0600
2022-07-16T21:31:00.077Z sftp-server[2828203]: close "/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1658007059.7049987-19-49891153652909/AnsiballZ_setup.py" bytes read 0 written 265755

looks a bit like your SSHing into the host and run the module there.

I don't know local_action, but if I understand the documentation correctly it should work. However, could you please try delegate_to: localhost:

- hosts: all
  tasks:
     - name: ESXI backup
       community.vmware.vmware_cfg_backup:
         hostname: name_of_vcenter
         validate_certs: no
         esxi_hostname: name_of_esx_host
         username: [email protected]
         password: *password*
         state: saved
         dest: /tmp/
       delegate_to: localhost

[Callahan78]

I also tried with delegate_to option (one of the many variations) with exactly the same result. And you´re right, according to the documentation it should work . . . Meanwhile I use the simple way:

- hosts: all
  tasks:
    - name: Run a script using an executable in a system path
      ansible.builtin.shell: /bin/firmwareConfig.py --backup /tmp

Maybe not the finest solution, but it works :-)