ERROR: plugin directory already exists (idempotence) about ansible-elasticsearch

[barryib]

@martinb3 I think the term "idempotency" is misleading us. We don't want to install idempotently plugins (as you mentioned it, Elasticsearch can't do that), but we wanted to run idempotently our ansible tasks.

Indeed, we can do that with "hacking" (by using shell, conditions, loop, etc.) or we can do it properly in an ansible style (with module already included since ansible 2.0).

For the point you're referring to:

version no None
Version of the plugin to be installed. If plugin exists with previous version, it will NOT be updated

Yes, right now the module wont update, but it wont break anything and can be run as many time you want (that is idempotency for ansible task)

Furthermore, I've submitted this PR to let user decided if he wanted to force install a plugin.

[jakommo]

Thanks for reporting @marji . As a temporary workaround, at least for elastic provided plugins, you can set es_plugins_reinstall: true, which will cause a reinstall of all plugins on the second run.
The issue is caused by the role currently not checking which plugins are already installed.

@gingerwizard I think you already looked into a solution to something like this. Any ideas?

[barryib]

So far my workaround for this issue is to explicitly tell the task to don't fail when plugins exist. See the PR #113 .

The great way would be to don't try to re-install plugins if they exist without an es_plugins_reinstall: true, but I went into plugins names issue. Where some plugins have a different name (short one) when they are installed. Ex: mobz/elasticsearch-head become head when installed. fixed with #113

A second solution could be elactisearch_plugin module

[gingerwizard]

@barryib agreed lets use the plugin module.

[barryib]

Can be addressed with #125

[martinb3]

@barryib Since Elasticsearch itself can't idempotently install plugins, I'm not sure how different Ansible modules would solve the problem. From the docs to the module you linked:

version no None
Version of the plugin to be installed. If plugin exists with previous version, it will NOT be updated

That to me sounds like not idempotent either, if giving a version and it won't actually be installed in every case.

For what it's worth, we have the same problem in the Chef cookbook for Elasticseach. :/

[martinb3]

Thank you for clarifying that -- I guess if the module doesn't do anything, it would technically be idempotent. Usually I think of idempotency in configuration management as "run it as many times as you want, and it will always bring the system into the same state, or do nothing if the system is already in the desired state." Anyway, yeah -- I wish we could do more with Elasticsearch's plugin system :)

[gingerwizard]

I'll tested this a while back and i believe its resolved. It should be tested under #43 which i will try to include shortly.