Skip to main content

2024-12-17

Quote

“Even if it’s selfish… I still hope those people can always wear a smile…” — Natsume’s Book of Friends · Sai

Offline Installation of the NuGet Provider in PowerShell​

By default, the first time you use PackageManagement to install a provider, PowerShell requires an internet connection to download the NuGet package provider. If your machine is offline but you still need to use the NuGet or PowerShellGet provider, you can perform the installation on another computer and then copy the necessary files to your target machine. Follow these steps:

  1. On an internet-connected computer, run:

    Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -RequiredVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force

    This installs the NuGet provider.

  2. Locate the installed provider. After installation, you’ll find the NuGet files in one of these directories:

    • $env:ProgramFiles\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies\NuGet\2.8.5.201
    • $env:LOCALAPPDATA\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies\NuGet\2.8.5.201

  3. Copy to the offline machine. Transfer the entire NuGet folder (including its version subfolder) into the corresponding location on your target computer. If your target is a Nano Server, you must run Install-PackageProvider directly on that Nano Server so it downloads the correct binaries.

  4. Reload PowerShell. Restart your PowerShell session so it auto-discovers the provider. Alternatively, you can manually import it:

    Get-PackageProvider -ListAvailable
    Import-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -RequiredVersion 2.8.5.201

    This ensures the NuGet provider is available for use in the current session.

Ansible delegate_to​

In Ansible, delegate_to is used to run a task on a host other than the one to which the play is currently targeted.

Purpose​

When you specify delegate_to: localhost, you instruct Ansible to execute that task on the control node (the machine running ansible-playbook) rather than on the remote inventory host.

Example Explanation​

- name: Store token to hostvars
  ansible.builtin.set_fact:
    join_command: "{{ token_create_output.stdout }}"
  delegate_to: localhost
  become: true

  1. delegate_to: localhost The task runs on the control node instead of the remote host defined in your inventory.

  2. ansible.builtin.set_fact Creates or updates the fact join_command with the value from token_create_output.stdout.

  3. become: true Elevates privileges (similar to sudo) so the task runs with higher permissions on the control node.

Typical Use Cases​

  • Generating credentials or tokens on the control node and then distributing them to other hosts.
  • Interacting with local tools (e.g., Vault, local scripts, or CLI utilities) that are only present on the control node.
  • Aggregating data globally before applying it to multiple remote hosts.

Summary​

The delegate_to keyword lets you choose exactly where a task executes. By using delegate_to: localhost, you ensure that specific operations run on your Ansible control machine instead of the inventory’s remote targets.