Control Windows from Ansible using Windows Service OpenSSH.Server

OpenSSH is included in Windows. In this example an installation of Windows 10 21H1 is controlled from a Linux host using Ansible over SSH.

Adapt the ssh_windows.ps1 file

• IP addresses
• SSH key

Windows SSH Ansible

serve this repo from a webserver on the Linux host

python3 -m http.server

On Windows: prepare for Ansible

Open cmd.exe and download the files

curl -O http://192.168.0.250:8000/ssh_windows.bat
curl -O http://192.168.0.250:8000/ssh_windows.ps1

Execute bat to configure SSH server.

Now this Windows host can be controlled securely via SSH and Ansible.

Install choco

ansible-playbook -i hosts.ini install_choco.yml

Run my playbook

ansible-playbook -i hosts.ini my.yml

My playbook assumes the Windows user localadmin has no password and enables login with empty password.

SSH-tunneled RDP connection without password

The playbook enables RDP to demonstrate how to use RDP tunneled in SSH.

ssh -L 3389:127.0.0.1:3389 localadmin@192.168.0.124

In another window

# dynamic size and scaled to hdpi (choices: 100, 140, 180)
xfreerdp +clipboard /u:localadmin /p:'' /v:127.0.0.1 /dynamic-resolution /scale:180
# fixed size
xfreerdp +clipboard /u:localadmin /p:'' /v:127.0.0.1 /size:1920x1080 

References

• This PowerShell Script used here is made by @illudium
• Ansible code to install choco is taken from @deekayen
• Ansible home from @donhector
• Ansible 101 - Episode 14 - Ansible and Windows
• Ansible Windows packer