18 KiB
FreeIPA & Ansible
The FreeIPA/Ansible system provides centralised identity management for a fleet of Arch Linux machines: single sign-on, host-group-driven package and module deployment, policy enforcement, LUKS backup key collection, scan-result aggregation, and automatic Keycloak configuration.
All relevant files live under setup/modules/FreeipaAnsible/.
Architecture
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FreeIPA + Keycloak + Samba container (docker-compose) │
│ │
│ • FreeIPA — user/host directory, Kerberos KDC, DNS (optional) │
│ • Keycloak — OIDC provider federating FreeIPA via LDAP │
│ • Samba — two SMB shares for scan results and LUKS backup keys │
│ • cronie — hourly scan-result analyser (ansipa-check-scans) │
└───────────┬─────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
│ SSSD / Kerberos │ SMB (445)
▼ ▼
┌──────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Enrolled client │ │ Ansible controller │
│ │ │ │
│ • sssd │ │ • deploy-ansipa-*.yml playbooks │
│ • ipa CLI │ │ • collect-luks-keys.yml │
│ • Ansible-deployed │ │ (uploads keys to ansipa-luks-keys │
│ timers: │ │ share as luks-upload service acct) │
│ ├── pkg installer │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘
│ ├── module install│
│ ├── Flatpak install
│ ├── baseuser sync │
│ └── policy enforcer (every 30 min)
│ ├── binary blocking
│ ├── daemon enable/disable
│ ├── Timeshift backups
│ ├── security scans + SMB upload
│ └── alert fetch + desktop notify
└──────────────────────┘
FreeIPA Server Container
Quick Start
cd setup/modules/FreeipaAnsible/image
cp .env.example .env
$EDITOR .env # set all required variables
docker compose up -d
docker compose logs -f freeipa # watch first-boot (~10 min)
# Once freeipa is healthy:
./keycloak-configure.sh # wire Keycloak → FreeIPA LDAP
To run FreeIPA without Keycloak:
docker compose up -d freeipa
Environment Variables (.env)
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
IPA_HOSTNAME |
yes | FQDN of the IPA server (e.g. ipa.corp.example.com) |
IPA_DOMAIN |
yes | DNS domain (e.g. corp.example.com) |
IPA_REALM |
— | Kerberos realm; defaults to IPA_DOMAIN uppercased |
IPA_ADMIN_PASSWORD |
yes | admin account password |
IPA_DM_PASSWORD |
yes | Directory Manager password |
IPA_SETUP_DNS |
— | true to enable integrated DNS (default false) |
IPA_DNS_FORWARDER |
— | Upstream DNS when IPA_SETUP_DNS=true |
IPA_SETUP_KRA |
— | true to enable the Key Recovery Authority |
SMB_SCAN_PASSWORD |
yes | Password for the scanupload Samba service account |
LUKS_KEY_UPLOAD_PASSWORD |
yes | Password for the luks-upload Samba service account |
KC_HOSTNAME |
yes | Public hostname of Keycloak |
KC_REALM |
— | Keycloak realm name (default corp) |
KC_ADMIN |
— | Keycloak admin username (default admin) |
KC_ADMIN_PASSWORD |
yes | Keycloak admin password |
KC_DB_PASSWORD |
yes | PostgreSQL password for Keycloak |
IPA_BIND_DN |
— | LDAP bind DN for Keycloak federation (default: Directory Manager) |
IPA_BIND_PASSWORD |
— | LDAP bind password; leave blank to reuse IPA_DM_PASSWORD |
IPA_USE_LDAPS |
— | true to use LDAPS for Keycloak federation |
Exposed Ports
| Port | Protocol | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 389 | TCP | LDAP |
| 636 | TCP | LDAPS |
| 88 | TCP + UDP | Kerberos |
| 464 | TCP + UDP | kpasswd |
| 443 | TCP | HTTPS (IPA web UI) |
| 445 | TCP | SMB (Samba shares) |
| 139 | TCP | NetBIOS session (Samba) |
| 137 | UDP | NetBIOS name service |
| 138 | UDP | NetBIOS datagram |
| 8080 | TCP | Keycloak HTTP |
| 8443 | TCP | Keycloak HTTPS |
Container Internals
On first start, ipa-first-boot.service runs ipa-first-boot.sh to initialise the FreeIPA instance. On every start, ansipa-smb.service runs ansipa-smb-setup.sh to configure Samba (the container rootfs is ephemeral — Samba config and users must be re-applied after restarts).
Data persisted to the /data volume:
/data/
├── samba/
│ ├── passdb.tdb # Samba password database (survives restarts)
│ └── ansipa-smb.env # Persisted SMB passwords (auto-written on first start)
├── scan-results/
│ ├── archive/<host>/ # Client scan logs (written by clients via SMB)
│ └── alerts/<host>/ # Alert files generated by ansipa-check-scans (hourly)
└── luks-keys/ # LUKS backup keys (written by Ansible controller via SMB)
SMB Shares
The container exposes two Samba shares, both configured by ansipa-smb-setup.sh.
ansipa-scans — Scan Result Archive
- Path:
/data/scan-results - Authenticated user:
scanupload(write-only; no browse) - Purpose: Clients enrolled in
policy-security-scanupload their daily ClamAV / rkhunter / chkrootkit logs here after each scan run. - Analysis:
ansipa-check-scans.shruns hourly via cronie; it reads each host's archive logs and writes*.alertfiles to thealerts/subdirectory when concerning patterns are found. - Credentials file on clients:
/etc/ansipa-smb.creds(deployed bydeploy-ansipa-policies.yml)
ansipa-luks-keys — LUKS Backup Key Store
- Path:
/data/luks-keys - Permissions: write-only for
luks-upload; read-only for members of theKeyAdminLinux group - Purpose: The Ansible controller writes each host's LUKS backup key here after collecting it via
collect-luks-keys.yml. - Access control: Add an admin Samba user to the
KeyAdmingroup on the container:
The# On the freeipa container useradd -r -G KeyAdmin <username> smbpasswd -a <username>KeyAdmingroup and theluks-upload/scanuploadservice accounts are created byansipa-smb-setup.shon every container start.
Client Enrollment
Via Installer Module
Select freeipa-client during tui-install.sh or install-modules.sh.
Manual Enrollment
Three modes:
# Answerfile mode (unattended)
bash setup/modules/FreeipaAnsible/freeipa-client.sh \
--answerfile setup/modules/FreeipaAnsible/freeipa-client-answerfile.json
# Interactive prompts
bash setup/modules/FreeipaAnsible/freeipa-client.sh --interactive
# Direct flag passthrough to freeipa-enroll.sh
bash setup/modules/FreeipaAnsible/freeipa-client.sh \
--domain freeipa.example.com \
--server ipa.example.com \
--principal admin
Client Answerfile Schema
{
"domain": "freeipa.abdelbaki.eu",
"realm": "FREEIPA.ABDELBAKI.EU",
"server": "freeipa.abdelbaki.eu",
"hostname": "",
"principal": "admin",
"password": "",
"mkhomedir": true,
"sudo": true,
"dns_update": true,
"ntp_server": "",
"fido2": false,
"fido2_users": []
}
Leave hostname blank to use the current machine hostname. Leave password blank to be prompted at enrollment time.
Ansible Playbooks
All playbooks live in setup/modules/FreeipaAnsible/ansible/ and require an inventory of enrolled IPA clients.
Deploy Package Auto-Installer
ansible-playbook -i inventory deploy-ansipa-install.yml
Deploys ansipa-install-packages.sh + a systemd timer (every 30 min). The script queries IPA for host groups named ansipa-install-<package> and installs or removes packages to match.
Group naming convention: ansipa-install-firefox → installs firefox.
Deploy Module Auto-Installer
ansible-playbook -i inventory deploy-ansipa-modules.yml \
[-e ansipa_user=amir]
Deploys ansipa-install-modules.sh + timer. Queries for groups named ansipa-module-<name> and runs the matching script from /usr/local/lib/ansipa-modules/<name>.sh. Module scripts are copied from setup/modules/optional-Modules/apps/*.sh.
Each module is applied once and stamped in /var/lib/ansipa-modules/<name>.done.
Deploy BaseUser Sync
ansible-playbook -i inventory deploy-baseuser-sync.yml
Deploys a systemd.path unit that triggers on login. Users who are members of the IPA BaseUser group are automatically added to the local baseusers group.
Deploy Policy Enforcer
ansible-playbook -i inventory deploy-ansipa-policies.yml \
-e smb_scan_password=<SMB_SCAN_PASSWORD>
Deploys ansipa-enforce-policies.sh, ansipa-fetch-alerts.sh, ansipa-scan-notify.sh, a systemd timer (every 30 min), and /etc/ansipa-smb.creds. Use ansible-vault for the password in production.
Collect LUKS Backup Keys
ansible-playbook -i inventory collect-luks-keys.yml \
-e luks_smb_server=ipa.corp.example.com \
-e luks_upload_password=<LUKS_KEY_UPLOAD_PASSWORD>
For each enrolled host:
- Fetches
/_LUKS_BACKUP_KEYfrom the client to a local staging directory. - Uploads the staged key to
//ipa-server/ansipa-luks-keys/<hostname>_LUKS_BACKUP_KEYviasmbclientusing a temporary credentials file (no_log, deleted inpost_tasks). - Removes the local staging copy after a successful upload.
Keys on the SMB share are accessible only to KeyAdmin group members (see SMB Shares).
Schedule automatic collection:
# Add to crontab on the Ansible controller
0 3 * * * cd /path/to/FreeipaAnsible/ansible && \
ansible-playbook -i inventory collect-luks-keys.yml \
-e luks_smb_server=ipa.corp.example.com \
-e luks_upload_password=<LUKS_KEY_UPLOAD_PASSWORD>
Host Group Reference
| Group prefix | Handled by | Effect |
|---|---|---|
ansipa-install-<pkg> |
ansipa-install-packages.sh |
Install/remove native package |
ansipa-module-<name> |
ansipa-install-modules.sh |
Run module script once |
fp_install-<app> |
ansipa-install-flatpaks.sh |
Install Flatpak app |
BaseUser |
auto-add-baseuser.sh |
Add user to local baseusers group |
policy-block-binary-<name> |
ansipa-enforce-policies.sh |
Block binary via PATH wrapper + AppArmor |
policy-daemon-enable-<unit> |
ansipa-enforce-policies.sh |
systemctl enable --now <unit>; reverted on leave |
policy-daemon-disable-<unit> |
ansipa-enforce-policies.sh |
systemctl disable --now <unit>; reverted on leave |
policy-timeshift-backup |
ansipa-enforce-policies.sh |
Daily Timeshift snapshot at 03:00 |
policy-security-scan |
ansipa-enforce-policies.sh |
Daily ClamAV + rkhunter + chkrootkit scan + SMB upload |
policy-scan-notify |
ansipa-enforce-policies.sh |
Fetch server alerts, notify user every 10 min until acknowledged |
no_local_users |
ansipa-enforce-policies.sh |
Lock passwords for root and all local users (UID ≥ 1000); reverted on leave |
Policy Enforcement
ansipa-enforce-policies.sh runs every 30 minutes on each enrolled client (deployed by deploy-ansipa-policies.yml). All policies are idempotent and reversible — leaving a host group undoes the policy on the next run.
Binary Blocking
Adding a host to policy-block-binary-<name> applies two layers:
- PATH wrapper — a script in
/usr/local/bin/<name>that prints a policy message and exits 1. Takes priority over the real binary for$PATH-based calls. - AppArmor deny profile —
/etc/apparmor.d/ansipa-block-<name>with an empty profile, denying all file access. Blocks absolute-path calls and directexec(). Skipped silently ifapparmor_parseris not present.
Leaving the group removes both layers on the next enforcer run.
Daemon Enable / Disable
| Group | Effect on join | Effect on leave |
|---|---|---|
policy-daemon-enable-<unit> |
systemctl enable --now <unit> |
systemctl disable --now <unit> |
policy-daemon-disable-<unit> |
systemctl disable --now <unit> |
systemctl enable --now <unit> |
The .service suffix is optional — it is appended automatically when the unit name contains no dot, so any systemd unit type works. If a unit appears in both enable and disable groups simultaneously, it is skipped with a warning.
State is tracked in /var/lib/ansipa-policies/daemon-enabled and daemon-disabled so revert actions are applied correctly when a host leaves a group.
Security Scans & Alert Pipeline
Client (policy-security-scan)
└── daily 02:00: clamscan + rkhunter + chkrootkit
└── smbclient → //ipa-server/ansipa-scans/archive/<host>/<date>.log
IPA container (hourly cron)
└── ansipa-check-scans.sh
└── grep for FOUND / Warning / Possible rootkit / etc.
└── writes /data/scan-results/alerts/<host>/<date>.alert
Client (policy-scan-notify, every 10 min via systemd timer)
└── ansipa-fetch-alerts.sh (root)
└── downloads *.alert files → ~/administration/<host>/ per active user
└── ansipa-scan-notify.sh (user daemon, started on login via profile.d)
└── notify-send every 10 min while *.alert files remain
└── delete file to acknowledge → removed from server on next fetch
Prerequisites for scan policies:
- Add host to
ansipa-module-anti-malwarebeforepolicy-security-scan(installs ClamAV, rkhunter, chkrootkit). samba-clientis installed automatically bydeploy-ansipa-policies.yml.- SMB credentials are written to
/etc/ansipa-smb.creds(root-only,0600).
Local User Lockdown
Adding a host to the no_local_users group locks the password of every local account — root (UID 0) and all regular users (UID ≥ 1000) — using passwd -l. Accounts whose passwords are already locked (! or * prefix in shadow) are left untouched and are not tracked.
State is persisted in /var/lib/ansipa-policies/no-local-users (one username per line). Only accounts that were actively unlocked at apply time are written to this file, so the revert step only unlocks what was changed.
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
Join no_local_users |
passwd -l on root + all UID ≥ 1000 local accounts |
Leave no_local_users |
passwd -u on every account listed in the state file |
Interaction with FreeIPA sudo: Domain accounts in the sudoers or sudo-nopasswd FreeIPA groups retain full sudo access via SSSD — local password lockdown does not affect them. Ensure at least one domain admin has sudo before adding a host to this group.
LUKS Key Flow
Install time (arch-autoinstall.sh or archbaseos-guided-install.sh)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. User sets primary LUKS passphrase interactively
2. 64-byte random key generated from /dev/urandom
3. Key enrolled in second LUKS slot
4. Key written to /_LUKS_BACKUP_KEY (mode 0400, root-only)
inside the encrypted Btrfs volume
Post-install (Ansible controller)
──────────────────────────────────
5. collect-luks-keys.yml runs
6. Fetches /_LUKS_BACKUP_KEY from each client (become: yes)
7. Uploads to //ipa-server/ansipa-luks-keys/<host>_LUKS_BACKUP_KEY
as 'luks-upload' service account (write-only, no_log)
8. Local staging copy deleted after successful upload
Recovery (KeyAdmin member)
───────────────────────────
9. Connect to //ipa-server/ansipa-luks-keys with a KeyAdmin Samba account
10. Retrieve <host>_LUKS_BACKUP_KEY and use with cryptsetup
The backup key lives inside the encrypted partition and is only accessible when the disk is already unlocked. Its purpose is to allow an admin to unlock the disk for recovery without knowing the user's passphrase.
Keycloak
keycloak-configure.sh performs the initial wiring after both FreeIPA and Keycloak containers are healthy:
- Creates the configured realm in Keycloak.
- Sets up an LDAP federation pointing at the FreeIPA LDAP/LDAPS endpoint.
- Configures user and group mappers.
Run it once after the first docker compose up:
cd setup/modules/FreeipaAnsible/image
./keycloak-configure.sh
The Keycloak admin console is available at http://<KC_HOSTNAME>:8080 (dev mode) or https://<KC_HOSTNAME>:8443 (requires TLS cert for production start command).
Auto Enrollment + Ansible
bash setup/modules/FreeipaAnsible/auto-enroll-ansible.sh
Combines FreeIPA client enrollment and Ansible deployment in one shot. Useful for provisioning scripts that run on first boot.