Currently, configuring email notifications in Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) requires defining the host in multiple playbooks[1], making failover and rollback operations impractical. A centralized email configuration solution, similar to the one available in Ansible Tower, is needed to streamline email setup and management.

[1] https://access.redhat.com/solutions/6983990

Additionally, support for incorporating mail services within Execution Environments (EE) could be improved to simplify the setup process, reduce configuration complexity, and ensure reliable email delivery.

To work around this limitation, the customer has experimented with two alternative approaches to enable centralized mail handling within Execution Environments (EEs).

Customer’s Proposed Workarounds:

1. Using podman --network=host in Rootless Mode:

• • Running Podman with --network=host allows Postfix inside the EE to send emails directly without requiring complex networking configurations.
  • Rootless mode partially mitigates security concerns while still providing direct access to the host’s network stack.
  • This reduces the need for exposing additional container ports or modifying Postfix behavior significantly.

1. Running Postfix Inside the EE & Managing Lifecycle via Entrypoint:

• • Installed Postfix via RPM inside the EE.
  • Mounted /etc/postfix/ from the AAP controller to inherit the existing mail configurations.
  • Modified the entrypoint script (entrypoint_custom.sh) to:
    • Start Postfix on container launch to ensure mail service availability.
    • Flush mail queue before container shutdown to prevent email loss.
  • Ensures the Ansible mail module can use localhost:25 within the EE for email delivery.

We requests native support for centralized email configuration in AAP to eliminate the need for playbook-level configurations. They propose:

• Reintroducing a global email configuration option (similar to Ansible Tower).
• Enhancing AAP’s notification system to allow Execution Environments to handle mail delivery without workarounds.
• Officially supporting a mechanism for running Postfix or other mail services within EEs.