Infrastructure Engineering Toolkit

Bounded infrastructure automation for identity, DNS, MariaDB, proxy, and high availability.

Six independently usable Bash and Ansible components with explicit contracts, inspect-before-mutate workflows, and public-safe fixtures. Compose the pieces in a caller-owned playbook; this repository is not an end-to-end platform installer.

✨ Highlights · 🧩 Components · 🧭 Platforms · 🚀 Quick Start · 📦 Release assets · 🤝 Contributing

✨ Highlights

• Composable by design: FreeIPA, MariaDB, MariaDB replication, MaxScale, Keepalived, and DNS update remain independently usable, with responsibilities and non-responsibilities documented for each interface.
• Inspect before mutating: Check mode, dry-run paths, candidate configuration validation, deterministic contracts, and explicit opt-in switches keep changes reviewable before they reach a target host.
• Packaged independently: Release v0.1.0 publishes five Ansible role archives plus a separate FreeIPA archive, with a machine-readable manifest and SHA256 checksums for download verification.
• Public-safe by default: Examples use documentation networks and example.invalid; credentials, certificates, authoritative data, vendor packages, and runtime state stay outside the repository.

⚠️ Scope note: “Linux” describes the component-specific target families listed below. It is not a promise that every role runs on every Linux distribution. The CI runner is Ubuntu 24.04, while FreeIPA and the database/proxy roles have different documented target constraints.

The project is in 0.x development. The component contracts and static validation are published, while target-host runtime validation remains the responsibility of the operator. In particular, the DNS update role has passed its contract, syntax, yamllint, and ansible-lint checks, but a local Python 3.14 controller RPC incompatibility blocked live execution before DNS was reached. No live DNS deployment outcome is claimed.

Contents

• Highlights
• Why this repository exists
• Goals and engineering principles
• Component catalogue
• Architecture and composition
• Supported platforms and prerequisites
• Safe Quick Start
• Repository layout
• Validation and CI
• Branch governance
• Release, versioning, and changelog
• Operational safety, secrets, and certificates
• Roadmap
• Contributing
• Licence and third-party boundaries
• Documentation index

Why this repository exists

Infrastructure automation is easier to review when each change has an owner, a preflight path, and a clear stopping point. This toolkit focuses on repeatable foundations and operational checks:

• identity and DNS bootstrapping with explicit authority boundaries;
• MariaDB host preparation and standard asynchronous replication;
• a bounded MaxScale configuration core;
• generic Keepalived/VRRP configuration; and
• explicit DNS A/PTR inspection and reconciliation.

The boundaries are intentional. The MariaDB baseline does not configure a replication channel; replication does not copy data or promote a new primary; MaxScale does not create database accounts or claim a virtual IP; Keepalived does not infer application health; and DNS does not decide which service is healthy. A caller can therefore adopt one component without accepting the assumptions of the others.

Goals and engineering principles

Goals

• Make infrastructure changes inspectable before they are applied.
• Keep every component independently usable with a documented interface.
• Prefer idempotent, state-aware operations over broad host mutation.
• Make version, dependency, privilege, recovery, and limitation information visible.
• Provide fixtures that are safe to parse or render with RFC documentation addresses and example.invalid names.
• Record validation evidence without implying a deployment result that was not observed.

Engineering principles

• Validate before mutating. Use preflight, syntax checks, check mode, dry runs, and candidate configuration checks before enabling package, service, firewall, DNS, or topology changes.
• Keep ownership explicit. A role manages only the files, records, services, and state named in its contract. It does not discover authority or repair an ambiguous existing installation.
• Separate layers. Identity/DNS and the MariaDB/replication/MaxScale/VRRP path have independent inputs and failure boundaries.
• Use least privilege. Credentials, certificates, keys, health programs, and database state are supplied or owned by the workflow that is responsible for them.
• Prefer recoverable operations. Guard first-node initialisation, refuse unsafe PTR replacement by default, protect running Keepalived deployments, and preserve configuration recovery paths.
• Publish safe examples. Examples use RFC 5737 IPv4 ranges, RFC 3849 IPv6 ranges, and the reserved example.invalid namespace. Replace them only in an approved runtime inventory.

Component catalogue

The table is a quick index. Each component guide remains authoritative for its complete variable contract, supported versions, and recovery notes.

Component	Interface and status	Primary responsibility	Explicitly not responsible for	Guide	Example	Tests
FreeIPA bootstrap	Bash; available, with supported-target validation required	Primary/replica bootstrap, CA mode, integrated or external DNS provider orchestration, validation, and managed server-address updates	Users, groups, access policy, application principals, trust policy, backup/restore, or workstation testing	README	examples/freeipa	test suite
MariaDB baseline	Ansible; available, with Ubuntu target validation required	Official repository/package baseline, split configuration, hardening, deterministic identity, guarded first-node initialisation, and TLS consumer links	Replication topology, data copy, failover, application schemas/users, backup schedules, Galera, or MaxScale	role guide	examples/mariadb	contracts
MariaDB replication	Ansible; available, with existing data-copy evidence required	One writable primary and one or more asynchronous replicas, GTID or explicit file/position channels, consistency checks, and health summaries	Data copy/restore, server identity changes, binary-log enablement, PKI, Galera, failover, MaxScale, or Keepalived	role guide	examples/mariadb-replication	contracts
MaxScale core	Ansible; available, render-first, software not bundled	Generic server/monitor/service/listener model, configuration validation, optional service reload, logging, TLS-path checks, and optional REST health checks	MariaDB or MaxScale account creation, Binlog Router, Config Sync, binlog retention, external replicas, VIP/DNS, or MaxScale redistribution	role guide	examples/maxscale-ha	static checks
Keepalived	Ansible; available, generic VRRP only	Explicit VRRP instances, peer selection, protected existing deployments, least-privilege health-script references, and opt-in generic firewall rules	Health-program implementation, database/proxy semantics, DNS, certificates, or forced failover	role guide	examples/keepalived	syntax check
DNS update	Ansible; available interface, live target validation pending	Explicit A/PTR inspection and optional reconciliation through community.general.nsupdate, with per-record results and conservative PTR conflicts	Zone/server discovery, DNS authority management, operating-system network changes, or identity/database/proxy/VRRP state	role guide	examples/dns-update	contract test

FreeIPA bootstrap

The Bash component supports a FreeIPA/IdM primary or replica on allowlisted RHEL-family 8, 9, or 10 hosts and x86_64 or aarch64 architectures. It uses the supported ipa-server-install or ipa-replica-install path, validates foundational host and realm inputs, and keeps DNS provider behaviour behind a provider contract. The public DNS choices are FreeIPA integrated DNS, managed BIND9/Webmin, Technitium, and a read-only existing-DNS path.

./install.sh --check is read-only and ./install.sh --dry-run prints the planned actions. The address-update utility changes only its managed records and keeps host-network migration separate. The bootstrap does not create identity policy, application configuration, or a backup/restore system.

MariaDB baseline

The baseline defaults to MariaDB 11.8 on Ubuntu 24.04 (noble), with the release and target values explicit. It manages official repository integration, packages, split option files, logging, performance defaults, deterministic server_id and report_host, root hardening, a reserved SSL-protected replication account, and stable links for externally managed TLS assets. First-node GTID/binlog reset is guarded by an explicit new-server declaration and clean-state assertions.

The role stops at a Ready-for-HA contract. It does not create application databases or users, initialise a topology, schedule backups, or configure CHANGE MASTER TO, CHANGE REPLICATION SOURCE TO, or START REPLICA.

MariaDB replication

The replication role supports MariaDB 11.x and 12.x standard asynchronous replication: one initial writable primary and one or more replicas. GTID with the replica-position model is the default; file/position mode is available when the operator supplies coordinates tied to a consistent copy. The role validates server identity, binary logging, network reachability, account transport policy, table inventories, storage engines, and checksums before changing a channel.

It does not copy or restore data, discover a safe coordinate, change server_id, enable binary logging, enrol certificates, implement failover, or configure MaxScale/Keepalived. A replica failure is reported in its own result so other declared replicas can still be assessed; a primary safety failure remains a failed run.

MaxScale core

The MaxScale role is a bounded, 24.02-oriented configuration core for Debian-family hosts, with Ubuntu jammy and noble as the documented defaults. It renders server, monitor, service, router, and listener definitions; validates caller-supplied TLS paths; and can optionally manage the official repository, package, service, firewall rules, logging, and REST health checks. Rendering and management are separate switches so a caller can review a configuration first.

MaxScale software, packages, repository metadata, and vendor legal text are not redistributed or relicensed by this repository. The role does not create database or MaxScale accounts, manage Binlog Router or Config Sync, claim a VIP, or infer DNS and application health.

Keepalived

The Keepalived role describes one or more independent VRRP instances. The caller supplies interface, state, priority, peer addresses, virtual IP addresses, and optional paths to separately managed health programs. Existing running deployments are validation-only unless a planned reconciliation switch is enabled. The role validates the rendered configuration and does not claim a VIP or force failover during a check.

DNS update

The dns_update role requires every record to declare name, type (A or PTR), value, zone, and state. It queries current values with dig first and delegates updates to the official community.general.nsupdate module. Both dns_update_enabled and dns_update_manage default to false. GSS-TSIG is the secure default; standard TSIG is optional; unsigned mode is test-only, disabled by default, and requires an explicit opt-in. A matching record is a no-op. A different PTR is reported and left untouched under the default report policy.

The pinned public example uses community.general 13.0.0. Check mode performs read-only inspection and never obtains a Kerberos ticket or invokes nsupdate. Runtime dependency, authority, credential, and target-host checks remain the caller's responsibility.

Architecture and composition

Independent identity and DNS plane

FreeIPA is an independent identity plane. Its primary/replica relationship, realm, CA choice, and DNS provider choice are established by the FreeIPA component and are not inferred from the database or availability roles. A FreeIPA replica is not automatically a BIND or Technitium secondary, and a DNS secondary is not automatically a FreeIPA replica.

The identity and DNS architecture guide describes integrated DNS, managed BIND9/Webmin, Technitium, existing-DNS read-only operation, provider boundaries, and the separate address-update paths.

Optional data-plane sequence

The database and service path can be composed in this order when a caller needs all layers:

MariaDB baseline -> MariaDB replication -> MaxScale -> Keepalived/VRRP -> DNS name

Each arrow is a caller-controlled hand-off, not a hidden role dependency:

1. MariaDB baseline prepares each database host, stable identity, server configuration, and external TLS links.
2. MariaDB replication consumes existing data-copy evidence and explicit topology inputs to configure and validate the asynchronous channel.
3. MaxScale consumes backend definitions and exposes an optional listener after candidate configuration validation.
4. Keepalived/VRRP can own a virtual IP for a caller-supplied edge or listener policy; it does not know whether the address fronts MariaDB, MaxScale, or another service.
5. DNS can name the chosen edge, but it does not decide health, promote a primary, or claim a virtual IP.

The data-plane architecture guide contains the responsibility matrix and safe composition sequence. Use a stable service name such as db-writer.example.invalid only in documentation; replace it with an approved zone and authority in a reviewed runtime configuration.

Supported platforms and prerequisites

The component guides are authoritative when a variable or platform detail changes. The following table gives the public baseline:

Area	Supported/default environment	Prerequisites and boundaries
FreeIPA bootstrap	RHEL, Rocky, AlmaLinux, CentOS Stream, or Oracle Linux 8/9/10; x86_64 or aarch64	Root or approved privilege, native dnf/yum, hostname/realm/time/DNS prerequisites, and a disposable supported target. Do not run the installer on a workstation.
MariaDB baseline	Ubuntu 24.04/noble by default; MariaDB 11.8 release series by default	ansible-core, ansible.mariadb, ansible.posix, target-side PyMySQL, python3-debian, and ACL support. Root/database secrets and certificates come from external workflows.
MariaDB replication	MariaDB 11.x or 12.x	Controller virtual environment, ansible.mariadb 6.x or newer, target-side PyMySQL, a reachable TCP primary, unique server IDs, binary logging, and a consistent preloaded copy with GTID or position metadata.
MaxScale	Debian family; Ubuntu jammy or noble defaults; 24.02-oriented configuration	An installed or explicitly managed MaxScale package, external account/TLS material, and reviewed MariaDB terms. Repository/package/service management is opt-in.
Keepalived	A target with the distribution Keepalived package and validation binary	Explicit interface, peers, VRID, priorities, VIPs, and separately managed health programs. Existing deployments are protected by default.
DNS update	Any supported Ansible target with dig; community.general 13.0.0	Target-side dnspython; GSS-TSIG additionally needs kinit, Kerberos, and gssapi; TSIG keys or Kerberos credentials must be supplied at runtime.
CI and local validation	Ubuntu 24.04 runner, Python 3.13	Pinned tools in requirements-ci.txt and collections in ansible/requirements.yml. Python 3.14 may trigger the documented local Ansible RPC issue.

Install validation dependencies

Use a supported Python 3.13 interpreter for local validation, matching CI. Keep the virtual environment and Ansible collections outside source control:

python3.13 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --requirement requirements-ci.txt
ansible-galaxy collection install \
  --requirements-file ansible/requirements.yml \
  --collections-path "$PWD/collections"

The pinned collection set includes ansible.mariadb 6.0.2, ansible.posix 2.2.2, and community.general 13.0.0. The DNS role may require target-side dnspython, and GSS-TSIG requires a working Kerberos client and gssapi in the runtime environment. The roles do not vendor collections or install guessed package names by default.

Safe Quick Start

The commands below are designed for inspection, parsing, and check mode. They do not provide credentials, publish DNS, configure a database topology, claim a VIP, or enable a package/service change.

1. Clone and prepare the validation environment

git clone https://github.com/john8862/infrastructure-engineering-toolkit.git
cd infrastructure-engineering-toolkit
python3.13 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --requirement requirements-ci.txt
ansible-galaxy collection install \
  --requirements-file ansible/requirements.yml \
  --collections-path "$PWD/collections"

2. Inspect the FreeIPA plan

Run these commands only on a disposable, supported RHEL-family target with a reviewed environment file. They are not workstation installation commands:

cd components/freeipa-bootstrap
./install.sh --version
./install.sh --check
./install.sh --dry-run
cd ../..

--check performs read-only preflight and provider validation. --dry-run validates and prints planned packages, files, services, DNS operations, firewall behaviour, and FreeIPA mode. A normal run remains outside this Quick Start.

3. Run local Ansible syntax and check-mode fixtures

Set paths to the checked-out role and collection directories:

export ANSIBLE_ROLES_PATH="$PWD/ansible/roles"
export ANSIBLE_COLLECTIONS_PATH="$PWD/collections"
export ANSIBLE_LOCAL_TEMP="/tmp/ietk-ansible-tmp"
mkdir -p "$ANSIBLE_LOCAL_TEMP"

The DNS and MaxScale fixtures use local execution and safe documentation values:

ansible-playbook --syntax-check \
  -i localhost, -c local examples/dns-update/site.yml
ansible-playbook --check --diff \
  -i localhost, -c local examples/dns-update/site.yml
ansible-playbook --syntax-check \
  -i examples/maxscale-ha/inventory/hosts.yml examples/maxscale-ha/site.yml
ansible-playbook --check --diff \
  -i examples/maxscale-ha/inventory/hosts.yml examples/maxscale-ha/site.yml
ansible-playbook --syntax-check \
  -i examples/keepalived/inventory.yml examples/keepalived/playbook.yml

The MariaDB inventories contain RFC documentation addresses and are not reachable targets. Use syntax checks against those files, and use --check --diff only with a separately reviewed local or disposable inventory:

ansible-playbook --syntax-check \
  -i examples/mariadb/inventory.example.yml examples/mariadb/site.yml
ansible-playbook --syntax-check \
  -i examples/mariadb-replication/inventory.yml \
  examples/mariadb-replication/playbook.yml

4. Run dependency-free contracts and repository checks

python tests/dns_update/test_contract.py
python tests/mariadb/test_contract.py
python tests/mariadb_replication/test_contract.py
bash tests/freeipa-bootstrap/test.sh
bash tests/maxscale/test_static.sh
sh tests/keepalived/test_syntax.sh
pymarkdown scan --recurse --respect-gitignore .
git diff --check

These commands validate source contracts and fixtures. They do not prove that a target's package repository, DNS authority, Kerberos realm, database state, proxy health, or VRRP network will behave as expected.

Repository layout

components/freeipa-bootstrap/          FreeIPA Bash bootstrap and DNS helpers
ansible/roles/                          Independent Ansible roles
  dns_update/                           Explicit A/PTR inspection and reconciliation
  keepalived/                           Generic VRRP configuration
  mariadb/                              Standalone MariaDB baseline
  mariadb_replication/                  Standard asynchronous replication
  maxscale/                             Bounded MaxScale configuration core
examples/                               Public-safe inventories and localhost fixtures
tests/                                  Contract, syntax, and static checks
docs/                                   Architecture, operations, CI, release, and articles
.github/workflows/ci.yml               Read-only quality gates on develop/main
.github/workflows/release-please.yml   Main-branch release preparation/publication
ansible/requirements.yml               Pinned Ansible collections
requirements-ci.txt                    Pinned Python validation tools
version.txt                            Root semantic-version bookkeeping
CHANGELOG.md                            Release Please managed changelog
CONTRIBUTING.md                         Contribution and Conventional Commit guidance
LICENSE                                 MIT licence for original repository material

The directory layout reflects independent responsibilities. A caller can use a role README and example without adopting an unrelated role. Collections are installed into an ignored path rather than committed.

Validation and CI

The quality-gates workflow runs on pull requests targeting develop or main, and on pushes to both branches, with read-only permissions. Normal changes are integrated through develop; a reviewed develop to main pull request is used for release promotion. It does not connect to live infrastructure or require deployment credentials.

Gate	What it covers	Local entry point
Shell	bash -n over shell files and FreeIPA contracts	bash tests/freeipa-bootstrap/test.sh plus the component shell syntax command in docs/CI.md
Python contracts	DNS, MariaDB, and MariaDB replication dependency-free checks on Python 3.13	python tests/dns_update/test_contract.py, python tests/mariadb/test_contract.py, and python tests/mariadb_replication/test_contract.py
Ansible	Pinned collections, ansible-lint --offline --profile basic, YAML lint, and fixture syntax	ansible-lint --offline --profile basic ansible/roles; see docs/CI.md
Fixtures	DNS, MariaDB, replication, MaxScale, and Keepalived parse/render checks	Commands in Safe Quick Start
Markdown and Git hygiene	Recursive PyMarkdown scan and whitespace validation	pymarkdown scan --recurse --respect-gitignore . and git diff --check

CI installs the exact versions from requirements-ci.txt and ansible/requirements.yml into temporary runner paths. The require-final-union.sh guard confirms that all public component paths are present before the quality gates report a complete repository. The exact check contexts and the develop/main freshness difference are documented in docs/CI.md. The workflow intentionally does not use a dependency cache.

Branch governance

The repository uses a small promotion hierarchy that keeps day-to-day work open to contributors while giving the stable branch a stronger release gate:

fork or topic branch  ->  develop  ->  main

develop: active integration

• Create ordinary feature/, fix/, bugfix/, chore/, docs/, ci/, test/, or refactor/ branches from the latest develop.
• Open normal pull requests from a topic branch or fork against develop.
• Require the four Quality Gates, resolved conversations, and pull-request integration; force-push and branch deletion are blocked on develop.
• Keep develop deliberately non-strict about branch freshness and non-linear in its history. This reduces unnecessary rebase churn while the integration branch changes quickly. Squash is still preferred for normal topic merges so each change remains easy to audit.
• External contributors do not need push access: a fork can submit a pull request to develop, and the maintainer reviews and integrates it.

The owner can merge a validated pull request without a second GitHub account. Human review is encouraged for external contributions, but approvals, Code Owner review, approval of the most recent push, merge queues, signed commits, and deployment approvals are not mandatory controls in this solo-maintainer repository.

main: stable and release promotion

• main is the stable branch and the only branch watched by Release Please.
• Changes normally arrive through a reviewed develop to main promotion pull request. The owner still merges the validated pull request; no second human approval is required.
• The same four Quality Gates are required, but main additionally requires the branch to be up to date before merge and keeps a linear history. Use squash or rebase for a clean promotion history.
• Pull requests and resolved conversations are required; force-push and branch deletion are blocked. Direct pushes are not the normal workflow.

The repository owner/admin retains a break-glass bypass for recovery only. It must not be used as a substitute for a pull request, green checks, or normal review. Never reset or force-push protected branches.

Because a squash promotion can make the commit graphs of develop and main diverge, a later promotion may report that develop is behind. In that case, use GitHub's Update branch action to merge the current main into develop, rerun the Quality Gates, or open a small main to develop sync pull request. Preserve both branches and their audit trail; do not rewrite either protected branch.

An urgent hotfix starts from main and is reviewed through a focused pull request. After it is merged, apply the equivalent fix to develop so the next promotion does not regress the stable branch.

Release, versioning, and changelog

The repository uses Release Please to maintain one root semantic version. The release workflow runs only after pushes to main.

• version.txt and .release-please-manifest.json start at 0.0.0 as bookkeeping, not as a claim that a 0.0.0 release exists.
• release-please-config.json declares one root package and the simple release type.
• CHANGELOG.md is maintained from merged Conventional Commits.
• Published repository tags use v<MAJOR>.<MINOR>.<PATCH> and GitHub Release notes are derived from the same merged history.
• Release automation is limited to main; a feature branch cannot publish a tag or GitHub Release.

Use commit subjects such as feat(mariadb): ..., fix(maxscale): ..., docs(freeipa): ..., or ci: .... See the release guide and contribution guide for the release flow and compatibility rules. The FreeIPA bootstrap also maintains its own component configuration baseline in its component guide; that does not replace the root release version.

Release assets

Each published v<version> GitHub Release contains independent, versioned installation assets rather than one combined toolkit archive:

Asset family	Published files	Archive root	Intended use
Ansible roles	ansible-role-dns-update-v<version>.tar.gz, ansible-role-keepalived-v<version>.tar.gz, ansible-role-mariadb-v<version>.tar.gz, ansible-role-mariadb-replication-v<version>.tar.gz, and ansible-role-maxscale-v<version>.tar.gz	The role name, with its own README.md and LICENSE	Install or vendor one role without importing unrelated roles
FreeIPA bootstrap	freeipa-bootstrap-v<version>.tar.gz	freeipa-bootstrap/	Run the public bootstrap scripts with their operational documentation and safe example templates
Integrity metadata	SHA256SUMS-v<version>.txt and release-manifest-v<version>.json	N/A	Verify downloaded assets and inspect the machine-readable package inventory

The release workflow builds these assets from the exact published tag using the explicit allowlists in scripts/release/build-assets.py. It rejects untracked inputs, symlinks, unsafe archive paths, writable archive entries, and secret or internal repository material. The CI packaging contract builds the assets twice, checks byte-for-byte reproducibility, validates the archive boundaries, and verifies every checksum before any upload step can run.

Operational safety, secrets, and certificates

• Keep passwords, Kerberos credentials, TSIG secrets, private keys, certificates, access tokens, and environment-specific inventories outside this repository. Use Vault, an external secret manager, or an approved PKI workflow.
• The MariaDB roles consume certificate paths and create stable service links; they do not request, renew, copy, or publish certificate material.
• The replication role expects a consistent preloaded data copy and its GTID or file/position metadata. It is not a backup/restore system and does not silently repair divergence.
• The DNS update role requires an explicit server and zone for every record. Check mode is read-only, GSS-TSIG is the secure default, TSIG is optional, and unsigned mode is test-only and explicitly disabled by default.
• The FreeIPA bootstrap redacts known credential arguments in displayed commands and protects state/log directories on the target, but the underlying installer may briefly expose password arguments in a process list.
• Keepalived does not claim a VIP or force failover to test a run. MaxScale reloads only after candidate configuration validation when service management is enabled.
• Review backup, restore, rollback, authority, and change-window requirements before applying any component to a host with real data or authoritative services.

The public examples are intentionally non-production. 192.0.2.0/24, 198.51.100.0/24, 203.0.113.0/24, 2001:db8::/32, and example.invalid are documentation values only.

Roadmap

The public roadmap tracks work by interface and validation evidence. The current next steps are:

• validate DNS A/PTR reconciliation against a disposable authoritative service with external GSS-TSIG or TSIG credentials;
• add composition fixtures that render hand-offs without installing packages, creating accounts, claiming a VIP, or contacting an external DNS service;
• expand disposable-host coverage for supported operating systems, certificate rotation, DNS transfer paths, MariaDB 11/12 behaviour, MaxScale reload checks, and Keepalived peers; and
• strengthen upgrade, backup/restore, SOA recovery, proxy recovery, and serial VRRP maintenance guidance.

The roadmap does not promise a single end-to-end installer, automatic database promotion, application account/schema management, PKI enrolment, backup/restore orchestration, hidden DNS writes, or redistribution of MaxScale software.

Contributing

🤝 Contributions are welcome when they improve reliability, clarity, or reproducibility while preserving component boundaries. Normal development starts from the latest develop branch:

git fetch origin develop
git switch develop
git pull --ff-only origin develop
git switch -c feature/focused-scope-short-description

Use feature/, fix/, bugfix/, docs/, ci/, test/, refactor/, or chore/ and the form <prefix>/<focused-scope>-<short-description>. Existing branches with a simple scope remain understandable and compatible. Open the pull request against develop by default. A reviewed develop to main pull request is for integration and release promotion; an emergency hotfix targeting main must state why the normal path cannot be used and should be followed by an equivalent update to develop.

A contribution that follows this branch model, uses Conventional Commits, keeps a focused public-safe diff, documents validation, and passes all Quality Gates is prioritised for review and integration. Priority is not automatic acceptance: technical, security, compatibility, and maintainer review still apply. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the complete workflow.

Before opening a pull request:

1. Keep the change focused and public-safe.
2. Use RFC documentation values and *.example placeholders in examples.
3. Document prerequisites, assumptions, validation, failure modes, and recovery boundaries.
4. Run the checks relevant to the component and describe exactly what was verified.
5. Use a Conventional Commit subject and explain incompatible interface changes with BREAKING CHANGE:.

Read CONTRIBUTING.md for the complete commit and pull-request guidance. Do not add credentials, private keys, personal information, restricted configuration, live-service data, or environment-specific hostnames.

Licence and third-party boundaries

Original automation, examples, and documentation in this repository are provided under the MIT License. The MIT licence applies to this repository's original material; it does not relicense software installed or configured by a role. FreeIPA, BIND, Webmin, Technitium DNS Server, MariaDB Server, MaxScale, Keepalived, Ansible collections, and operating-system packages retain their own licences, repository terms, trademarks, and attribution requirements.

MaxScale has a specific boundary. This repository does not redistribute MaxScale software, packages, repository metadata, vendor legal text, or credentials, and it does not relicense MaxScale. The role only renders a caller-supplied configuration model and, when explicitly enabled, integrates with the official MariaDB repository. Review the current MariaDB MaxScale licensing information and official MaxScale documentation before enabling package or repository management.

MariaDB packages are obtained from the selected official repository at deployment time rather than bundled here. Collections are installed from pinned requirement files rather than vendored. Review each vendor's current terms before using a package, repository, or integration.

Documentation index

• Architecture: identity and DNS and data-plane composition
• Operations: safe usage and validation and troubleshooting
• Articles: bounded FreeIPA bootstrap, MariaDB foundation, and MariaDB/MaxScale/VRRP composition
• Project operations: CI, releasing, contribution guide, and CHANGELOG
• Component details: the role and component guides linked in the catalogue