The *ssh-host-certs* role, which is now applied as part of the
`base.yml` playbook and therefore applies to all managed nodes, is
responsible for installing the *sshca-cli* package and using it to
request signed SSH host certificates. The *sshca-cli-systemd*
sub-package includes systemd units that automate the process of
requesting and renewing host certificates. These units need to be
enabled and provided the URL of the SSHCA service. Additionally, the
SSH daemon needs to be configured to load the host certificates.
Occasionally, VMs running on the main libvirt VM hosts will freeze or
otherwise become unavailable via network. Sometimes, when this happens,
their normal consoles are unresponsive as well. Having the serial
console available as a fallback can sometimes be helpful in recovering
from such situations.
To ensure the serial console is available on all VMs, we use a "dynamic"
group, based on the virtualization type and role of the managed node.
All KVM-based virtual machines are included in a group named *kvm-vm*.
A play in `base.yml` applies the *serial-console* role to members of
this group.