README.md

Lab: Creating OpenStack Resources

In this lab, we will write a blueprint that creates resources on OpenStack. We will create:

• A virtual machine
• A security group
• A network
• A subnet
• A router

Also, we will connect all resources together.

For the preparation of this lab, you will have to use the official OpenStack plugin documentation, located at: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.1/plugins/openstack/

Step 1: Create blueprint's skeleton

tosca_definitions_version: cloudify_dsl_1_3

imports:
  - http://www.getcloudify.org/spec/cloudify/4.3.1/types.yaml
  - http://www.getcloudify.org/spec/openstack-plugin/2.6.0/plugin.yaml

This will import the standard Cloudify types, as well as the OpenStack plugin.

Step 2: Add OpenStack endpoint inputs

To be able to talk to OpenStack, and avoid hard-coding endpoint information in the blueprint, add the following inputs to the blueprint:

• keystone_username
• keystone_password
• keystone_tenant_name
• keystone_url
• region

All inputs should be of type string.

Step 3: Add OpenStack endpoint DSL definition

(Reference: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.3.0/blueprints/spec-dsl-definitions/)

Add a DSL definition called openstack_configuration. The value should be a dictionary with the following keys:

• username: maps to the value of the keystone_username input
• password: maps to the value of the keystone_password input
• tenant_name: maps to the value of the keystone_tenant_name input
• auth_url: maps to the value of the keystone_url input
• region: maps to the value of the region input

Step 4: Add OpenStack node templates

NOTE: each and every OpenStack node type supports a property called openstack_config. You should provide that property, giving it the value of the expansion of the openstack_configuration DSL definition. For example:

node_templates:
  my_node:
    type: cloudify.openstack.nodes.Server
    properties:
      openstack_config: *openstack_configuration

Add the external network

Documentation: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.3.0/plugins/openstack/#cloudify-openstack-nodes-network

Notes:

• You're not expected to create the external network; you should use the existing one that most likely already exists in your OpenStack installation. Therefore, use the use_external_resource property accordingly.
• To identify the existing resource's name, use the resource_id property. The value of the property should be taken from an input, to avoid hard-coding resource names. You'll need to add an input for that (for example, external_network_name).

Add a router

Documentation: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.3.0/plugins/openstack/#cloudify-openstack-nodes-router

• The router needs to be connected to the external network. To achieve that, establish a cloudify.relationships.connected_to relationship between the router and the external network node.
• To avoid hard-coding a router name, provide it as an input.

Add a network

Documentation: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.3.0/plugins/openstack/#cloudify-openstack-nodes-network

• Don't forget to provide the new network's name through the resource_id property.
• Avoid hard-coding a network name; use an input instead.

Add a subnet

Documentation: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.3.0/plugins/openstack/#cloudify-openstack-nodes-subnet

• The subnet needs to be contained within the network that you had created. To achieve that, create a cloudify.relationships.contained_in relationship between the subnet and the network.

• The subnet needs to have a "leg" in the router. To achieve that: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.1/plugins/openstack/#cloudify-openstack-subnet-connected-to-router

• Parameters for the subnet should be passed as entries in a dictionary property called subnet, as follows:

  properties:
    subnet:
      cidr: a.b.c.d/e

  You may come up with any CIDR you'd like. Again, to avoid hard-coding, use an input.

Add a security group

Documentation: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.3.0/plugins/openstack/#cloudify-openstack-nodes-securitygroup

We need only one rule: allow ingress traffic on port 22, from anywhere.

Add a keypair

Documentation: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.3.0/plugins/openstack/#cloudify-openstack-nodes-keypair

We want to create a new keypair. Therefore, make sure to set the private_key_path property to a proper path to receive the generated private key.

Add a virtual machine

Documentation: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.3.0/plugins/openstack/#cloudify-openstack-nodes-server

Notes:

• The server has to be based on a CentOS 7.0 image. You will need to get the ID of an image on your OpenStack installation, which represents a CentOS 7.0 image. To do that, you can use any OpenStack API (or Horizon).

  Using the OpenStack REST API:

  (GET) <glance-endpoint-url>/v2/images

  Or using the Python OpenStack client:

  glance image-list

  (glance is provided by the python-glanceclient package. To install it: pip install python-glanceclient)

• You can use any flavour. Since Horizon doesn't provide the functionality of viewing flavour ID's unless you're an administrator, you should use the OpenStack API for that:

  (GET) <nova-endpoint-url>/flavors

  Or, with Python:

  nova flavor-list

• The server needs to be connected to the security group. To achieve that: http://docs.cloudify.co/4.3.0/plugins/openstack/#cloudify-openstack-server-connected-to-security-group

• The server needs to be associated with a keypair. To achieve that, use the cloudify.openstack.server_connected_to_keypair relationship.

• The server needs to be connected to the network. To achieve that, use a cloudify.relationships.connected_to relationship between the server and the network.

• Add the property for agent configuration (agent_config) as follows:

  properties:
    agent_config:
      install_method: { get_input: agent_install_method }
      user: { get_input: agent_user }
      key: { get_input: agent_key }

  Also, add the relevant input definitions to the input: section. The type of all three inputs should be string. The default for agent_install_method should be none, and the default for the two others should be an empty string ('').

Step 5: Run the blueprint locally

Prepare an inputs file, containing the values for the various inputs you had defined. For local invocations (using cfy local), you don't have to specify the agent_* inputs.

Then:

cfy install <path_to_blueprint> -i <path_to_inputs_file>

Step 6 (optional): Run the blueprint on a manager

Modify the inputs file so it contains overrides to the agent_* inputs:

• agent_install_method should be set to remote.
• agent_user should be set to a user that is allowed to log into the VM you're creating.
• agent_key should be set to the path of the private key file that the manager should use to SSH into the new VM.