When you handle your IT infrastructure utilizing Foreman and Katello, the smallest unit to function on is usually a number. You can provision hosts, ship versioned content material, and set configurations. Using Foreman ACD, you should use your Foreman occasion to deploy functions consisting of a number of providers spanning a number of hosts. This weblog submit briefly introduces the Foreman ACD plugin and explains the way it may help you deploy a Prometheus and Grafana stack. If you wish to know extra about deploying an ELK stack consisting of an Elasticsearch cluster and Kibana, have a look at Deploying an ELK Cluster with Application Centric Deployment.
Introduction to Foreman and Katello
You can use Foreman and Katello to handle your IT infrastructure. Using Foreman typically begins with managing content material. You can import content material from upstream repositories, model and filter packages, combine repositories, and make it consumable for hosts. Next, you’ll be able to provision hosts primarily based on synchronized content material. Using plugins, you’ll be able to deploy to the cloud and on-premises options. The third step is to make use of configuration administration instruments, corresponding to Ansible, to configure hosts. Configuration consists of putting in packages, creating customers, specifying community settings, and extra.
Altogether, the normal method focuses on single hosts or teams of comparable hosts. Most incessantly, host particulars are shared utilizing so-called host teams in Foreman. They include provisioning and configuration info corresponding to compute assets, Ansible roles, working system, provisioning templates, parameters, and extra. You can consider them as “blueprints” for brand spanking new hosts. Deploying an extra host primarily based on a number that you’ve got already deployed utilizing a number group is as simple as coming into a legitimate hostname.
But what if you wish to present a extra user-friendly strategy to deploy functions? What in case your utility depends on a number of providers requiring a number of hosts? Enter Foreman ACD.
Foreman ACD to the rescue
Traditional deployments give attention to particular person hosts, that are provisioned and configured primarily based on host teams. Foreman ACD, quick for Application Centric Deployment, is a Foreman plugin to deploy functions. It’s developed and maintained by ATIX AG and is totally open supply.
(Maximilian Kolb, CC BY-SA 4.0)
The screenshot above reveals the way to deploy a Prometheus and Grafana cluster primarily based on an Ansible playbook and a beforehand created utility definition. For finish customers, deploying their utility is as simple as coming into host names and deciding on the variety of providers as a part of their utility. For extra info on the Prometheus and Grafana instance, have a look at Deploying a Prometheus and Grafana Cluster Using Application Centric Deployment within the orcharhino weblog.
What are the variations between host and application-centric approaches?
Both the normal host-centric and the application-centric method share some procedures. They each begin by making ready Foreman along with your infrastructure, importing content material, and creating vital entities corresponding to working programs. After every thing is prepared, deployment and configuration info are bundled in host teams.
Here are two totally different approaches.
Host-centric method
- Integrate Foreman into your infrastructure
- Import content material
- Set up host teams
- Create hosts primarily based on host teams
- Configure hosts utilizing your automation software program of alternative (corresponding to Ansible)
- Use configuration administration to put in software program packages and configure providers corresponding to firewalls
Application-centric method
- Integrate Foreman into your infrastructure
- Import content material
- Set up host teams
- Fetch an ACD template consisting of an Ansible playbook and an utility definition
- Create and deploy utility situations.
Foreman ACD automates utility deployments consisting of a number of providers utilizing an Ansible playbook and an utility definition, which connects providers to host teams and optionally defines host parameters. It requires the foreman_acd and smart_proxy_acd plugins, that are open supply software program. Packages can be found at yum.theforeman.org.
Advantages of utilizing Foreman ACD
Foreman ACD lets you deploy full functions with the press of a button. Foreman provisions hosts and robotically configures them after deployment. Each service is began on the outlined group of hosts.
In phrases of self-service, ACD helps you cut up customers’ obligations: You can assign the Application Centric Deployment Manager position to customers that import the Ansible playbook and outline the applying definitions. End customers with the Application Centric Deployment User position solely have permission to deploy predefined utility definitions. Note that finish customers can nonetheless, if allowed, set variables corresponding to consumer accounts, ports, or the variety of hosts per service in a predefined vary.
Foreman ACD ensures a seamless deployment expertise by dealing with inter-host connectivity. You can deploy a number of hosts concurrently, all inside a self-service-capable interface. This function permits customers with much less technical information or entry rights to scale their functions vertically and/or horizontally.
Wrap up
If you might have already configured Foreman and Katello to provision hosts and have already got host teams bundling deployment and configuration info, utilizing the Foreman ACD plugin is the following step to leverage your current setup. You can conveniently deploy full functions with out connecting hosts manually.
Foreman ACD and Smart Proxy ACD are open supply plugins for Foreman developed and maintained by ATIX AG. You can discover the documentation at docs.theforeman.org > Application Centric Deployment. There are additionally a number of open supply ACD playbooks, such because the ACD playbook for Elasticsearch cluster and Kibana and ACD playbook for Prometheus and Grafana. If you might have questions, suggestions, or ideas, please open a thread on community.theforeman.org.
Our subsequent ACD playbook helps you deploy Kubernetes. Follow the weblog to learn the upcoming announcement at orcharhino.com/news.
