iiBricks

1. iiBricks Replicable, Stackable and Customizable Infrastructure Building Blocks (Bricks) Stefan Walter, Luca Previtali

2. Outline • Motivations and idea (Luca) • Support models (Luca) • Technical info (Stefan) • Project status (Stefan)

3. Motivation • Our users (bosses?) demand more… (now!) • We need a high degree of flexibility, customization, and control over our services. • We must rely on standard services to be efficient and effective. • We need thorough knowledge to be comfortable about our services. • But resources are limited…

4. Idea • (Our) idea: replicable, stackable, and customizable infrastructure building blocks

5. Goals • Reuse and share our work, efforts, and knowledge • Allow other groups to profit of solutions already available at the ETH • Develop and try new ideas (this is fun ;-) • Find partners/users that want to adopt this concept • And help us develop it further

6. iiBricks -- Services “for here or to go” • For here (for isginf): • Common philosophy for all the services • Standard, slim, and clean setup • Forced to think more ;-) • Forced to write good documentation • To go (for others): • Re-use implementation and setup effort • Usage “as is” or as basis for specialization • Ownership (and control) over the services

7. Support levels • Full support by isginf • Front-end: helpdesk, user wishes, customization • Back-end: technology, updates, upgrades • [Helpdesk: not now…] • MezzoMix • Front-end is your business (you know your users!!!) • Back-end by isginf • Take it and leave support

8. Support levels • Full support by isginf • Front-end: helpdesk, user wishes, customization • Back-end: technology, updates, upgrades • [Helpdesk: not now…] • MezzoMix • Front-end is your business (you know your users!!!) • Back-end by isginf • Take it and leave support

9. Outline • Background • Making a Brick • Some Bricks • Usage and Deployment • Project

10. Background

11. Software OS Know-how and support Documentation Ingredients to offer a service ETH customization and added value

12. The Idea • Create a ‘Bundle’ of all Ingredients • Easy to install and deploy • Painless update and upgrade paths • Know-how to run the service included • Documentation (both for engineering and user) • Building on each other • Infrastructure Provisioning and Deployment as a Service • Branding

13. Making a Brick

14. Criteria • Reusability • Or expectation thereof • Added Value • Customization within ETH • Simplified deployment • Simplified configuration • Simplified documentation

15. ETH Customization • Integrated into ETH Infrastructure • AD / LDAP / nethz • DHCP • NAS, AFS, DFS, Backup • NETng • Integrated into Departmental Infrastructure • Web sites in ‘Corporate Design’ look-alike

16. Rules for Designing a Brick • Modular Packages • Runs off-the-shelf • Build for isginf but: • Consider what a research group would want • What is needed if other units at ETH would use the brick • Start simple • Start with a reasonably simple setup but leave options for complex customizations and module break-up

17. Rules for Implementing a Brick • Building • Automatic build • Documentation of the changes done • Work carefully • Testing • Eat our own dogfood! • Intensive care after first deployment

18. Some Bricks

19. Stack completed planned iiTrac iiTwiki iiSVN iiPhorum iiWeb iiEye iiPrint iiRT … iiRHEL Virtual / Real Machine

20. iiRHEL (iiWS5 and iiAS5) • Complete Red Hat EL Deployment • PXE network install using DHCP / TFTP • Kickstart configuration • Central configuration management • Software provisioning • Customization Points: • Choice of DHCP and TFTP service • Choice of configuration management • iiRHEL is the ‘Foundation Brick’ for Everything Else

21. iiTwiki • TWiki • Easy Updates (content/style separated from functionality) • Corporate Design • Uses nethz users • Plugins via RPM • Works out-of-the-box • Customization Points: • Color scheme and graphics

22. iiPhorum • Phorum • Easy Updates • Corporate Design • Plugins via RPM • Works out-of-the-box • Customization Points: • Style

23. iiEye • Integrated Monitoring • Integrated Nagios, Splunk and Fruity • Single view • Corporate Design • Works out-of-the-box • Customization Points: • Style • What to monitor

24. Usage and Deployment

25. Service ‘for here’ • Installed (Virtual) Machine • OS (with root login) • Requested Bricks • Automatic updates • Upgrades on demand • Documentation on our Website • Option to obtain installation after isginf terminates support

26. Deliverables ‘to go’ (DIY) • Packages • RPMs for Red Hat • MSIs for Windows • Configuration Files • Data Sets • Documentation (on our Website)

27. Support • Full support during deployment • Support limited to bug fixes after new version is out • Unsupported iiBricks can still be obtained ‘to go’ Development Supported but not deployed Unsupported Deployment Current Version Upgrade Path Deployment Development Next Version t

28. Deployment • Various Deployment Options • Set up complete deployment at your site • Maintained and hosted on our systems • Remote install from our setup (detached after installation) • Virtual Machine Image • Virtual Machine Recommended • More migration options • ID VMWare service

29. Project

30. Project Status • Bricks already completed and in production • iiWS5, iiPhorum, iiTWiki, iiSVN • Some to be completed soon • iiAS5, iiWin, iiEye, iiWeb, iiRT, iiTrac, iiPrint • Project Website to be opened shortly • ‘Eat your own dogfood’: uses iiAS5 and iiTWiki

31. Outlook • Project still at the Beginning • Need to refine policies • Gain experience • Consistent Deployment at D-INFK • Collaboration with other Departments/Groups/ID • Feedback

32. Thank you