Introduction to Template Based Configuration Systems

In the framework of the training, we acquire advanced configuration tools that use templates to describe managed resources and their relationships. Surprisingly, almost all tools use this approach more or less. There are also many different types of resources that can be managed through configuration management (cloud services, containers, software, hardware), but they can not be managed by one tool at all. You have to choose the right combination of tools to completely cover your needs.

The training will introduce you the capabilities and limitations of most popular configuration systems using a declarative approach to defining IT infrastructure features.

Audience

• DevOps engineers
• Architects of IT systems
• Administrators of IT systems
• Application developers

Goals

The course is intended primarily for administrators and information systems architects, but also for DevOps engineers and developers. During training, participants learn how they work and how to work with individual configuration tools in practice. Duration of the training is set to 2 days, the training is divided thematically according to the type of managed resources.

Day 1 - Basics of Working with Templates: Functions, Metadata, Restrictions; cloud resource management
(Terraform, Cloudify, Heat, CF, ARM)

Day 2 - Administration of container containers (Docker Compose, Kubernetes, HEML, KSONNET); templates in configuration software
(Salt, Puppet, Chef)

Course guarantor

TEREZA NOVOTNÁ

Tereza works at DataSentics as a datascientist. After studying financial and actuarial mathematics at the MFF UK, she worked as an actuarial mathematician, later as a data analyst. Currently she is working with big data from their analysis to the position of machine learning automated solutions and production.

Outline

Template and input metadata formats

• JSON and YAML
• JSONNET
• Hierarchical databases (hiera / reclass)
• Graph Databases (neo4j)

The way of orchestration and state preservation

• Using the service (Heat, Helm)
  Separate application and files (terraform)

Comparison of the possibilities of individual stencils

• Overview of intrinsic functions
  Options and limitation of input metadata

Templates for managing multiple types of resources

• Cloudify TOSCA
• Hashicorp Terraform

Templates for cloud services

• OpenStack HEAT
• AWS CloudFormation
• Azure Rerousce Manager

Templates for container services

• Docker Compose / swarm
• Kubernetes HELM
• Kubernetes Ksonnet

Classic configuration management

• SaltStack catalogs
• Ansible playbooks

Examples of Infrastructure Deployment

• Amazon AWS using Cloudify Template
• Azure Cloud using the Terraform template
• Virtual server using SaltStack template
• Kubernetes using HELM templates
• Kubernetes using KSONNET templates

Prerequisites

• Fundamentals of Linux platform management
• Running SSH commands
• It is also appropriate to have experience with public clouds

Technical requirements (BYOD)

• A computer with any OS (Linux, Windows, OS X)
• SSH client
• Web browser