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Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation
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Page 1: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

Veritas™ Provisioning Manager

Technical Presentation

Page 2: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

Veritas Provisioning Manager 2

Agenda

Challenges in Data Center Operations Improving Operational Practices Data Center Automation - Opportunities for Application

Veritas Provisioning Manager

Applying Server Build Automation

Summary and Recommendations

Page 3: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

Veritas Provisioning Manager 3

Switches

LOB Production Subnets Development, Test, Q&A

Subnets

LOB Production Subnets

StorageDatabases AuthenticationApplications Applications

The Expanding Datacenter

Page 4: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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Trends In IT Architecture

Number of “Servers” is growing Scale out Linux/Windows = more servers Scale up + partitioning = more instances

Definition of an “Application” is changing Multi-tiered applications SOA = greater complexity More business critical applications = greater risk

Server virtualization emerging Across all server platforms = more OS instances Moving into production = greater exposure

Shared storage is ubiquitous SAN/FC attached database servers = more dependencies NAS/iSCSI attached middle tiers and web = more

dependencies and complexity

Environment is more distributed

Environment is more complex

Environment is more dynamic

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Operational Consequences and Challenges

Reactive Extemporized processes Ad-hoc builds and configurations

Balkanized groups System, network, application, directory

administrators Application code from many

development teams

Every group has a tool Jumpstart, Kickstart, NIM … Scripts and more scripts and …

• High error rates• No baseline for support

• Everything takes longer• SLAs missed

• Hard to maintain• Impossible to integrate• Hidden tribal knowledge

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Why Automate Server Build, Rebuild, and Configuration?

Major source of costs, delays, errors, outages Unmanageable environments Frequent “out-of-band” changes = drift Time and personnel sinks

A process to implement:

1. Create standard system definitions and templates

2. Capture best practices of application install and configuration

3. Define “approved” processes for server build, migration, and changes

4. Mandate “out-of-band” changes use standard practices and tools

5. Implement these processes and practices as “point-and-click”

Take single-system operations to multi-system operations

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Select and StartGet coffee while…OS Install / ConfNetwork ConfDatabase …Applications …Apply revisions …

:30

Automating a Process

OS Install / Config hours

Handoff days

Network Config hours

Handoff days

Database Install / Conf hours

Handoff days

Application(s) hours

Automated Provisioning and Configuration

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Select and StartGet coffee while…OS Install / ConfNetwork ConfDatabase …Applications …Apply revisions …

:30

OS Install / Config hours

Handoff days

Network Config hours

Handoff days

Database Install / Conf hours

Handoff days

Application(s) hours

Scaling Automating a Process

WEEKS

x20

MINUTES

Automated Provisioning and Configuration

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Agenda

Challenges in Data Center Operations Improving Operational Practices Data Center Automation - Opportunities for Application

Veritas Provisioning Manager Applying Server Build Automation

Summary and Recommendations

Page 10: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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VPM Functional Summary

DISCOVER AND PROBE

INSTALL/CONFIGUREADDTL. APPLICATIONS

INSTALL OS/APPSIMAGE AND PERSONALIZE

CONFIGURE NETWORK

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Core Functions

Image-based deployment Image/”snapshot” unattended installs Personalization and configuration

Package/model-based deployment and configuration Applications, firmware, BIOS, device operations Models provide mechanism for custom configuration

Automate process of deployment and configuration of servers Opscripts, jobs Automated rule-based deployment

Integrated VLANs operation

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VPM Master Server

Managed Servers

Database

VPM Agents• Bare metal “agent” (AOS)• OS Agent (ITAP)• Windows, Red Hat, SUSE, Solaris, AIX

• Solaris• Windows• Red Hat Linux

• Embedded, or• Oracle 9i, 10g

VPM – How It Works

Web UI

Repositories• CIFS• NFS

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Key VPM Characteristics

Based on standard network protocols No separate DHCP, tftp, or OS vendor servers required

Single web-based UI for all platformsBare-metal RAM OS (Active OS, Linux kernel for x86, Solaris for SPARC, AIX for Power) for snapshot/image save/deploy/compress and bare metal operationITAP agent for personalization, package deployment, server comparisons Packages can do anything a command line or shell can do. Plus parameterization (variables), file/registry edits, constraints…

Distributed repositories for speed and scalabilityFine-grained role-based administrationAutomatic rule-driven and best-fit provisioning

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Why Image-based Provisioning

Image “snapshots” Typically ~15-20 minutes

AOS (Active OS) is an architecture-specific RAM-resident OS AOS understands volumes and file system

• File, smart-sector, sector-mode AOS creates correct geometry, applies to new disk(s)

• Volume, partition, filesystem information Personalization “customizes” image for new environment

• Each OS instructed to scan and reconfigure devices (implementation is OS-specific)

• Hostname, IP address, other required network information AOS takes a snapshot in multiple layers

• Incremental snapshotsFast, efficient, complete, portable across systems

Page 15: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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VPM Software Packages and Models

Software deployment and configuration

Complements image snapshots

Powerful basis for extensible automation

Package construct contains software, scripts, data,

Model contains variable or parameterized information for installation instance Attached to package

Page 16: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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Provisioning Manager Software Packages and Models

Uses for package and models: Install, uninstall and modify software, patches, any arbitrary entity Repeat a common system management task Issue any CLI commands or scripts Perform any of the above on multiple servers simultaneously

A software package may contain: CLI command, CLI script, executables, files Anything you can think of Attached Models

Models define parameters (variables) for software packages Pre configuration commands (e.g. purge directories) Parameters (typed and checked - INT, float, string, IP address, password, directory etc)

• Can be mandatory, defaulted, prompted Post configuration commands (e.g. start dependent programs) Object modification (Any file, test files, XML,INI, INF, IIS DB, and registry)

• Replaces manual edits and errors

Page 17: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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Provisioning Manager – Leveraging Automation

Repositories

Servers

Provisioning

Manager

Web Server

Console•Operations needs to install and reconfigure three application packages on fifty servers

Page 18: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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Provisioning Manager – Start Processes

Repositories

Provisioning

Manager

Web Server

Console

Servers

•Operator uses browser UI to select three software packages, then select fifty servers, clicks “Start”

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Provisioning Manager – Parallel Execution Begins

Repositories

CMD: “Deploy Packages XYZ”Provisioning

Manager

Web Server

Console

Servers

•VPM automatically assembles task list and begins process on fifty systems

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Servers

Provisioning Manager – Unattended Management

Repositories

To fifty servers, in parallel:

•READ packages XYZ

•Perform edits

•Perform configuration

•Perform commands

Web Server

Console

SWSWSW

SW

Provisioning

Manager

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Capturing Processes in VPM

OpScripts and jobs GUI created sequence of commands

• Created by architect or administrator, used by operators

• No coding or scripting!! Can be auto-triggered:

• Date and time

• A VPM Event (Like “Start Up Server Successful” or “New Server Auto-discovered”)

• An SNMP Trap

• Combine with provisioning policies

Page 22: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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VPM Major Components

DatabaseDatabase

VPM

Ser

ver

x86 (Windows/Linux

)

PowerPC (AIX)

LogicLogicWeb-based ConsoleWeb-based Console

Man

aged

A

sset

s

RepositoryRepository

RepositoryRepository

SPARC (Solaris)

Switches

Execution and Logging Execution and Logging

ITAP ITAP AgentAgent

ITAP ITAP AgentAgent

ITAP ITAP AgentAgent

Web Web Browser

Page 23: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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Agenda

Challenges in Data Center Operations Improving Operational Practices Data Center Automation - Opportunities for Application

Veritas Provisioning Manager

Applying Server Build AutomationSummary and Recommendations

Page 24: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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Test and Development Operations

Problem: Constantly changing software configurations

• Systems need to built and rebuilt continually High sysadmin requirements to meet needs Manual operation leads to high error rates Lack of responsiveness impacts productivity

VPM functions: Fast, simple, automated build and rebuild

• Reduces admin workload for standardized tasks• Reduces errors and improves supportability• Increases developer productivity

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VPM in Disaster Recovery Repurposing Operations

Problem: Full replicated DR site is expensive Building DR failover “on-the-fly” is slow and unreliable

VPM function: Re-use your Test/Dev resources for DR. Document and capture your best deployment practices, then on demand:

• Snapshot current Test/Development suite• Deploy base production snapshots• Use VPM restore, SAN or NAS for application install• Attach to SAN, NAS, replicated mirrors, etc for volatile data• Go …• Many designs / scenarios are possible

Avoid replicated hardware suite costs Improve response time and SLAs Reduce errors and improve supportability

Page 26: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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Operational Challenges in Redeploying Applications and Servers

Problem: Moving applications from server to server is tedious, slow, error prone Migration of data centers or deployment of new servers magnifies problem Almost impossible to ensure ALL characteristics of an application are captured

and replicated

VPM function: Pick up a snapshot and drop it on a different / new platform Imaging technology + platform personalization + parameter-based

customization = simple and complete re-deployment

• Imaging is dramatically faster than script/media-based alternatives

• Accuracy and completeness of migration

• Reduce errors and improve supportability

Page 27: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

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Deploying or Reconfiguring Large Numbers of Applications

Problem: What if you have 200+ SAP applications you need to keep updating? Or constantly changing content that needs to be pushed to a hundred

servers? Slow, unresponsive, error prone, consumes resources…

VPM function: Standardization and automation of deployment

• Speed deployment, cut errors, reduce costs, improve supportability, improve responsiveness, meet SLA goals

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More examples:

Create standardized “golden” server build and push to subsidiary sites Known characteristics = supportable Simple deployment = time saved

Rebuild 20 servers with X OS + Y patches + Z applications Select and go

Q&A engineer needs to test: OS version A, Service Pack B, Database C, Application D Selects free asset, relevant snapshots and packages, click “go”

Test needs to run destructive test of multi-tiered application: Snapshot all servers Run tests Restore snapshots Minimal hands-on

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Summary:

Current server build and configuration is: Too complex, resource-intensive, slow, error-prone, no control / audit

Process, practice, tools exist to remediate server build and configuration problems

• Examine process and practice, formally document them

Applicable VPM capabilities: Image-based provisioning for speed and accuracy Software packages and models for flexibility and customization Opscripts and jobs for capture of best practices as process Integrated VLAN control for single-step provisioning

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Recommendations:

1. Implement simple snapshot provisioning and reprovisioning• VPM uniquely suited for quick implementation

2. Begin embedding processes in VPM operations1. Architect specifies process

2. System administrator puts process in VPM using GUI tools

3. Operator uses VPM in day-to-day operation

The Result:Fast, low-overhead, efficient server build and configuration

Fixes the problem you have, not the theory

Avoids the overhead and failures of “lifecycle management”

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Databases Middleware

Practical Centralized Automation

StorageNetwork Servers Virtual Machines

Applications

Fast and Accurate

Flexible and Extensible

One Interface to All Platforms

No Additional Specialized Servers Required

Simple to Implement

Automated Provisioning

Page 32: Veritas™ Provisioning Manager Technical Presentation

Thank you


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