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Moving Windows to the CloudRaphael Simon, Sr. Systems Architect

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Windows in the Cloud without RightScale

• Windows images inconsistent• Do not follow best practices• Use root partition for everything

• Pre-install all required software• Bake in license• Custom configuration• Long development iterations

• No consistent automation• Trust relationships hard-coded• Ad-hoc orchestration

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Windows in the Cloud with RightScale

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Moving Windows to the Cloud

• Windows images inconsistent• Do not follow best practices• Use root partition for everything

• Pre-install all required software• Bake in license• Custom configuration• Long development iterations

• No consistent automation• Trust relationships hard-coded• Ad-hoc orchestration

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Windows RightImages

• Consistent settings• Across regions and clouds• Firewall, file sharing, SQL Server install, ASP.NET install

• Follow best practices• Bigger root partition• Use volumes for database files

• Work in progress, keeps improving

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Windows MultiCloud Images

Combination of:• 2003 / 2008• 32 bit / 64 bit• Bare / IIS / SQL Server Std• RightLink installer for

installing RightLink on pre-existing Windows images

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Moving Windows to the Cloud

• Windows images inconsistent• Do not follow best practices• Use root partition for everything

• Pre-install all required software• Bake in license• Custom configuration• Long development iterations

• No consistent automation• Trust relationships hard-coded• Ad-hoc orchestration

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ServerTemplates: Built-to-Order Servers

Virtual machine

OS

Storage volumes

Networking

SQL Server/ASP.NET…

App Libraries

RightImages &Multi-Cloud Images• Standard image “API”

Cloud Portability• Standard configuration

Application

Applications• Cloud independent

Modular – Portable – Reproducible

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RightScale ServerTemplates vs. Images

• Big & opaque• Complex to reproduce• Static• Not cloud-portable

Slow workflow Not cloud-agile

• Modular & flexible• Reproducible & maintainable• Dynamic & agile• Multi-cloud enabled

Dev-like workflow Dynamic configuration

Virtual Machine Images RightScale ServerTemplates

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ServerTemplates: A Closer Look

• Starts with a multicloud image• Defines base software

• Adds:• Boot, operational and

decommission RightScripts and/or recipes for configuration

• Alerts definitions for automation

• ServerTemplates are versioned• Reproduce exact configuration

• ServerTemplates can be published/imported• Sharing / reuse

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Monitoring and Alerts• Monitoring recipe for CPU,

memory and disk space

• Create monitoring scripts to monitor custom data• Written in a ruby DSL• Can leverage WMI• Completely dynamic: Add/remove

monitoring scripts at any time

• Use monitored data to create Alerts• Can use elaborate rules to define alerting conditions• Alert escalations can send emails, reboot server, relaunch

server, run a RightScript or recipe, vote array grow and vote array shrink

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Hands-On Creating a Domain Controller ServerTemplate

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Moving Windows to the Cloud

• Windows images inconsistent• Do not follow best practices• Use root partition for everything

• Pre-install all required software• Bake in license• Custom configuration• Long development iterations

• No consistent automation• Trust relationships hard-coded• Ad-hoc orchestration

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What is RightLink?

• Functions•Receive commands from RS•Query RightScale (instance API)•Locate related servers

• Open-source Agent•Extensible•Transparent

• Secure•Signed & encrypted AMQP transport•Deployment scope

RightScaleTagstore

server1

RL

server2

RL

serverA

RL

serverB

RL

Production Development

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Leveraging RightLink• RightLink provides the following Chef resources

• Log: appends to local log and audits (audits are visible in the dashboard)• RightLink tag: Add or remove tags from instance • Remote recipe: Run recipes on remote instances (route by tag)• Server collection: Query instances by tags

• RightLink-enabled images also include the following utilities• rs_tag.cmd: Add or remove tags from instance• rs_run_right_script.cmd: Run RightScript on local instance. Starting with

5.6 also run RightScripts on remote instances• rs_run_recipe.cmd: Run recipes on local instance. Starting with 5.6 also

run recipes on remote instances• rs_server_collection.cmd: Starting with 5.6 query instances by tags

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Hands-onAutomatic User Creation

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Where Are We?• Underlying infrastructure in place

• RightImage 5.5 GA

• Time to build-up the stack• Expect more production ready ServerTemplates in the near future• What do you need?

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Windows Best Practices• License keys registration

• Install software on boot: License key is an input that is used to generate the answer file

• Bake software into image: Write Powershell script which registers key on boot

• System updates management• Updates disabled by default• Cherry-pick updates, test, sysprep & bundle (use provided RightScript)• Roll new image

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When to Install Software

• Faster startups• Attended installers

• Dynamic installation• Easier maintenance• Licensing

Bake into image for: Install on boot for:

When you have no choice Whenever you can