Lead Image © lightwise, 123RF.com
Automating deployments on Proxmox with OpenTofu and cloud-init
Go-Between
In the old days, before virtualization was practical, if you wanted to run a service, you installed an operating system (OS) on a physical machine and then manually installed the service. If more than one instance of the OS was required, you needed to purchase additional computers and repeat the process manually. As you might imagine, administering a large fleet of computers this way is unworkable in the long run, so automation tools were created. Fully Automatic Installation (FAI) [1] is a good example of an early, generic tool for deploying Linux distributions over a sizable number of machines.
Tools such as FAI created for physical machines are of use when deploying virtual machines, as well, as are distro-specific tools (e.g., autoinstall for OpenBSD [2], preseed for Debian [3], Kickstart for Enterprise Linux-compatible distributions [4], etc.). However, these tools might take a bit too long to build the environment you want to your specifications, because installing every OS from the ground up is a slow process.
In this article, I demonstrate the capabilities of modern automation tools through example. I deploy a set of web servers and a reverse proxy in a virtual environment hosted by a Proxmox VE hypervisor. (See the "Why Proxmox?" box if you are not familiar with it.)
Why Proxmox?
Proxmox VE is a hypervisor intended to be installed on your hardware on which virtual machines and containers are deployed. Proxmox is a commercial distribution, and therefore a paid subscription is required for accessing the production-ready repositories. Non-production repositories are available free of charge and without restrictions and are quite
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy ADMIN Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Related content
-
Proxmox virtualization manager
Proxmox has been working for years on their virtualization manager that does not require a cloud. We look at the improved reliability and new features in version 5.0. -
Automated OpenStack instance configuration with cloud-init and metadata service
Today's OpenStack has become a mature product with automated asset configuration tools, including cloud-init, a powerful script that saves time by automatically configuring a large number of virtual servers in the cloud. -
Container and hardware e-virtualization under one roof
The Proxmox distribution specializes in virtualization, letting you deploy and manage virtual servers with OpenVZ and KVM at the same time.
-
Alternative virtualization solutions when OpenStack is too much
OpenStack is considered the industry standard for building private clouds, but the solution is still far too complex and too difficult to maintain and operate for many applications. What causes OpenStack projects to fail, and what alternatives do administrators have? -
Goodbye cloud VMs, hello laptop VMs
Multipass lets you launch and run Ubuntu virtual machines, use cloud-init to configure the VMs, and prototype cloud launches locally in minutes.
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Most Popular
Support Our Work
ADMIN content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
