How to configure the infrastructure (servers and devices) needed to deploy in real environments, made out of machines and product instances, and associated runtime policies.

Objectives

In this section you will learn:

  • How to add machines.
  • How to add DDC instances.
  • How to generally manage the Infrastructural aspects of DDC pipelines and their deployments.
  • Obtain logs for troubleshooting 

Overview

Once you have crafted a pipeline in the pipeline editor, it's time to configure your real environment where the Datumize products will be executed. This configuration is done by creating a Deployment Plan resource. While working with a deployment plan, it is essential to understand the infrastructure deployments and the status of the Datumize products that are running.

When you open an existing deployment plan, you will see an overview similar to the picture below in the Overview tab.

There are several interesting concepts you should understand to work with deployments:

  • Machine: a host hardware and operating system, physical or virtual, where a Datumize Product is to be executed. Typically, it will be a server in a data center, or a remote device out in the field.
  • Agent: a software provided by Datumize to control a machine and allow for remote administration such as start, stop, restart or automatic installation or uninstallation.
  • Product: any Datumize product, read more on Introduction to Datumize.
  • Instance: an execution of a Datumize product in a machine; technically, a process in the operating system running a Datumize product
  • Group: a logical association of instances that facilitates deployment configurations.
  • Pipeline: a pipeline to be deployed in a set of instances for real execution.
  • Policy: a configuration that defines the runtime behavior of the deployment, such the machine, instance or pipeline.

From the Infrastructure tab, it is possible to edit the deployment policies, configure machines, agents and instances, as well view the overall status of each one and do administration actions such as start or stop.

Creating a Deployment Plan

By selecting the resources panel and navigating to the new resource but a drop down will provide the option to add a new resource; the Deployment plan. 


Creating and entering the deployment plan will start you with the overview panel. A deployment has five steps.

  • Create and publish a pipeline
  • Assign a policy to the pipeline
  • Add a machine and instance
  • Assign a policy to a pipeline on the machine and instance
  • Deploy



Managing the Deployment Infrastructure

By selecting the Infrastructure tab, you can navigate to the agent editor panel. From here you can select; Add a machine. 


Adding a machine will provide you with the functionality to name the machine, describe it, and chose the method of installing the pipeline.

The Installation type refers to the Datumize Agent that is required to provide remote administration of a machine, a manual installation will provide you with the necessary bootstrap script. 

This will automatically create the necessary properties to install a manual deployment plan, which can be useful if the machine is behind a firewall, or is protected by heavy security policies. This will download to your device. Once the manual configuration is complete the infrastructure tab will show the machine and instance properties editor.

Alternatively, if your machine has direct ssh connectivity from Datumize Zentral cloud, you can Remote Install and bootstrap remotely utilizing Zentral. Here you will again need to name the machine and a description, but also the IP address of the target, including the port and credentials as necessary. Please keep in mind that this installation is likely not to be available if your machine is running behind a corporate firewall.

Once this has been completed your machine will appear in the overview.

From here you will want to select an instance, which will allow for the loading of a previously published and named DDC pipeline. See Pipeline Deployment for more information.


Obtaining Logs for troubleshooting

It may be necessary to obtain log files regarding the status of the particular deployment. To do this without accessing the machine in question, navigate to the options (3 dots) on the Instance panel in the Infrastructure tab, and select Get Logs. This will send a link to your email, to download the log files from the machine, helping you to better resolve any issue you might have encountered in the deployment of the instance.