Introduction
Installing enterprise-grade IBM products on cloud platforms requires precise configurations of the underlying infrastructure and applications. Misconfigurations, whether in cloud infrastructure or during product installation, can lead to failures, delays, and significant resource wastage. To address these challenges, we introduce an end-to-end automation solution combining Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform and custom CLIs (written in Go) to streamline IBM product installations across multiple cloud platforms.
This solution supports IBM Cloud Classic & VPC, AWS EKS, AWS ROSA, GCP, and Azure (managed & self-managed) ensuring seamless deployment with minimal user intervention.
Challenges in IBM Product Installation on Cloud
1. Complex Cloud Configurations: IBM products require specific infrastructure setups, including compute, storage, and networking resources. Errors in manual configurations often lead to installation failures.
2. Multi-Cloud Compatibility: Each cloud platform has unique requirements, making it challenging to maintain consistent configurations across IBM Cloud, AWS, Azure, and GCP.
3. Dependency Management: IBM Paks and executable products often require pre-configured dependencies like storage classes, node configurations, security policies, and cluster readiness.
4. Manual Intervention: Manual setup increases the risk of human error and inconsistencies, resulting in extended deployment timelines.
Solution Overview
Our approach leverages Terraform-based Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to automate the provisioning and management of cloud infrastructure across multiple cloud providers. This ensures consistency, repeatability, and efficiency in deploying cloud environments.
To facilitate IBM product installations and configurations, we use custom-built CLI tools developed in Golang. These tools streamline deployment processes, integrate with various cloud services, and ensure seamless installation of IBM software on different platforms.
We support a broad range of cloud environments, including:
AWS: Amazon EKS, Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA), and self-managed OpenShift on AWS.
Azure: Managed and self-managed OpenShift clusters
Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Managed and self-managed OpenShift clusters
IBM Cloud: IBM Cloud VPC and IBM Cloud Classic ROKS
This solution aims to simplify and standardize cloud deployments while minimizing manual effort, reducing potential errors, and accelerating the deployment of IBM products across diverse cloud environments.
Key Features
1. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform:
- Automates cloud infrastructure provisioning with predefined configurations for compute, storage, and network resources.
- Supports multi-cloud platforms: IBM Cloud VPC, AWS (EKS, ROSA), GCP, and Azure.
- Includes reusable modules for scalability and consistency.
- Ensures compliance with IBM product prerequisites.
2. Custom CLIs for Automation:
- Built using Go and Python for performance, reliability, and cross-platform compatibility.
- Handles IBM Paks and executable product installation steps.
- Integrates cluster readiness checks, dependency installations, and product setup.
- Logs progress and identifies errors for quick resolution.
3. End-to-End Workflow:
- Automates infrastructure creation and application installation in a single workflow.
- Validates configurations before deployment to minimize errors.
- Supports dynamic configurations based on user inputs (e.g., zones, storage classes).
4. Cross-Cloud Flexibility:
- Uniform experience for deploying IBM products across multiple cloud platforms.
- Cloud-specific configurations (e.g., AWS ELB, GCP zones) handled dynamically.
Architecture
1. Infrastructure Creation with Terraform
- Modules: Predefined Terraform modules for creating VPCs, clusters, storage, and security configurations.
- Dynamic Variables: Supports user-defined inputs like zones, instance types, and storage requirements.
- Error Handling: Automated validation checks to catch misconfigurations early.
- Example of AWS Self-managed architecture :
2. Custom CLIs for Installation
- Go-based CLI: Efficiently handles large-scale deployments and concurrency.
- Python-based Automation: Ensures flexibility for dependency management and scripting complex workflows.
- Features:
- IBM Pak installation (e.g., Cloud Pak for Data, Cloud Pak for Security).
- Automated storage class creation (e.g., IBM Block Storage, File Storage).
- Application deployment with pre-configured settings.
3. Multi-Cloud Support
- IBM Cloud: Fully automated setup for VPC and ROKS clusters.
- AWS: Support for both EKS and ROSA with automated networking and storage.
- GCP: Configures GKE clusters and integrates Google Cloud resources.
- Azure: Creates AKS clusters with pre-configured dependencies.
Benefits
1. Error-Free Deployments: Eliminates manual errors with automated validation and pre-configured templates.
2. Reduced Deployment Time: Infrastructure and product setup completed in hours instead of days.
3. Consistency Across Environments: Uniform deployment workflows across IBM Cloud, AWS, GCP, and Azure.
4. Scalability: Reusable Terraform modules and CLI scripts allow scaling to new environments and products.
5. Simplified User Experience: Minimal user input required, with most configurations automated or dynamically determined.
Use Case: Deploying IBM Cloud Pak for Data on AWS EKS
1. Infrastructure Provisioning:
- Use Terraform to create an EKS cluster with required nodes, storage, and networking.
- Configure security groups and IAM roles for IBM Cloud Pak.
2. Storage Setup:
- Automate creation of EBS and EFS storage classes using Terraform.
3. IBM Cloud Pak Installation:
- Run the Go-based CLI to validate cluster readiness and install the Pak.
- Automate all Helm chart configurations for seamless deployment.
For execution of this cli solution below command is used:
./guardcenter-cli manage install guardcenter -c aws_eks -p <****> --var-file=<tfvars-file>
--case-version 2.6.1
Where ,
-p is registry password,
-c is type cloud solution eg. AWS EKS, IBM Cloud VPC and
--var-file has terraform variable values to be passed for execution
4. Monitoring and Validation:
- Track installation progress with real-time logs and automated validation checks.
Future Enhancements
- Dynamic Configuration as Code: Support for YAML/JSON-based configuration templates.
- Integration with CI/CD Pipelines: Automate deployments as part of DevOps workflows.
- Monitoring and Reporting: Advanced monitoring of installed IBM products with custom dashboards.
- AI-Powered Recommendations: Use AI to suggest optimal configurations based on workloads and usage patterns.
Conclusion
Our end-to-end solution simplifies IBM product deployments by automating cloud infrastructure setup and product installation. Leveraging Terraform and custom Go/Python CLIs, this approach minimizes human error, accelerates deployment timelines, and ensures consistency across multi-cloud environments. Whether deploying on IBM Cloud, AWS, Azure, or GCP, this solution empowers teams to focus on innovation rather than troubleshooting.
By streamlining the process, enterprises can adopt IBM products with confidence, knowing that their installations are optimized for performance and reliability.
Author: Kirankumar Banait (kirankumar.banait@ibm.com)
Reviewer: Boudhayan Chakrabarty (bochakra@in.ibm.com)