Technical Blog
Technical and Product News and Insights from Rackspace
Using Terraform with Rackspace Public Cloud
Using Terraform with Rackspace Public Cloud
Handling a huge scale of infrastructure requires automation and infrastructure as code. Terraform is a tool that helps to manage a wide variety of systems including dynamic server lifecycle, configuration of source code repositories, databases, and even monitoring services. Terraform uses text configuration files to define the desired state of infrastructure. From those files, Terraform provides information on the changes to be made based on the current state of that infrastructure, and can make those changes.
Installation
Terraform can be downloaded for a variety of systems at the
Terraform downloads page. After
downloading, extract the archive and move the terraform binary to a location
on your PATH. That’s it. Because it’s written in Go, it includes all dependancies
and is a single binary.
Configuration
Terraform does not officially support Rackspace Cloud as a provider, but the OpenStack provider does work on the Rackspace Cloud and only needs a bit of configuration to get started. We use the following configuration for this simple example:
variable "rax_pass" {}
variable "rax_user" {}
variable "rax_tenant" {}
# Configure the OpenStack Provider
provider "openstack" {
user_name = "${var.rax_user}"
tenant_id = "${var.rax_tenant}"
password = "${var.rax_pass}"
auth_url = "https://identity.api.rackspacecloud.com/v2.0/"
region = "DFW"
}
resource "openstack_compute_instance_v2" "terraform-test" {
name = "terraform-test"
region = "DFW"
image_id = "8f47cf87-1e90-4370-b59d-730256265dce"
flavor_id = "2"
key_pair = "mykey"
network {
uuid = "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000"
name = "public"
}
network {
uuid = "11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111"
name = "private"
}
}
Theres a few things to point out in the configuration. When there are a lot of
variables to be managed, variables are typically included in seperate files.
Because this example only has a few, the variables are added in our configuration
file right at the top. Another good thing to know about variables is that
Terraform reads environment variables of TF_VAR_<variable>. That means that
to prevent writing secrets in configuration files, environment variables of
TF_VAR_rax_pass, TF_VAR_rax_user, and TF_VAR_rax_pass can be created and
are read by Terraform at runtime.
To create an environment variable, use the following method to enter the value without that value being recorded as it would be when entering it direcly on the command line.
read -s TF_VAR_rax_pass && export TF_VAR_rax_pass
Another note on the configuration, image_id and flavor_id need be updated
to values for what you want to create. Most OpenStack or command line clients
that interface with Rackspace have a method to list available images and flavors.
If you don’t have one installed and ready, take a look at the
image
and flavor
API documentation to see how to get these right from the Cloud Server API.
Finally, the network configuration provided in this configuration specifies the use of the default public and private network on the server that we create. Using the OpenStack plugin on Rackspace Cloud does require specifying networks, and not including specific networks in the configuration might result in the creation taking longer than expected and errors when attempting to destroy.
Terraform steps
Now that we have created our desired configuration in a simple text file, there are just a few steps to push that to a real environment. We will use the following commands to interact with our environment.
terraform initterraform planterraform applyterraform destroy
Terraform init
Terraform fetches the current state of the environment to compare it against
the written configuration with terraform init. By default, this state
information is recorded in a local file. There are other methods for storing
this information, and Terraform can be configured to store the state information
remotely. Using a remote store ensures that different members of the team all
share the same environment state when using Terraform. For this example, we
use the default local state file.
Use terraform init to initialize the current state of the environment.
$ terraform init
Initializing provider plugins...
The following providers do not have any version constraints in configuration,
so the latest version was installed.
To prevent automatic upgrades to new major versions that may contain breaking
changes, it is recommended to add version = "..." constraints to the
corresponding provider blocks in configuration, with the constraint strings
suggested below.
* provider.openstack: version = "~> 1.8"
Terraform has been successfully initialized!
You may now begin working with Terraform. Try running "terraform plan" to see
any changes that are required for your infrastructure. All Terraform commands
should now work.
If you ever set or change modules or backend configuration for Terraform,
rerun this command to reinitialize your working directory. If you forget, other
commands will detect it and remind you to do so if necessary.
Terraform plan
I would argue that this next step is the most important. Running terraform plan
compares the current state of the environment with the changes required to make
the environment match the configuration written. This is important to ensure
that what we expect to happen is what is going to happen. This simple example
probably won’t run into any collisions on a normal environment, but always double
check to make sure that any destroy actions listed in the plan output are
intended.
$ terraform plan
Refreshing Terraform state in-memory prior to plan...
The refreshed state will be used to calculate this plan, but will not be
persisted to local or remote state storage.
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Refreshing state... (ID: a3fd1c5a-5d01-4434-a673-223cc3266696)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
An execution plan has been generated and is shown below.
Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:
+ create
Terraform will perform the following actions:
+ openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test
id: <computed>
access_ip_v4: <computed>
access_ip_v6: <computed>
all_metadata.%: <computed>
availability_zone: <computed>
flavor_id: "2"
flavor_name: <computed>
force_delete: "false"
image_id: "8f47cf87-1e90-4370-b59d-730256265dce"
image_name: <computed>
key_pair: "mykey"
name: "terraform-test"
network.#: "2"
network.0.access_network: "false"
network.0.fixed_ip_v4: <computed>
network.0.fixed_ip_v6: <computed>
network.0.floating_ip: <computed>
network.0.mac: <computed>
network.0.name: "public"
network.0.port: <computed>
network.0.uuid: "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000"
network.1.access_network: "false"
network.1.fixed_ip_v4: <computed>
network.1.fixed_ip_v6: <computed>
network.1.floating_ip: <computed>
network.1.mac: <computed>
network.1.name: "private"
network.1.port: <computed>
network.1.uuid: "11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111"
power_state: "active"
region: "DFW"
security_groups.#: <computed>
stop_before_destroy: "false"
Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: You didn't specify an "-out" parameter to save this plan, so Terraform
can't guarantee that exactly these actions will be performed if
"terraform apply" is subsequently run.
Terraform apply
With the backend initialized and the changes that will be caused by applying
this configuration confirmed, we now run terraform apply. This action first
provides the same output as seen with terraform plan and requires confirmation
to continue. Additionally this provides output every ten seconds to monitor
elapsed time as these changes are made, and a summary on completion.
$ terraform apply
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Refreshing state... (ID: a3fd1c5a-5d01-4434-a673-223cc3266696)
An execution plan has been generated and is shown below.
Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:
+ create
Terraform will perform the following actions:
+ openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test
id: <computed>
access_ip_v4: <computed>
access_ip_v6: <computed>
all_metadata.%: <computed>
availability_zone: <computed>
flavor_id: "2"
flavor_name: <computed>
force_delete: "false"
image_id: "8f47cf87-1e90-4370-b59d-730256265dce"
image_name: <computed>
key_pair: "mykey"
name: "terraform-test"
network.#: "2"
network.0.access_network: "false"
network.0.fixed_ip_v4: <computed>
network.0.fixed_ip_v6: <computed>
network.0.floating_ip: <computed>
network.0.mac: <computed>
network.0.name: "public"
network.0.port: <computed>
network.0.uuid: "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000"
network.1.access_network: "false"
network.1.fixed_ip_v4: <computed>
network.1.fixed_ip_v6: <computed>
network.1.floating_ip: <computed>
network.1.mac: <computed>
network.1.name: "private"
network.1.port: <computed>
network.1.uuid: "11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111"
power_state: "active"
region: "DFW"
security_groups.#: <computed>
stop_before_destroy: "false"
Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.
Do you want to perform these actions?
Terraform will perform the actions described above.
Only 'yes' will be accepted to approve.
Enter a value: yes
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Creating...
access_ip_v4: "" => "<computed>"
access_ip_v6: "" => "<computed>"
all_metadata.%: "" => "<computed>"
availability_zone: "" => "<computed>"
flavor_id: "" => "2"
flavor_name: "" => "<computed>"
force_delete: "" => "false"
image_id: "" => "8f47cf87-1e90-4370-b59d-730256265dce"
image_name: "" => "<computed>"
key_pair: "" => "mykey"
name: "" => "terraform-test"
network.#: "" => "2"
network.0.access_network: "" => "false"
network.0.fixed_ip_v4: "" => "<computed>"
network.0.fixed_ip_v6: "" => "<computed>"
network.0.floating_ip: "" => "<computed>"
network.0.mac: "" => "<computed>"
network.0.name: "" => "public"
network.0.port: "" => "<computed>"
network.0.uuid: "" => "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000"
network.1.access_network: "" => "false"
network.1.fixed_ip_v4: "" => "<computed>"
network.1.fixed_ip_v6: "" => "<computed>"
network.1.floating_ip: "" => "<computed>"
network.1.mac: "" => "<computed>"
network.1.name: "" => "private"
network.1.port: "" => "<computed>"
network.1.uuid: "" => "11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111"
power_state: "" => "active"
region: "" => "DFW"
security_groups.#: "" => "<computed>"
stop_before_destroy: "" => "false"
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Still creating... (10s elapsed)
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Still creating... (20s elapsed)
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Still creating... (30s elapsed)
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Still creating... (40s elapsed)
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Still creating... (50s elapsed)
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Still creating... (1m0s elapsed)
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Creation complete after 1m9s (ID: 2c1537b4-0bfa-4293-a6fb-b708553263f7)
Apply complete! Resources: 1 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.
Once the apply is complete, this server is now accessible and can be viewed in the Rackspace Cloud portal, API, or your command line interface of choice.
Terraform destroy
Once the resource, or resources, are no longer needed, the resource can be
destroyed just as easily as it was created. Running terraform destroy displays
what will be destroyed and requires confirmation to remove the resources provided
from the configuration.
$ terraform destroy
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Refreshing state... (ID: 2c1537b4-0bfa-4293-a6fb-b708553263f7)
An execution plan has been generated and is shown below.
Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:
- destroy
Terraform will perform the following actions:
- openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test
Plan: 0 to add, 0 to change, 1 to destroy.
Do you really want to destroy?
Terraform will destroy all your managed infrastructure, as shown above.
There is no undo. Only 'yes' will be accepted to confirm.
Enter a value: yes
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Destroying... (ID: 2c1537b4-0bfa-4293-a6fb-b708553263f7)
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Still destroying... (ID: 2c1537b4-0bfa-4293-a6fb-b708553263f7, 10s elapsed)
openstack_compute_instance_v2.terraform-test: Destruction complete after 16s
Destroy complete! Resources: 1 destroyed.
Next steps
I have covered the basics on how to use Terraform with Rackspace Cloud, but I did not scratch the surface of what to use Terraform for. Check out the docs to see the huge amount of things Terraform can manage to increase your productivity, as well as the consistency and reliability of your infrastructure.
Use the Feedback tab to make any comments or ask questions.
