Provisioning VMs on Amazon using Quick Start
Quick Start asks you to provide a limited number of configuration settings for BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management so it can integrate with Amazon Web Services (AWS). In this way, BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management can fulfill end user requests for automated provisioning of virtual machines to an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) or Virtual Private Cloud (VPC).
To provision VMs on Amazon, you can set up a connection to an EC2 or VPC and then specify an Amazon Machine Image (AMI). Quick Start converts these choices into data that is automatically entered into BMC Cloud Lifecyle Management so it can provision new VMs comparable to the specified AMI.
This topic describes the end-to-end Amazon approach in Quick Start. It includes the following sections:
Video demonstration
You can view a video (8:58) that demonstrates how to use the vCenter approach to configure BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management so it can fulfill end user requests for automated provisioning of VMs.
Before you begin
- Log onto BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management using a cloud administrator account. The cloud administrator must be associated with a provider company. (Click here for details about creating a provider company and a cloud administrator account.) When completing the BMC Remedy AR System form for the cloud administrator account, be sure to select Unrestricted Access.
If you do not use the Cloud Admin template to create the cloud administrator account (the standard approach), create a provider company for the new cloud administrator account and then ensure the account has the following permissions:- Cloud Admin
- Contact Organization Admin
- Prepare an AWS account and be familiar with using AWS.
Obtain security credentials for the AWS account. This is necessary because the AWS account must be able to make Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) API requests. To generate and extract the certificate and private key files for the AWS account, see Amazon Web Services documentation.
Ensure that conditions in any policies already defined in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management are set to "Match Any." Quick Start creates its own policies that may conflict with existing policies. For more information, see Adding and editing policies.
- Be aware that you can only use Quick Start to create new configurations for BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management. You cannot modify existing configurations
- Optionally, review the complete list of required settings before using Quick Start.
High-level steps
To access Quick Start, click the vertical Workspaces menu on the left side of the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management Administration Console. Then, click Quick Start. The Quick Start welcome page opens. It provides links to wizards that step you through the process of configuring Quick Start.
On the welcome page, two links apply to the Amazon-based provisioning:
- New Amazon Setup — Steps you through three procedures needed to set up provisioning using Amazon EC2 or VPC:
- Adding Amazon connectors—Provide AWS credentials to establish a connection to an Amazon EC2 provider instance.
- Adding Amazon environments—Define the computing, storage, and network resources available for a virtual machine.
- Adding Amazon services from templates—Define a service offering by selecting an AMI.
- New tenant and user —Identify tenants, the offerings to which those tenants are entitled, and the users associated with those tenants.
After you complete these steps, users can provision VMs to an Amazon EC2 or VPC using the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management - My Cloud Services Console.
Adding an Amazon connector
In Quick Start, a connector defines an integration with an Amazon EC2 provider instance. EC2 is a web service that provides resizable, cloud-based computing capacity.
If a failure occurs while adding an Amazon connector, Quick Start automatically rolls back all content.
To add an Amazon connector
- On the Quick Start home page, click New Amazon Setup.
This page prompts you for a user name and the Amazon Web Services (AWS) account credentials needed to establish a secure connection to an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) provider instance.
This page also provides a vertical navigation bar at left, which illustrates where you are in the Quick Start process.
- Complete the Setup Connector page.
Option
Description
Amazon IAM User
Name that identifies a user who belongs to the AWS Identify and Access Management (IAM) system.
Access Key ID
A unique identifier for the AWS account. Secret Access Key
A digital signature generated from your secret access key to the AWS account.
Click Next.
The Amazon connector is complete. Quick Start opens the New Environment page, the first step in defining an Amazon environment.
Quick Start interactions with BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management
Adding Amazon environments
An environment defines the computing, storage, and network resources available for a virtual machine. An Amazon environment can be an EC2 Availability Zone or a VPC subnet. The network resources defined for the environment must include at least one network. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management does not require a management network for an Amazon environment.
Environments are also called logical hosting environments. In Quick Start an environment is essentially a logical hosting environment with some other information added.
If a failure occurs while adding an Amazon environment, Quick Start automatically rolls back all content.
To add an Amazon environment
- Complete the New Environment page.
This page lets you provide information that defines a new Amazon environment.
Option
Description
AWS Account
Name of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) account to use to connect to an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) provider instance or Virtual Private Cloud (VPC).
Note: Quick Start automatically enters the AWS Account field with the name of the Amazon IAM User.
Amazon Web Service
One of the following AWS connection options:
- EC2—Connect to an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud.
- VPC—Connect to an Amazon Virtual Private Cloud. If you select this option, you must have previously used AWS to create a VPC for the Availability Zone you specify with the Amazon Pod option.
Amazon Region
An Amazon Availability Zone, which corresponds to a geographic area.
Availability Zone or VPC
Choice of Amazon Availability Zone or Virtual Private Cloud, which determines where in AWS your virtual machines are generated.
- Click Next to display the Tag Networks page.
- Complete the Tag Networks page.
This page lists the networks defined for this environment based on the Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) or Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) already selected for this environment. For each network that should be made available to a virtual machine, provide the information listed below.
Option
Description
Subnet Mask
One of the following subnet options:
- Customer—A default network label for a network container based on Availability Zones. The Customer label does not map to any Amazon entity.
- Range of IP addresses—The addresses available to the network address.
Network Alias
Identifying name for the network being made available to the VM.
- Click Next.
The Amazon environment is complete. Quick Start opens the Service Offering page, the first step in defining an Amazon service offering.
Quick Start interactions with BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management
Adding Amazon services from templates
You must define a service offering that end users can choose in a service catalog when they are provisioning virtual machines (VMs). Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) can be used as service offerings.
An AMI is a type of pre-configured operating system along with virtual application software that can be used as a template to instantiate a virtual machine within the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). In an EC2 environment, an AMI is the basic unit of service that you can deploy.
To add Amazon services from templates
- Complete the Service Offering page.
Option
Description
Name
Name for the service you want to offer in the service catalog.
Service Description
Descriptive text for the service.
Environment
Select the environment created earlier when you added an Amazon environment.
Network
Select the network associated with the environment you selected. If the environment is based on a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and multiple subnets are defined for the environment, you can select one of those subnets.
AMI Type
Select one of the following AMI types:
- Owned—An AMI that can be used by anyone who subscribes to the service that provides it.
- Private—An AMI to which you have been granted private access.
- Public—An AMI that can be used by anyone.
AMI
Name of the AMI to be used. If the AMI Type is set to Public, you must type the name of the AMI rather than selecting from a list.
Key Pair Name Used to access a provisioned VM. You must provide a key pair when provisioning a Linux VM. When provisioning a Windows VM, a key pair is not essential if the VM is enrolled in BMC Server Automation and you have the credentials that were provided when the VM was enrolled. Refer to Amazon product documentation for more information about access keys. Default Size
Select the amount of computing capacity provided by the AMI.
Request Elastic IP If you are provisioning a VM to a VPC, check this option to allocate a public IP address to the VM. If you are provisioning a VM to an availability zone, a public IP address is automatically allocated to the VM.
Include EC2 Instance Type Options Indicates the service offering will include out-of-the-box options that allow the end user to specify the type of EC2 instance: micro, small, medium and large. Price
(Optional) Amount a user is charged for use of a virtual machine for a specified period of time. For example, 20 dollars per month.
Currency
Select the currency type, such as U.S. dollars (USD).
Period
Select the length of time for which a user is charged for use of a virtual machine.
- Click Next to display the Open Inbound Ports page.
- Complete the Open Inbound Ports page.
This page identifies the ports that should be accessible to an Amazon EC2 instance.
Click Add Rule
to display options for defining ...To set up an additional connection, click Add Rule again.
Option
Description
Type
Select the TCP or UCP Internet connection protocol.
Port Number
Port number that should be made available.
Source Address
The IP address or range of IP addresses allowed to access a port. Specify a range of addresses using syntax such as 192.29.1.0/24. To indicate that all addresses can access the port, enter
0.0.0.0/0.Source Mask
The mask applied to the source address, if applicable.
- When you finish defining services, click Next.
Amazon services setup is complete. Quick Start displays a summary page showing all the configuration settings you have chosen. - After reviewing the summary page, click Finished.
The Quick Start home page opens. You can now set up tenants and users.
Quick Start interactions with BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management
Adding tenants and users
You must define the entitlements that are available to tenants. An entitlement is a set of service offerings that a tenant can request. A tenant in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management can be a company, organization, or any other group of users. By setting up tenants, you can segregate companies or organizations in the cloud. You can also control what entitlement packages are available for each tenant.
You must also create users that are associated with a tenant.
If a failure occurs while adding tenants, users, and entitlements, Quick Start automatically rolls back all content.
To add tenants, entitlements, and users
On the Quick Start welcome page, click New Tenant and User. The Add Tenant page opens.
This page provides the information needed to define a tenant and the entitlements available to the tenant.
Option
Description
Name
Name of the tenant.
Location
Location of the tenant.
This location does not have to be the same as the location of a vCenter server you specify when creating a vCenter connector.
Environment Entitlement
Associates the tenant with an environment.
Offering Entitlement
Identifies the service offerings to which the tenant is entitled. For each offering you select, you must ensure that the associated environment (specified with the Environment Entitlement option) is also selected.
Note
If you map multiple environments with different network aliases to a single tenant, subsequent provisioning attempts in BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management may fail with policy validation errors.
If you map multiple environments created from multiple network pods to a single tenant, provisioning may fail because the environment chosen during provisioning may be incompatible with the VM Template or AMI used for service creation.
- Complete the page and click Next to display the Add User page.
This page provides the information needed to define a new user for a tenant.
Option
Description
First Name
User's first name.
Last Name
User's last name.
Login Name
User's logon ID
Password
User's password.
Confirm Password Retype the user's password. Role
One of the following user roles:
- Cloud Admin—Manage the full life cycle of the cloud environment, including its initial planning, deployment, and configuration, and its continued administration, operation, and maintenance.
- Org Admin—Manage a subset of the cloud to perform tasks such as monitoring usage, administering virtual firewalls, and maintaining virtual load balancers.
- End User—Request services, such as the deployment of virtual machines (VMs), through the BMC My Cloud Services Console.
Tenant Company
Tenant that is associated with this user.
- Complete the Add User page and click Next to view a summary of the choices you have made for tenants and users.
- Click Finished.
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