/srv/irclogs.ubuntu.com/2013/11/27/#maas.txt

tonyyarussoHi, I'm trying to wrap my head around the various tools that exist for automating things.  Could someone explain what exactly MaaS does, how it relates to Juju, and how those compare to things like Puppet?02:39
bigjoolstonyyarusso: have a look at http://maas.ubuntu.com/02:40
tonyyarussoI did...it seems to jump right from the elevator pitch to the installation documentation without much explanation in between those.  :S02:41
bigjoolstonyyarusso: ok so maas is a bare metal provisioner. Its use is to turn a load of hardware into a cloud-like resource.02:51
bigjoolsjuju uses maas as a cloud provider in the same way it uses Amazon, etc02:52
tonyyarussoSo, MaaS would automate installing Ubuntu when I provision a new server, and JuJu would take care of configuring it for a particular use?02:55
bigjoolspretty much - maas installs ubuntu on demand as an api client requests a resource02:56
tonyyarussoIs Juju doing essentially the same thing as Puppet then, or are those different roles too?02:58
mwhudsonit's a bit higher level than where puppet started out02:59
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rvbabigjools: could you please have a look at https://code.launchpad.net/~rvb/maas-test/fix-dependencies/+merge/196830 ?  And can you confirm that the expression "python-six (>= 1.2.0) [or should it be >= 1.2.0-1?]" is correct?  (see http://paste.ubuntu.com/6483312/ for the list of the published versions of python-six)08:58
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jtvgmb: you were implementing --disable-proxy, right?10:14
gmbjtv: Yep, it's done.10:21
jtvThanks gmb.10:23
rvbabigjools: please don't forget to have a look at https://code.launchpad.net/~rvb/maas-test/fix-dependencies/+merge/196830 when you have time.10:26
bigjoolsrvba: done10:37
rvbaThanks.10:38
jamrvba: who do we talk to about updating the "MaaS" docs: http://maas.ubuntu.com/docs/juju-quick-start.html11:11
jamIt says to use "juju bootstrap --upload-tools" and we'd like to remove that flag by default11:11
rvbajam: the doc is part of the source, so please just file a bug with the tag 'doc'.11:12
jamrvba: thanks11:12
rvbanp11:12
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rvbaallenap: I'd be happy if you could have a look at https://code.launchpad.net/~rvb/maas-test/fix-cleanups/+merge/19690413:44
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allenaprvba: I'm on it. I think I have an alternative idea that you'll like, but I'm going to write a little code to demonstrate it first.14:34
allenaprvba: See lp:~allenap/maas-test/class-fixtures, diff: http://paste.ubuntu.com/6484657/14:42
allenaprvba: I have to travel now, back online in ~1h.14:42
rvbaallenap: I like the idea of putting the try/except in a utility method but I'm not sure it can work: when the KVMFixture fail, we want to tear down all the fixtures that have been set up previously, including the proxy fixture.  I don't your code does that.15:07
gmbrvba, allenap: I've got a branch here to make the config_dir of the fixtures configurable, when you've got a second: https://code.launchpad.net/~gmb/maas-test/fix-up-proxy-config-dir-for-tests/+merge/19691815:11
rvbaallenap: do you have time to help me with a tgt problem?15:56
rvbaallenap: I cannot get my node enlisted for some reason, the error is this: http://people.canonical.com/~rvb/IMG_20131127_161658.jpg15:56
rvbaallenap: looks like the tgt server is running and has the required images (I think): http://paste.ubuntu.com/6484986/15:57
roaksoaxrvba: is isci running on the cluster?15:57
rvbaroaksoax: tgtd is running15:58
roaksoaxrvba: hum, well it seems it successfully access the image and then fails?15:58
rvbaI've got 2 tgtd processes actually…15:58
rvbaroaksoax: I don't think it access the image at all, it has the name of the image but fails to connect to the tgt server.15:59
rvbaaccesses*15:59
roaksoaxrvba: right, so try restart tgtd, maybe running maas-import-ephemerals to re-generate the config15:59
rvbaroaksoax: hum, I can try that, but I need to understand what's going on, it's happening consistently…16:01
allenaprvba: I'll try it out. I think it ought to work like that.16:09
allenapgmb: Sure, I'll have a look.16:09
gmbTa.16:09
allenaprvba: I have no idea about that tgt problem. I've never used it ;)16:11
System_Error_Meshi how does MAAS differ to a single image system or a specific service like openMPI?16:19
jtvThat's not what MAAS does.16:21
System_Error_Meswell can you help explain what it does? i cant figure out after reading through the website16:22
jtvMAAS provisions the servers, but doesn't itself provide any kind of software substrate for writing distributed applications.16:22
jtvIn a nutshell, it lets you manage a bunch of servers as if they were a cloud.16:22
jtvSo where you might ask EC2 for a server, which you use for a while and then deallocate,16:22
System_Error_Mesi dont intend to run virtualisation16:23
jtvwith MAAS you can allocate a server from your bunch of machines, use it for a while, then return it to the pool.16:23
System_Error_Mesi basically need to set up a bunch of physical machines to run software16:23
jtvVirtualisation is one of the differences: with EC2 you allocate a virtual server, with MAAS you allocate a physical one.16:23
jtvThen you can combine MAAS with Juju.16:24
System_Error_Messo assuming i use MAAS i could set up 1 machine with 1 hard drive and than allocate a bunch of other machines without drives easily?16:24
jtvWe can't make extra machines for you.  :-)16:24
jtvWith MAAS you allocate physical systems.16:25
System_Error_Mesi dont mean to make extra machines, i meant not having to set up the OS of every single machine independently16:25
jtvAh!  That's right.16:25
jtvYou can use Juju to deploy applications, and you can set up Juju to use MAAS as a source of machines.16:25
jtvMAAS will install OS for you.16:26
jtvSo when you tell Juju to deploy an Apache server, for instance,16:26
System_Error_Messo if i set up 1 machine i want all driveless machines to use the same thing that machine has and use the drive of that machine, this can be done easily with MAAS?16:26
jtvit asks MAAS for a machine.  MAAS fires up a machine, installs the OS on it, and Juju installs Apache on it.16:26
System_Error_Mesthe point is i want to have a small cluster of machines but i dont want to have to keep them powered on all the time16:27
jtvThat part is fine; they only get powered on while they're allocated (or being installed etc.)16:28
jtvWhat I'm not sure about is how the driveless machines fit in...16:28
jtvYou're saying you have one machine with a disk, and some more without disks?16:28
System_Error_Mesyes16:28
System_Error_Mesor hard drives16:29
System_Error_Messo theres no permanent way to store data on a node for example16:29
System_Error_Mesin terms of ram every node would have plenty16:29
jtvI don't think we can install to RAM disks...  MAAS can run machines off RAM disks, but does that only for provisioning.16:30
jtvOnce you deploy, it is assumed that you're installing to persistent storage.16:30
jtvAt least, I think it is — we could ask roaksoax perhaps.16:32
allenapSystem_Error_Mes: We don't support working with diskless machines right now. We are considering it, but it won't be available for at least 6 months.16:32
System_Error_Mesah ok, so if i use the approach of each machine having its own drive, is there a way to keep each setting updated? So if i changed a setting or configuration on one machine would it reflect the other?16:32
System_Error_Mesfor example is when updating ubuntu or changing some OS configurations16:33
jtvThe easiest thing to do is to treat the machines as disposable: take one down, and re-deploy.  The new instance will get the newer system image.16:34
System_Error_Mesnetwork wise i plan to use DHCP and port teaming with switch on machines that support it16:34
System_Error_Mesre-deploying isnt going to work since each machine is different with a set of different hardware configurations16:36
System_Error_Mesfor setting up the first time it seems that MAAS would help a lot16:36
jtvYou can add constraints to say which (kind of) machine you want to deploy.16:37
jtvOnce you've got a machine deployed, MAAS treats it as entirely yours.  So you can run upgrades.16:37
jtvYou register your public SSH key with MAAS, so when you allocate a machine, you get full ssh access to it.16:38
System_Error_Messo once i deploy a machine with MAAS i can upgrade it or manage it remotely without having to redeploy?16:38
jtvYes, you can.16:38
System_Error_Meswell that'd work considering that each machine has different GPUs for running openCL16:38
System_Error_Mesand different CPUs for the same purpose16:39
System_Error_Mesthanks than16:39
jtvnp!16:39
System_Error_Mesbefore i go though is it possible to recompile ubuntu with specific CPU optimisations and have MAAS deploy specific compilations based on CPU?16:40
System_Error_Mesfor example, SSE4 and SSE4 + AVX16:40
jtvIsn't AVX the PowerPC thing?  I forget.16:41
System_Error_Mesits an instruction set on sandybridge and above CPUs that deal with numerical calculations16:41
jtvAnyway... recompiling the entire OS!?16:42
System_Error_Mesyup16:42
System_Error_MesSSE4 really speeds up running code16:42
jtvWow.  In principle we have some support for that, so it might work — but won't be easy.16:42
System_Error_Meswell as long as i can use GCC it shouldnt be a problem16:43
jtvFor applications you could use apt-build, I suppose, but for the OS itself you'd basically have to run your own archive.16:43
System_Error_Mesalso if i deployed ubuntu on a PS3, could i add it to MAAS as a node?16:44
System_Error_Mesthat way i could remotely manage it and keep the configurations constant16:45
jtvSome pretty cool ideas there.  I don't think we have support for that one...16:45
jtvFor starters, you'd need an archive for the architecture!16:46
System_Error_Meswell the archive wouldnt be a problem16:46
System_Error_Mesmy focus is mainly on the service or application but i need an OS thats easy to manage over multiple systems16:47
System_Error_Mesalthough i still have to dual boot with windows on some systems to make sure the application works on it as well16:47
System_Error_Meswell thanks for your help16:48
jtvMAAS doesn't really care what you do with the systems while they're allocated to you.16:48
jtvNP, good luck!16:48
System_Error_Mesis DHCP server required to run on the MAAS controller?16:49
System_Error_Mesi'd prefer to use my mikrotik router for that16:49
jtvMAAS runs its own DHCP.  It's not required, but then some configuration is needed that not all routers support.16:50
System_Error_Mesi tend to prefer the router managing LAN based settings instead16:50
jtvThat's OK, but we need to be able to netboot the nodes.16:50
System_Error_Mesit does support tftp or pxe boot settings though but i do need the details16:50
jtvMAAS also acts as a tftp server, and the nodes' PXEs need to be able to netboot off it.16:51
rvbaallenap: btw, what does fixture.reset() does compared to fixture.cleanUp() ?16:55
allenaprvba: It also calls fixture.setUp().16:56
rvba!16:56
rvbaallenap: oh, I think I understand what you've one in the paste.17:00
rvbaAnd I was wrong, it will probably call cleanUp() for all the fixtures registered if something goes wrong.17:01
allenaprvba: I've updated my branch with some small improvements.17:02
allenaprvba: And again...17:05
allenapI'll stop now :)17:05
rvbaallenap: there is one detail: if one fixture fails when running setUp(), it might have already registered clean up methods so I think we want to call fixture.cleanUp() on that fixture.17:06
rvbaallenap: okay, I'll integrate it in my branch then.17:06
allenaprvba: Ah yes, good thinking!17:06
System_Error_MesMAAS can be used with ubuntu desktop right?17:13
rvbaallenap: do we really want to do: cls.fixtures.addCleanup(delattr, cls, "maas")17:15
rvba?17:15
rvbaI don't really see the benefit.17:15
allenaprvba: It allows gc, in case that's important.17:15
allenapJust good hygiene.17:16
rvbaallenap: when something fails, the whole object is going overboard anyway.17:16
allenaprvba: Fair enough. The code is assuming that it doesn't know what environment it's running in, so is being defensive.17:18
rvbaallenap: right, I guess I can keep that.  Ca ne mange pas de pain (French idiom of the week).17:19
mgzyou're not eating any bread?17:19
mgzI think I miss the moral.17:19
mgzsolement gateaux pour rvba17:20
rvba:)17:20
rvbaallenap: I've integrated your suggestions: https://code.launchpad.net/~rvb/maas-test/fix-cleanups/+merge/19690417:23
allenaprvba: Cool, I'll take a look.17:38
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roaksoaxrvba: still around?19:28
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