The document provides an overview of Stratalux's cloud-based managed services and infrastructure as code approach using Chef. Key points include: - Stratalux builds highly scalable and available websites in the public cloud. - Infrastructure is defined as code using Chef for consistent builds, configurations, backups and reduced costs. - Chef is used to define infrastructure including cookbooks, roles, environments and nodes. - CloudFormation templates are used to define the needed AWS resources like IAM roles, security groups, auto scaling groups. - Templates specify parameters, mappings and resources to deploy the application servers configured via Chef.

1. Hi!

2. Stratalux is a cloud-based
Managed Services Provider
We build highly scalable &
available websites in
the public cloud
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3. A match made in the
Hall of Justice.
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4. Infrastructure as code ™
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5. Consistent builds and configurations
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6. Backups!
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7. Things break!
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8. Reduced costs!
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9. 7/20/2012 9

10. • Hosted Chef
• Attributes
• Cookbooks
• Data Bags
• Roles
• Environments
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11. $ knife node list
web01.stratalux.com
web02.stratalux.com
web03.stratalux.com
web04.stratalux.com
web05.stratalux.com
app01.stratalux.com
app02.stratalux.com
proxy01.stratalux.com
proxy02.stratalux.com
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12. cookbook_versions:
amazon_dns_tools: = 0.0.3
amazon_ses: = 0.1.5
apache2: = 0.99.5
apt: = 1.1.2
aws: = 0.99.0
aws_accounts: = 0.0.4
aws_tools: = 0.1.6
backup-manager: = 0.0.2
bluepill: = 0.2.0
build-essential: = 1.0.0
cacti: = 0.0.5
collectd: = 1.0.1
confluence: = 0.0.1
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13. override_attributes:
java:
install_flavor: openjdk
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14. comment: Justin Sysadmin
ftp_enabled: true
ftp_passwd: password
groups: sysadmin
id: justin
shell: /bin/bash
uid: 2304
vsftpd_configs:
guest_username: justin
local_root: /home/justin
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15. $knife role show application_server
chef_type: role
description: Application server role.
json_class: Chef::Role
name: application_server
run_list:
role[stratalux_base_prod]
recipe[jetty]
recipe[java]
default_attributes:
jetty:
admin_server: false
bucket: bucket123
caching.servers:
server1.stratalux.com:11211
server2.stratalux.com:11211
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16. $ knife environment show Production
name: Production
cookbook_versions:
java: = 1.0.0
users: = 0.3.5
ntp: = 0.0.2
wordpress: = 0.8.4
apache2: = 1.0.1
jetty: = 0.0.8
default_attributes:
ntp:
servers:
0.pool.ntp.org
1.pool.ntp.org
override_attributes: {}
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17. • Needed AWS Resources
– IAM User
– IAM Access Key
– Bucket Policy
– Auto Scaling Group
– Launch Configuration
– Security Groups
– Load Balancer
– Scaling Policy
– Cloudwatch Alarms
– WaitConditions
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18. • Parameters
• Mappings
• Resources
• Functions
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19. "KeyName": {
"Type": "String",
"Description": "Name of an existing EC2 KeyPair to enable SSH access to the web
server",
"Default": “stratalux-key"
},
"InstanceType": {
"Description": "Application Server EC2 instance type",
"Type": "String",
"Default": "m1.small",
"AllowedValues": ["t1.micro", "m1.small", "m1.medium", "m1.large",
"m1.xlarge", "m2.xlarge", "m2.2xlarge", "m2.4xlarge", "c1.medium", "c1.xlarge",
"cc1.4xlarge", "cc2.8xlarge", "cg1.4xlarge"],
"ConstraintDescription": "must be a valid EC2 instance type."
},
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20. "ChefOrganization": {
"Description": "The Organization name used in Hosted Chef.",
"Type": "String",
"Default": “stratalux"
},
"ChefEnvironment": {
"Description": "The Chef Environment.",
"Type": "String",
"Default": “Production"
},
"ChefRunList": {
"Description": "The Chef runlist.",
"Type": "String",
"Default": "role[application_server]"
},
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21. "DomainName": {
"Description": "Server Domain Name.",
"Type": "String",
"Default": “stratalux.com"
},
"ChefServerPrivateKeyBucket": {
"Description": "S3 bucket containing validation private key for Chef Server",
"Type": "String",
"Default": "stratalux_cloudformation"
}
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22. "Mappings" : {
"RegionMap" : {
"us-east-1" : {
"AMI" : "ami-76f0061f"
},
"us-west-1" : {
"AMI" : "ami-655a0a20"
},
"eu-west-1" : {
"AMI" : "ami-7fd4e10b"
},
"ap-southeast-1" : {
"AMI" : "ami-72621c20"
}
}
}
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23. • Resources
"Resources" :{
"MySimpleImage" : {
"Type" : "AWS::EC2::Image",
"Properties" : {
"ImageId" : "myLinuxBundle-2011-12-30",
}
}
}
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24. "ChefClientUser": {
"Type": "AWS::IAM::User",
"Properties": {
"Path": "/",
"Policies": [{
"PolicyName": "root",
"PolicyDocument": {
"Statement": [
{"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": ["cloudformation:DescribeStackResource", "s3:Get"],
"Resource": "*"
}]}}]}},
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25. "HostKeys": {
"Type": "AWS::IAM::AccessKey",
"DependsOn": "ChefClientUser",
"Properties": {
"UserName": {
"Ref": "ChefClientUser"
}
}},
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26. "BucketPolicy": {
"Type": "AWS::S3::BucketPolicy",
"DependsOn": "HostKeys",
"Properties": {
"PolicyDocument": {
"Statement": [{
"Sid": "ReadAccess",
"Action": ["s3:GetObject"],
"Effect": "Allow",
"Resource": {
"Fn::Join": ["",
["arn:aws:s3:::", {
"Ref": "ChefServerPrivateKeyBucket"}, "/*"]]},
"Principal": {
"AWS": { "Fn::GetAtt": ["ChefClientUser", "Arn"]
}}}]},
"Bucket": {
"Ref": "ChefServerPrivateKeyBucket"}}},
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27. "AppServerGroup": {
"Type": "AWS::AutoScaling::AutoScalingGroup",
"Properties": {
"AvailabilityZones": {
"Fn::GetAZs": ""},
"LaunchConfigurationName": {
"Ref": "ChefClient"},
"LoadBalancerNames": [
{"Ref": “appserverstrataluxcom"}
],
"MinSize": "2",
"MaxSize": "10"
}},
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28. "ChefClient": {
"Type":
"AWS::AutoScaling::LaunchConfiguration",
"DependsOn": "BucketPolicy",
"Metadata": {
"AWS::CloudFormation::Init": {
"config": {
"packages": {
"rubygems": {
"chef": [],"ohai": ["0.6.4"]
},
"apt": {
"build-essential": [],"ruby":
[],"rubygems": []
}},
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29. "files": {
"/etc/chef/first-boot.json": {
"content": {
"run_list": {
"Ref": "ChefRunList“
},
"mode": "000644",
"owner": "root",
"group": "root"
}},
"/home/ubuntu/.s3cfg": {
"content": {
"Fn::Join": ["",
["[default]n", "access_key = ", {
"Ref": "HostKeys"
}, "n", "secret_key = ", {
"Fn::GetAtt": ["HostKeys",
"SecretAccessKey"]
}, "n", "use_https = Truen"]]},
"mode": "000644",
"owner": "ubuntu",
"group": "ubuntu"
},
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30. "Properties": {
"SecurityGroups": [
{
"Ref": “AppServerAccess"
}
],
"ImageId": {
"Fn::FindInMap": ["AWSRegionArch2AMI", {
"Ref": "AWS::Region"
}, {
"Fn::FindInMap": ["AWSInstanceType2Arch",
{
"Ref": "InstanceType"
}, "Arch“
]}]},
"KeyName": {
"Ref": "KeyName"
},
"InstanceType": {
"Ref": "InstanceType"
}
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31. "UserData": {
"Fn::Base64": {
"Fn::Join": ["",
["#!/bin/bash -vn", "function error_exitn",
"{n", " cfn-signal -e 1 -r "$1" '",
{
"Ref": "ChefClientWaitHandle“
},
"chef-client -j /etc/chef/first-boot.json ||”,
“error_exit 'Failed to initialize host via chef
client' n",
"# If all went well, signal successn",
"cfn-signal -e $? -r 'Chef Server configuration'
'",
{
"Ref": "ChefClientWaitHandle"
}, "'n“
}
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32. “AppServerAccess ": {
"Type": "AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup",
"Properties": {
"GroupDescription": “AppServerAccess",
"SecurityGroupIngress": [
{
"IpProtocol": "tcp",
"FromPort": "8080",
"ToPort": "8080",
"CidrIp": "0.0.0.0/0"}
]}},
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33. “appserverstrata1uxit": {
"Type": "AWS::ElasticLoadBalancing::LoadBalancer",
"Properties": {
"AvailabilityZones": {
"Fn::GetAZs": ""},
"HealthCheck": {
"HealthyThreshold": "10",
"Interval": "30",
"Target": "HTTP:8080/healthcheck",
"Timeout": "2",
"UnhealthyThreshold": "2"
},
"Listeners": [{
"InstancePort": "8080",
"LoadBalancerPort": "80",
"Protocol": "HTTP",
"PolicyNames": []
}]}},
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34. "AppServerScaleUpPolicy": {
"Type": "AWS::AutoScaling::ScalingPolicy",
"Properties": {
"AdjustmentType": "ChangeInCapacity",
"AutoScalingGroupName": {
"Ref": "AppServerGroup"
},
"Cooldown": "60",
"ScalingAdjustment": "1"}
},
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35. "AppServerScaleDownPolicy": {
"Type": "AWS::AutoScaling::ScalingPolicy",
"Properties": {
"AdjustmentType": "ChangeInCapacity",
"AutoScalingGroupName": {
"Ref": "AppServerGroup"
},
"Cooldown": "60",
"ScalingAdjustment": "-1"}
},
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36. "CPUAlarmHigh": {
"Type": "AWS::CloudWatch::Alarm",
"Properties": {
"AlarmDescription": "Scale-up if CPU > 75% for 2
minutes",
"MetricName": "CPUUtilization",
"Namespace": "AWS/EC2",
"Statistic": "Average",
"Period": "60",
"EvaluationPeriods": "2",
"Threshold": "75",
"AlarmActions": [{
"Ref": "AppServerScaleUpPolicy"}],
"Dimensions": [{
"Name": "AutoScalingGroupName",
"Value": {
"Ref": "AppServerGroup"}}],
"ComparisonOperator": "GreaterThanThreshold“
}},
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37. "CPUAlarmLow": {
"Type": "AWS::CloudWatch::Alarm",
"Properties": {
"AlarmDescription": "Scale-down if CPU < 75% for 10
minutes",
"MetricName": "CPUUtilization",
"Namespace": "AWS/EC2",
"Statistic": "Average",
"Period": "300",
"EvaluationPeriods": "2",
"Threshold": "75",
"AlarmActions": [{
"Ref": "AppServerScaleDownPolicy"}],
"Dimensions": [{
"Name": "AutoScalingGroupName",
"Value": {
"Ref": "AppServerGroup"}}],
"ComparisonOperator": "LessThanThreshold"
}},
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38. "ChefClientWaitHandle": {
"Type": "AWS::CloudFormation::WaitConditionHandle“
},
"ChefClientWaitCondition": {
"Type": "AWS::CloudFormation::WaitCondition",
"DependsOn": "ChefClient",
"Properties": {
"Handle": {
"Ref": "ChefClientWaitHandle"},
"Timeout": "1200“}
}
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44. Jeremy Przygode
jp@stratalux.com
www.stratalux.com
@stratalux
Special thanks to JD Hanson for the awesome images!
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