hastexo-xblock-openstack-integration

Using the

hastexo XBlock

with

OpenStack

(Press space to proceed, or use your arrow keys.)

XML

This is how a course author invokes the hastexo XBlock XML in the courseware:

<vertical url_name="lab_introduction">
  <hastexo
    url_name="lab_introduction"
    stack_template_path="hot_lab.yaml"
    instructions_path="markdown_lab.md"
    stack_user_name="training"
    os_auth_url="https://ops.elastx.net:5000/v2.0"
    os_tenant_name="example.com"
    os_username="demo@example.com"
    os_password="foobarfoobarfoofoo" />
</vertical>

Authentication

The XBlock supports standard OpenStack authentication variables, including Keystone v3:

• os_auth_url
• os_tenant_name
• os_username
• os_password

Heat

The uploaded Heat template (stack_template_path) defines the lab environment itself. It is a regular Heat Template, but it needs to meet the following criteria...

1. Public IP

The template must assign a public IP address to one node in the environment, and provide it as a template output named public_ip:

resources:
  deploy_floating_ip:
    type: OS::Neutron::FloatingIP
    properties:
      floating_network_id: { get_param: public_net_id }
      port_id: { get_resource: deploy_management_port }
      fixed_ip_address: 192.168.122.100

output:
  public_ip:
    description: Floating IP address of deploy in public network
    value: { get_attr: [ deploy_floating_ip, floating_ip_address ] }

2. Training Key

The template must also create a private SSH key identified by the stack's own name, and provide it as a private_key output:

resources:
  training_key:
    type: OS::Nova::KeyPair
    properties:
      name: { get_param: 'OS::stack_name' }
      save_private_key: true

outputs:
  private_key:
    description: Training private key
    value: { get_attr: [ training_key, private_key ] }

3. Training Key Assignment

The training key must be usable to access not only the public node, but all others. To do so, a specific system user can be defined using the Heat CloudConfig resource, and the private and public keys deployed as such:

resources:
  cloud_config:
    type: OS::Heat::CloudConfig
    properties:
      cloud_config:
        users:
          - name: training
            gecos: Training User
            groups: users,adm
            ssh-authorized-keys:
              - { get_attr: [ training_key, public_key ] }
        write_files:
          - path: /home/training/.ssh/id_rsa
            permissions: '0600'
            content: { get_attr: [ training_key, private_key ] }

Lab Instructions

Lab instructions are written in markdown, one file per lab (also uploaded to the course content store), and will be rendered as HTML immediately above the terminal window.

Grading

Labs can be graded by defining tests in any available scripting language . A return value of 0 means the student was successful. Anything else means failure:

<hastexo>
  <test>
    #!/bin/bash -e
    for i in daisy eric frank; do
      ssh $i dpkg -l ceph
    done
  </test>
  <test>
    #!/bin/bash -e
    # Check if directory is present.
    ls -l /etc/ceph
  </test>
</hastexo>

Screenshots

This is what the student sees, in practice:

http://arbrandes.github.io/hastexo-xblock-openstack-integration

https://github.com/arbrandes/hastexo-xblock-openstack-integration

This presentation, like most hastexo slide decks, is under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license. So please feel free to peruse these slides as a basis for your own presentations, as you see fit.