Administering Cloud-Based Environments

If your MicroStrategy environment includes cloud-based environments, you can create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) and get its status. You can also launch, manage, and terminate your cloud-based environments as part of a System Manager workflow.

Creating an Image

You can create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) from an Amazon EBS-backed instance as part of the System Manager workflow. An Amazon Machine Image is a template that contains the software configuration for your server. While creating an image, ensure that the EBS-backed instance is either running or stopped.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Create Image process to your workflow. The following information is required to create an Amazon Cloud image:

Credential Properties File: The file that includes your secretkey and accesskey for your account. Click the folder icon to browse to and select a credential properties file.
Existing Instance ID: ID of an Amazon EBS-backed instance that is either running or stopped.
Name: Name for the new image.
Description: Description for the new image.
Set No Reboot: Select this check box to prohibit the Amazon EC2 from shutting down the Amazon EBS-backed instance before creating the new image. If you clear this check box, the Amazon EC2 attempts to shut down EBS-backed instance before creating the new image and then restarts the instance.
Block Device Mapping: A block device is a storage device that is physically attached to a computer or accessed remotely as if it were physically attached to the computer. Hard disks, CD-ROM drives, and flash drives are a few examples of block devices. A block device mapping defines the block devices to be attached to an AMI. This argument is passed in the form of devicename=blockdevice. Where, devicename is the name of the device within Amazon EC2 and blockdevice can be one of the following:

none: To omit a mapping of the device from the AMI used to launch the instance, specify none. For example: "/dev/sdc=none".
ephemeralN: To add an instance store volume to the device, specify ephemeralN, where N is the volume number. The range of valid volume numbers is 0 to 3. For example: "/dev/sdc=ephemeral0".
snapshot-id:volume-size:delete-on-termination:volume-type:iops. Where
- snapshot-id is the ID of the snapshot to use to create the block device. To add an EBS volume (for EBS-backed instance only), specify the snapshot id. For example "/dev/sdh=snap-7eb96d16".
- volume-size is the size of the volume in GB. To add an empty EBS volume, omit the snapshot id and specify a volume size. For example "/dev/sdh=:200".
- delete-on-termination is to indicate whether the EBS volume should be deleted on termination (true or false). The default value is true. To prevent the volume from being deleted on termination of the instance, specify false. For example "/dev/sdh=snap-7eb96d16::false".
- volume-type:iops is the volume type (standard or io1). The default value is standard. For example, "/dev/sdh=:standard". To create a provisioned Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS) volume, specify io1 and the number of IOPS that the volume supports. For example "/dev/sdh= io1:500".
  All of these variables are optional. You can choose to use any or all of them. Refer to your Amazon third-party documentation for additional examples, updates, and information on the block device variables listed below.

Output Parameters: When a cloud-based image is created, various output parameters are provided that include details about the cloud-based environment. It is recommended that you include parameter (see Using Parameters for Processes) for the following output parameter, so that the value can be saved and used for other processes:

New AMI ID: The newly created image ID for the Amazon Machine Image (AMI).

Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Getting Cloud Image Status

Once your Amazon Cloud image is created, you can determine its state. For example, you can determine if an image is available or has not yet been registered.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Get Image Status process to your workflow. The following information is required to get the state of your Amazon Cloud image:

Credential Properties File: The file that includes your secretkey and accesskey for your account. Click the folder icon to browse to and select a credential properties file.
AMI ID: The image ID for the Amazon Machine Image (AMI) to use for your cloud-based environment. Type the image ID, which you can retrieve from Amazon's cloud resources.
Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Launching Cloud-Based Environments

You can launch your Amazon cloud-based environments as part of a System Manager workflow.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Launch Instance process to your workflow. The following information is required to launch a cloud-based environment:

Credential Properties File: The file that includes your secretkey and accesskey for your account. Click the folder icon to browse to and select a credential properties file.
AMI ID: The image ID for the Amazon Machine Image (AMI) to use for your cloud-based environment. Type the image ID, which you can retrieve from Amazon's cloud resources.
Instance Type: The image type for your cloud-based environment, which determines the computing capacity of the cloud-based environment. Select the appropriate instance type from the drop-down list.
Zone: The zone, or network, that the cloud-based environment is launched and deployed to. Type the name for the zone.
Key Pair Name: Select this check box to create the key pair name, which acts as a password to access the cloud-based environment once it is launched. If you clear this check box, this security method is not used with the cloud-based environment.
Name Tag: Select this check box to create a name to distinguish the cloud-based environment. If you clear this check box, no name is provided for the cloud-based environment.
Security Group: Select this check box to create new security groups or use existing security groups. Use a semicolon (;) to separate multiple security groups. If you clear this check box, no security groups are used for the cloud-based environment.
Output Parameters: When a cloud-based environment is launched, various output parameters are provided that include details about the cloud-based environment. It is recommended that you include parameters (see Using Parameters for Processes) for the following output parameters, so that the values can be saved and used for other processes:
- Public IP Address: The public IP address of the cloud-based environment.
- Private IP Address: The private IP address of the cloud-based environment.
- Instance ID: The instance ID of the cloud-based environment. This instance ID is required to terminate a cloud-based environment (see Terminating Cloud-Based Environments).
- Public DNS Name: The public Domain Name System (DNS) name of the cloud-based environment, which is provided upon launching an instance. Using the Amazon EC2 console, you can view the public DNS name for a running instance.
- Private DNS Name: The private Domain Name System (DNS) name of the cloud-based environment, which is provided upon launching an instance. Using the Amazon EC2 console, you can view the private DNS name for a running instance.
- Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Managing Cloud-Based Environments

Once your Amazon cloud-based environment is launched, you can start, stop, and force stop the cloud-based environment as part of a System Manager workflow.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Manage Instances process to your workflow. The following information is required to manage a cloud-based environment:

Credential Properties File: The file that includes your secretkey and accesskey for your account. Click the folder icon to browse to and select a credential properties file.
Instance ID: The instance ID of the cloud-based environment.
Action: The list of actions—that is, start, stop, or force stop—that can be performed on your cloud-based environment. Select the appropriate action from the drop-down list.
Output Parameters: When a cloud-based environment is launched, various output parameters are provided that include details about the cloud-based environment. It is recommended that you include parameters (see Using Parameters for Processes) for the following output parameters, so that the values can be saved and used for other processes:
- Public IP Address(es): The public IP address of the cloud-based environment.
- Private IP Address(es): The private IP address of the cloud-based environment.
- Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Terminating Cloud-Based Environments

You can terminate your Amazon cloud-based environments as part of a System Manager workflow.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Terminate Instance process to your workflow. The following information is required to terminate a cloud-based environment:

Credential Properties File: The file that includes your secretkey and accesskey for your account. Click the folder icon to browse to and select a credential properties file.
Instance ID: The instance ID of the cloud-based environment.
Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Creating a vApp

You can create a new vApp as part of a System Manager workflow. A vApp is a collection of one or more virtual machines that can be deployed as a single, cloud-based environment.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Create vApp process to your workflow. The following information is required to create a vApp:

If you are unsure of any of the option values required to create a vApp, contact the vCloud administrator for the necessary information.

vCloud Server Name: The machine name or IP address of a vCloud director server. The syntax for providing a vCloud host name is HostName:PortNumber, where HostName is the machine name or IP address, and PortNumber is the port number for the host.
User Name: The name of a user account that has the necessary rights to work with and create vApps.
Login as Administrator: Select this check box to log in to vCloud as an administrator.
Password: The password for the user name that you provided to create the vApp. You can use the button to the right of the Password field to determine whether the password characters are shown or asterisks are displayed instead.
Organization Name: The organization that authenticates the user.
Virtual Datacenter: The name of the virtual datacenter that allocates the system resources for a vCloud environment.
New vApp Name: The name that is used to identify the vApp.
Add VM: Select this check box to also create a virtual machine for the vApp. If you select this check box, you must provide the following information to create a virtual machine:
- Catalog Name: The name of the catalog that stores the template that you use to create the virtual machine.
- Template Name: The name of the template required to create the virtual machine. A template defines the initial setup and configuration of a virtual machine.
- Start the vApp: Determines if the virtual machine and its associated vApp are powered on so that it can be used after the creation process is completed. Select this check box to power on the virtual machine and its associated vApp. If you do not select this option, you can use the Manage VM process to power on the virtual machine at a later time (see Starting, Stopping, and Restarting a Virtual Machine).
- Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Starting, Stopping, and Restarting a vApp

Once a vApp is created, you can start, stop, and restart the vApp as part of a System Manager workflow. A vApp must be powered on for users to access and work with a vApp. You may need to power off or shut down a vApp to perform various administrative maintenance on the vApp.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Manage vApp process to your workflow. The following information is required to manage a vApp:

If you are unsure about any of the option values required to manage a vApp, contact the vCloud administrator for the necessary information.

vCloud Server Name: The machine name or IP address of a vCloud director server. The syntax for providing a vCloud host name is HostName:PortNumber, where HostName is the machine name or IP address, and PortNumber is the port number for the host.
User Name: The name of a user account that has the necessary rights to work with vApps.
Login as Administrator: Select this check box to log in to vCloud as an administrator.
Password: The password for the user name that you provided to create the vApp. You can use the button to the right of the Password field to determine whether the password characters are shown or asterisks are displayed instead.
Organization Name: The organization that authenticates the user.
Action: The type of action to perform on the vApp. Actions performed on a vApp affect the availability of all virtual machines included in the vApp. You can select one of the following actions:

Start: Starts a vApp so that users can access and work with a vApp.
Stop: Stops a vApp through a vCloud request, which makes the vApp unavailable to users. This type of vCloud power off request can be monitored by the vCloud system to determine the success or failure of the action.

Virtual Datacenter: The name of the virtual datacenter that allocates the system resources for a vCloud environment.
vApp Name: The name of the vApp to start, stop, or restart.
Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Starting, Stopping, and Restarting a Virtual Machine

Once a vApp is created, you can start, stop, and restart a virtual machine that is included in a vApp as part of a System Manager workflow. A virtual machine must be powered on for users to access and work with a virtual machine. You may need to power off or shut down a virtual machine to perform various administrative maintenance tasks on the virtual machine.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Manage VM process to your workflow. The following information is required to manage a virtual machine:

If you are unsure about any of the option values required to manage a virtual machine, contact the vCloud administrator for the necessary information.

vCloud Server Name: The machine name or IP address of a vCloud director server. The syntax for providing a vCloud host name is HostName:PortNumber, where HostName is the machine name or IP address, and PortNumber is the port number for the host.
User Name: The name of a user account that has the necessary rights to work with vApps and virtual machines.
Login as Administrator: Select this check box to log in to vCloud as an administrator.
Password: The password for the user name that you provided to create the vApp. You can use the button to the right of the Password field to determine whether the password characters are shown or asterisks are displayed instead.
Organization Name: The organization that authenticates the user.
Action: The type of action to perform on the virtual machine. You can select one of the following actions:

Power on: Starts a virtual machine so that users can access and work with the virtual machine.
Power off: Stops a virtual machine through a vCloud request, which makes the virtual machine unavailable to users. This type of vCloud power off request can be monitored by the vCloud system to determine the success or failure of the action.

Virtual Datacenter: The name of the virtual datacenter that allocates the system resources for a vCloud environment.
vApp Name: The name of the vApp that contains the virtual machine to start, stop, or restart.
VM Name: The name of the virtual machine within the vApp to start, stop, or restart.
Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Duplicating a vApp

You can duplicate a vApp as part of a System Manager workflow. A vApp is a collection of one or more virtual machines, which can be deployed as a single cloud-based environment.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Copy vApp process to your workflow. The following information is required to duplicate a vApp:

If you are unsure about any of the option values required to duplicate a vApp, contact the vCloud administrator for the necessary information.

vCloud Server Name: The machine name or IP address of a vCloud director server. The syntax for providing a vCloud host name is HostName:PortNumber, where HostName is the machine name or IP address, and PortNumber is the port number for the host.
User Name: The name of a user account that has the necessary rights to work with and create vApps.
Login as Administrator: Select this check box to log in to vCloud as an administrator.
Password: The password for the user name that you provided to create the vApp. You can use the button to the right of the Password field to determine whether the password characters are shown or asterisks are displayed instead.
Organization Name: The organization that authenticates the user.
Virtual Datacenter: The name of the virtual datacenter that allocates the system resources for a vCloud environment.
Source vApp Name: The name of the vApp to duplicate.
Destination vApp Name: The name for the duplicate copy of the vApp.
Start the vApp: Determines if the duplicate copy of the vApp is powered on so that it can be used after the duplication process is completed. Select this check box to power on the vApp. If you do not select this option, you can use the Manage vApp process to power on the vApp at a later time (see Starting, Stopping, and Restarting a vApp).
Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Deleting a vApp

You can delete a vApp as part of a System Manager workflow. A vApp is a collection of one or more virtual machines, which can be deployed as a single cloud-based environment.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Delete vApp process to your workflow. The following information is required to delete a vApp:

If you are unsure about any of the option values required to delete a vApp, contact the vCloud administrator for the necessary information.

vCloud Server Name: The machine name or IP address of a vCloud director server. The syntax for providing a vCloud host name is HostName:PortNumber, where HostName is the machine name or IP address, and PortNumber is the port number for the host.
User Name: The name of a user account that has the necessary rights to work with and delete vApps.
Login as Administrator: Select this check box to log in to vCloud as an administrator.
Password: The password for the user name that you provided to create the vApp. You can use the button to the right of the Password field to determine whether the password characters are shown or asterisks are displayed instead.
Organization Name: The organization that authenticates the user.
Virtual Datacenter: The name of the virtual datacenter that allocates the system resources for a vCloud environment.
vApp Name: The name of the vApp to delete.
Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Deleting a Virtual Machine

You can delete a virtual machine that is part of a vApp as part of a System Manager workflow.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Delete VM process to your workflow. The following information is required to delete a virtual machine:

If you are unsure of any of the option values required to delete a virtual machine, contact the vCloud administrator for the necessary information.

vCloud Server Name: The machine name or IP address of a vCloud director server. The syntax for providing a vCloud host name is HostName:PortNumber, where HostName is the machine name or IP address, and PortNumber is the port number for the host.
User Name: The name of a user account that has the necessary rights to work with and delete virtual machines within vApps.
Login as Administrator: Select this check box to log in to vCloud as an administrator.
Password: The password for the user name that you provided to create the vApp. You can use the button to the right of the Password field to determine whether the password characters are shown or asterisks are displayed instead.
Organization Name: The organization that authenticates the user.
Virtual Datacenter: The name of the virtual datacenter that allocates the system resources for a vCloud environment and includes the vApp that hosts the virtual machine to be deleted.
vApp Name: The name of the vApp that hosts the virtual machine that is to be deleted.
VM Name: The name of the virtual machine to delete.
Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.

Creating a Virtual Machine

You can create a new virtual machine and include it in a vApp as part of a System Manager workflow. A vApp is a collection of one or more virtual machines that can be deployed as a single, cloud-based environment.

To perform this configuration, in System Manager, from the Connectors and processes pane, add the Add VM process to your workflow. The following information is required to create a virtual machine:

If you are unsure of any of the option values required to create a virtual machine within a vApp, contact the vCloud administrator for the necessary information.

vCloud Server Name: The machine name or IP address of a vCloud director server. The syntax for providing a vCloud host name is HostName:PortNumber, where HostName is the machine name or IP address, and PortNumber
User Name: The name of a user account that has the necessary rights to work with and create vApps.
Login as Administrator: Select this check box to log in to vCloud as an administrator.
Password: The password for the user name that you provided to create the vApp. You can use the button to the right of the Password field to determine whether the password characters are shown or asterisks are displayed instead.
Organization Name: The organization that authenticates the user.
Source: These options determine if the new virtual machine is created as a duplicate of an existing virtual machine or a new virtual machine is created using a template:

From vApp: This option duplicates a virtual machine that already exists in the vApp:

Virtual Datacenter: The name of the virtual datacenter that allocates the system resources for a vCloud environment, and includes the vApp that hosts the virtual machine to be duplicated.
vApp Name: The name of the vApp that includes the virtual machine to duplicate.

From template: This option creates a new virtual machine, using a template definition. A template defines the initial setup and configuration of a virtual machine:

Catalog Name: The name of the catalog that stores the template that you use to create the virtual machine.
Template Name: The name of the template required to create the virtual machine.

VM Name: The name of the virtual machine to duplicate from a vApp or create from a template.

Destination: These options determine where the new virtual machine is created:

Virtual Datacenter: The name of the virtual datacenter that allocates the system resources for a vCloud environment and includes the vApp that will host the new virtual machine.
vApp Name: The name of the vApp that will host the new virtual machine.

Configure New VM: These options determine additional details about the new virtual machine:

Full Name: The name for the virtual machine that is created.
Computer Name: Select this check box to provide the host name of the new virtual machine. If you clear this check box, the name that you specified for Full Name is also used for this host name.
Local Administrator Password: Select this check box to provide an administrator password for the virtual machine. If you clear this check box, a password is generated or the password in the template used to create the virtual machine is used.

Administrator Password: The password for the administrator. You can use the button to the right of the Password field to determine whether the password characters are shown or asterisks are displayed instead.
Number of Times to Auto Logon: The number of times the administrator can start the VM without reentering the login information.
Require Administrator to Change Password on First Login: Select this check box to require that the Administrator changes the password upon the first login.

Network and IP Assignment: Select this check box to provide a network name and determine how IP addresses are assigned. This helps to ensure that multiple virtual machines do not use the same IP address, which can cause IP conflict issues in your vCloud system. If you clear this check box, the network and IP assignment configuration is determined by the template used to create the virtual machine. When selecting this check box, type the name of the network in the Network Name field, and select one of the following IP assignment options:
- DHCP: The IP address is assigned dynamically by a DHCP service on the specified network.
- Static IP Pool: A single, static IP address is allocated automatically from a collection of IP addresses for the network.
- Static Manual: A single, static IP address is allocated. You must type the IP address in the text field. Ensure that the IP address is valid for your network.

Output Parameters: As part of the virtual machine creation process, you can store important information about the new virtual machine in parameters:

Public IP Address: The IP address used to access the new virtual machine. Select a parameter from the drop-down list to store the information in that parameter.
Computer Name: The host name for the new virtual machine. Select a parameter from the drop-down list to store the information in that parameter.
Local Administrator Password: The administrator password for the virtual machine. Select a parameter from the drop-down list to store the information in that parameter.
Notes: Information to describe this process as part of the workflow.