NOTE: This documentation is for the Rackspace Private Cloud Software v. 2.0 ISO. Other v. 2.0 documentation can be found on the Archived Versions page. Documentation for the newest version of Rackspace Private Cloud Software can be found in the Getting Started section.

This chapter discusses the process for installing Rackspace Private Cloud Software and tips for troubleshooting the installation.

WARNING! During the installation process, the node will be completely reformatted. Do not install Rackspace Private Cloud Software on a node that has any other data on it.

Hardware Requirements

Rackspace strongly recommends that you install Rackspace Private Cloud Software on physical hardware nodes (bare metal) for best results. The minimum node footprint is a 2-node installation of one controller node and one compute node. Other compute nodes may be added as needed, up to a total of 20 nodes. An all-in-one installation is available, but it is not recommended that you build a system on it.

NOTE: If you need to install on more than 20 nodes, please contact us at opencloudinfo@rackspace.com.

The hardware on which Rackspace Private Cloud Software is installed should support VT-x and meet the following recommended minimum hardware specifications:

• Controller Node:
  
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 144 GB disk space
  • Dual socket CPU with dual core, or single socket quad core

• Compute Node:
  
  • 32 GB RAM
  • 144 GB disk space
  • Dual socket CPU with dual core, or single socket quad core

CPU overcommit is set at 16:1 VCPUs to cores, and memory overcommit is set to 1.5:1. Each physical core can support up to 16 virtual cores; for example, one dual-core processor can support up to 32 virtual cores. If you require more virtual cores, adjust your sizing appropriately.

Download the ISO

You can download the Rackspace Private Cloud Software ISO from the following URL:

http://www1.getalamo.com/alamo-v2.0.0.iso

The ISO is a 2 GB file.

If you will be copying it to a USB drive; ensure that the drive has sufficient capacity. You will need to make the USB stick bootable. This process has been documented by Ubuntu on their web site. Refer to the procedure that is appropriate for your operating system:

• Create a bootable USB stick on OS X
• Create a bootable USB stick on Ubuntu
• Create a bootable USB stick on Windows

Install the Controller Node

Before you begin, ensure that you have prepared your network information. When you are ready, follow this procedure to install the controller node.

NOTE: You must install the controller node before you install any compute nodes.

1. Boot the ISO on the controller node.
2. After the ISO has launched and loaded, accept the EULA statement.
3. Select Controller.
4. Enter the NIC address. If you have more than one, you must designate one as public and one as private.
5. When prompted, enter the node IP address, subnet mask, gateway, name server, and host name. If you do not enter a fully-qualified domain name for the hostname, you will be prompted to enter a domain name as well.
6. Enter the address for the nova fixed network.
7. If you want to configure a DMZ network, enter the DMZ address. Be sure that you have at least two NICs on the server.
8. Enter a password for the admin user. You will use this admin username and password to access the API and the dashboard.
9. For the additional non-admin user, accept the default demo or enter your own and provide a password at the prompt. This user will not have admin privileges, but will be able to perform basic OpenStack functions, such as creating instances from images. Creating the user will also automatically create a project (also known as a tentant) for this user.
10. Enter the real name, user name, and password for the operating system user account. For example, the user Jane Doe would enter the following information:
    • Full name for the new user: Jane Doe
    • Username for your account: jdoe
    • Password: mysecurepassword

    At this point, it will take approximately 5-10 minutes for the Ubuntu operating system installation to complete.

11. If you have a proxy, enter the proxy URL at the prompt in the format http://proxy_ip_address:proxy_ip_port. If you do not have a proxy, press enter to skip this step and leave the proxy information blank.

At this point, the installation process will run for approximately 30 minutes without the need for user intervention. The device will reboot during the installation process. You will see a screen with the Rackspace Private Cloud logo, followed by a screen that displays a progress bar; you can use Ctrl+Alt+F2 to toggle between the progress bar screen and a Linux TTY screen (Ctrl+Alt+Fn+F2 on a Mac). You can follow the log during installation by switching to the correct TTY screen and viewing the log in /var/log/post-install.log.

After the installation is complete, you can view the install log by logging into the operating system with the username and password that you configured in Step 9. The log is stored in /var/log/post-install.log.

CAUTION: There is no password recovery system. Please do not forget your admin password.

Install the Compute Node

After the controller node installation is complete, follow this procedure to install the compute node.

1. Boot the ISO on the compute node.
2. After the ISO has launched and loaded, accept the EULA statement.
3. Select Compute.
4. Enter the NIC address. If you have more than one NIC, designate one as public and one as private. Be sure that the ordering of the NICs matches the order that you specified for the controller node.
5. When prompted, enter the node IP address, subnet mask, gateway, name server, host name, and domain name.
6. Enter the real name, user name, and password for the operating system user account. For example, the user Jane Doe would enter the following information:
   • Full name for the new user: Jane Doe
   • Username for your account: jdoe
   • Password: mysecurepassword

   At this point, it will take approximately 5-10 minutes for the Ubuntu operating system installation to complete.

7. If you have a proxy, enter the proxy URL at the prompt in the format http://proxy_ip_address:proxy_ip_port. If you do not have a proxy, press enter to skip this step and leave the proxy information blank.
8. Enter the IP address for the controller node. This will add the new compute node to the cluster.

At this point, the installation process will run for approximately 20 minutes without the need for user intervention. As with the controller node installation, the device will reboot during the installation process. You will see a screen with the Rackspace Private Cloud logo, followed by a screen that displays a progress bar; you can use Ctrl+Alt+F2 to toggle between the progress bar screen and a Linux TTY screen (Ctrl+Alt+Fn+F2 on a Mac). You can follow the log during installation by switching to the correct TTY screen and viewing the log in /var/log/post-install.log.

After the installation is complete, you can view the install log by logging into the operating system with the username and password that you configured during the Controller installation. The log is stored in /var/log/post-install.log.

Operating System Updates

After you complete the installation, you may get a message notifying you that operating system updates and patches are available. These updates may be safely applied. However, as a best practice in a production environment, Rackspace strongly recommends that you configure a mirror of your production environment in which you apply and test new patches and updates before applying them in production.

Troubleshooting the Installation

If the installation is unsuccessful, it may be due to one of the following issues.

• The node does not have access to the Internet. The installation process requires Internet access to download installation files, so ensure that the address for the nodes provides that access. You should also ensure that the nodes have access to a DNS server.
• Your network firewall is preventing Internet access. Ensure the IP address that you assign to the controller is available through the network firewall.
• Virtualization technology may not be enabled in your server's BIOS. Ensure that virtualization is enabled and restart the installation process.

For more troubleshooting information and user discussion, you can also inquire at the Rackspace Private Cloud Support Forum at the following URL:

https://privatecloudforums.rackspace.com/

Adjusting Rate Limits

By default, Rackspace Private Cloud Software sets low values for rate limits, which limit activities such as the number of posts in a minute or the number of servers created in a minute. Depending on your environment, you may need to increase the rate limits. Use the following procedure to adjust the rate limits.

1. Log into the controller node and switch to root access with sudo -i.

2. Issue the following command to edit the environment file.

   $ knife environment edit rpcs
           

3. Edit the nova section of the environment file as follows (adjusting the rate limit values as is appropriate to your environment).

   "nova": {
            "ratelimit": {
                "settings": {
                    "changes-since-limit": {
                        "interval": "MINUTE", 
                        "limit": "3", 
                        "regex": ".*changes-since.*", 
                        "uri": "*changes-since*", 
                        "verb": "GET"
                    }, 
                    "create-servers-limit": {
                        "interval": "DAY", 
                        "limit": "50", 
                        "regex": "^/servers", 
                        "uri": "*/servers", 
                        "verb": "POST"
                    }, 
                    "generic-delete-limit": {
                        "interval": "MINUTE", 
                        "limit": "100", 
                        "regex": ".*", 
                        "uri": "*", 
                        "verb": "DELETE"
                    }, 
                    "generic-post-limit": {
                        "interval": "MINUTE", 
                        "limit": "10", 
                        "regex": ".*", 
                        "uri": "*", 
                        "verb": "POST"
                    }, 
                    "generic-put-limit": {
                        "interval": "MINUTE", 
                        "limit": "10", 
                        "regex": ".*", 
                        "uri": "*", 
                        "verb": "PUT"
                    }
                }
            },
                   ……………,
                   ……………,
               }
           

4. Run chef-client to commit the change.

   $ chef-client