Minimal OpenStack Cloud Lab

A learning-focused OpenStack deployment using Multipass VMs and Ansible automation.

🎯 Project Goals

This project helps you understand:

• How cloud infrastructure components interact
• How to configure OpenStack services manually (via Ansible roles)
• How virtual networking works in a cloud platform
• How to automate full deployment from "empty VMs" to "running cloud"

🏗️ Architecture

High-Level Topology

Key Components:

• Controller Node: Central management for all OpenStack services

  • Keystone: Identity and authentication service
  • Glance: Image storage and management
  • Nova Controller: VM scheduling and orchestration
  • Neutron Controller: Network management and routing
  • MySQL: Central database for all services
  • RabbitMQ: Message queue for service communication

• Compute Node: VM execution and local networking

  • Nova Compute: Hypervisor management and VM lifecycle
  • Neutron Agent: Local network configuration
  • Libvirt: Virtualization interface to KVM/QEMU

• Provider Network: External network connectivity

  • br-ex: Bridge interface for external network access
  • Floating IPs: Public IP addresses for VM access

Network Architecture

Network Layout:

• Host Machine: Your computer running Multipass

  • Multipass: VM management and orchestration

• Virtual Network (192.168.1.0/24): Internal network for VMs

  • Controller VM (192.168.1.10): OpenStack management services
  • Compute VM (192.168.1.11): VM execution and networking
  • Gateway (192.168.1.1): Internet connectivity

• Provider Network: External network for VM access

  • br-ex Bridge: Network bridge for external connectivity
  • Floating IPs (192.168.1.100-200): Public IPs for VM access

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

🖥️ Operating System

• macOS 10.15+ or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+, CentOS 8+, Fedora 32+)
• Windows: Use WSL2 with Ubuntu or Multipass for Windows

🛠️ Required Software

1. Multipass - Lightweight VM manager

   • macOS: brew install --cask multipass
   • Ubuntu: sudo snap install multipass
   • Other Linux: Installation Guide
   • Windows: Windows Installation
   • Minimum Version: 1.8.0+

2. Ansible - Automation tool

   • macOS: brew install ansible
   • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install ansible
   • CentOS/RHEL: sudo yum install ansible
   • pip: pip3 install ansible
   • Minimum Version: 2.9.0+

3. Python - Programming language

   • macOS: brew install python3
   • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install python3 python3-pip
   • CentOS/RHEL: sudo yum install python3 python3-pip
   • Minimum Version: 3.8+

4. Git - Version control

   • macOS: brew install git
   • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install git
   • CentOS/RHEL: sudo yum install git
   • Windows: Git for Windows

💻 System Requirements

• RAM: Minimum 8GB (16GB recommended)
• Storage: At least 20GB free space
• CPU: 4 cores minimum (8 cores recommended)
• Network: Internet connection for downloads

🔧 Optional but Recommended

• SSH Key: Generate if you don't have one: ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
• Text Editor: VS Code, Vim, or your preferred editor
• Terminal: iTerm2 (macOS) or your preferred terminal

📋 Quick Verification

Run these commands to verify your setup:

# Check Multipass
multipass version

# Check Ansible
ansible --version

# Check Python
python3 --version

# Check Git
git --version

# Check SSH key (optional)
ls -la ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

🚨 Troubleshooting Prerequisites

If you encounter issues:

1. Multipass not working:

   • macOS: Ensure virtualization is enabled in System Preferences
   • Linux: Install KVM/QEMU: sudo apt install qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system
   • Windows: Enable Hyper-V or use WSL2

2. Ansible connection issues:

   • Install SSH client: sudo apt install openssh-client (Linux)
   • macOS: SSH is included by default

3. Python dependencies:

   • Upgrade pip: pip3 install --upgrade pip
   • Install build tools: sudo apt install build-essential (Linux)

4. Permission issues:

   • Ensure you have sudo access
   • Check file permissions on scripts

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/iinsys/openstack-ansible
   cd openstack-ansible

2. Setup environment:

   ./setup.sh

3. Configure environment variables:

   cp env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your preferences (optional)

4. Create Multipass VMs:

   ./scripts/create-vms.sh

5. Deploy OpenStack:

   ansible-playbook site.yml

6. Access Horizon Dashboard:

   • URL: http://192.168.1.10/horizon
   • Username: admin
   • Password: admin123

📁 Project Structure

openstack-ansible/
├── README.md                 # This file
├── site.yml                  # Main Ansible playbook
├── setup.sh                  # Environment setup script
├── env.example               # Environment variables template
├── requirements.txt          # Python dependencies
├── ansible.cfg              # Ansible configuration
├── .gitignore               # Git ignore rules
├── LICENSE                  # MIT License
├── CONTRIBUTING.md          # Contributing guidelines
├── CHANGELOG.md             # Version history
├── inventory/               # Ansible inventory
│   └── hosts.yml
├── roles/                   # Ansible roles
│   ├── common/             # Base system setup
│   ├── keystone/           # Identity service
│   ├── glance/             # Image service
│   ├── nova/               # Compute service
│   └── neutron/            # Networking service
├── scripts/                 # Helper scripts
│   └── create-vms.sh
├── docs/                    # Documentation
│   ├── images/             # Architecture diagrams
│   ├── architecture.md     # Detailed architecture
│   ├── networking.md       # Networking guide
│   └── troubleshooting.md  # Troubleshooting guide
└── configs/                 # Service configurations
    ├── keystone/
    ├── glance/
    ├── nova/
    └── neutron/

🎓 Learning Path

1. Week 1: Infrastructure Setup

   • Understanding Multipass and VM management
   • Basic Ansible concepts and inventory
   • Network planning and IP addressing

2. Week 2: Identity Service (Keystone)

   • Authentication and authorization concepts
   • Service catalog and endpoints
   • User, project, and role management

3. Week 3: Image Service (Glance)

   • Image formats and metadata
   • Image upload and management
   • Integration with other services

4. Week 4: Compute Service (Nova)

   • Virtual machine lifecycle
   • Hypervisor integration (KVM/QEMU)
   • Scheduling and resource management

5. Week 5: Networking Service (Neutron)

   • Virtual network concepts
   • Provider and tenant networks
   • Security groups and floating IPs

6. Week 6: Integration and Testing

   • End-to-end deployment testing
   • Dashboard access and CLI usage
   • Troubleshooting common issues

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

The project uses environment variables for configuration. Copy the example file and customize it:

# Copy the example environment file
cp env.example .env

# Edit the configuration
nano .env

Key configuration sections in .env:

• VM Configuration: VM names, IPs, and resource allocation
• Network Configuration: Provider and tenant network settings
• OpenStack Configuration: Release version and region settings
• Database Configuration: MySQL passwords and settings
• Service Passwords: Individual service authentication
• Optional Features: Enable/disable additional services

Important Security Notes

⚠️ Security Best Practices:

• Change default passwords in production
• Use strong, unique passwords for each service
• Keep your .env file secure and never commit it to version control
• The .env file is already included in .gitignore

🧪 Testing Your Deployment

After deployment, test your OpenStack installation:

1. Upload a test image:

   openstack image create --file cirros-0.5.2-x86_64-disk.img --disk-format qcow2 --container-format bare cirros

2. Create a network:

   openstack network create test-network
   openstack subnet create --network test-network --subnet-range 10.0.0.0/24 test-subnet

3. Launch an instance:

   openstack server create --image cirros --flavor m1.tiny --network test-network test-instance

📚 Additional Resources

• OpenStack Documentation
• Ansible Documentation
• Multipass Documentation

🤝 Contributing

This is a learning project! Feel free to:

• Report issues
• Suggest improvements
• Add new features
• Improve documentation

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.