Add New Cloud Support to a MultiCloud Image
Objective
To modify a MultiCloud Image (MCI) so that it supports additional cloud/regions.
Important! Be sure to add the appropriate RightLink tag to the new MCI, which is the last step of the tutorial otherwise, scripts will not be executed correctly on the Server.
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
If you are adding an image for a private cloud, you must first upload the image to the private cloud itself before you can build an MCI that references it. See Upload RightImages to a Private Cloud.
Overview
When a ServerTemplate is published, its MCIs are also published. Most ServerTemplates are published with multiple MCIs. However, there may be situations where the ServerTemplate cannot be used to Add a Server to a Deployment in the cloud of your choice because the template's MCIs do not support those clouds/regions. In such cases, you can either Create a New MultiCloud Image from scratch or modify an existing MCI. This tutorial explains how to do the latter (i.e. clone and modify an existing MCI).
For this example, let's assume that you just imported a ServerTemplate from the MultiCloud Marketplace that uses MCIs that only support AWS regions. However, you want to use the same ServerTemplate to launch instances in another private/public cloud that RightScale supports. (e.g. Rackspace, Cloud.com, etc.)
Steps
Go to the ServerTemplate's Images tab. Click on the MCI that you want to modify and add additional cloud support. The Clouds column shows all of the clouds/regions that are supported by a particular MCI. In the screenshot below, the MCI only supports the listed AWS regions.
Alternatively, you can also go directly to the MCI that you want to modify. (Design -> MultiCloud Images)
Clone the MCI
Since you cannot edit a committed revision of a MultiCloud Image, you must first clone it in order to create an editable version under Design -> MultiCloud Images. Click the Clone action button. Rename your cloned MCI. (optional)
Add an Image for another Cloud
Click on the Clouds tab of the cloned MCI.
Click the Add button. Remember, as a best practice, each MCI should reference copies of the same underlying machine image. So, if you're adding an image for an MCI that's referencing "RightImage_CentOS_5.4_x64_v5.6" images, you should only add a reference to an equivalent image in the newly added cloud. For example, it should have the same operating system (e.g. CentOS 5.4), system architecture (e.g. x64) and RightLink version (e.g. v5.6).
Note: The information that's required to add an image will vary depending on the chosen cloud. Some examples are listed below.
AWS
As Amazon continues to launch new EC2 regions, you may want to update an existing MCI to include support for a newly launched region. RightScale often makes the latest RightImages available in the new EC2 region at launch time. If you cannot find an MCI that includes support for the new region, you can still modify an existing MCI and add support for the new region. If you cannot find the matching image in the new region you can create one yourself. See Create RightScale-Enabled Images with RightLink.
- Cloud - Select an AWS region.
- Machine Image - Select the appropriate machine image (e.g. RightImage) that will be used by the created Server. The selected image must be compatible with the selected instance type.
- Instance Type - Select the default instance type that will be used to launch the instance.
- Kernel Image - Select the appropriate kernel image that will be used to launch the instance.
- Ramdisk Image - Select the appropriate ramdisk image that will be used to launch the instance.
- User Data - Data to be passed into the instances at launch time. This field is rarely used but can be useful during development to pass configuration values into the instance.
CloudStack
Before you can select a RightImage for a Cloudstack, you must first make sure that the image is available in your private cloud. If you have not uploaded the image to the cloud, complete the Upload RightImages to a Private Cloud tutorial before you perform the next steps of this tutorial.
- Cloud - Select the private CloudStack.
- Machine Image - Select the appropriate machine image (e.g. RightImage) that will be used by the created Server. The selected image must be compatible with the selected instance type. Contact your Cloud Administrator to verify that your selections are compatible.
- Instance Type - Select the default instance type that will be used to launch the instance. If you are creating a default image for a CloudStack cloud (e.g. "CloudStack default"), this field will not be displayed because information about the instance types is cloud-specific.
- User Data - Data to be passed into the instances at launch time. This field is rarely used but can be useful during development to pass configuration values into the instance.
Rackspace
- Cloud - Select Rackspace.
- Machine Image - Select the appropriate machine image (e.g. RightImage) that will be used by the created server. The selected image must be compatible with the selected instance type.
- Instance Type - Select the default instance type that will be used to launch the instance. Note: Currently, RightImages only support instance types with a minimum size of 1GB.
Tag the MCI
Important!
After creating a new MCI, you must remember to add the following tag so that RightScale will be able to recognize and treat a launched instance appropriately.
Under the MCI's Info tab, add the following tag:
provides:rs_agent_type=right_link
Next Steps
Now that you've successfully modified your MCI to support another cloud/region, you can use the MCI in other ServerTemplates. See Customize a ServerTemplate to be MultiCloud.
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