About ServerTemplates
Table of Contents
Introduction
ServerTemplatesTM allow you to pre-configure servers by starting from a base image and adding scripts that run during the boot, operational, and shutdown phases of a server instance.
ServerTemplates are one of the key concepts of the RightScale Dashboard. To help you get up and running faster, RightScale regularly publishes ServerTemplates for commonly used web applications (Design > MultiCloud Marketplace) that are already configured with the appropriate RightScripts. You can also import or subscribe to ServerTemplates that have been published by ISV Partners or others in the RightScale community. Although you can use a ServerTemplate as-is to launch a server, you must clone it in order to create a private, editable copy that you can customize for your own application. ServerTemplates that you've created yourself or cloned will appear under the 'Local' view.
Note: RightScale only supports our own published ServerTemplates. It is the responsibility of the publisher to provide the necessary support for their published components.
RightScale ServerTemplates on YouTube
To see more videos, go to our RightScale channel on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/RightScale.
What are the benefits of using ServerTemplates?
The key advantage of using ServerTemplates is that they help you create a more modular and easily reproducible server setup. Remember, in the cloud, you are no longer tied to a physical piece of hardware. Instead of creating new images for every type of server, you can now write simple scripts (RightScripts or Chef Recipes) that install and configure the necessary software components each time a server is launched with a particular ServerTemplate. Use the same RightScripts for multiple servers across several Deployments (Production, Staging, QA). ServerTemplates also make it easy to make changes across multiple servers. You no longer have to "re-image" each server individually when it comes time to upgrade or patch the base image. Simply update the appropriate scripts that are used across multiple ServerTemplates.
How do I use ServerTemplates?
Create your own ServerTemplate or import or subscribe to one of the existing published ServerTemplates from the MultiCloud Marketplace. Although you can use one of the published ServerTemplates from the MultiCloud Marketplace "as-is" to launch servers, you must clone it in order to create an editable, private copy of your own. When you import or clone a ServerTemplate, it will appear under the 'Local' view (Design > ServerTemplates > View Local). You can only edit private ServerTemplates.
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