Why Startups Need Automated Infrastructures Adam Jacob Senior Partner HJK Solutions [email_address] .com

Overview What is an “Automated Infrastructure”? Why is it so important? MonkeyNews - A Case Study Review Q & A

What is an “Automated Infrastructure”?

Why is it so important?

MonkeyNews - A Case Study

Review

Q & A

Disclaimer These are the tools we use They are not the only tools They may or may not be the right tools for how you work or think Symbol From IIT Bombay

These are the tools we use

They are not the only tools

They may or may not be the right tools for how you work or think

What is an “Automated Infrastructure”?

Automated ”…a process which may once have been performed manually but has been altered in some way which allows a machine or computer to either wholly or partially manipulate the process to save time”

”…a process which may once have been performed manually but has been altered in some way which allows a machine or computer to either wholly or partially manipulate the process to save time”

Infrastructure “Infrastructure is generally a set of interconnected structural elements that provide the framework supporting an entire structure”

“Infrastructure is generally a set of interconnected structural elements that provide the framework supporting an entire structure”

Automated Infrastructure “Having the basic services necessary for your business to operate largely without the aid of a keeper.”

“Having the basic services necessary for your business to operate largely without the aid of a keeper.”

Why is it so important?

To your Operations Staff Mitigates some failures They want to be lazy Repetition leads to burnout They want to say “Yes”

Mitigates some failures

They want to be lazy

Repetition leads to burnout

They want to say “Yes”

For Startups Time Efficiency Scalability Economics Flexibility

Time

Efficiency

Scalability

Economics

Flexibility

The Jesse Robbins (mis)Quote “ Operations is the act of extracting value from your resources.”

“ Operations is the act of extracting value from your resources.”

MonkeyNews - A Case Study All the hottest Monkey news, as selected by your monkey-loving peers! Courtesy National Geographic

What is MonkeyNews Small Startup “ Like Digg, only about Monkeys” Going to sell Advertising as a revenue model

Small Startup

“ Like Digg, only about Monkeys”

Going to sell Advertising as a revenue model

MonkeyNews on Launch Day

Steps to Launch

Steps to Launch - OS Install Manual Install each system by hand 1 hour per system

Manual

Install each system by hand

1 hour per system

Steps to Launch - OS Install Automated Ops1prod built manually 1 hour Automated install system (PXE) EC2, Cloud

Automated

Ops1prod built manually

1 hour

Automated install system (PXE)

EC2, Cloud

Steps to Launch - OS Install

Steps to Launch - DNS Manual Update each machine in /etc/hosts Automated Install a DNS Server Use a service provider

Manual

Update each machine in /etc/hosts

Automated

Install a DNS Server

Use a service provider

Steps to Launch - Server Inventory Manual Use a wiki Automated Use iClassify Roll your own

Manual

Use a wiki

Automated

Use iClassify

Roll your own

Steps to Launch - Identity Management Manual Add each user everywhere Automated Use LDAP or AD

Manual

Add each user everywhere

Automated

Use LDAP or AD

Steps to Launch - Version Control An Easy One You must use version control Symbol From IIT Bombay

An Easy One

You must use version control

Steps to Launch - Configuration Management Manual Version Control Wiki Check in copies of config files Try and keep a record of what you have done

Manual

Version Control

Wiki

Check in copies of config files

Try and keep a record of what you have done

Steps to Launch - Configuration Management Automated Puppet Cfengine Bcfg2 Infrastructure as Code

Automated

Puppet

Cfengine

Bcfg2

Infrastructure as Code

Puppet Example - sudo

Puppet Example - sudo

Steps to Launch - Configuration Management Automation is Key 50+ Different Applications ad, apache2, apt-proxy, beaver, build-essential, capistrano, yum, apt, djbdns, emacs, erubis, rubygems, iclassify, imagemagick, iptables, java, logrotate, man, maradns, memcached, mongrel-runit, munin, mysql, nagios, nscd, ntp, openldap, openssh, perl, perlbal, php, postfix, postgresql, puppet, rails, resolver, rsync, ruby, runit, sqlite, subversion, sudo, trac, zsh Why repeat yourself?

Automation is Key

50+ Different Applications

ad, apache2, apt-proxy, beaver, build-essential, capistrano, yum, apt, djbdns, emacs, erubis, rubygems, iclassify, imagemagick, iptables, java, logrotate, man, maradns, memcached, mongrel-runit, munin, mysql, nagios, nscd, ntp, openldap, openssh, perl, perlbal, php, postfix, postgresql, puppet, rails, resolver, rsync, ruby, runit, sqlite, subversion, sudo, trac, zsh

Why repeat yourself?

Steps to Launch - Monitoring Manual Add each server by hand Automated Use your System Inventory and Configuration Management Tools

Manual

Add each server by hand

Automated

Use your System Inventory and Configuration Management Tools

Steps to Launch - Trending Manual Add each server and graph by hand Automated Use your System Inventory and Configuration Management Tools

Manual

Add each server and graph by hand

Automated

Use your System Inventory and Configuration Management Tools

Steps to Launch - Email Another Easy One Every server must be able to send email locally. Symbol From IIT Bombay

Another Easy One

Every server must be able to send email locally.

Steps to Launch - Application Deployment Manual Update the application by hand Automated Use Capistrano Roll your own Integrate with System Inventory

Manual

Update the application by hand

Automated

Use Capistrano

Roll your own

Integrate with System Inventory

Launch Day

Tech Crunched! Symptoms Monitors alert Trending shows the traffic spike Your RSS reader has the culprit

Symptoms

Monitors alert

Trending shows the traffic spike

Your RSS reader has the culprit

Tech Crunched! - EC2 Launch more capacity. Two minutes later, they are up

Launch more capacity.

Two minutes later, they are up

Tech Crunched! - iClassify Classify the Servers

Classify the Servers

Tech Crunched! - Puppet Puppet applies the class that matches the tag:

Puppet applies the class that matches the tag:

Tech Crunched! - Deploy Deploy your application! “ cap -S env=prod deploy” One command.

Deploy your application!

“ cap -S env=prod deploy”

One command.

Tech Crunched! - Post Mortem Total Time: ~5 - 10 minutes 4 steps total! We doubled capacity No configuration during the issue at all

Total Time: ~5 - 10 minutes

4 steps total!

We doubled capacity

No configuration during the issue at all

New Hire Issue MonkeyNews hires a new engineer Resolution Add the user to LDAP Add the right group privileges

Issue

MonkeyNews hires a new engineer

Resolution

Add the user to LDAP

Add the right group privileges

Add SSL Support Issue MonkeyNews has started taking micro-payments (for bananas) Resolution Update Apache Virtual Host in your Configuration Management Add the SSL Certificates to Configuration Management < 10 minutes from start to finish

Issue

MonkeyNews has started taking micro-payments (for bananas)

Resolution

Update Apache Virtual Host in your Configuration Management

Add the SSL Certificates to Configuration Management

< 10 minutes from start to finish

Review

Review Automated Infrastructure means: “ Having the basic services necessary for your business to operate largely without the aid of a keeper.” Automated Infrastructure Saves time Increases efficiency Allows for scalability Reduces economic impact Improves flexibility

Automated Infrastructure means:

“ Having the basic services necessary for your business to operate largely without the aid of a keeper.”

Automated Infrastructure

Saves time

Increases efficiency

Allows for scalability

Reduces economic impact

Improves flexibility

HJK does this for a living. But you can ask me how to do it for free. :) Adam Jacob +1 (206) 508-4759 [email_address]

June 23-24, 2008 20% off discount: “vel08js”