Teradata uses Stacki for automated bare-metal provisioning and configuration management of its database servers. Some key points: - Stacki allows Teradata to provision servers consistently at scale for testing, manufacturing, and customer environments in a standardized way. - Previously Teradata used customized SUSE DVDs which became outdated, inconsistent, and did not scale well. Stacki addresses these challenges through its stackable software components approach. - Teradata combines different "pallets" and "carts" in Stacki to create customized software stacks for different server types and roles like database servers, Hadoop servers, and Aster servers. - Stacki is integrated into Teradata's continuous integration/deployment

1. How Teradata uses Stacki
Anthony Chen 27th April 2017

2. • Who we are and why we are here
• History of Teradata’s provisioning
approach
• Challenges Teradata faces
• How Stacki fits the puzzle
• Wish list
• There is always room for improvement
Agenda
© 2016 Teradata2

3. • Greg kept asking “you want to do
what?”
• Share our experience and learn from
the others
Why are we here

4. Who are we

5. Current Teradata Product Offering
Security Access
Management
CovalentAuto-
provisioning
LicensingOps &
Monitoring
Developer
platform
Data Platform
Advanced
Analytics Aster Analytics Teradata Analytic Functions Open Source R SAS, SPSS, Fuzzy Logix
Borderless
Analytics
Hybrid Cloud Use Cases
Cloud Bursting Cloud Data lab
Cloud Disaster Recovery
Products
QueryGrid, Unity, Listener, Data Mover, Ecosystem
Manager, OLAP Connector, Studio, Data Labs
Teradata Database Teradata Database, Hadoop
Teradata
Everywhere™ Private CloudOn-Premises Public CloudManaged Cloud
Shared Services

6. Teradata bare-metal provisioning
• Teradata started its Linux program from 2004
• Used customized SUSE SLES installation DVD to provision bare-metal
systems
• In the beginning, the customization was easy when we had only one
database to take care of
• Added PXE boot support when DVD drives started to disappear from
some hardware models
• The original purpose was to use a small bootstrap to lay down an image
• The summer intern’s project became a product

7. Bare-Metal Provisioning Challenges
• DVD contents become obsolete
• Need to add security updates, bug fixes after DVD finishes installing
• Inconsistency
• Manufacturing and Engineering may install different set of rpm packages
• Long install time causes test teams to cut corners – avoid re-provision when needed
• Resulting in wasted time on debugging customer problems
• DVD maintenance cost is very high
• More hardware platform and software application combination to test
• The size of the DVD image getting bigger with lots of redundant code
• Doesn’t scale
• Installation time
• Support different software application – disk management, file system…
• Embed configuration in Autoyast code

8. Tools evaluated - Ansible
Advantages
• Stackable software components
• Low maintenance cost
• Consistent
• Lots of existing modules out
there
Disadvantages
• Doesn’t address the scalability
issue
• Can’t deal with bare-metal

9. Tools evaluated - OpenStack
Advantages
• Deals with bare-metal
• Deals with VM
• Manages Network – Multi-
tenancy support
• Manages Storage*
Disadvantages
• VM is not a big concern
• Scalability is a concern
• Overly complicated/Not user
friendly
• Storage configuration is rigid and
LUN sharing was a problem

10. Tools evaluated – Stacki
Advantages
• Stackable software components
• Low maintenance cost
• Consistent
• Scalable
• Easy to use
• Manages Storage
Disadvantages
• Can’t deal with multi-tenancy
• Doesn’t manage VM

11. How Teradata uses Stacki
• We change our software release process
• Part of Teradata’s Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment
infrastructure
• Stage all systems for all levels of testing
• Test as a Service
• Stage all customer systems in manufacturing

12. • Combine pallets & carts to create a specific release version
Teradata Software Stack
SLES Pallet SLES Basic and
Minimal “Patterns”
STACKI Pallet Stacki Support
TD-OS Cart
Additional Packages for TD Features
Drivers, security packages, configuration
packages
Common OS Components Product/Feature Pallets & Carts
TDC Cart BAR Cart
Aster Cart Hadoop
Cart
ETC
• Feature teams Pallets & Carts
–RPM’s of their software
–Scripts for Configuration
Brings the
system to a
“ping and a
prompt” state

13. Combining Pallets and Carts
SLES Pallet
STACKI Pallet
TDC_Linux
Pallet
TDC Cart
Aster Cart
Hadoop Cart
SLES Pallet
TDDBS Server
STACKI Pallet
TDC_Linux
Pallet
Hadoop Server
Hadoop Cart
SLES Pallet
STACKI Pallet
TDC_Linux
Pallet
Aster Server

14. Teradata software release process
Stacki
TDOS-Application.tar.gz
I-Base
TD-OS
App
I-Flex
TD-OS
App
Teradata OS Owned:
TDOS-Packages.yaml
TDOS-Cart.xml
Application-Build Process
Product Owned:
App-Packages.yaml
App-Cart.xml
Application-Build Process
App-Application.tar.gz

15. Packaging Graph for Stacki
OS OS Test OS Cart
DBS Cart
DM Cart
EM Cart
DSA Cart
VP Cart
DBS
DSA
EM
DM
VP

16. DEPLOYBUILD
TTU-193
TTU-194
TTU-195
Snapshot, QA, Stable,
Released
TEST
1. Commit
2. Push
3. Pull
PyPi
Maven
docker.io
Release? TSS
AWS
Continuous Delivery Pipeline
Azure
GCP

17. • Better documentation
• Print usage is not documentation
• More automation
• The dreadful MAC address
• Lldp, NIC, BIOS version…
• More Data Center ready features
• Manage/instrument switches
• Deal with LOM
• Frontend and backend node software upgrade
Wish list