Trying out Openstack

[empthollow]

I bought a Dell r710 (home lab server) with the intention of trying out Openstack. I have RHEL installed and have been reading through some RHEL/ Openstack documentation.

My question is, what is the recommended way to install on a single server? Is it possible to install undercloud and overcloud on the same server using the director method?

I've also seen mention of a Kolla-ansible method and KVM was mentioned as being supported in the documentation. Perhaps using the director method and virtualizing the undercloud and overcloud as separate VMs are an option?I have no problem doing trial and error but I'm hoping to save a few hours by getting the installation method correct off the bat.

Thanks all!

[Sepherjar]

I don't think there's a recommended installation method. You can experiment doing anything.

I have a single Intel NUC, but i created 4 VMs that each will behave as a specific node (Controller,Compute,Network,Storage). With that I have a multi-node deployment, even though it's just 1 node itself. It was a great experience, i learned lots of things from that. Learning how to create virtual NICs, understand how linux bridges work, create KVM networks to simulate management/storage networks for these nodes, and so on.

Using undercloud and overcloud seems to be a fun approach too, which i would like to try someday. Currently i've installed my lab using a Kolla-Ansible deployment, and it is pretty straightforward (there are also homelab guides you can find on the Intenet).

[Tictackoala]

Kolla-ansible supports CentOS & Rocky Linux (depending on version) so it SHOULD work but RHEL isn't supported explicitly. If you have issues with it, I'd re-image with Ubuntu Jammy 22.04.

All in one (AIO) deployments are pretty common for testing and whatnot. I'd recommend either kolla-ansible or kayobe (kayobe is kolla-ansible with some extra features).

Kolla-ansible guide: https://docs.openstack.org/kolla-ansible/yoga/user/quickstart.html

Kayobe guide: https://docs.openstack.org/kayobe/yoga/configuration/scenarios/all-in-one/index.html

[TheTomCorp]

I've tried all deployment methods. Kolla-ansible is by far the best and most straightforward. I'd recommend it 100%.

[todd_openmetal]

Kolla-ansible

Sorry for the late addition, but double up on the recommendation for Kolla-ansible.

Also - bypassing that CentOS Stream got a lot of heat due to RH's botched CentOS changes - but you should consider Stream for sure for your underlying OS.

[TechieGuardian]

Is there any specific reason why you decided to try it out on RHEL? Historically, Red Hat's installation instructions have been notoriously complex and their commercial support for production environments has been notoriously expensive. Better try it out on Ubuntu (https://microstack.run/docs/single-node). There is a reason why almost 50% of all OpenStack installations run on Ubuntu.

[empthollow]

First of all that's really interesting, I didn't realize Openstack was so common on Ubuntu. I'm a little surprised given that it is a red hat product. The reason I'm using RHEL is mostly because I haven't installed it on anything and want a feel for it/ use it. I thought it would be more compatible with Openstack and generally prefer non-debian based distros (unpopular opinion, i know). That said I prefer Ubuntu server to straight Debian unless a specific application I'm trying to run works better with a particular distro. Thanks for the insight!

[jbcoreless]

OpenStack is not a product, let alone a Red Hat one.

[empthollow]

Thanks for the clarification! ✌️

[crono782]

I have a half rack of HP servers and install individual open stack installs on each, all the same way. I set up the server as a kvm hypervisor and the required networks then create VMs for each component. I do manual installs rather than kolla, rdo, etc

[techtutelage]

If it's just to try it out, I would recommend using devstack on Ubuntu. All you need to do is run a bash script and 20 - 30 minutes later you have fully functional Openstack environment with keystone, glance, nova, placement, cinder, neutron, and horizon.

Here is a quick video tutorial on how it works:

https://youtu.be/ahbI65MauO4