Deploy an Embedded Cluster to Azure ​

Paramify can be deployed in an embedded cluster or "virtual appliance" mode, as an alternative to deploying into an existing Kubernetes cluster.

The following instructions are an example of how to deploy an embedded cluster in Azure using services for database and storage.

Prerequisites ​

• Azure CLI and authenticated user with sufficient permissions to create resources
• terraform CLI installed (if using the example .tf files)
• A Paramify license (user and credential for Helm registry login)
• (Recommended) An available subdomain planned to access the application (e.g., paramify.mycompany.com)
• (Recommended) Credentials for an SMTP server to send email
• (Recommended) Access to configure Okta, Microsoft Login, or Google Cloud Console for SSO

1. Create Infrastructure ​

Paramify will use the following infrastructure in Azure:

• VM instance to run Paramify
• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Blob Storage container for images and generated documentation
• Load balancer to access installer and application

To simplify creation of the infrastructure you can use the example Terraform files to create everything in an isolated VPC.

Follow these steps to create the infrastructure:

1. (Recommended) Acquire an SSL certificate for the desired subdomain (e.g., paramify.company.com)
2. Update and apply the terraform example (or similar):
   • In an empty directory, save and edit the example .tf files to update the variables for your environment
   • Init and check the configuration:
   bash

   terraform init
   terraform plan

   terraform init
   terraform plan

   • Apply the configuration to create Azure resources:
   bash

   terraform apply

   terraform apply

   INFO

   This will usually take several minutes.

   • Copy the convenience output values (or run terraform output) that look something like:

   azure_blob_endpoint = "https://paramifymycompany.blob.core.windows.net/"
   azure_container = "paramify-mycompany-container"
   azure_db = "paramify-mycompany-db.postgres.database.azure.com"
   azure_storage = "paramifymycompany"
   key_private = <sensitive>
   key_public = "ssh-rsa AAAA...= generated-by-azure"
   lb_ip = "100.1.2.3"
   resource_group_name = "paramify-mycompany-rg"
   vm_ip = "200.1.2.3"

   azure_blob_endpoint = "https://paramifymycompany.blob.core.windows.net/"
   azure_container = "paramify-mycompany-container"
   azure_db = "paramify-mycompany-db.postgres.database.azure.com"
   azure_storage = "paramifymycompany"
   key_private = <sensitive>
   key_public = "ssh-rsa AAAA...= generated-by-azure"
   lb_ip = "100.1.2.3"
   resource_group_name = "paramify-mycompany-rg"
   vm_ip = "200.1.2.3"

3. (Recommended) Add a DNS record for the desired domain as an alias to the new LB IP (lookup the lb_ip from terraform output when setting alias target)

2. Prepare Installer ​

Follow these steps to prepare the installer:

1. Copy the SSH keys into local files:

   • From the terraform output copy the key_private content into a file, can be named "vm_key" or similar
   bash

   terraform output -raw key_private > vm_key
   terraform output -raw key_public > vm_key.pub
   chmod 400 vm_key

   terraform output -raw key_private > vm_key
   terraform output -raw key_public > vm_key.pub
   chmod 400 vm_key

2. SSH into the VM using the key:

   • For example, using the vm_ip from terraform output execute the following:
   bash

   ssh -i vm_key paramify@`terraform output -raw vm_ip`

   ssh -i vm_key paramify@`terraform output -raw vm_ip`

3. Update the VM instance (then reboot, if applicable):

   bash

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

4. Download and prepare the installer:

   bash

   curl -sSL https://kurl.sh/paramify | sudo bash

   curl -sSL https://kurl.sh/paramify | sudo bash

   INFO

   This step usually takes about 10 minutes. If there are preflight warnings then correct, if needed, and proceed.

5. Copy and save the output after “Installation Complete” (specifically the admin password, which is required later)

   TIP

   You can reset the admin password manually with kubectl kots reset-password default if needed.

3. Deploy Paramify ​

At this point the configuration and deployment will be similar to other Paramify deployment methods.

1. Open the installer URL at the configured subdomain on port 8443 (e.g., https://paramify.mycompany.com:8443)
   • Alternatively you can use the lb_ip directly if DNS is not ready (e.g., https://100.1.2.3:8443)
2. Login using the admin password previously copied from installation output (or manually set)
3. Upload your Paramify License file
4. Enter your Paramify configuration information then "Save config" to continue
   • The "Application Base URL" should match the DNS subdomain you chose (e.g., https://paramify.mycompany.com)
   • (Optional) Set the custom SSL cert under "Ingress Settings"
     • Select "User Provided" and choose the appropriate .key and .crt files
   • For "Database" select "External Postgres"
     • As "Database Host" enter the azure_db from terraform output of the created RDS database.
     • Set "Username" and "Database" to "paramify" and "Password" to the DB password you set in variables.tf.
     • The other settings can be left at default (e.g., port is 5432).
   • Under "Cloud Storage Settings" select "Azure Blob Storage", then from terraform output set the following:
     • "Account" to azure_storage
     • "Container Name" to azure_container
     • "Endpoint" to azure_blob_endpoint (only required in Azure Government)
5. Wait for Preflight checks to complete
6. Deploy the application and wait for the "Ready" status

Now you should be ready to access Paramify at the desired domain (e.g., https://paramify.mycompany.com) or directly (https://100.1.2.3 using lb_ip from terraform output) and login using one of your configured methods. Enjoy!