Deploy to any cloud by using Deltacloud Tools

If you want to deploy webapps to the cloud you'd actually have to choose what cloud you want to use in a first step. By chance there's Deltacloud that offers a unique common interface to the different cloud providers. With JBoss Deltacloud tools, you'll now even be able to stick to your eclipse and deploy as if your cloud instance was a standard WTP server.

Preface

The current cloud landscape is partitioned amond partitioned among a large amount of different solution providers. All of them offer different features and tools to work with. Deltacloud offers a common interface to a large amount of cloud providers and helps to avoid vendor lock in. Deltacloud, a server application, offers a REST interface and a nice web UI to work with.

Until now, no Eclipse based tools were available for Deltacloud and you had to switch between your Eclipse and your browser when deploying webapps to a Deltacloud server.

Solution

JBoss Deltacloud tools now offer you Eclipse based tooling that allow you to stick to your favorite IDE while developing and deploying to the cloud. JBoss Deltacloud tools allow you to start and stop instances at will, access them with a terminal and deploy to it as if it was a standard application server running in the wild. The JBoss WTP Server adapter now allows remote deployments to Deltacloud instances in a way you alreday know from legacy deployments.

Create an account at Amazon EC2

We use the Deltacloud server at http://try.steamcannon.org/deltacloud. This deltacloud server runs on EC2 drivers and provides an API to work against EC2 resources. To be able to create instances you'll need a valid EC2 account.

If you don't have an account so far, you may sign up here:

http://aws.amazon.com/

Install JBoss Deltacloud Tools

Add the following update site to your software sites:

http://download.jboss.org/jbosstools/updates/JBossTools-3.2.0.GA/

And install the Deltacloud Development Tools that you find in the Cloud cathegory.

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Create a Dynamic Web Project

At JBoss we believe in community based approaches. We stick to the Eclipse WTP standard and provide tools that will allow you to deploy Dynamic Web Project. Make sure you have such a project ready or create a new one.

The screencast uses a gwt project that was created with our GWT integration facet. If you want to check it out, you'll have to install it. You may check all details about it on http://community.jboss.org/wiki/CreateGWTProjectswithJBossToolsandEclipseWTP

Create a connection to a Deltacloud server

Switch to the Deltacloud perspective and create a new cloud connection.

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There's a public available deltacloud server that is run by the steamcannon project. You may reach it at

http://try.steamcannon.org/deltacloud

This Deltacloud server runs on ec2 drivers. It offers an interface to interact with amazon EC2. You'll therefore have to provide your EC2 credentials. You may look them up by clicking on both links that are shown below the appropriate fields in the wizard.

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You may test your credentials by hitting the test button.

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The wizard will then inform you if they're fine.

As soon as you hit finish, you'll get a new connection in your cloud viewer. It will allow you to check the images you may choose and will let you list the instances that you may be already running on EC2.

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Launch a new instance

Now that you have a connection to the Deltacloud server you may launch a new instance on it. You'll find an appropriate entry in the context menu of your cloud.

Fill in all values that are needed: Give your new instance a name and choose an image to launch. You may choose among the ones that are listed. We used a custom image that was created by the steamcannon project for us. It already has JBoss AS 6 installed to it so that you will be ready to deply web applications to it. Since this custom image is not listed (there's a bug in the current Deltacloud server that prevents all images from being listed) you'll have to type it in directly into the appropriate field:

ami-ca51a1a3 (32-bit)

ami-a651a1cf (64-bit)

The next configuration step will will let you provide a key to interact with amazon ec2. You may create a new one if you hit Manage and hit New in the upcoming dialog.

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The SSH daemon that is installed to the image we use is configured in a way that spares you from creating keys for ssh-connections. It will look up the key you used to launch your instance and authenticate/authorize you on behalf of this key. You'll therefore have to indicate a location to store the key locally. This location should match the directory that is used in the SSH2 preferences in Eclipse.

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