Modeling cloud resources in topologies

You can import the resources from a cloud into a topology to model a system on the cloud or plan a request for cloud resources.

Before you begin

You must have a connection to a cloud through the IBM® Rational® Desktop Connection Toolkit for Cloud Environments. To create a connection, open the Connection Explorer view, right-click inside the view, and click New > IBM SmartCloud Connection. Then, specify the connection information. For more information, see Working with the IBM SmartCloud Enterprise.

About this task

An example of modeling cloud resources in topologies is available in Example: Using cloud resources in automated tasks.

Procedure

Create a topology to illustrate the resources that you want to request from the cloud. For more information about creating topologies, see Creating topologies.
Open the Cloud Explorer view by clicking Window > Show View > Other, expanding Cloud Management Views, and then double-clicking Cloud Explorer.
In the Cloud Explorer view, drag the cloud connection to the topology editor. The topology editor creates a unit that represents the cloud user in the topology.
In the Cloud Explorer view, expand the connection to the cloud and then expand Keys.
If you do not have a security key, create or import one by right-clicking Keys, clicking New > Key, and either importing an existing public key or generating a new key. If you generate a new key, make sure to save the private key file in a safe place. Whether you import a key or create a key, you must save the private key file because you will need it to access the cloud resources.
Drag the key from the Cloud Explorer view to the topology editor. The topology editor creates a unit that represents the key.
Expand Images and drag one or more virtual images to the topology.
Tip: To filter the list of images and other resources in the Cloud Explorer view, expand the Toggle Filter list at the top of the view and then click Edit Selected Data Centers. Select one or more data centers and click OK.
The topology editor creates units that are bound to the virtual image and that represent the software in that image. In most cases, the units include a conceptual server unit with the caption Realize with system type. You must realize this unit to a unit that represents the virtual server on which the image runs and that specifies the capacity for the virtual server. In some cases, a concrete server unit is included in the virtual image. In these cases, this unit specifies the capacity of the virtual server for you.
If the image includes a conceptual server unit, click the informational message on this unit, click the resolution named Cloud image server not realized, and select the capacity for the virtual server. The topology editor adds units that represent the virtual server.
Create dependency links from the virtual image units to the security key and cloud user units. In most cases, the informational messages on the virtual image units include resolutions that can create these links automatically.
Specify the parameters on the virtual image units:
1. Select a virtual image unit.
2. Open the Properties view to the Capabilities tab.
3. Select the capability of the type devcloud.DeveloperCloudVirtualImage. This capability contains the parameters for the virtual image, such as usernames and passwords.
4. Specify values for the parameters or accept the defaults.
  Note: By default, the cloud uses these parameters rather than values from the topology. You can use values from other units in the topology by creating attribute propagation constraint links to the virtual image units. For example, if an image contains a parameter for a password, you can specify the password on a user unit in the topology. Then you can create an attribute propagation constraint link from the password attribute on the user unit to the password attribute on the virtual image unit.
  Different cloud images have different parameters and characteristics. For information about specific cloud images, open the asset catalog:
  1. In the Cloud Explorer view, right-click the cloud connection and then click Open Cloud Web Page.
  2. On the cloud web page, go to the Control Panel tab.
  3. Click View asset catalog.
  4. Search for a cloud image and read the details about its parameters and characteristics.
Optional: Use a storage unit from the cloud in the virtual server:
1. From the Storage section of the Cloud Explorer view, drag the storage unit to the topology. The topology editor creates a unit that represents the storage space.
2. On the mount point attribute, specify the mount point for the storage space.
3. Host the unit that represents the storage space on the operating system unit in the virtual image.
Optional: If your cloud account is configured to use a virtual LAN (VLAN), you can request the images on that VLAN:
1. In the Cloud Explorer view, expand Vlans and drag the VLAN to the topology.
2. Open the capabilities of the VLAN unit and ensure that the net.VLAN capability has the correct attributes for the ID and name of the VLAN.
3. Make the virtual image unit a member of the VLAN unit by dragging the virtual image inside the VLAN unit.
Optional: To use a static IP address from the cloud, click the informational message on the operating system unit named The Operating System has no associated IP Interface resource, run the resolution named Select an IP Interface to associate with Operating System, and select the IP address.
Note: If you are requesting the images on a VLAN, you must use an IP address that is within that VLAN. If you are not requesting the images on a VLAN, you must use an IP address that is not in any VLAN.
If you do not specify an IP address, the cloud provides a generated IP address when you request the resources.
Ensure that the virtual image unit has an install state of To be installed and all other units have an install state of Installed.
Save the topology.

What to do next

Now you can use this topology to request resources from the cloud as described in Requesting resources from a cloud with a topology.