Difference between revisions of "Compass"
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Major components in Compass include: | Major components in Compass include: | ||
| − | + | * A RESTful API server, currently implemented in Python Flask. | |
| − | + | * A demo Web UI which consumes the RESTful APIs. It is a pure JavaScript WebApp developed with AngularJS. A 3rd-party application can have a different UI using the same APIs. | |
| − | + | * A meta-data module that allows a developer to extend the core functionality and provide custom data model for OpenStack configuration or other distributed system. The RESTful API layer provides the updated API automatically, based on the metadata. No code change is required at the API layer. | |
| − | + | * An adapter interface for automatic resource discovery. Current discovery mechanism is based on stanard MIB over SNMP query to ToR switches. Other mechanisms (such as IPMI, or Intel's next-gen RSA) are possible by adding plugins. | |
| − | + | * An adapter interface for configuration management tools. Currently we support Chef-based and Ansible-based CM tools. Other mechanisms (such as Puppet) are possible by adding plugins. | |
| − | + | * A Cobbler interface for OS provisioning. We hide the configuration details of kickstart files or seed files and provide a user-friendly OS-level provisioning. | |
<br /> | <br /> | ||
Revision as of 17:30, 2 July 2015
Contents
What is Compass?
Compass is an open source project that provides automated deployment and management of OpenStack and other distributed systems. It can be considered as what the LiveCD to a single box for a pool of servers – bootstrapping the server pool. Compass project follows the OpenStack community's four opens: Open Source, Open Community, Open Development, and Open Design.
Compass Overview
Compass itself is a distributed system that provides data modeling, configuration API, and WebUI to the end users in bootstrapping and managing a software defined data center infrastructure. Compass follows the modern software architecture design practice and it is modular and extensible.
Major components in Compass include:
- A RESTful API server, currently implemented in Python Flask.
- A demo Web UI which consumes the RESTful APIs. It is a pure JavaScript WebApp developed with AngularJS. A 3rd-party application can have a different UI using the same APIs.
- A meta-data module that allows a developer to extend the core functionality and provide custom data model for OpenStack configuration or other distributed system. The RESTful API layer provides the updated API automatically, based on the metadata. No code change is required at the API layer.
- An adapter interface for automatic resource discovery. Current discovery mechanism is based on stanard MIB over SNMP query to ToR switches. Other mechanisms (such as IPMI, or Intel's next-gen RSA) are possible by adding plugins.
- An adapter interface for configuration management tools. Currently we support Chef-based and Ansible-based CM tools. Other mechanisms (such as Puppet) are possible by adding plugins.
- A Cobbler interface for OS provisioning. We hide the configuration details of kickstart files or seed files and provide a user-friendly OS-level provisioning.
Why Compass?
- Deployment System Extensibility: Compass is not limited to OpenStack cluster, it provides a data-driven framework for deployment.
- Example: Providing capability to create a Ceph cluster by extending the data fields in Compass system
- Hardware Support Extensibility: Like Cinder's support for multiple storage vendors' system controlled by an OpenStack API through plug-in framework, Compass supports topology-aware resource discovery to multiple networking vendor's equipment through its plug-in framework.
- Example: Compass originally supported Huawei switches for topology-aware resource discovery, and we added support to HP switches with less than a couple of hundred lines of plug-in code.
- Host OS/Hypervisor Extensibility:
- Example: we first streamlined the process for CentOS. Ubuntu support is being supported at this moment. We imagine we can repeat the similar easy effort to systems like ESXi.
- Configuration Management System Extensibility:
- Compass provides the concept of adapter. Current we have implemented Chef based deployment, and we believe other CM tools can be easily included in this framework. We believe this helps enterprises that have purchased supported licenses from other CM tools vendors.
- Small Code Base, DRY:
- The total code base is around 5,000 line of Python code.
Compass Use Cases
We believe Compass may provide values to other OpenStack projects other than our original envisioned scenario. Here are some of our thoughts (and we would like to think of it and discuss it if needed)
- Remote install and configure all or a subset of physical servers in a datacenter
- Remote Install the OpenStack seed for a TripleO installation (maybe Ironic, too?)
- Remote install and configure a Hadoop cluster (synergy with Savanna?)
- Quickly setup and tear down test installations iteratively to develop the preferred configuration for a production deployment (cloud, big data, etc. Synergy with Infra or Test?)
Roadmap
Project Roadmap
- Publish Project resources
- Become an OpenStack Related Project
- OpenStack community engagement
- Cleanup the project to OpenStack Standards
- Integrate and synergize with OpenStack projects
Development Roadmap
- Next Development Steps
- Long term vision
Resources
Project Home Page for Compass: http://www.syscompass.org/
