Setting Up Environment with CirrusGrid Multi-Cloud PaaS

In application hosting, it always starts with creating an environment with the required isolated containers. This article will guide you through all the needed steps, with extended explanation of available specifics and features.

1. Log in to the CirrusGrid dashboard, click the New Environmentbutton in the upper-left corner.

2. Within the opened topology wizard dialog, you can set up all the necessary customizations. We recommend performing adjustments in the following order:

Below, we’ll review each of these points in detail, providing explanations on all of the available possibilities.

Choosing Programming Language or Specific Deployment Option

After creating an environment, you need to select the deployment solution required for your project.

    1. The most common and recommended choice is certified containers. These stacksare specifically configured and managed by CirrusGrid (e.g. version updates, security patches).

Click on the tab with the required programming language (JavaPHPNode.jsPython, Ruby.NET, or Go) to proceed with CirrusGrid certified containers.

    2. The other deployment options are available via the Docker

    3. Also, it is recommended to select the preferred region(if available) before proceeding further.

Configuring Topology

You can configure environment topology (layers structure) via the left part of the wizard. Here, the following blocks are available:

    1. CirrusGrid PaaS offers a number of the most popular options for each of these sections. Enable the blocks needed for your environment and select a suitable stackfor the role.

Tip: If you cannot find a required software solution, you can add it as a custom Docker container from Docker Hub or your private repository.

    2. An SSL protection can be configured for your environment via the same-named section. Here, two options are available:

Tip: Also, you can apply the Let’s Encrypt SSL add-on after the environment creation to automatically issue and integrate a free SSL certificate.

Configuring Nodes Resources and Specifics

Once you are done with the topology structure, you can adjust each particular layer via the wizard’s central part. Let’s review the available options from top to the bottom of the section.

    1. You can toggle a layer on/off, as well as provide a custom alias for it.

    2. Configure the automatic vertical scalingby setting the number of reserved and dynamic cloudlets (1 cloudlet = 128 MiB of RAM and 400 MHz of CPU) for the nodes within the layer. Think of it as a minimum and maximum CPU & RAM capacities per server. Only consumed resources will be charged.

    3. The Horizontal Scaling part allows defining a number of nodes within the layer and choosing a preferred scaling mode (stateful or stateless).

If needed, you can use the drop-down lists to change stack and engine type/versions. In case of adjusting an existing environment, these lists will redirect to the container redeploy dialog in order to apply changes.

    4. Next, you need to configure additional settings.

The list may vary depending on the particular stack and account permissions:

    5. At the bottom of the section, you can find buttons to the container configuration tools:

Reviewing and Confirming Environment Creation

After all the configurations are done, you can review the amount of allocated resources and the estimated cost of the environment.

    1. The main resource measuring units in CirrusGrid PaaS are cloudlets. Here, you can see the number of reservedones and the scaling limit (dynamic) for the whole environment.

For better analysis, the values are divided into the color-marked groups:

    2. Next, you can view the Estimated Costof your environment. The widget displays price using the same color-marking as above, and you can change the period – hourlydaily, or monthly.

The FROM tab shows the price that will be fully charged as it covers reserved resources. The TO tab shows the maximum possible price if all nodes in the environment are going to fully consume all resources up to the scaling limit during the whole period.

Tip: Hover over the pricing widget to view extended details on the estimated cost calculation:

If needed, you can click on the links under the widget for additional information on how pricing works and what is charged at CirrusGrid PaaS.

    3. Lastly, provide a name for your environment and click the Create button to proceed.

That’s all! In a few minutes, your new environment will appear on the dashboard.

Now, you are ready for application deployment and further use of your cloud environment.

Get maximum flexibility, ease-of-use, and scalability while hosting your cloud environments with CirrusGrid PaaS.

Categories: CirrusGrid