Enable the Ubuntu Pro plugin for enhanced security and commercial support

Before you get started!

Welcome to OpenStack!

In this series of tutorials, we will walk you through all the necessary steps to install, configure and get started with OpenStack. Using just three dedicated machines, you will learn how to deploy OpenStack in highly available, multi-node, production-grade clusters.

This tutorial is the sixth in the “Phase II - Deploying OpenStack” series.

Explore other tutorials >

What is OpenStack?

OpenStack is a collection of open source projects designed to work together to form the basis of a cloud. OpenStack can be used for both private and public cloud implementation.

What is Sunbeam?

Sunbeam is an upstream project under the governance of the OpenInfra Foundation (OIF), which was created to lower the barrier to entry for OpenStack, simplify its adoption process, and set the foundation for an autonomous private cloud. Sunbeam uses cloud-native architecture and total bottom-up automation to make OpenStack more accessible to newcomers and to help users get to grips with the platform immediately.

What is MicroStack?

MicroStack (based on Sunbeam) is an OpenStack distribution designed for small-scale cloud environments. While it is available with full commercial support from Canonical, it can also be self-deployed with no friction, effectively eliminating the need for a paid consulting engagement. MicroStack currently includes core OpenStack services only, but is expected to evolve quickly to ensure full feature parity with Canonical’s Charmed OpenStack soon.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to:

• Enable the Ubuntu Pro plugin
• Use the Canonical Support Portal to receive commercial support from Canonical

You will only need:

• Theoretical knowledge of OpenStack gained by completing all tutorials in the “Phase I - Learning OpenStack” series
• Three fresh physical machines with:
• The latest Ubuntu LTS installed
• A minimum of 32 GB of free memory
• 200 GB of SSD storage available on the root disk
• A least one un-partitioned disk of at least 200 GB in size
• Two network interfaces
  - Primary: for access to the OpenStack control plane
  - Secondary: for remote access to cloud VMs
• OpenStack cloud bootstrapped and configured
• Additional nodes added to the cluster
• The Validation plugin enabled
• The Observability plugin enabled

Before moving the cloud to production, it is recommended to enable the Ubuntu Pro plugin. This plugin attaches the Ubuntu Pro subscription to all nodes in the cluster.

Ubuntu Pro is an optional subscription on top of Ubuntu LTS, providing expanded security maintenance and commercial support with guaranteed SLAs at an extra charge. Ubuntu Pro is free for personal use on up to five machines.

In order to enable the Ubuntu Pro plugin, execute the following command on sunbeam01 machine:

$ sunbeam enable pro --token <token>

Note that the value of the token must match the value obtained from the Ubuntu Pro page.

Sample output:

Please check minimum hardware requirements for support:

    https://microstack.run/docs/enterprise-reqs

Ubuntu Pro enabled.

In order to check the Ubuntu Pro status, execute the following command on sunbeam01 machine:

$ pro status

Sample output:

SERVICE          ENTITLED  STATUS    DESCRIPTION
esm-apps         yes       enabled   Expanded Security Maintenance for Applications
esm-infra        yes       enabled   Expanded Security Maintenance for Infrastructure
livepatch        yes       disabled  Canonical Livepatch service
realtime-kernel* yes       disabled  Ubuntu kernel with PREEMPT_RT patches integrated
usg              yes       disabled  Security compliance and audit tools

 * Service has variants

For a list of all Ubuntu Pro services and variants, run 'pro status --all'
Enable services with: pro enable <service>

     Account: microstack@ubuntu.com
Subscription: Ubuntu Pro - free personal subscription

In order to create a support case first log in to the Canonical Support Portal.

Search the Canonical Knowledge Base for articles relevant to your case – your issue may already have a solution.

If no solution is available in the Knowledge Base, select the “New ticket” button on the homepage.

Complete the ticket form. Most fields are self-explanatory, but note:

Description - include:

• Exact time & date the problem occurred
• What steps or actions you took
• The result of those actions
• What you expected or wanted to happen instead
• Any other information you think is relevant
• Any logs, error messages and screenshots
• Any previous cases that may be related to the current issue

Note: please open a new case for every different issue. Do not reopen a closed case. This will help us to better track the issues and retrieve information from your previous cases.

Impact - tell us how the problem affects your organisation.

If you can share a sosreport, this will help us respond faster and more accurately.

Sosreports

Canonical uses sosreports, or “state of system” reports, to diagnose and resolve problems. These comprise system logs and configuration data.

When you report a problem with your Ubuntu machine, you should generate and send a sosreport from the affected machine straight away.

Refer to the following articles for information on using sosreports:

• Installing the sosreport tool and generating a sosreport
• Sending a sosreport to Canonical
• Sosreports, data and security

Congratulations! You have reached the end of this tutorial.

You can now explore other tutorials.

In this tutorial, you have learnt how to:

• Enable the Ubuntu Pro plugin
• Use the Canonical Support Portal to receive commercial support from Canonical

Where to go from here?

• Refer to Sunbeam documentation
• Join the community and ask questions
• Report a bug in Sunbeam
• Explore Charmed OpenStack