The document discusses run-book automation using PlateSpin Orchestrate. It provides examples of how PlateSpin Orchestrate can automate complex IT procedures like database checks, password changes, and disaster recovery. It also notes how run-book automation improves processes, reduces costs, and helps overcome staffing constraints compared to manual procedures.

1. Run-book Automation
with PlateSpin Orchestrate
®
Adam Spiers
Senior Software Consultant
Novell
adam.spiers@novell.com

2. The Run-book
Documentation of approved diagnostic and recovery procedures
Hard to write
Difficult to update
Very hard to read
2 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. Run-book Automation
Support the IT operations through automation:
Monitoring
Ticket enrichment
Problem diagnosis
Change and repair
Optimization and virtualization management
Disaster recovery
3 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. IDC Worldwide System
Infrastructure Software 2009
Top 10 Predictions:
3. Datacenter operations cost concerns will drive
IT organizations to adopt automated management
software solutions
– To overcome headcount constraints while continuing to deliver
required service levels, IDC advises IT decision makers to
look for run-book automation, process automation, and
orchestration tools that can be implemented incrementally (...)
– These tools need to be able to support physical and virtual
machines, network devices, middleware, applications,
and databases.
December 2008, IDC #215390, Volume: 1
Operating Environments: Top 10 Predictions
4 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

5. IDC Worldwide System
Infrastructure Software 2009
Top 10 Predictions:
6. Standalone virtual server management tools will
be gobbled up by automated systems change,
configuration, and operations automation platforms
– Although once viewed as a standalone product category, in 2009, virtual server
management tools will be increasingly integrated into more comprehensive systems
provisioning, change, and configuration management solutions. (...)
– For IT decision makers, 2009 is the year to move virtual server management back
into the core datacenter operations environment. With the majority of IT organizations
anticipating significant use of virtual servers in production environments in 2009 and
beyond, IT teams will be able to operate more efficiently if virtual server and physical
server operations become more tightly connected in terms of both process
work-flows and management tools.
December 2008, IDC #215390, Volume: 1
Operating Environments: Top 10 Predictions
5 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Run-Book Automation Integration
Audit DB Server Mgmt.
Dashboard Storage
Mgmt.
Run-book
Admin Automation
Enterprise Network
Console Mgmt.
Ticket System CMDB
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7. Product Requirements
A data center run-book automation tool must be:
• Multi-Platform (Unix, Linux, Windows server)
• Able to cover more than servers (storage, networks)
• Scalable and easy to integrate
• Extensible by IT admin staff
• Flexible to integrate in existing environments
(Enterprise console, ticket system, CMDB)
• Able to manage physical and virtual machines
• Secure, with audit capability
7 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. PlateSpin Orchestrate ®
• Multi-platform, distributed automation tool
• Front end integration by Java API
• Automation with Python scripting
• User authentication and audit database
• Policies for authorization
• Manages servers, VMs, and other components
8 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. Why Position PlateSpin Orchestrate ®
for Run-book Automation?
• PlateSpin Orchestrate can do a lot more than RBA
– Optimization, VM management, green IT, …
• RBA requires much less integration effort
– A workload optimization project has a big development
effort attached
– RBA can be started iteratively
• RBA has a short ROI cycle
• RBA implementation can grow organically into workload
optimization and more complex implementations
9 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. Examples

11. Example: SAP BIA Fail-over
(Project is in solution development together with HP)
• Client has two SAP Business Intelligence Accelerator
installations in two cities for DR
• The failover “run-book” has 40 pages of
step-by-step instructions!
– Steps have dependencies on both sides, some steps must
be run on one server, some on up to 16 servers per side
• Proof of concept of two days in HP lab automated
the more complex steps on the infrastructure side
(storage system failover and SAP cleanup/restart)
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12. Example: Setting Passwords
(This one originally convinced a customer to buy
PlateSpin Orchestrate) ®
• When an admin leaves the company, the admin
passwords needs to be changed on all systems
– Unix, Linux, Windows
– Even on machines that may be powered down right now
(for a long time)
• PlateSpin Orchestrate has the feature to run jobs
on resources rejoining the grid
– Can change password as soon as machine powers up
12 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

13. Example: Ticket Enrichment
Speed up information gathering in incident handling
• For a new incident ticket on a specific business service:
– Find all systems relevant for that service
– Run a support script on all these systems
– Attach the information to the ticket automatically
• The “intelligence” of the script can grow over time
– Check if databases are still in backup mode
– Check if VLANS are configured on switch ports
• This service will benefit from integration with a
Configuration Management Database, e.g. Novell ®
CMDB360 and Novell myCMDB ™ ™
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14. Example: Check System Health
• Check for full file systems and try to fix immediately
– Platform-dependent locations
– Application-dependent scripts
– Flexible cleanup scripts
• Check for application and system processes
– Application-dependent checks
– Check for hanging backup processes etc.
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15. Example: Check Databases
• Check processes and connectivity
– Check system tables
– Check application databases running (easily configured)
• Provide automatic restart and recovery assistance
• Check archive log and backup modes
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16. Example: Public Key Management
• Support handling of SSL/TLS keys on servers
– Check certificate validity
– Generate new Certificate Signing Requests
– Collect CSR
– (Signing certificates is security sensitive)
– Distribute certificates to servers
• Same with SSH keys
– Update known_hosts and authorized_keys lists
16 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

17. Example: What Is There Today ?
The tutorial already has some good example jobs
that are building blocks for RBA, e.g.
• doit
– Execute a command on a host or a group of hosts
• Baseline
– Compare a configuration file against a baseline file
– Distribute the “master” file on a group of hosts
17 © Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.

18. Questions and Answers

20. Unpublished Work of Novell, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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