Hello,
I am planning to use Ubuntu MaaS 3.4 to deploy Ubuntu 22.04 on physical servers from various vendors (HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc.), some of which have hardware RAID, while others do not.
I am interested in understanding the current status of proprietary firmware upgrades during MaaS’ Commissioning stages. Specifically, I would like to know how MaaS handles the setup of hardware-raid layouts when there’s a need to use external tools like onecli or storcli.
Any insights or resources on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Additionally, I would like to understand how Canonical supports these processes via subscription channels.
Thanks in advance!
hey, @tmartins, nice to see you around again!
it’s cool that you’re planning to use 3.4 for your server deployments. i think you’ll want to customise commissioning with scripts; these should be able to handle proprietary firmware upgrades and custom RAID layouts.
you can use onecli or storcli in those custom scripts; just embed the commands you’d use anyway, and including those scripts in the commissioning process. don’t forget about using metadata to run scripts selectively by hardware type. you can set up MAAS to recognize specified criteria, so it’s kinda like a custom custom script.
obviously, you’ll need to install onecli, storcli, <whatever> on the machines to be commissioned, also as part of your scripts. just make sure they get loaded before the RAID setup and firmware upgrades.
regarding Canonical’s support for these processes via subscription channels, you can reach out to Canonical’s support team or go here to inquire about any specific assistance or resources we offer for MAAS deployments involving custom scripts and hardware-specific configurations. we should be able to provide guidance and support tailored to your needs.
more questions? need more help? just bounce back to us! good luck with your MAAS deployment!
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Sure, here’s a draft for your reply:
Hello @billwear,
Firstly, I want to express my gratitude for your detailed and insightful response. Your suggestions are very much appreciated.
Creating custom commissioning scripts was indeed the first thing that came to mind. However, I’ve encountered a bit of a roadblock. The tools I typically work with are built and packaged for RHEL. They are RPM packages and have built-in checks to ensure that the running OS is RHEL. This presents a challenge, as the “Ephemeral OS” in MaaS is Ubuntu, and these tools do not support running on Ubuntu.
This is the exact reason why I’ve been exploring alternatives and seeking advice on this forum. I’m trying to find a way to navigate this OS compatibility issue while still being able to effectively manage proprietary firmware upgrades and hardware-raid layouts.
Cheers!
@tmartins, you’re welcome. i can only tell you what i know reasonably well.
that said, i can only tell you what i know reasonably well. running RHEL as the ephemeral (commissioning) OS is not something i am familiar with, and very probably not something i am likely to pursue, absent a support contract which includes such in its terms. let’s hope that the community can answer your questions, but if you do sort it out, feel free to share it.
