Deploying VyOS in the Azure cloud

With the help of Terraform, you can quickly deploy VyOS-based infrastructure in the Azure cloud. If necessary, the infrastructure can be removed using terraform. Also we will make provisioning using Ansible.

In this case, we’ll create the necessary files for Terraform and Ansible next using Terraform we’ll create a single instance on the Azure cloud and make provisioning using Ansible.

Preparation steps for deploying VyOS on Azure

How to create a single instance and install your configuration using Terraform+Ansible+Azure Step by step:

Azure

1 Create an account with Azure

Terraform

1 Create an UNIX or Windows instance

2 Download and install Terraform

3 Create the folder for example /root/azvyos/

mkdir /root/azvyos

 4 Copy all files into your Terraform project "/root/azvyos" (vyos.tf, var.tf, terraform.tfvars), more detailed see `Structure of files Terrafom for Azure`_

 5 Login with Azure  using the command
az login

2.6 Type the commands :

cd /<your folder>
terraform init

Ansible

1 Create an UNIX instance whenever you want (local, cloud, and so on)

2 Download and install Ansible

3 Create the folder for example /root/az/

4 Copy all files into your Ansible project “/root/az/” (ansible.cfg, instance.yml,”all”), more detailed see Structure of files Ansible for Azure

Start

Type the commands on your Terrafom instance:

cd /<your folder>
terraform plan
terraform apply
yes

After executing all the commands you will have your VyOS instance on the Azure cloud with your configuration, it’s a very convenient desition. If you need to delete the instance please type the command:

terraform destroy

Structure of files Terrafom for Azure

.
├── vyos.tf                            # The main script
├── var.tf                                     # File for the changing version of Terraform.
└── terraform.tfvars           # The value of all variables (passwords, login, ip adresses and so on)

File contents of Terrafom for Azure

vyos.tf

##############################################################################
# HashiCorp Guide to Using Terraform on Azure
# This Terraform configuration will create the following:
# Resource group with a virtual network and subnet
# An VyOS server without ssh key (only login+password)
##############################################################################

# Chouse a provider

provider "azurerm" {
  features {}
}

# Create a resource group. In Azure every resource belongs to a
# resource group.

resource "azurerm_resource_group" "azure_vyos" {
  name     = "${var.resource_group}"
  location = "${var.location}"
}

# The next resource is a Virtual Network.

resource "azurerm_virtual_network" "vnet" {
  name                = "${var.virtual_network_name}"
  location            = "${var.location}"
  address_space       = ["${var.address_space}"]
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"
}

# Build a subnet to run our VMs in.

resource "azurerm_subnet" "subnet" {
  name                 = "${var.prefix}subnet"
  virtual_network_name = "${azurerm_virtual_network.vnet.name}"
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"
  address_prefixes       = ["${var.subnet_prefix}"]
}

##############################################################################
# Build an VyOS VM from the Marketplace
# To finde nessesery image use the command:
#
# az vm image list --offer vyos --all
#
# Now that we have a network, we'll deploy an VyOS server.
# An Azure Virtual Machine has several components. In this example we'll build
# a security group, a network interface, a public ip address, a storage
# account and finally the VM itself. Terraform handles all the dependencies
# automatically, and each resource is named with user-defined variables.
##############################################################################


# Security group to allow inbound access on port 22 (ssh)

resource "azurerm_network_security_group" "vyos-sg" {
  name                = "${var.prefix}-sg"
  location            = "${var.location}"
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"

  security_rule {
    name                       = "SSH"
    priority                   = 100
    direction                  = "Inbound"
    access                     = "Allow"
    protocol                   = "Tcp"
    source_port_range          = "*"
    destination_port_range     = "22"
    source_address_prefix      = "${var.source_network}"
    destination_address_prefix = "*"
  }
}

# A network interface.

resource "azurerm_network_interface" "vyos-nic" {
  name                      = "${var.prefix}vyos-nic"
  location                  = "${var.location}"
  resource_group_name       = "${var.resource_group}"

  ip_configuration {
    name                          = "${var.prefix}ipconfig"
    subnet_id                     = "${azurerm_subnet.subnet.id}"
    private_ip_address_allocation = "Dynamic"
    public_ip_address_id          = "${azurerm_public_ip.vyos-pip.id}"
  }
}

# Add a public IP address.

resource "azurerm_public_ip" "vyos-pip" {
  name                         = "${var.prefix}-ip"
  location                     = "${var.location}"
  resource_group_name          = "${var.resource_group}"
  allocation_method            = "Dynamic"
}

# Build a virtual machine. This is a standard VyOS instance from Marketplace.

resource "azurerm_virtual_machine" "vyos" {
  name                = "${var.hostname}-vyos"
  location            = "${var.location}"
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"
  vm_size             = "${var.vm_size}"

  network_interface_ids         = ["${azurerm_network_interface.vyos-nic.id}"]
  delete_os_disk_on_termination = "true"

# To finde an information about the plan use the command:
# az vm image list --offer vyos --all

  plan {
    publisher = "sentriumsl"
    name      = "vyos-1-3"
    product   = "vyos-1-2-lts-on-azure"
  }

  storage_image_reference {
    publisher = "${var.image_publisher}"
    offer     = "${var.image_offer}"
    sku       = "${var.image_sku}"
    version   = "${var.image_version}"
  }

  storage_os_disk {
    name              = "${var.hostname}-osdisk"
    managed_disk_type = "Standard_LRS"
    caching           = "ReadWrite"
    create_option     = "FromImage"
  }

  os_profile {
    computer_name  = "${var.hostname}"
    admin_username = "${var.admin_username}"
    admin_password = "${var.admin_password}"
  }

  os_profile_linux_config {
    disable_password_authentication = false
  }
}

data "azurerm_public_ip" "example" {
  depends_on = ["azurerm_virtual_machine.vyos"]
  name                = "vyos-ip"
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"
}
output "public_ip_address" {
  value = data.azurerm_public_ip.example.ip_address
}

# IP of AZ instance copied to a file ip.txt in local system

resource "local_file" "ip" {
    content  = data.azurerm_public_ip.example.ip_address
    filename = "ip.txt"
}

#Connecting to the Ansible control node using SSH connection

resource "null_resource" "nullremote1" {
depends_on = ["azurerm_virtual_machine.vyos"]
connection {
 type     = "ssh"
 user     = "root"
 password = var.password
     host = var.host
}

# Copying the ip.txt file to the Ansible control node from local system

 provisioner "file" {
    source      = "ip.txt"
    destination = "/root/az/ip.txt"
       }
}

resource "null_resource" "nullremote2" {
depends_on = ["azurerm_virtual_machine.vyos"]
connection {
      type     = "ssh"
      user     = "root"
      password = var.password
      host = var.host
}

# Command to run ansible playbook on remote Linux OS

provisioner "remote-exec" {

    inline = [
      "cd /root/az/",
      "ansible-playbook instance.yml"
]
}
}

var.tf

##############################################################################
# Variables File
#
# Here is where we store the default values for all the variables used in our
# Terraform code.
##############################################################################

variable "resource_group" {
  description = "The name of your Azure Resource Group."
  default     = "my_resource_group"
}

variable "prefix" {
  description = "This prefix will be included in the name of some resources."
  default     = "vyos"
}

variable "hostname" {
  description = "Virtual machine hostname. Used for local hostname, DNS, and storage-related names."
  default     = "vyos_terraform"
}

variable "location" {
  description = "The region where the virtual network is created."
  default     = "centralus"
}

variable "virtual_network_name" {
  description = "The name for your virtual network."
  default     = "vnet"
}

variable "address_space" {
  description = "The address space that is used by the virtual network. You can supply more than one address space. Changing this forces a new resource to be created."
  default     = "10.0.0.0/16"
}

variable "subnet_prefix" {
  description = "The address prefix to use for the subnet."
  default     = "10.0.10.0/24"
}

variable "storage_account_tier" {
  description = "Defines the storage tier. Valid options are Standard and Premium."
  default     = "Standard"
}

variable "storage_replication_type" {
  description = "Defines the replication type to use for this storage account. Valid options include LRS, GRS etc."
  default     = "LRS"
}

# The most chippers size

variable "vm_size" {
  description = "Specifies the size of the virtual machine."
  default     = "Standard_B1s"
}

variable "image_publisher" {
  description = "Name of the publisher of the image (az vm image list)"
  default     = "sentriumsl"
}

variable "image_offer" {
  description = "Name of the offer (az vm image list)"
  default     = "vyos-1-2-lts-on-azure"
}

variable "image_sku" {
  description = "Image SKU to apply (az vm image list)"
  default     = "vyos-1-3"
}

variable "image_version" {
  description = "Version of the image to apply (az vm image list)"
  default     = "1.3.3"
}

variable "admin_username" {
  description = "Administrator user name"
  default     = "vyos"
}

variable "admin_password" {
  description = "Administrator password"
  default     = "Vyos0!"
}

variable "source_network" {
  description = "Allow access from this network prefix. Defaults to '*'."
  default     = "*"
}

variable "password" {
   description = "pass for Ansible"
   type = string
   sensitive = true
}
variable "host"{
   description = "IP of my Ansible"
}

terraform.tfvars

password  = ""   # password for Ansible SSH
host      = ""   # IP of my Ansible

Structure of files Ansible for Azure

.
├── group_vars
    └── all
├── ansible.cfg
└── instance.yml

File contents of Ansible for Azure

ansible.cfg

[defaults]
inventory = /root/az/ip.txt
host_key_checking= False
remote_user=vyos

instance.yml

##############################################################################
# About tasks:
# "Wait 300 seconds, but only start checking after 60 seconds" - try to make ssh connection every 60 seconds until 300 seconds
# "Configure general settings for the VyOS hosts group" - make provisioning into Azure VyOS node
# You have to add all necessary cammans of VyOS under the block "lines:"
##############################################################################


- name: integration of terraform and ansible
  hosts: all
  gather_facts: 'no'

  tasks:

    - name: "Wait 300 seconds, but only start checking after 60 seconds"
      wait_for_connection:
        delay: 60
        timeout: 300

    - name: "Configure general settings for the VyOS hosts group"
      vyos_config:
        lines:
          - set system name-server xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
        save:
          true

group_vars/all

ansible_connection: ansible.netcommon.network_cli
ansible_network_os: vyos.vyos.vyos

# user and password gets from terraform variables "admin_username" and "admin_password" in the file /root/azvyos/var.tf
ansible_user: vyos
ansible_ssh_pass: Vyos0!

Sourse files for Azure from GIT

All files about the article can be found here