Configuring your cluster for cloud bursting

Before you can provision hosts from the cloud to your cluster, set up your environment to connect to one or more cloud service providers. IBM® Spectrum Conductor can provision hosts from Amazon Web Services (AWS), and IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure.

1. Create cloud provider accounts

To provision compute hosts from the cloud, create an account on one or more cloud providers. Ensure also that you obtain the API access credentials for each cloud provider account.

For more information, see:

2. Select or prepare cloud provider images

When provisioning cloud compute hosts, you can use base OS images provided by the cloud provider or create custom images with the base OS and IBM Spectrum Conductor installed. Table 1 lists the advantages and disadvantages of either option:

Table 1. Image options for cloud compute hosts
Option Description
Base OS image Select a base OS image that is provided by the cloud provider. When you use a base image, IBM Spectrum Conductor must be downloaded, installed, and configured during the provisioning phase by using a post-provisioning script.
  • Advantages: A preconfigured compute host image is not required. Upgrades and other cluster configuration changes can be easily managed by updating the post-provisioning script.
  • Disadvantages: Longer provisioning time due to latency in downloading, installing, and configuring IBM Spectrum Conductor.
Custom image Select a custom image with the base OS and IBM Spectrum Conductor preinstalled. To use a custom image, you must pre-create a compute host image with IBM Spectrum Conductor installed. Information such as the primary host, cluster administrator, and base port is statically configured in the image, which is used for subsequent provisioning of cloud hosts.

If you need custom configuration, it is recommended that you use a post-provisioning script to define custom configuration, then start IBM Spectrum Conductor on the host. This setup prevents IBM Spectrum Conductor from starting before the configuration takes effect.

  • Advantages: Faster provisioning because IBM Spectrum Conductor is preinstalled.
  • Disadvantages: Upgrades and other cluster configuration changes must be independently managed.
For more information on preparing a custom image, see:

Once you select or prepare a cloud provider image, obtain the image ID.

3. Customize post-provisioning scripts

Based on your image option, prepare post-provisioning scripts that run on a cloud host after it is provisioned. IBM Spectrum Conductor provides two sample post-provisioning scripts that you can customize: one for a base OS image option and another for a custom image option. The post-provisioning script for a base OS image installs and configures IBM Spectrum Conductor, then starts EGO on the host. The post-provisioning script for a custom image (with IBM Spectrum Conductor preinstalled) configures IBM Spectrum Conductor, then starts EGO on the host.

For more information, see:

4. Configure the cloud provider plug-in

Configure the cloud provider plug-in to provide authentication information and to define templates which will be used to provision cloud hosts.

For more information, see: