How to Launch an OpenStack Instance using Horizon Dashboard

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This article is the third part of our OpenStack series. In this tutorial, we will go through steps to launch an OpenStack instance from Horizon Dashboard.

Prerequisites

1: Install Single Node OpenStack in CentOS 7 / RHEL 7

2: Configure OpenStack Networking to Enable Access to VM Instances

Launch OpenStack Instance

Before launching an instance, we would need to perform the below tasks.

  • Create OpenStack Image
  • Create Machine Flavor
  • Create Security Group
  • Generate Key Pair

Create OpenStack Image

Without virtual machine images, you can not deploy OpenStack instances. OpenStack Image is a single file (QCOW2 or Raw) which contains a disk that has an operating system installed on it.

For this demo, we will use CentOS 6 image and upload it to OpenStack.

In case you want to use some other image, get it from here.

Login as admin user and perform the below tasks.

To Create Image, Go to Admin >> Compute >> Images >> + Create Image.

Enter the details.

Image Name: CentOS 6 x86_64
Image Description: CentOS 6 Image
Image Source: Browse the downloaded image (My image is in ~/raj – Home directory).

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Browse OpenStack Image
Browse OpenStack Image

Format: QCOW2 – QEMU Emulator

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Create OpenStack Image
Create OpenStack Image

Click Create Image to begin. Wait for few minutes to complete.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - OpenStack Image Creation in Progress
Launch an OpenStack Instance – OpenStack Image Creation in Progress

Note: Image will be accessible to all OpenStack users, by default.

Create Machine Flavor

Machine Flavors are varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage and swap capacity and let you choose the correct mix of resources for your requirement.

Though OpenStack has predefined flavors creating a new machine flavor could match the exact resource requirement for your application.

Let us create a flavor for 1VCPU, 1GB RAM, and 10GB Disk.

Go to Admin >> Compute >> Flavors >> + Create Flavor. You should be in OpenStack admin login.

Flavor details,

Name: custom.small
VCPUs: 1
RAM: 1024
Root Disk: 10 GB

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Create Machine Flavor
Create Machine Flavor

Note: Any OpenStack user can use this flavor to create instances, by default.

Create Security Group

OpenStack security group acts as a virtual firewall that controls the connection to/from instances. Security groups should be created to allow connections like SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, etc.

Here, we will create a security group to allow ICMP and SSH connections.

Login as a normal user “raj”.

Configure OpenStack Networking - OpenStack User Login
OpenStack User Login

Go to Project >> Network >> Security Groups >> + Create Security Group.

In this page, name your security group and click Create Security Group.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Create Security Group
Create Security Group

Now, click Manage Rules of the newly created group.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Manage Security Rules
Manage Security Rules

Add a rule something like below.

Project >> Network >> Security Groups >> Security Group (ITzGeek_Security) >> Manage >> + Add Rule.

SSH:

Rule: SSH / ICMP
Remote: CIDR
CIDR: 0.0.0.0/0

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Add SSH Rule
Add SSH Rule

ICMP:

Rule: All ICMP
Direction: Ingress
Remote: CIDR
CIDR: 0.0.0.0/0

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Add ICMP Rule
Add ICMP Rule

Create Key Pair

The key pair is the public key which is used for accessing the created instances. Without the key pair, we can not access the instance.

Go to Project >> Compute >> Key Pairs >> + Create Key Pair.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Create Key Pair
Create Key Pair

Use Right click and Copy or Click Copy Private Key to Clipboard and save the key pair to the file (in my case, it is ITzGeek-Key) for future use.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Copy Private Key
Copy Private Key

Now, we are ready to launch an instance.

Launch an instance

Go to Project >> Compute  >> Instances >> Launch Instance.

Name your instance and click next.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Create OpenStack VM
Create OpenStack VM

Select the uploaded (CentOS 6 x86_64) image as the source for this instance.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Choose VM Image
Choose VM Image

We will use our custom.small flavor so that OpenStack can allocate resources easily for us.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Choose Machine Flavor
Choose Machine Flavor

Choose the Internal_Network.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Choose Network
Choose Network

Select the security group we created earlier.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Choose Security Group
Choose Security Group

Make sure you select the correct key pair. Finally, click Launch Instance to begin the instance creation.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Select Key Pair & Launch Instance
Select Key Pair & Launch Instance

Wait for few minutes. The instance should be up and run in few minutes.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - VM Instances
VM Instances

Once the instance is up, assign a floating IP to the instance so that we can access the instance. Click Associate Floating IP.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Assign Floating IP to VM
Assign Floating IP to VM

Click + sign.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Manage Floating IP Association
Manage Floating IP Association

Use External_Network and then click Associate IP.

Choose Allocation Network

Finally, click Associate.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - Map the IP
Map the IP

Your instance should have a floating IP address assigned to it.

Launch an OpenStack Instance - OpenStack Instance Running with Floating IP
OpenStack Instance Running with Floating IP

Access OpenStack Instance

Wait for few seconds and try ping to the floating IP address. You should get a ping response.

ping 192.168.201 -c 2
Ping VM Instance
Ping VM Instance

As I said already, I have saved Key pair in the file called “ITzGeek-Key“. When I save a file, it saved in 644 permission. The file permission should be changed to 600 for using with SSH for connecting to OpenStack instance.

chmod 600 ITzGeek-Key
Change Key Pair Permission
Change Key Pair Permission

Now try accessing the instance using the floating IP with the created key pair.

The default username for CentOS cloud image is centos.

ssh -i ITzGeek-Key [email protected]

Type yes to connect to the instance as you are connecting for the first time.

You should now be in the terminal of the newly created instance.

Connect OpenStack VM Instance
Connect OpenStack VM Instance

That’s All.

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