Deploying Cloud Foundry

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This topic describes how to deploy Cloud Foundry using cf-deployment. Before performing this procedure, ensure you have prepared your environment and deployed a BOSH Director. For more information, see the Prepare Your Environment section of the Deploying Cloud Foundry with cf-deployment topic.

Step 1: Clone cf-deployment

Clone the cf-deployment repository:

$ git clone https://github.com/cloudfoundry/cf-deployment.git

This repository contains the canonical manifest for deploying Cloud Foundry, along with various ops files that specify operations to perform on the Cloud Foundry deployment manifest.

Step 2: Select Your Ops Files

Use ops files to specify IaaS-specific configuration and to add custom functionality to your Cloud Foundry deployment. Before deploying, BOSH reads the ops files from the operations folder and applies the operations to your manifest.

All ops files are located in the operations directory of the cf-deployment repository.

The following configurations require ops files:

• Deploying Cloud Foundry to any IaaS except Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Deploying Windows Diego cells to Cloud Foundry

To determine which ops files your IaaS requires, see the IaaS-required Ops-files table in the cf-deployment repository.

To deploy Windows Diego Cells, use the windows2019-cell.yml ops file.

See the Ops Files section of the cf-deployment repository README for a description of all available ops files.

Step 3: Determine Variables

cf-deployment requires additional information to provide environment-specific or sensitive configuration.

The BOSH CLI stores this information in a variables store file, which is provided by the operator with the --vars-store flag when deploying Cloud Foundry. This flag takes the name of a YAML file that the BOSH CLI will read and write to. If the file does not exist, the BOSH CLI will create it. If necessary credential values are not present, the BOSH CLI will generate new values based on the type information stored in cf-deployment.yml.

There are certain variables that BOSH cannot generate. By default, this is only the system domain. But depending on the ops files you have selected, you may need to provide variables in addition to the system domain.

Perform the following steps to determine your required variables and prepare them for the deploy:

1. Review the information in the Step 2: Select Your Ops Files section and create a list of the variables required by the ops files you have selected.
2. Determine the values for each of the variables. For example, the aws_region variable required by the use-s3-blobstore.yml ops file may have the value of us-west-2.
3. Choose one of the following methods for providing the variables when you deploy Cloud Foundry below:
   • Provide the variables in a YAML file specified with the --vars-file flag during the deploy. This is the recommended method for configuring external persistence services.
   • Provide the variables by passing individual -v arguments for each variable. The syntax is -v VAR-NAME=VAR-VALUE.

     Note: Variables passed with either -v or --vars-file will override those already in the var store, but will not be stored there.

   • Insert the variables directly in the variables store file alongside BOSH-managed variables.

Step 4: Upload Stemcell

1. Ensure you are logged in to your BOSH Director:

   $ bosh -e YOUR-ENV log-in

2. Open the Cloud Foundry deployment manifest, cf-deployment.yml. In the final lines of the deployment manifest, locate the top-level property stemcells and retrieve the values for os and version. The following example specifies an Ubuntu Trusty 3421.11 stemcell:

   stemcells:
   - alias: default
     os: ubuntu-trusty
     version: "3421.11"
   

   The following example specifies a Windows Server, version 1709 stemcell:

   stemcells:
   - alias: windows2016
     os: windows2016
     version: "1709.13"
   

3. Visit Stemcells on bosh.io.

4. Locate the stemcell that corresponds to your IaaS and to the version specified above, and copy the URL to the stemcell.

5. Upload the stemcell:

   $ bosh upload-stemcell YOUR-STEMCELL-URL

Step 5: Deploy

1. Deploy cf-deployment:

   $ bosh -e YOUR-ENV -d cf deploy cf-deployment/cf-deployment.yml \
   --vars-store env-repository/deployment-vars.yml \
   -v system_domain=YOUR-SYSTEM-DOMAIN \
   -o cf-deployment/operations/YOUR-OPS-FILE-1
   -o cf-deployment/operations/YOUR-OPS-FILE-2
   [...]
   

   Depending on your choices in the Step 3: Determine Variables section, provide additional variables with -v or --vars-file.
   
   If your variables store file does not exist, BOSH creates one at the path you specify with --vars-store. Store your variables store file in a safe and secure place. You will need it for all subsequent deploys.
   
   When prompted to review the deployment manifest, enter y to continue.
   
   The deploy may take several minutes. When the command completes, run bosh vms to check that the Cloud Foundry VMs are running.