Eric D. Schabell: November 2016

Monday, November 28, 2016

AppDev in the Cloud: How To Run JBoss BPM Suite in a Container

appdev in the cloud
Containerized JBoss BPM Suite!
I have a series of articles where I explore with you the reasons why application developers can't ignore their stacks anymore, which refers to the Cloud based infrastructures they working in their daily jobs.

This led to my explorations of the possibility to create that Cloud based infrastructure locally as a substitution for the full blown Red Hat Cloud Suite experience.

What would be nice I thought, was to have some form of local private Cloud that was just the same as what you are experiencing at work where full data centers are used to host an organizations Cloud experience.

appdev in the cloud
First, make sure you have installed the
OpenShift Container Platform.
This led first to an example project that installs Red Hat OpenShift Enterprise (OSE) as an image through the Red Hat Container Development Kit (CDK).

Next, I gave you the JBoss BPM Suite installation example for use on OSE. This was a perfectly fine way to work, but the ultimate goal is of course to keep up with the latest products that Red Hat provides.

With that in mind I went off looking for a way to provide you with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (OCP), in the same easy to use demo format. The results of that project was presented in a previous article, but that is not the end of this story.

Containerize JBoss Business Process Management Suite

Once you have installed OpenShift on your machine, either the Red Hat CDK or OCP, then the next step is to start exploring your application development options with Red Hat JBoss middleware products.

This section will take you through another simple to install example project that gives you a fully operational, fresh out of the box installation of JBoss BPM Suite. Not only that, it will be a containerized installation that is created on your OpenShift installation!

  1. First ensure you have an OpenShift container based installation, such as one of the following installed first:
  2. Add products to installs directory.
  3. Run 'init.sh' or 'init.bat' file. 'init.bat' must be run with Administrative privileges:
   # The installation needs to be pointed to a running version
   # of OpenShift, so pass an IP address such as:
   #
   $ ./init.sh 192.168.99.100  # example for OCP.

   $ ./init.sh 10.1.2.2        # example for CDK.
Now log in to JBoss BPM Suite and start developing containerized BPM projects (the address will be generated by the init script).
appdev in the cloud
The pod shown which is your JBoss BPM Suite container
on OpenShift Container Platform.
Be sure to give the container time to not only start up, but to start up JBoss EAP with JBoss BPM Suite. You can check this by finding the deployed pod in the OpenShift console and looking into the logs tab.

That's it, you are now able to start developing business logic and events at your leisure.

Stay tuned for more by watching for updates here or following the projects at Red Hat Demo Central.


Thursday, November 24, 2016

How To Setup Integration & SOA Tooling For JBoss Developer Studio 10

how to setup integration soa tooling
The release of the latest JBoss Developer Studio (JBDS) brings with it the questions around how to get started with the various JBoss Integration and BPM product tool sets that are not installed out of the box.

In this series of articles we will outline for you how to install each set of tools and explain which products they are supporting.

This should help you in making an informed decision about what tooling you might want to install before embarking on your next JBoss integration project.

There are four different software packs that offer tooling for various JBoss integration products:
  1. JBoss Integration and SOA Development
  2. JBoss Data Virtualization Development
  3. JBoss Business Process and Rules Development
  4. JBoss Fuse Development
how to setup integration soa tooling
Tooling is available under software updates
with early access enabled.
This article will outline how to get started with the JBoss integration and SOA development tooling and any of the JBDS 10 series of releases.

Installation

JBDS 10 can be obtained through the Customer Portal or via the early access downloads on jboss.org. After installing JBDS, start it up and you will see a welcoming JBoss Central tab with at the bottom a tab to look at the available tool sets labeled Software/Update

You will notice at the time of this writing that there are no other JBoss Integration stacks offered to install upon first inspection. This is due to the other integration stacks being early access.

how to setup integration soa tooling
Select JBoss Integration and SOA Development.
Eventually they will be shown by default once testing finished and they release, but for now you can obtain them by checking the Early Access box in the bottom right corner. 

This will reveal the integration stack tooling offerings and we will select JBoss Integration and SOA Development.

Click on the Install/Update button to start the installation and restart at the end to complete the process.

If you are interested in what is being installed, it can be examined by examining the pop-up listing of components and versions. Note this will change as the early access progresses towards final releases.
    how to setup integration soa tooling
    Examine components and versions to be installed.
    Stay tuned for more articles in this series that will detail the installation of the remaining JBoss Integration Stack tools.

    Other options

    In the past we have outlined the use of JBoss BPM and rules tooling for other versions of JBDS:
    [Note: This post was originally published on Red Hat Developers, the community to learn, code, and share faster. Original article here.]

    Monday, November 21, 2016

    3 Steps to Cloud Happiness with OpenShift Container Platform

    3 steps cloud happiness
    There is no easier way to install your very own Cloud than with OpenShift Container Platform.

    Bold statement you say?

    Not really, just tag along as I show you how to move from no Cloud to fully Cloud enabled with a container based application development platform in just over two minutes.

    Wait... that's crazy!

    Get a stopwatch and get your coffee before you start because you won't have enough time to get it during this installation.

    3 steps cloud happiness
    Figure 1. Automated version checks for requirements.
    If you have been following my journey through the application development phases of storytelling, you will have seen that I was an early fan of Cloud based solutions like OpenShift. This was a way to take your application development from your local resources and move them onto a remote set of resources, while continuing to work locally as you always have.

    I took some time this last year to push my JBoss middleware example applications on to the Red Hat Container Development Platform (CDK), which is based on the OpenShift Enterprise Platform (OSE). The latest iteration of this product has been named the OpenShift Container Platform (OCP), so I have been working hard to bring you an even better experience for your local private Cloud installation.

    Today I present this work to you in the form of a project called the OpenShift Container Platform Install Demo. It is so simple, I believe that anyone can set this up in just over two minutes. Let's take a look, as it it only a three step process:

    Install in 3 simple steps...

    1. 3 steps cloud happiness
      Figure 2. Container images pulled to your box.
      Download and unzip.
    2. Run 'init.sh', then sit back.
    3. Follow displayed instructions to log in to your brand new OpenShift Container Platform!

    You need to download and unzip the project, then run the installation script, sit back until you see the output at the end showing you where to log in to your brand new OpenShift Container Platform.

    3 steps cloud happiness
    Figure 3. The JBoss product templates
    are installed from their image streams.
    Figure 1 shows how I will check if you have the required tools installed, if not you will get a pointer to where you need to download these requirements. This means you don't have to worry about finding out what you need, just run the installation and it will tell you where to get anything that is missing.

    Also note, that if you have run this installation before, it's setup to always give you a clean running installation by fixing anything that is left running or blocking an installation. Not intervention needed by you.

    In figure 2 you see the installation starting, where the container layers are being pulled into your machine and setup.

    Validation is shown in figure 3, where the IP address of your OCP login console is presented. I then make sure your OCP has the latest greatest JBoss middleware streams loaded and update the RHEL 7 streams.

    Now you are almost ready, just need to show you how to log in.

    Figure 4 shows the address that was dynamically created (in my case it is showing https://192.168.99.100:8443), just paste it into your browser and you can log in with any of the given users. Also note that you might want to completely clean up this demo by running the command shown, or just shut it down for now as shown.
    3 steps cloud happiness
    Figure 4. Final installation details given.

    As I have updated the image streams, it will take some time for them to be pulled into your OCP and appear in your lists of available platforms. Log in with admin user and you will see that you need to create a project, just click on the New Project button.

    You can fill in the form shown in figure 5 any way you like, but I chose to line it up as the project that will soon host all my Red Hat Cloud demo projects.

    Once you submit that form, you are presented with an overview of the product templates for your projects that I installed above (remember, it might take a few minutes for them all to appear, so take a sip of coffee now as it is your only chance in this process).

    You can now start using the catalog containing the JBoss middleware product templates to develop applications on the OCP Cloud.

    This concludes the installation of OpenShift Container Platform and you are now ready to start containerized application development. I assume you can find more information online if you are interested in getting started with the basics of container development on OCP, so I won't go into that here.
    3 steps cloud happiness
    Figure 5. Fill in a new project form as desired.

    Stay tuned, there will be a move to provide the same demo collection that is currently available on the Red Hat CDK. I am working on getting them all running on the OCP install you have just experienced, so watch for updates to the examples collection at Red Hat Demo Central.

    Not only that, these example middleware applications will be able to run either on the Red Hat CDK or on OCP, your choice!

    Here's wishing you many happy days of containerized application development in the Cloud!

    Thursday, November 17, 2016

    Codemotion Rome 2017: Last try for Containers, JBoss BPM and Monkeys

    codemotion rome 2017I have spoken in the past at Codemotion Rome, and in Denmark,  so this year I have submitted a few talks in hopes of spending a few days with the good people that host these conferences.

    From my new position at Red Hat I have a broader reach on the topics and technology that I can choose from to submit, so the sessions below you will find are pretty far apart on the technology spectrum.

    Fingers crossed and maybe I will see you at Codemotion Rome on  24-25th of March 2017 for any of the following talks.

    Painless containerization in your very own Private Cloud

    As application developers we are coming to grips with new technology all the time. Containerizing what we do is becoming the standard as our applications are delivered into the Cloud. Let me show you a painless way to easily install a private Cloud in just minutes, one that leverages today's docker based container technologies from & wrapped in a developer friendly self-service OpenShift platform. 

    Join me for an hour of power where you will walk away with the ability to leverage real hands-on example applications of painless containerization in your very own private OpenShift Cloud platform.


    App Dev in the Cloud: Not my circus, not my monkeys...

    codemotion rome 2017When faced with all the hype around Cloud, most application developers are not really all that excited. Maybe you get that feeling that it isn't your problem, just leave me to my applications. Let me show you why, as an application developer, you can't ignore your Cloud stack anymore. 

    We will examine your Cloud stack anxieties and provide you with a solutions to ease you into your first private PaaS on your own local machine that you can install in just minutes. Finally you will be given a myriad of examples to take home with you to take control of this circus and own the monkeys!


    Effective Business Process Management with JBoss BPM
    codemotion rome 2017

    When getting started with JBoss BPM you are often looking for a reference to help you on your journey, something that will make you an effective member of your project team that is developing process applications. 

    I will present an overview of how to get started, where you can find the help you need and leave you a collection of example projects that you can install locally on your development machine or in the Cloud. 

    Join us for an hour of power that will turn you into a productive BPM'er and send you home with early access to the publication of the same name.

    Monday, November 14, 2016

    Foundation for digital transformation (slides)

    foundation digital transformation
    Last week I presented together with my colleague on the topic of Red Hat Cloud Suite as the foundation for digital transformation in an online webinar.

    The recording was made for internal partners and I don't have access to that for public posting, but the slides are below for your viewing pleasure.

    This is the transitional story about how you can leverage Red Hat Cloud Suite as the foundation to ensure your infrastructure is ready for taking the digital plunge, both existing investment and expansion into the future are covered.

    The final sections introduce both the Cloud Deployment Planner and the QuickStart Cloud Installer with a video that links to showcasing how it works.



    Hope you enjoy these slides and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out or post them below.

    Thursday, November 10, 2016

    Quick guide: How to plan your Red Hat Virtualization 4.0 deployment

    quick guide
    Select RHV 4.0 and check for deployments
    with other Cloud Suite components.
    On August 24th of this year Red Hat announced the newest release of Red Hat Virtualization (RHV) 4.0.

    Just two month later the Red Hat Cloud Suite tooling known as the Cloud Deployment Planner has been updated to provide you with all the RHV 4.0 details you need to plan your next deployment.

    With the streamlined user interface you have the compatibility and lifecycle information with other Red Hat Cloud Suite components at your finger tips.

    quick guide
    RHV 4.0 and CloudForms compatibility matrix.
    Ensure that your hybrid cloud product scenarios are going to provide you with the features you need with products like Satellite, CloudForms and Red Hat Insights.

    In the figures here you see Red Hat CloudForms management being compared to RHV 4.0. Once selected, the Feature & Service Compatibility matrix will appear below with green for the features you can rely on, red for the ones that are not supported. Some might be partially supported, such as in a tech preview phase, which will be shown with a small information icon.

    If you select the Lifecycle Compatibility tab, you will have an overview of the supported duration of each selected component version. This information is crucial when planning what versions to deploy and ensuring you are not betting on a version that is about to reach end of life.

    quick guide
    RHV 4.0 and CloudForms lifecycle.
    If you want to browse the various combinations, here are a few quick references to view compatibility by feature category:


    The Cloud Deployment Planner is an ongoing and growing tool that will continue to expand and provide more insights into the Red Hat product portfolio. You can also watch a video to tour the workings of the Cloud Deployment Planner.

    Feel free to comment and suggest anything you might like to see in this tool.

    [This article was originally posted on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Blog.]


    Monday, November 7, 2016

    Catch the Open the Stack virtual brown bag session online (video)

    catch the open the stack
    At the end of October I was in Barcelona for the OpenStack Summit.

    This was a week long event on all things OpenStack, where I previously mentioned that I gave a talk on the Red Hat Cloud Suite tooling. I covered the Cloud Deployment Planner and QuickStart Cloud Installer in a very short (<10 mins) but recorded side session.

    I posted the slides to the session and have embedded the recording that was posted to YouTube there. I also wanted to provide you a direct link to the video, so here you go.



    If you have interest in the demos that I was unable to present due to the time constraints, please check out the links in the slides at the end. 

    Feedback welcome, either in comments or reach out to me directly.

    Thursday, November 3, 2016

    Foundation for digital transformation: Red Hat Cloud Suite (webinar)

    foundation for digital transformation
    On Friday, 4 November 2016 I will be co-presenting a webinar for European Red Hat Partners that showcases the Red Hat Cloud Suite as it is positioned to help your customers lay down the foundations for their digital transformation future.

    It covers how the Red Hat Cloud Suite can help shape their future, be that for exiting virtualized workloads or with an eye on delivering applications in a flexible private Cloud architecture. We first take you through 4 practical examples that demonstrate the value delivered by Red Hat Cloud Suite. Then we follow with the supporting tooling for Red Hat Cloud Suite, the Cloud Deployment Planner and QuickStart Cloud Installer.

    You leave this webinar with and understanding of how Red Hat Cloud Suite is positioned and how the supporting tools can help plan and execute on your customers digital transformation plans.

    Target Audience:
    Partner session for sales, solution architects, architects and those interested in the Red Hat Cloud Suite solution offerings.

    Presenters:
    Eric Schabell, Global Technology Evangelist
    Eric Dube, Principle Product Manager Integrated Solutions

    REGISTER ONLINE (expand topic of interest, click on registration link/button)

    We look forward to speaking with you on 4th of November 2016 at 13:00 CET.


    Tuesday, November 1, 2016

    How To get your hands on JBoss BPM book as Deal of the Day

    Since launching the Early Access Program for my latest publication, Effective Business Process Management with JBoss BPM, I have been busy pushing out chapters that you can preview.

    This provides you with a chance to purchase, at reduced rates, access to the first chapters that are available now in electronic format. You can interact with the author, that's me, in the authors online forum and give direct feedback on the content.

    I have had change to produce over half of the book so far, reviews are coming in and I am constantly reworking past chapters to make them sound based on the feedback received.

    So what is this thing called Deal of the Day?