This section explains how to deploy Cloud Native Qumulo (CNQ) on AWS by creating the persistent storage and the cluster compute and cache resources with CloudFormation. It also provides information about post-deployment actions and optimization.

For an overview of CNQ on AWS, its prerequisites, and limits, see How Cloud Native Qumulo Works.

The aws-cloudformation-cnq-<x.y>.zip file (the version in the file name corresponds to the provisioning scripts, not the version of Qumulo Core) contains comprehensive CloudFormation templates that let you deploy S3 buckets and then create a CNQ cluster with 1 or 3–24 instances that adhere to the AWS Well-Architected Framework and have fully elastic compute and capacity.

Prerequisites

This section explains the prerequisites to deploying CNQ on AWS.

  • To allow your Qumulo cluster to report metrics to Qumulo, your AWS VPC must have outbound Internet connectivity through a NAT gateway or a firewall. Your instance shares no file data during this process.

  • To deploy your Qumulo cluster with a VPC S3 gateway, you must configure your VPC to use the S3 gateway VPC endpoint.

  • The following features require specific versions of Qumulo Core:

    Feature Minimum Qumulo Core Version
    • Adding S3 buckets to increase persistent storage capacity
    • Increasing the soft capacity limit for an existing CNQ cluster
    		 7.2.1.1
    7.2.0.3
    Creating persistent storage 7.1.3 with version 4.0 of the deployment scripts

  • Before you configure your CloudFormation template, you must sign in to the AWS Management Console.

    A custom IAM role or user must include the following AWS services:

    • cloudformation:*
    • ec2:*
    • elasticloadbalancing:*
    • iam:*
    • kms:*
    • lambda:*
    • logs:*
    • resource-groups:*
    • route53:*
    • route53resolver:*
    • s3:*
    • secretsmanager:*
    • sns:*
    • ssm:*
    • sts:*

How the CNQ Provisioner Works

The CNQ Provisioner is an m5.large EC2 instance that configures your Qumulo cluster and any additional AWS environment requirements.

To Monitor the Provisioner’s Status

The Provisioner stores all necessary state information in the Parameter Store and shuts down automatically when it completes its tasks.

  1. In AWS Systems Manager, click Application Management > Parameter Store > /qumulo/<my-unique-deployment-name>/last-run-status.
  2. On the History tab, click ⚙️.
  3. In the Preferences dialog box, click Parameter history properties > Value > Confirm.

Step 1: Deploying Cluster Persistent Storage

This section explains how to deploy the S3 buckets that act as persistent storage for your Qumulo cluster.

Part 1: Prepare the Required Files

Before you can deploy the persistent storage for your cluster, you must download and prepare the required files.

  1. Log in to Qumulo Nexus and click Downloads > Cloud Native Qumulo Downloads.

  2. On the AWS tab, in the Download the required files section, select the Qumulo Core version that you want to deploy and then download the corresponding CloudFormation template and Debian or RPM package.

  3. In a new or existing S3 bucket, within your S3 bucket prefix, create the qumulo-core-install directory.

  4. Within this directory, create another directory with the Qumulo Core version as its name. For example:

    my-s3-bucket-name/my-s3-bucket-prefix/qumulo-core-install/7.5.0

  5. Copy qumulo-core.deb or qumulo-core.rpm into the directory named after the Qumulo Core version (in this example, it is 7.5.0).

  6. Decompress aws-cloudformation-cnq-<x.y>.zip locally and copy it to your S3 bucket prefix.

  7. Find the URL to templates/persistent-storage.template.yaml. For example:

    https://my-bucket.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/my-s3-bucket-prefix/templates/persistent-storage.template.yaml

Part 2: Create the CloudFormation Stack

  1. Log in to the AWS CloudFormation console.

  2. On the Stacks page, in the upper right, click Create stack > With new resources (standard).

  3. On the Create stack page, in the Specify template section, click Amazon S3 URL, enter the URL to persistent-storage.template.yaml, and then click Next.

  4. On the Specify stack details page, take the following steps:

    1. Enter a Stack name, for example my-storage-stack.

    2. For S3 bucket name, enter the name of the S3 bucket that you used to prepare your files.

    3. For S3 key prefix, enter your S3 bucket prefix.

    4. For S3 bucket region, enter the same AWS region as the one for your S3 bucket.

    5. Click Next.

  5. On the Configure stack options page, read and accept the two acknowledgements, and then click Next.

  6. On the Review and create page, click Submit.

    CloudFormation creates resources for the stack and displays the CREATE_COMPLETE status for each resource.

Step 2: Deploying Cluster Compute and Cache Resources

This section explains how to deploy compute and cache resources for a Qumulo cluster by using a Ubuntu AMI and the Qumulo Core .deb installer.

Recommendations

  • Only when the CloudFormation stack finishes running can you begin to monitor the Provisioner. (In AWS Systems Manager, click Application Management > Parameter Store > /qumulo/<my-unique-deployment-name>/last-run-status. On the History tab, click ⚙️, and then in the Preferences dialog box, click Parameter history properties > Value > Confirm.) Until the Provisioner shuts down automatically, the provisioning process isn’t complete and the Qumulo cluster isn’t yet functional.

  • If you plan to deploy multiple Qumulo clusters, give the q_cluster_name variable a unique name for each cluster.

  • We recommend forwarding DNS queries to Qumulo Authoritative DNS (QDNS). For a single-AZ deployment, to allow Qumulo Core to create an Amazon Route 53 outbound resolver, specify values for the q_cluster_fqdn and second_private_subnet_id variables. The resolver uses the q_cluster_fqdn variable to forward DNS requests to your cluster, where Qumulo Core resolves DNS for your floating IP addresses.

To Deploy the Cluster Compute and Cache Resources

  1. Configure your VPC to use the gateway VPC endpoint for S3.

  2. In the S3 bucket that hosts your deployment files, find the URL to templates/cnq-standard.template.yaml. For example:

    https://my-bucket.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/my-s3-bucket-prefix/templates/cnq-standard.template.yaml

  3. Log in to the AWS CloudFormation console.

  4. On the Stacks page, in the upper right, click Create stack > With new resources (standard).

  5. On the Create stack page, in the Specify template section, click Amazon S3 URL, enter the URL to cnq-standard-template.yaml, and then click Next.

  6. On the Specify stack details page, take the following steps:

    1. In the Provide a stack name section, enter a Stack name, for example my-compute-cache-stack.

    2. In the Parameters section, under Cloud Native Qumulo, take the following steps:

      1. For S3 bucket name, enter the name of the S3 bucket that you used to prepare your files.

      2. For S3 key prefix, enter your S3 bucket prefix.

      3. For S3 bucket region, enter the same AWS region as the one for your S3 bucket.

      4. Select an EC2 key pair.

      5. For Environment type, select either Dev or Prod.

    3. Under AWS network configuration, take the following steps:

      1. Select a VPC ID.

      2. Enter CIDR #1 for the Qumulo security group.

      3. (Optional) Enter CIDR #2 for the Qumulo security group.

      4. Select the Private subnet ID(s).

    4. Under Qumulo file data platform configuration, take the following steps:

      1. For the Stack name from the persistent storage CloudFormation deployment, enter the name of the stack that you used to create your persistent storage.

      2. For Hot or Cold cluster, select an S3 storage class.

      3. Select the Qumulo EC2 instance type.

      4. Enter the Number of Qumulo EC2 instances.

        This number determines the number of nodes in your Qumulo cluster.

      5. Enter the Total number of Floating IPs for the Qumulo Cluster.

      6. Enter the Qumulo software version, Qumulo cluster name, and the Qumulo cluster administrator password.

    5. Click Next.

  7. On the Configure stack options page, read and accept the two acknowledgements, and then click Next.

  8. On the Review and create page, click Submit.

    CloudFormation creates resources for the stack and displays the CREATE_COMPLETE status for each resource.

  9. To log in to your cluster’s Web UI, use the endpoint from the the QumuloPrivateIP key on the Outputs tab for this stack and the username and password that you have configured.

    You can use the Qumulo Core Web UI to create and manage NFS exports, SMB shares, snapshots, and continuous replication relationships You can also join your cluster to Active Directory, configure LDAP, and perform many other operations.

  10. Mount your Qumulo file system by using NFS or SMB and your cluster’s DNS name or IP address.

Step 3: Performing Post-Deployment Actions

This section describes the common actions you can perform on a CNQ cluster after deploying it.

Adding Nodes to an Existing Cluster

  1. Log in to the AWS CloudFormation console.
  2. On the Stacks page, select your compute and cache deployment stack and then, in the upper right, click Update.
  3. On the Update stack page, click Use existing template and then click Next.
  4. On the Specify stack details page, enter a new value for Number of Qumulo EC2 instances and then click Next.
  5. On the Configure stack options page, in the Stack failure options section, click Roll back all stack resources, read and accept the two acknowledgements, and then click Next.

  6. On the Review <my-unique-deployment-name> page, click Submit.

    CloudFormation creates resources for the stack and displays the CREATE_COMPLETE status for each resource.

  7. To ensure that the Provisioner shut downs automatically, monitor the /qumulo/my-unique-deployment-name/last-run-status parameter for the Provisioner. To monitor the Provisioner’s status, you can watch the Terraform operations in your terminal or monitor the Provisioner in AWS Systems Manager.
  8. To check that the cluster is healthy and has the needed number of nodes, log in to the Qumulo Core Web UI.

Removing Nodes from an Existing Cluster

Removing nodes from an existing cluster is a two-step process:

  1. Remove the nodes from your cluster’s quorum.
  2. Tidy up the AWS resources for the removed nodes.

Step 1: Remove Nodes from the Cluster’s Quorum

You must perform this step while the cluster is running.

  1. Edit the terraform.tfvars file, setting the value of q_target_node_count to a reduced number of nodes in the cluster.

  2. Run the terraform apply command.

  3. Review the nodes to be removed and then enter yes.

    Terraform removes the nodes and displays:

    • The Apply complete! message with a count of removed resources

    • Your deployment’s unique name

    • The remaining S3 buckets for your Qumulo cluster

    • The primary (static) IP addresses for the node removed from your Qumulo cluster

    • The Qumulo Core Web UI endpoint

    For example:

    Apply complete! Resources: 0 added, 0 changed, 1 destroyed.

Outputs:

cluster_provisioned = "Success"
deployment_unique_name = "myname-deployment-ABCDE01EG2H"
...
persistent_storage_bucket_names = tolist([
  "ab5cdefghij-my-deployment-klmnopqr9st-qps-1",
  "ab4cdefghij-my-deployment-klmnopqr8st-qps-2",
  "ab3cdefghij-my-deployment-klmnopqr7st-qps-3",
  ...
  "ab2cdefghij-my-deployment-klmnopqr6st-qps-16"
])
qumulo_floating_ips = tolist([
  "203.0.113.42",
  "203.0.113.84",
  ...
])
...
qumulo_primary_ips_removed_nodes = "203.0.113.24",
...
qumulo_private_url_node1 = "https://203.0.113.10"

Step 2: Tidy Up AWS Resources for Removed Nodes

  1. Edit the terraform.tfvars file:

    1. Set the value of the q_node_count variable to a reduced number of nodes in the cluster.

    2. Set the value of the q_target_node_count to null.

  2. Run the terraform apply command.

  3. Review the resources to be removed and then enter yes.

  4. To check that the cluster is healthy and has the needed number of nodes, log in to the Qumulo Core Web UI.

    Terraform tidies up the resources for removed nodes and displays:

    • The Apply complete! message with a count of removed resources

    • Your deployment’s unique name

    • The remaining S3 buckets for your Qumulo cluster

    • The remaining floating IP addresses for your Qumulo cluster

    • The remaining primary (static) IP addresses for your Qumulo cluster

    • The Qumulo Core Web UI endpoint

    For example:

    Apply complete! Resources: 0 added, 0 changed, 66 destroyed.

Outputs:

cluster_provisioned = "Success"
deployment_unique_name = "myname-deployment-ABCDE01EG2H"
...
persistent_storage_bucket_names = tolist([
  "ab5cdefghij-my-deployment-klmnopqr9st-qps-1",
  "ab4cdefghij-my-deployment-klmnopqr8st-qps-2",
  "ab3cdefghij-my-deployment-klmnopqr7st-qps-3",
  ...
  "ab2cdefghij-my-deployment-klmnopqr6st-qps-16"
])
qumulo_floating_ips = tolist([
  "203.0.113.42",
  "203.0.113.84",
  ...
])
...
qumulo_primary_ips = tolist([
  "203.0.113.4",
  "203.0.113.5",
  "203.0.113.6",
  "203.0.113.7"
])
...
qumulo_private_url_node1 = "https://203.0.113.10"

Increasing the Soft Capacity Limit for an Existing Cluster

Increasing the soft capacity limit for an existing cluster is a two-step process:

  1. Configure new persistent storage parameters.
  2. Configure new compute and cache deployment parameters.

Step 1: Set New Persistent Storage Parameters

  1. On the Stacks page, select your persistent storage stack and then, in the upper right, click Update.
  2. On the Update stack page, click Use existing template and then click Next.
  3. On the Specify stack details page, select a higher value for Soft Capacity Limit and then click Next.
  4. On the Configure stack options page, in the Stack failure options section, click Roll back all stack resources, read and accept the two acknowledgements, and then click Next.

  5. On the Review <my-unique-deployment-name> page, click Submit.

    CloudFormation updates resources for the stack and displays the CREATE_COMPLETE status for each resource.

  6. To check that the cluster is healthy and has the needed number of nodes, log in to the Qumulo Core Web UI.

Step 2: Update Existing Compute and Cache Resource Deployment

  1. On the Stacks page, select your compute and cache deployment stack and then, in the upper right, click Update.
  2. On the Update stack page, click Use existing template and then click Next.
  3. On the Specify stack details page click Next.
  4. On the Configure stack options page, in the Stack failure options section, click Roll back all stack resources, read and accept the two acknowledgements, and then click Next.

  5. On the Review <my-unique-deployment-name> page, click Submit.

    CloudFormation updates resources for the stack and displays the CREATE_COMPLETE status for each resource.

    When the Provisioner shuts down automatically, this process is complete.

Changing the EC2 Instance Type of Your CNQ on AWS Cluster

You can change the EC2 instance type, node count, and to convert your cluster from single-AZ to multi-AZ, or the other way around.

Changing the EC2 instance type of your CNQ on AWS cluster is a three-step process:

  1. Create a new deployment in a new CloudFormation stack and join the new EC2 instances to a quorum.
  2. Remove the existing EC2 instances.
  3. Clean up your S3 bucket policies.

Step 1: Create a New CloudFormation Stack

  1. Log in to the AWS CloudFormation console.

  2. On the Stacks page, in the upper right, click Create stack > With new resources (standard).

  3. On the Create stack page, in the Specify template section, click Amazon S3 URL, enter the URL to your CloudFormation template, and then click Next.

  4. On the Specify stack details page, take the following steps:

    1. In the Provide a stack name section, enter a Stack name, for example my-compute-cache-replacement-stack.

    2. In the Parameters section, under Cloud Native Qumulo, take the following steps:

      1. For S3 bucket name, enter the name of the S3 bucket that you used to prepare your files.

      2. For S3 key prefix, enter your S3 bucket prefix.

      3. For S3 bucket region, enter the same AWS region as the one for your S3 bucket.

      4. Select an EC2 key pair.

      5. For Environment type, select either Dev or Prod.

    3. Under AWS network configuration, take the following steps:

      1. Select a VPC ID.

      2. Enter CIDR #1 for the Qumulo security group.

      3. (Optional) Enter CIDR #2 for the Qumulo security group.

      4. Select the Private subnet ID(s).

    4. Under Qumulo file data platform configuration, take the following steps:

      1. For the Stack name from the persistent storage CloudFormation deployment, enter the name of the stack that you used to create your persistent storage.

      2. For Hot or Cold cluster, select an S3 storage class.

      3. Select the Qumulo EC2 instance type.

      4. Enter the Number of Qumulo EC2 instances.

        This number determines the number of nodes in your Qumulo cluster.

      5. Enter the Total number of Floating IPs for the Qumulo Cluster.

      6. For Replacement Cluster, select Yes.

      7. For Existing Deployment CloudFormation Stack Name, enter the current stack name, for example, my-compute-cache-stack.

      8. Enter the Qumulo software version, Qumulo cluster name, and the Qumulo cluster administrator password.

    5. Click Next.

  5. On the Configure stack options page, read and accept the two acknowledgements, and then click Next.

  6. On the Review and create page, click Submit.

  7. To ensure that the Provisioner shut downs automatically, monitor the /qumulo/my-unique-deployment-name/last-run-status parameter for the Provisioner. To monitor the Provisioner’s status, you can watch the Terraform operations in your terminal or monitor the Provisioner in AWS Systems Manager.
  8. To check that the cluster is healthy and has the needed number of nodes, log in to the Qumulo Core Web UI.

Step 2: Remove the Previous Deployment

  1. To delete the previous CloudFormation stack, on the Stacks page, select the stack name for your previous deployment and then, in the upper right, click Stack actions > Edit termination protection.
  2. In the Edit termination protection for <stack-name>? dialog box, under Termination protection, click Deactivated and then click Save.
  3. On the Stacks page, select the stack name for your previous deployment and then, in the upper right, click Delete.
  4. In the Delete stack? dialog box, click Delete.

  5. To ensure that the stack is deleted correctly, watch the deletion process.

    The previous deployment is deleted.

Step 3: Clean Up S3 Bucket Policies

  1. On the Stacks page, select the newly created stack and then, in the upper right, click Update.
  2. On the Update stack page, click Use existing template and then click Next.
  3. On the Specify stack details page, for Replacement Cluster, click No.
  4. On the Configure stack options page, in the Stack failure options section, click Roll back all stack resources, read and accept the two acknowledgements, and then click Next.

  5. On the Review <my-unique-deployment-name> page, click Submit.

    CloudFormation updates resources for the stack and displays the CREATE_COMPLETE status for each resource.

Deleting an Existing Cluster

Deleting a cluster is a two-step process:

  1. Delete your cluster’s compute and cache resources.
  2. Delete your persistent storage.
  1. Back up your data safely.
  2. Disable termination protection for your CloudFormation stack.
  3. To update your stack, do the following:
    1. On the Stacks page, select the existing stack and then, in the upper right, click Update.
    2. On the Update stack page, click Use existing template and then click Next.
    3. On the Specify stack details page, click Next.
    4. On the Configure stack options page, read and accept the two acknowledgements, and then click Next.
    5. On the Review <my-unique-deployment-name> page, click Rollback on failure and then click Submit.
  4. Delete your CloudFormation stack.