Feature Type
Deep dive expanding existing tutorial
Description
Create a deep-dive companion to the existing vm-templates.adoc (639 lines, ~2,700 words) that covers template governance, InstanceType/Preference integration, versioning strategies, and building a self-service VM catalog for development teams. The current tutorial covers creating and using templates but does not address the organizational and governance aspects needed at scale.
Note: Issue #165 (Building a VM Self-Service Portal) is related but focuses on the OpenShift Console UI experience. This deep dive focuses on the template architecture and governance behind the portal.
Key Topics to Cover
- VirtualMachineClusterInstancetype and VirtualMachineClusterPreference: Modern standardized VM sizing using instance types (u1.small, u1.medium, etc.) and preferences (RHEL defaults, Windows defaults) instead of manual CPU/memory specification
- Template RBAC: Who can create, modify, and use templates -- ClusterRoles for template administrators vs template consumers
- Template versioning strategies: Naming conventions (rhel9-web-v2024q4), labels for version tracking, deprecation workflow (marking old templates, preventing new deployments)
- Template parameterization: Using annotations and template parameters for customizable fields (VM name, namespace, disk size, network)
- Governance policies: Enforcing mandatory labels, resource limits, network policies, and storage classes on all VMs created from templates via admission webhooks or OPA/Gatekeeper
- Template testing and validation: CI pipeline for validating templates (syntax check, deploy test VM, verify boot, cleanup)
- Multi-cluster template distribution: Distributing approved templates across clusters using GitOps (ArgoCD) or ACM policies
- Building a self-service catalog: Combining InstanceTypes + Preferences + Templates + RBAC into a "VM vending machine" where developers pick from approved configurations
Value Proposition
The current template tutorial teaches how to create one template. Production organizations need to manage dozens of templates across multiple teams, enforce standards, handle versioning, and provide self-service access. This deep dive transforms templates from a convenience feature into an organizational governance tool.
Suggested Module
modules/vm-configuration/
Feature Type
Deep dive expanding existing tutorial
Description
Create a deep-dive companion to the existing
vm-templates.adoc(639 lines, ~2,700 words) that covers template governance, InstanceType/Preference integration, versioning strategies, and building a self-service VM catalog for development teams. The current tutorial covers creating and using templates but does not address the organizational and governance aspects needed at scale.Note: Issue #165 (Building a VM Self-Service Portal) is related but focuses on the OpenShift Console UI experience. This deep dive focuses on the template architecture and governance behind the portal.
Key Topics to Cover
Value Proposition
The current template tutorial teaches how to create one template. Production organizations need to manage dozens of templates across multiple teams, enforce standards, handle versioning, and provide self-service access. This deep dive transforms templates from a convenience feature into an organizational governance tool.
Suggested Module
modules/vm-configuration/