Configuring SolusVM Nodes

Ubersmith's SolusVM support allows for the creation and management of virtual machines from within the Device Manager. In order to take advantage of the SolusVM support, you'll need to create some device groups and types, as well as configure two Device Modules. In the 'Device Types' section of Settings, create a Device Type to represent your SolusVM master node. As an example, you might use the name 'SolusVM Host'. Likewise, create a device type to represent the individual virtual machines on your SolusVM nodes. 'SolusVM VM', while somewhat redundant, will work fine.

Now, configure the 'VM Host' Device Module for the Device Group or Type for 'SolusVM Host'.

Select the proper platform in the 'Config' tab (SolusVM) and choose the Device Type for the individual Virtual Machines (SolusVM VM).

Now, for the SolusVM VM device type -- in our example, 'SolusVM VM', configure the 'Virtual Machine' device module.

In the 'Config' tab for the Virtual Machine device module, choose 'SolusVM'.

Your device modules are now configured properly. You can create a device entry in the Device Manager of type 'SolusVM Host'. This device will represent your SolusVM master node, so use the details (location, IP assignments, hostname, etc.) for that device when you create the entry. You can now configure the VM Host device module by clicking 'VM Host'.

Enter the hostname (IP address, or fully qualified domain name) for your SolusVM master node. Enter the API ID and Key configured for the IP of your Ubersmith instance host. If you haven't configured an IP and Key yet on the SolusVM master node, log in to the master node, and click on 'Configuration', then 'API Users'. You can add a new ID and Key, and copy the details into Ubersmith. Once you've saved the details, Ubersmith will try to communicate with the master node.

You'll notice in the upper right hand corner that there is a drop-down to allow you to communicate with each individual SolusVM node. If you don't have any VMs configured on your master node, you'll see a message indicating that no VMs were found. This is normal. Choose a different node from the drop down, and the VMs for that node will be displayed. You can see in our example we've chosen the node 'solusvm1', and the details for that node are being displayed. With our configuration in place, we can now create a new VM.

Clicking 'create vm', you will be given a list of options for the configuration of a new virtual machine. Many of the options, such as 'Template' and 'Plan', will be dependent on your specific SolusVM configuration. You can choose to use the defaults for an individual plan, or override them for a particular VM. You will also need to specify the client ownership for the VM prior to creating it, as the client's details are used when creating the associated user within SolusVM.

After creating the VM, you will be redirected to the new device page for the VM. You can manage the VM from this page, or from the master node page. This new VM device can be assigned to clients to allow them to manage it themselves.

If you wish to rebuild the VM after it has been created, you can use the 'edit vm' option. This will allow you to change the hostname, template, plan, and root password for an individual VM. Be careful when using this option, as rebuilding the VM will lose any current data stored within the VM.

Since our SolusVM support is a fairly new feature, and many of our clients already have client data within Ubersmith, we created a means to match up existing VMs with client records within Ubersmith. Use the 'Associate Clients' option to have Ubersmith try to match your entries in SolusVM with the clients you already have defined in Ubersmith.

Once you've performed the client association step, you can also use the 'Create Devices' link to create individual devices for each SolusVM virtual machine. This will save you the trouble of creating these entries manually.

If you have any trouble using our SolusVM integration, or have any questions, please email Ubersmith support for assistance.