Automation and Self-Service Server Provisioning for Duke Departments

PRESENTERS:  Sean Dilda

DEPARTMENTS: OIT

FORMAT: Presentation (topical discussion followed by questions)


ABSTRACT:

To simplify and speed provisioning and deployment of IT server infrastructure, OIT has developed Clockworks, a self-service website that provides departmental staff with on-demand creation of customized virtual machines and storage within minutes. After a Clockworks user specifies VM size and administration options, the Clockworks orchestration engine automatically creates and configures the servers, configures backups (if requested), then registers the servers on the campus network—all in a matter of minutes. Clockworks simplifies VM billing, allowing you to see the price of current VMs as well as VMs you’re requesting. Clockworks users can also clone previously created server instances to add server capacity, and view server status information (such as when backups were last run). This session will cover how Clockworks can simplify server provisioning and management for departmental administrators. We will also cover Locksmith—a self-service application where departmental administrators can request SSL site certificates for secure web sites. Locksmith automates the certificate signing process and returns signed site certificates typically in under 5 minutes.