docs: update rtd documentation for altcloud

[ubuntu-server-builder]

This bug was originally filed in Launchpad as LP: #1968789

Launchpad details

affected_projects = []
assignee = None
assignee_name = None
date_closed = None
date_created = 2022-04-12T20:46:24.022823+00:00
date_fix_committed = None
date_fix_released = None
id = 1968789
importance = undecided
is_complete = False
lp_url = https://bugs.launchpad.net/cloud-init/+bug/1968789
milestone = None
owner = chad.smith
owner_name = Chad Smith
private = False
status = triaged
submitter = chad.smith
submitter_name = Chad Smith
tags = ['bitesize']
duplicates = []

Launchpad user Chad Smith(chad.smith) wrote on 2022-04-12T20:46:24.022823+00:00

Update "read the docs" content at doc/rtd/topics/datasources/altcloud.rst

Ensure it correctly represents behavior and configuration options as used in: cloudinit/sources/DataSourceAltCloud.py

Example format/style should be something like:

doc/rtd/topics/datasources/ec2.rst

Specifically, these docs need to also include discussion of seed directory setup in /var/lib/cloud/seed/*.

[Indrranil]

Hey is this the right way .. _datasource_altcloud:

AltCloud

---

The AltCloud datasource is used to gather user data passed to an instance on RHEVm and vSphere. It supports accessing user data from different file locations based on the cloud provider.

Supported Cloud Types

The AltCloud datasource supports the following cloud types:

• RHEV (Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization)
• vSphere

User Data Locations

The user data can be accessed from the following file locations:

For RHEV:

• Floppy device: The user data is contained in the file deltacloud-user-data.txt on the floppy device.

For vSphere:

• CDROM device: The user data is contained in the file user-data.txt on the CDROM device.

Dependencies

The AltCloud datasource has the following dependencies:

• Filesystem
• Network

Configuration

The following configuration settings can be set for the AltCloud datasource in the system configuration file (/etc/cloud/cloud.cfg or /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.d/):

metadata_urls

This setting is not applicable for the AltCloud datasource.

max_wait

This setting is not applicable for the AltCloud datasource.

timeout

This setting is not applicable for the AltCloud datasource.

apply_full_imds_network_config

This setting is not applicable for the AltCloud datasource.

Example Configuration

An example configuration for the AltCloud datasource:

.. code-block:: yaml

datasource: AltCloud: metadata_urls: [] max_wait: 0 timeout: 0 apply_full_imds_network_config: false

Note that the AltCloud datasource does not require specifying metadata URLs or other settings, as it automatically determines the cloud type and retrieves the user data accordingly.

Note

• The AltCloud datasource is specifically designed for RHEVm and vSphere cloud types.
• The AltCloud datasource does not depend on networking.
• The user data file locations mentioned in the code are specific to RHEVm and vSphere setups and may vary in different environments.

References

• cloud-init AltCloud Datasource Source Code_

.. _cloud-init AltCloud Datasource Source Code: https://github.com/cloud-init/cloud-init/blob/master/cloudinit/sources/DataSourceAltCloud.py

[holmanb]

Hey is this the right way

Hi @Indrranil, sorry what's your question? It's not clear to me what you're asking, nor why you linked doc content.

[blackboxsw]

Please open pull request if you are interested in updating this docs and we can review and converse on that PR.

On first glance here, you are restructuring the markdown to better organize this AltCloud datasource docs and looking for feedback.

In this example here some things need a bit of work:

• The intro sentence is vague and should provide more details about what files and/or DMI values are inspected in order for AltCloud to be discovered. AltCloud is discovered RHEV or VSPHERE subplatform based on either DMI data at ``/sys/class/dmi/id/product_name`` that begins with either `RHEV` or `VMWARE` or a configurable file in the image ``/etc/sysconfig/cloud-info`` containing one of `RHEV` or `VSPHERE`
• Since none of the configuration options are honored by AltCloud datasource, no need to mention the specific config option keys or configuration examples section. Maybe just mention /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name
• your example doc redacted useful configuration and setup examples for both RHEV and vSphere. it would be good to maybe keep those in a Providing user-data section

Configuration

. The file ``/etc/sysconfig/cloud-info`` can contain eitherRHEVorVSPHERE` to indicate what platform type and user-data to expect.