Packer Configuration for Creating GraphDB AMI

This guide explains how to use Packer to create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) for GraphDB. The Packer configuration in this repository automates the process of installing and configuring GraphDB on an Ubuntu-based EC2 instance.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

1. Packer: Ensure that you have Packer installed on your local machine. You can download it from the official Packer website: Packer Downloads.
2. AWS Account: You should have an AWS account with necessary permissions to create EC2 instances and AMIs.
3. AWS VPC: You should create a VPC, required by Packer to create a temporary security group within the VPC
4. AWS Subnet: You should create a public subnet, required by Packer to launch the EC2 instances.

Please note that if you are using an account with the global "Always encrypt new EBS volumes" option set to true, Packer will be unable to override this setting, and the final image will be encrypted whether you set this value or not. To build public AMI image this option should be set to false.

Usage

Follow these steps to build an AMI for GraphDB using Packer:

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Ontotext-AD/packer-aws-graphdb.git

2. Set Your AWS Credentials:

   Ensure that your AWS credentials are correctly configured in the AWS CLI configuration.

3. Edit Variables (Optional):

   The Packer configuration allows you to customize various parameters, such as the GraphDB version, AWS region, instance type, VPC ID, and subnet ID. To do so, create a variables file variables.pkrvars.hcl, example file:

   graphdb_version               = "10.3.3"
   ami_regions                   = ["us-east-1"]
   build_vpc_id                  = "<your-vpc-id>"
   build_subnet_id               = "<your-subnet-id>"
   build_iam_instance_profile    = "<your-instance-profile>"
   ami_groups                    = []                                                    # Value "all" will make the AMI public
   build_instance_type_x86_64    = "t3.small"                                            # default
   build_instance_type_arm64     = "t4g.small"                                           # default
   source_ami_name_filter_arm64  = "ubuntu/images/hvm-ssd/ubuntu-*-22.04-arm64-server-*" # default
   source_ami_name_filter_x86_64 = "ubuntu/images/hvm-ssd/ubuntu-*-22.04-amd64-server-*" # default

4. Build the AMI:

   Run Packer to build the AMI:

   packer build -var-file="variables.pkrvars.hcl" .

   This command will initiate the Packer build process. Packer will launch an EC2 instance, install GraphDB, and create an AMI based on the instance.

Customization

You can customize the Packer configuration and provisioning scripts to suit your specific requirements.

The following points can be customized in a packer variables file variables.pkrvars.hcl:

• GraphDB Version: You can change the GraphDB version by modifying the graphdb_version variable.
• AWS Regions: Modify the build_region variable to specify a different AWS region.
• Instance Type: Adjust the build_instance_type_arm64 and build_instance_type_x86_64 variables to select different EC2 instance types for building the AMI images.
• AMI Groups: You can specify the groups the AMIs will be made available to via the ami_groups variable. A list of strings is accepted.
• build_iam_instance_profile: AIM Instance profile required for the session manager access. See https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/integrations/hashicorp/amazon/latest/components/builder/ebs#session-manager-connections
• Network Configuration: Update the build_vpc_id and build_subnet_id variables to match your VPC and subnet settings.
• Source AMI: Use the source_ami_name_filter_arm64 and source_ami_name_filter_x86_64 variables to specify the source ami name filter for each AMI, for example:
  • "ubuntu/images/hvm-ssd/ubuntu-*-22.04-arm64-server-*" - Ubuntu with arm64 architecture.
  • "ubuntu/images/hvm-ssd/ubuntu-*-22.04-amd64-server-*" - Ubuntu with amd64 architecture.
• Provisioning Scripts: You can replace or modify the provisioning scripts located in the ./files/ directory. These scripts and files are copied and executed during the AMI creation process.

Support

For questions or issues related to this Packer configuration, please submit an issue.