Dynamic Environment #

BuildPiper Documentation · Environments

Overview

Environment Clone creates a new environment, such as an additional QA or UAT environment, by replicating an existing one, including its services, ConfigMaps, Secrets and deployment settings. This removes the need to configure a new environment from scratch. You select an existing environment as the base and specify the settings that should differ in the new environment. BuildPiper replicates the remaining configuration.

Before You Start #

Make sure you have the following:

No.	Requirement
1	Access to the application you want to clone an environment for, for example PMS.
2	An existing environment to clone from, for example dev.
3	The target cluster and namespace where the new environment should run.
4	A Clone Configuration for the base environment. If you do not have one yet, create it first using section 1 below.

1. Create a Clone Configuration #

Environment Clone Configuration defines the configuration values that are carried over when a new environment is created. You can configure the ConfigMaps and Secrets that are replaced for critical components, such as domains, databases, middleware and application properties. The cloning process uses a base environment as a reference. The ConfigMaps and Secrets of the base environment serve as the foundation, and you can override or replace specific values to suit the requirements of the new environment.

1
Click Application.
2
Click Env. Clone Configuration.
3
Click + Add Configuration to add a configuration.

Figure 1: Environment Clone Configuration page

After a clone configuration is added, the page lists it with these columns.

Column	What it shows
Configmap Configured	The number of ConfigMaps configured, for example 0/0, with a Configure link. When cloning, if ConfigMaps are not configured, the system uses the existing values, so the environment is replicated exactly as it is.
Secret Configured	The number of Secrets configured, for example 0/0, with a Configure link. When cloning, if Secrets are not configured, the system uses the existing values, so the environment is replicated exactly as it is.

1
Click + Add Configuration. The Add Environment Clone Configuration window opens.
2
Fill in the fields described below.
3
Click Save & Continue. Click Cancel to close the window without saving.

Figure 2: Add Environment Clone Configuration window

Field	What to do
Give a name to your clone configuration*	Enter a name for the clone configuration, for example PR-CI-STATUS.
Base Environment*	Select the environment this configuration is based on, for example bp-dev.

Fields marked with * are mandatory. After you click Save & Continue, the Placeholder Details page of the clone configuration opens. Review and configure the placeholder details for all the ConfigMaps and Secrets present in the environment. These details are used to replace the values of environment-dependent keys in the ConfigMaps and Secrets during environment clone.

Figure 3: Placeholder Details of a clone configuration

Screenshots needed: The screens that open after clicking Configure for ConfigMaps and for Secrets

2. Open Clone Env #

1
Log in to BuildPiper.
2
Click Application.
3
Click Environment Overview.
4
Click Clone Env.

Figure 4: Clone Env on the Environment Overview page

3. Clone Environment Steps #

Clicking Clone Env opens the Clone Environment page, which sets up the new environment in the following steps. Click Continue to move to the next step.

Step	Name	What you do
1	Basic Information	Choose the master environment, the environment to clone and the clone configuration. Set the toggles and enter the new environment name and key.
2	Service Configuration	Review the detected patterns and set the clone patterns.
3	Review Service Configuration	Review the services.
4	Service Domain	Review and update the environment-dependent domains.
5	Review Service Domain	Review the service domains.
6	Database Configuration	Override the configuration of the required databases.
7	Review Database Configuration	Review the databases.
8	Middleware Configuration	Override the configuration of the required middleware.
9	Review Middleware Configuration	Review the middlewares.
10	Dependent App Properties	Review the keys with their old and new values, then click Create Clone.

4. Step 1: Basic Information #

Figure 5: Basic Information step of Clone Environment

Field	What to do
Choose Master Environment*	Select the type of the master environment: DEV, QA, STAGING, UAT or PROD.
Select environment to clone*	Select the environment you want to clone.
Select clone configuration*	Select the clone configuration to use. This is mandatory: you cannot continue to the next step without a clone configuration. See section 1 to create one.
Create release package of all services with base environment’s last deployed tags*	If marked Yes, a release package is created that contains all services linked to the new cloned environment, using the latest tags from the base environment. If marked No, no release package is created. The default is No.
Deploy Configmaps after cloning*	If marked Yes, all ConfigMaps are cloned and deployed to Kubernetes. If marked No, all ConfigMaps are cloned but not deployed to the new environment. The default is No.
Deploy Secrets after cloning*	If marked Yes, all Secrets are cloned and deployed to Kubernetes. If marked No, all Secrets are cloned but not deployed to the new environment. The default is No.
New Environment Name*	Enter the name of the new environment.
Environment Key*	Enter the key of the new environment.

Fields marked with * are mandatory.

5. Step 2: Service Configuration #

This step shows the patterns detected in the deployment configurations of the base environment. Review them and update the required patterns accordingly.

Figure 6: Service Configuration step of Clone Environment

Each pattern type has two sides. Current Pattern shows the pattern in the base environment. Clone Pattern is where you set the pattern for the new environment by typing or inserting a variable. When no pattern is detected for a type, the page shows No Patterns Found.

Button	What it does
Back	Returns to the previous step.
Continue	Moves to the next step.

6. Step 3: Review Service Configuration #

This step lists the services for review before you continue. Use Search Service to find a service. The list shows the Service Name, k8s service name, Deployment name, Image name, Child Build Image name, Init Container Image Name, Access URL and Expose Path of each service. Use the page numbers below the list, or Go to Page Number, to move between pages.