Microsoft Azure deploy tasks
Deploying to Microsoft Azure involves the following tasks:
Topics
Before you begin
- You’re familiar with Azure GUI and CLI, commands, and concepts.
Wherever possible both the UI and CLI instructions are provided.
Microsoft Azure deployment tasks
Process overview
To create an instance of Access Gateway within Microsoft Azure, you must create a VM and then associate it with a disk image. Microsoft requires the use of fixed size disk files. So, disks, such as the Access Gateway disk, must be expanded to their full size before being used. Expanding the provided disk locally would require an upload to Microsoft Azure, which is greater than 200gb. To avoid this, create a second temporary VM, and use it to create a disk in the Microsoft Azure Cloud. Next, directly copy the Access Gateway Microsoft Azure disk image to the disk associated with the VM, expanded and then attached to the second, actual Access GatewayVM. The original, temporary VM, is then deleted to conserve resources.
Tasks
| Task | Description | Related Topics |
| Install and configure Microsoft Azure CLI | The Microsoft Azure command line utility is used extensively through the MS Azure deployment process. | |
| Define an resource group | Microsoft Azure uses resource groups to contain related resources. Access Gateway VM and disk must be created within the same resource group. |
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| Create Temporary VM | To create a VM in Microsoft Azure we must define a virtual machine and associate it with a previously uploaded disk image. | |
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Prepare Temporary Disk |
The Temporary VM is used for the purpose of creating a disk to contain the OAG image. |
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| Create and populate managed disk | Upload Microsoft Azure disk to the new disk and decompress. Use the Microsoft Azure CLU and AZcopy to create a manage disk and copy the uncompressed image to it. |
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Create snapshot and replicate |
Create a disk snapshot and then replicate disks as required for clustering. |
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Create Access Gateway VM |
Create a virtual machine and attach it to the previously created disk. |
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Open Ports |
Open port 80 and 443 to new VM. |
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Cleanup |
Clean up the temporary VM and disk. |
Post deployment tasks
All Access Gateway deployments require a set of common tasks:
| Task | Description | Related Topics |
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First sign in |
Reset the Access Gateway Management console password. |
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[Optional but recommended] |
Access Gateway defaults to a known gateway hostname which can be changed. |
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[Optional] Specify a fixed IP address |
Many installations require Access Gateway to use a fixed known IP address. |
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[Optional] Specify DNS servers |
Many installations use a split DNS process where multiple DNS servers are required. |
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[Optional] Specify proxy |
Some installations require a proxy server for Access Gateway |
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| Determine the IP Address assigned and configure DNS |
Determine Access Gateway IP address.
Configure required /etc/hosts admin entry. Configure required DNS entries. |
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| Initialize Access Gateway |
Initialize the cookie domain and instance hostname. |
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| Configure an identity provider |
Configure Okta tenant as an identify provider. |
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Configure SAML access to Access Gateway from your Okta tenant |
Configure Okta tenant to allow access to Access Gateway using SAML. |
Important
When creating a set of Access Gateway nodes for use in a high availability cluster, ensure that nodes are named appropriately.
Also, node names must be resolvable between Access Gateway instances before configuring high availability.