Best practices for maintaining a multi-region cloud or test cloud

You can use a single IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack deployment server to deploy multiple clouds or a multi-region cloud. Alternatively, you can choose to manage each cloud or region from its own IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack deployment server.

Whether you decide to maintain a single deployment server or multiple deployment servers determines how you manage updates or upgrades.

Requirements and constraints

• A given IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack deployment server propagates a single release and fix level to its managed nodes. Any changes that you make to a managed server through IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack will update that managed server to the current fix level of the deployment server.
• All servers within a single region must be managed by a single IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack installation.
• Regions within a cloud are required to be at the same release, but not necessarily the same fix level. However, fixes that you make to a shared resource, such as Keystone, self-service user interface, or dashboard, require an update to the region that owns that resource.

Considerations

• Consider having a test cloud that is managed from its own IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack deployment server. Install fix packs or new releases of IBM Cloud Manager with OpenStack on the deployment server that is managing the test cloud. After you have tested the fixes on the test cloud, you can then install the fix pack or new release on the deployment server or servers that are managing the production cloud.
• Keep the region that owns shared resources, such as Keystone, self-service user interface, and dashboard, at the latest fix level within your cloud.