Tool Up – Working with Containers and SUSE Manager

SUSE Manager is a powerful solution for configuring, managing, and auditing your Linux systems in container environments.

Container technology has revolutionized the IT industry, but containers can place big demands on IT departments and budgets. If you want to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime, you need tools for configuring, managing, updating, and auditing the Linux container runtime environment. Many organizations run applications in VMs, on bare metal systems, and in containers, and the proliferation of tools and procedures necessary for managing all lifecycle phases of all those instances can cause serious headaches for your IT staff—unless you get smart and tool up.

SUSE Manager is a single application that lets you manage the complete lifecycle of your Linux-based workloads running on containers, VMs, or bare metal. SUSE Manager extends the power and reach of a single admin, improving efficiency and reducing the learning curve for new staff. Close support for the Kubernetes orchestration system completes the picture of SUSE Manager as a powerful solution for managing Linux in container-based environments.

All in One

SUSE Manager is a single tool for managing all your Linux resources. You can use SUSE Manager to automate deployment and manage patches and updates. You can audit your systems to prevent unauthorized changes and even ensure compliance with CVE or OpenSCAP security standards. The Salt configuration management solution included with SUSE Manager lets you create secure and optimized system templates in advance to roll out new systems quickly and easily.

The powers of SUSE Manager find full expression in its support for container technologies. The container environment lends itself to rapid orchestration and deployment of new systems created for a single purpose. In this high-volume and high-velocity setting, SUSE Manager integrates easily with Kubernetes to lock down security and ensure orderly process management, allowing easy customization to adapt to your changing needs.

Image Building

Containers depend on system images, and SUSE Manager specializes in image building and management. With SUSE Manager, you can automate building and rebuilding of custom container images from your Dockerfiles and the latest packages. SUSE Manager lets you create and manage image profiles for easy and systematic rollout, and you can adapt profiles using manual or automated techniques. Access external container registries, or create your own local registry.

The SUSE Manager programming interface lets you automatically trigger image rebuilding for rapid integration of patches and new features in a continuous integration environment.

Software: What’s Inside

A container is only as safe as the software running inside it. SUSE Manager offers efficient control over software updates and sources, ensuring your systems stay current and offering airtight control over the software that reaches the system. You can define a software channel as an exclusive source for software that will be installed on a container or container image at build time. A software channel eliminates the possibility of unauthorized software reaching the system. Software channels also adapt easily to delivery based on use case. For instance, you could define a channel for web servers to push out updates that only a web server will require.

SUSE Manager provides close integration with the Open Build Service, letting you create and digitally sign packages that can then be inserted automatically into container images. Once a container is up and running, SUSE Manager will continue to watch over it, auditing and reporting on any deviation from the predefined configuration.

Security

SUSE Manager watches your containerized Linux resources to ensure that security requirements and patch levels are maintained. You can even audit your systems automatically to ensure compliance with the CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) list.

The automation and control provided with SUSE Manager is another powerful form of security. The highly structured SUSE Manager environment lets you manage your systems in a safe and systematic way, minimizing the chance for configuration error or accidental oversight.

Kubernetes Integration

The SUSE Manager environment offers close and convenient integration with the popular Kubernetes container orchestration system. SUSE Manager is the perfect counterpart for Kubernetes, providing automated configuration, auditing, and other lifecycle services for Linux containers within the Kubernetes framework. You can even use SUSE Manager to check the runtime status of your Kubernetes pods and monitor any deviation of the container image from the original image used at container creation.

Recent versions of SUSE Manager also include support for the SUSE CaaS (Container as a Service) Platform—an integrated environment that combines SUSE Manager and Kubernetes with a powerful collection of deployment, automation, and management tools.

Built for DevOps

A powerful set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) lets you create scripts and custom solutions, extending the automation features in SUSE Manager to support a rich environment for rapid deployment and continuous integration. The strong support for container technology, its close integration with Kubernetes, and its built-in support for automated deployment, configuration, and auditing make SUSE Manager a powerful addition to any container-based DevOps environment.

Conclusion

Containers offers great opportunities for efficiency and security, but they also place special demands on the IT staff. SUSE Manager helps you meet the challenges of the container environment, with special support for Kubernetes and an array of powerful features for configuring and auditing container-based Linux systems, as well as managing system images, checking security, and controlling software installation.

Talk to the experts at SUSE to learn more about how you can bring the power of SUSE Manager to your container environment.