Friday, July 14, 2017

Switching the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure from Classic Deployment to ARM Deployments

Two weeks ago, the new Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure was made available to new Bitnami users.  The new Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure is based on the Azure Resource Manager (ARM) deployment model. For existing users, they were still redirected to the previous version of the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure, which uses the classic Azure deployment model.

Although the web interface and the user experience for these two versions of the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure are identical, the backend deployment technology in each launchpad version is thoroughly different and incompatible one with the other.

While Azure still supports classic model deployment, the ARM deployment model is the recommended option. The main benefit of the ARM deployment model is that ARM sees the infrastructure components for running the applications as part of a single entity (resource group) and allows you to deploy, manage and monitor them as a group. You can learn more about these technologies differences here.

On July 17th, all users will have access to the new Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (ARM) at https://azure.bitnami.com. However, the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (Classic) will still be accessible at https://classic.azure.bitnami.com for current users until September 5th to ensure a seamless off-boarding.

On September 5th, the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (Classic) will be shutdown. After this date, users will no longer be able to manage their classic deployments through the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (Classic).  However, all the resources will still be accessible directly through the Azure Portal.

Please note: Below is the process and dates we will be working toward for the shutdown of the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (Classic):

Milestone
Date
Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (ARM) available for all users
Monday, July 17th
Disable adding new subscriptions in the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (Classic)
Tuesday, July 25th
Disable the creation of new servers in the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (Classic)
Thursday, August 3rd
Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (Classic) shutdown
Tuesday, September 5th

In order to use the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (ARM), users are required to connect their Azure and Bitnami accounts in the new launchpad. This process is outlined here.

FAQ

Q1. When do I need to take action by?
Even though the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (Classic) will be available until September 5th, we encourage users to start using the new ARM one as soon as possible. After that date, the VMs launched with the classic deployment model will only be accessible through the Azure Portal.

After July 25th,  adding new Azure subscriptions for managing your servers through the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure will only be supported through the ARM based launchpad. After that day, an account in the new Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (ARM) will be required for adding new subscriptions.

After August 3rd, launching new servers through the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure will only be supported through the ARM based launchpad. After that day, an account in the new Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (ARM) will be required for launching new servers.

After September 5th,  An account for the new Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (ARM) will be required in order to use the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure. 

Q2. How does this affect my running instances launched through the Bitnami Launchpad for Azure?
Your current virtual machines are not affected by this switch-over.  They will continue to run as expected and can be started, stopped and deleted through the Azure Portal.

Q3. Can I still access my instances through the Azure portal without re-authenticating in Bitnami?
Yes.

Q4. How does this affect my Azure subscription accounts?
No changes are being made to your Azure account. Your subscription will be unaffected. However in order to continue using them with Bitnami, you will need to connect your Azure and Bitnami accounts in the new ARM based launchpad.

Q5. Will I be able to access existing VMs through the Bitnami Launchpad for Azure after re-authenticating?
Existing VMs deployed with the classic deployment model will be shown in the new version of the launchpad until the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure (Classic) shutdow on September 5th. After that, the Azure console within the Azure Portal must be used in order to stop or delete your VMS. 

Newly created VMs which use the ARM deployment model will have full functionality through the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure after the shutdown.

Q6. Where can I get help?
If you need find any issue with your account or have further questions about the Bitnami Launchpad for Microsoft Azure switch-over, please contact the Bitnami helpdesk.

As always, for any questions related to the deployment or our Bitnami applications, we are glad to help through our community site.