Configuring an air-gapped MAAS environment

Running MAAS air-gapped: a practical guide

Operating MAAS in an environment without internet access is doable, but needs a bit of extra planning. Four key elements must be in place for a seamless experience:

1. Snap updates via snap proxy
2. Local package repository
3. MAAS-specific images from a local mirror
4. Other OS images from various sources

Some of these resources can also utilise a transparent proxy, minimising impact on your existing MAAS setup.

What you’ll need to focus on:

• Refreshing snaps with snap proxy
• Setting up local package updates
• Managing MAAS images locally
• Working with other OS images
• Using user_data for non-MAAS images
• Creating a transparent proxy

Refreshing snaps with snap proxy

To manage snaps in an air-gapped setup, use the Snap Store Proxy. This feature is currently in a password-protected internal Beta. The proxy serves as an intermediary, eliminating the need for devices to connect to the internet. Steps to get this up:

1. Register the Snap Store Proxy on a machine with internet access.
2. Secure your proxy with HTTP.
3. Populate the proxy with snaps needed for your MAAS environment.

For detailed guidance, see the official documentation.

Setting up local package updates

Utilise the reprepro command to manage local Debian package repositories. It’s the recommended way, as apt-mirror is no longer maintained. Reprepro does not require an external database and manages package signatures efficiently.

For easier access, you might want to use a transparent proxy.

Managing MAAS images locally

MAAS allows you to mirror images locally by following these steps:

1. Install simplestreams.
2. Define variables for easier CLI interaction.
3. Specify image storage locations.
4. Add a new boot source pointing to the local mirror.

Check the local image mirror guide for comprehensive details.

Working with other OS images

For non-MAAS OS like CentOS or RHEL, you have two options:

• Use custom user_data.
• Create and store custom images in a local mirror.

Using user_data for non-MAAS images

Custom user_data can configure CentOS or RHEL to use specific mirrors. More details are available on the machine customisation page.

Creating a transparent proxy

To avoid altering MAAS or Ubuntu settings, establish a transparent proxy:

1. Redirect Ubuntu and MAAS package requests via HTTP.
2. Create local mirrors for archive.ubuntu.com and images.maas.io.
3. Adjust DNS settings to point to these local mirrors.

This way, your existing configurations remain untouched.