Rundeck on Aruba Cloud
Deploy Rundeck — an open-source job scheduler and runbook automation platform — on Aruba Cloud using Terraform and cloud-init. Rundeck lets you define, schedule, and audit operational jobs across your infrastructure from a central web UI.
Provider version: arubacloud/arubacloud
~> 0.5| Terraform: ≥ 1.9
Introduction
Rundeck enables teams to automate routine operational tasks (deployments, backups, database maintenance, etc.) with fine-grained access control and a full audit log. This example provisions:
- Rundeck installed from the official packagecloud apt repository
- OpenJDK 11 (Java runtime requirement)
- Admin password set at bootstrap time via MD5-hashed realm.properties
- Web UI on port 4440, restricted to
admin_cidr - External URL pre-configured so webhooks and links work correctly
Security note: Rundeck has access to run arbitrary commands on any node it manages. Always restrict
admin_cidrto your management IP and use a strong password.
Architecture Overview
Infrastructure Created
| Resource | Name pattern | Description |
|---|---|---|
arubacloud_project | rundeck-prod | Project container |
arubacloud_vpc | rundeck-prod-vpc | Virtual Private Cloud |
arubacloud_subnet | rundeck-prod-subnet | Basic subnet |
arubacloud_securitygroup | rundeck-prod-vm-sg | Security group |
arubacloud_securityrule | rundeck-prod-vm-ssh | SSH ingress |
arubacloud_securityrule | rundeck-prod-vm-admin-ui | Web UI ingress TCP 4440 |
arubacloud_elasticip | rundeck-prod-vm-eip | VM public IP |
arubacloud_blockstorage | rundeck-prod-boot | 30 GB boot disk (Performance) |
arubacloud_keypair | rundeck-prod-keypair | SSH public key |
arubacloud_cloudserver | rundeck-prod-vm | CloudServer VM |
Estimated Monthly Cost
| Resource | Spec | Est. cost/mo |
|---|---|---|
| CloudServer VM | CSO2A4 — 2 vCPU / 4 GB | ~€18 |
| Boot disk | 30 GB Performance | ~€5 |
| Elastic IP | — | ~€3 |
| Total | ~€26/mo |
Requirements
- Terraform ≥ 1.9
- ArubaCloud Terraform Provider
~> 0.5 - An ArubaCloud account with OAuth2 API credentials
- An SSH key pair
Variables
Required
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
arubacloud_client_id | ArubaCloud OAuth2 client ID |
arubacloud_client_secret | ArubaCloud OAuth2 client secret |
ssh_public_key | SSH public key content |
admin_password | Rundeck admin password (min 8 chars) |
Optional
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
app_name | "rundeck" | Short name used in all resource names |
environment | "prod" | Environment label |
location | "ITBG-Bergamo" | ArubaCloud region |
zone | "ITBG-1" | Availability zone |
billing_period | "Hour" | "Hour" or "Month" |
vm_flavor | "CSO2A4" | CloudServer flavor (min 4 GB RAM recommended) |
vm_image | "LU22-001" | Boot disk image (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS) |
vm_disk_size_gb | 30 | Boot disk size in GB |
ssh_cidr | "0.0.0.0/0" | CIDR for SSH — restrict in production |
admin_cidr | "0.0.0.0/0" | CIDR for web UI — always restrict |
rundeck_url | auto | External URL override (default: http://<elastic-ip>:4440) |
Outputs
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
rundeck_url | Rundeck web UI URL |
vm_public_ip | Public IP address of the VM |
ssh_command | SSH command to connect to the VM |
Deployment Instructions
1. Clone and navigate
git clone https://github.com/arubacloud/terraform-arubacloud-examples.git
cd terraform-arubacloud-examples/rundeck
2. Configure variables
cp terraform.tfvars.example terraform.tfvars
Set credentials, password, and restrict CIDRs:
admin_password = "your-strong-password"
admin_cidr = "203.0.113.42/32"
ssh_cidr = "203.0.113.42/32"
3. Deploy
terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply
Bootstrap takes approximately 3–5 minutes. Rundeck itself needs another 1–2 minutes to start after cloud-init completes.
4. Access Rundeck
terraform output rundeck_url
Log in with admin / admin_password.
Getting Started with Rundeck
Add a node
In the Rundeck UI: Project Settings → Edit Nodes → Add a new Node Source
Add the Aruba Cloud VM or any SSH-accessible server as a node. Rundeck will use the SSH key on the Rundeck VM to connect.
Create your first job
Navigate to Jobs → Create Job in the Rundeck UI.
Example: a job that runs df -h on all nodes to check disk usage:
- Name: Check disk usage
- Workflow Step: Command —
df -h - Nodes: All nodes
Troubleshooting
Rundeck web UI not loading
sudo systemctl status rundeckd
sudo journalctl -u rundeckd -n 50
# Rundeck logs:
sudo tail -f /var/log/rundeck/service.log
Rundeck starts slowly on first boot while it initialises the embedded H2 database. Wait 2–3 minutes and reload.
Login rejected after correct password
The realm.properties MD5 hash may not have applied correctly:
sudo cat /etc/rundeck/realm.properties
# Should show: admin:MD5:<hash>,user,admin,...
sudo systemctl restart rundeckd