Getting started with Platform9 free tier on Azure

This article describes the steps to create a free Platform9 account and Kubernetes cluster that is managed by Platform9 Managed Kubernetes (PMK) on Azure cloud.

What you’ll need

• Access to the inbox of a valid email address
• Azure account that meets the Azure Prerequisities
• SSH key to secure the instances - you can save your own in Azure or create a key on Azure

Create a free Platform9 account

Already have an account? Access your Platform9 instance

First navigate to Platform9 signup and provide your email address. Your address will be validated, so please make sure you have access to the inbox.

Then provide the details of how you would like your account configured. For your account name try to not use spaces or special characters. Your first initial and last name are a good fit.

Now head to your inbox and copy the verification code sent to your email and click the button to finish setup.

Provide the code along with a password to secure your account

Log in to your Platform9 instance

Log in to your Platform9 account. You can access log in by going to https://platform9.com/login or by going directly to your instance. The address will look similar to: https://pmkft-xxxxxx-xxxxx.platform9.io.

Once you sign in you’ll be directed to your instance’s dashboard. This is a summary of clusters, nodes, pods, and cloud accounts associated with your Platform9 account. Your brand new so of course there is nothing associated… yet!

Connect your Azure account with your Platform9 instance

Before associating your account make sure it meets the minimum requirements, read more here. To use your Azure account you will need to provide information from an Azure service principle. We recommend creating a new principle, to keep Platform9 created objects separate from your personal Azure objects. The pre-req's detail the steps.

From your dashboard click the "Add Cloud" button and choose "Microsoft Azure" as your cloud provider type. Name the new provider something memorable like 'my-azure-provider' and provide your Azure credentials.

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When you click "Next" your Azure account will be validated for correct permissions. Once validated choose the Azure region to use when creating your new cluster.

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"Complete" to create your new cloud provider and be directed back to the cloud providers listing.

Create a simple one-click cluster

From your dashboard click the "Add Cluster" button and choose "Microsoft Azure" as your infrastructure provider. Choose the "One-Click Cluster" button to get started.

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Name your cluster something memorable like "my-azure-cluster" and choose the appropriate values to tell the Platform9 system where to create the cluster. If oyu don't have an SSH key available, Azure provides a convenient way to create and store keys in their portal.

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"Complete" to begin the creation of your new cluster.

After creation successfully initializes you will be directed to the "Node Health" tab where you can watch the progress.

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As the deployment progresses the screen will update with steps completed and a final message of "Connected" and "Healthy".

azure-one-click-finished.png

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Removing a one-click cluster from your Azure account

Navigate to the "Infrastructure" area

Choose the "Clusters" tab

Select the cluster to remove and click the "Delete" icon

Next steps