Resources Overview

This article introduces resources, their function in CloudShell and outlines how to configure them.

What is a resource?

A resource is a CloudShell component that is used to model a physical device in a sandbox, such as a switch, bridge or router. It has a data model and automation commands that are used to control the device.

Unlike CloudShell services and Apps, a resource is attached to a specific device and therefore managed as a unique inventory item. This means that when a resource is being used in a sandbox, that resource is exclusively allocated to the sandbox. CloudShell provides the option of setting the sharing policy on a resource to allow the same resource to be used in multiple sandboxes simultaneously.

Virtual resources

Resources are also used to model virtual devices in CloudShell. CloudShell has two types of virtual resources, static VMs and deployed Apps:

  • A static VM can be loaded into CloudShell and used as a resource - see Static VMs Overview.
  • Once deployed in the sandbox, an App becomes a resource and is managed as an inventory item for the duration of the sandbox or until the App is deleted from the cloud provider.

What does a resource include?

Resources are based on a Shell template, which provides the resource's data model, structure including blades and ports, attributes and driver. By default, all resources include an address and User/Password attributes to allow CloudShell to communicate with the device.

Resource creation process

CloudShell provides standardized Shell templates for creating resources.

Note: Depending on your organization, the system administrator and service/blueprint designers may be the same employee.

  1. Check for a suitable out-of-the-box Shell in Quali's Community's Integrations page.

  2. If a suitable Shell doesn't exist, using the Shellfoundry utility, the resource developer creates a resource Shell from the appropriate Shell template. For additional information, see the CloudShell Dev Guide's Getting Started with Shell Development.
  3. The system administrator imports the Shell into CloudShell and creates an inventory resource - see Importing Shells and Adding Inventory Resources.
  4. The blueprint designer adds the resource to the blueprint diagram from the Resources catalog - see Resources in Blueprints.
  5. End-users can now use the resources in their sandboxes - see Resources in Sandboxes.