Slash VM provisioning time on Red Hat Openshift Virtualization using Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Source: Red Hat Blog

Developers are accustomed to the cloud, where a virtual machine (VM) can be launched in seconds. In many enterprises, especially regulated industries, requesting and receiving a VM can take 60 to 90 days, stifling innovation and slowing critical projects. With Red Hat’s integrated toolset, you can provide a self‑service experience that delivers a fully configured VM in under an hour, with automated lifecycle management.

Three pillars of a modern IT service platform

To transform a slow, manual process into a rapid, automated one, you need three key building blocks:

• The portal: Red Hat Developer Hub (based on Backstage) offers a single, streamlined user experience for requesting any resource, starting with VMs. It is an enterprise‑grade, hardened platform that meets the needs of complex organizations.
• The hypervisor: Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization brings traditional VMs and modern containers together on a single Kubernetes‑based platform. Built on KVM, it lets you manage legacy Windows and Linux VMs alongside cloud‑native applications from a unified control plane.
• The automation engine: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform ties everything together, automating complex behind‑the‑scenes tasks and eliminating manual handoffs that cause delays.

From provisioning to patching

Provisioning a VM is just the beginning. The solution manages the entire lifecycle of applications, ensuring they run efficiently, resiliently, and securely.

Stage 1: One‑click provisioning

1. In Red Hat Developer Hub, select a predefined job template.
2. Fill in parameters such as VM name and instance type.
3. Click Launch.

Ansible Automation Platform executes a workflow that provisions the VM in OpenShift Virtualization. Within minutes, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) or Windows instance is up and running.

Stage 2: Proactive self‑healing with Event‑Driven Ansible

When a workload is under stress, traditional environments generate a ticket for manual intervention. With Event‑Driven Ansible (EDA):

1. A monitoring tool (e.g., Prometheus) detects a condition such as low resources.
2. It sends an event to EDA.
3. EDA automatically triggers a playbook to resolve the issue.

For critical operations, a “human in the loop” can approve scaling with a single click.

Stage 3: Simplified Day 2 operations with automated patching

Day 2 maintenance, especially patching, often adds operational cost. The same self‑service portal allows operators to:

1. Select a VM that needs updates.
2. Kick off a patching job.

Ansible Automation Platform syncs its inventory with OpenShift Virtualization, identifies the target VM, and runs a playbook to apply the latest security‑related packages. This automates a core sysadmin responsibility, freeing teams to focus on higher‑value work while maintaining security and compliance.

A better experience for everyone

• Developers: Fast, frictionless access to resources when they need them.
• Operators: Centralized, automated provisioning, management, and maintenance, reducing manual toil and enforcing governance.
• Business: Increased agility, lower operational costs, and a more resilient, secure, and efficient IT environment.

Integrating Red Hat Developer Hub, OpenShift Virtualization, and Ansible Automation Platform provides a superior experience for users and unlocks new levels of efficiency for the organization.