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The CloudShell Grain

The CloudShell grain allows you to integrate Stack Automation with Quali CloudShell. CloudShell blueprints are treated as assets in Stack Automation, extending Stack Automation's capabilities to manage physical resources alongside cloud and container environments.

Prerequisites​

Before using the CloudShell grain, ensure you have:

  • A healthy CloudShell instance with proper connectivity
  • Configured integration between Stack Automation and CloudShell
  • A management server with direct connectivity to the self-hosted CloudShell instance

For detailed setup instructions, see Self-Managed Quali CloudShell.

Deployment lifecycle management​

When launching a deployment in Stack Automation with the CloudShell grain, Stack Automation will start a sandbox in CloudShell with the same duration. The lifecycle is fully synchronized:

  • Extension: If the Stack Automation deployment is extended, the CloudShell sandbox will be extended accordingly
  • Termination: When the Stack Automation deployment ends, the CloudShell sandbox will be terminated as well

Usage example​

spec_version: 2
description: CloudShell integration example with physical network devices

inputs:
  agent:
    type: agent
  device_model:
    type: string
    default: "Cisco Catalyst 3850"
  network_segment:
    type: string
    default: "10.0.1.0/24"

grains:
  network_lab:
    kind: cloudshell
    spec:
      source:
        store: cloudshell-assets
        path: NetworkTestingLab
      agent:
        name: '{{ .inputs.agent }}'
      inputs:
        - device_model: '{{ .inputs.device_model }}'
        - network_segment: '{{ .inputs.network_segment }}'
        - lab_duration: "4h"

Grain Spec Reference​

source​

The source section specifies where the CloudShell blueprint is located. The path property should reference the exact CloudShell Blueprint name as it appears in your CloudShell portal.

Example - repository:

cloudshell_grain:
  kind: cloudshell
  spec:
    source:
      store: cloudshell-assets
      path: NetworkTestingLab
info

The path must match the exact name of the CloudShell Blueprint in your CloudShell environment. Blueprint names are case-sensitive.

agent​

The management server executing the CloudShell grain must have direct network connectivity to the self-hosted CloudShell instance. This includes access to CloudShell Portal API and the CloudShell orchestration services.

Please see the grain agent for more details.

inputs​

Similar to blueprint inputs, the CloudShell grain inputs allow you to reuse the same CloudShell Blueprint in different configurations. Inputs provided to the CloudShell grain are used when launching the CloudShell Blueprint.

tip

We recommend using Stack Automation's auto-discovery capability to quickly model your CloudShell Blueprint within Stack Automation, including all defined inputs and their types.

Example:

grains:
  network_lab:
    kind: cloudshell
    spec:
      source:
        store: cloudshell-assets
        path: NetworkTestingLab
      agent:
        name: '{{ .inputs.agent }}'
      inputs:
        - device_model: '{{ .inputs.device_model }}'
        - network_segment: '{{ .inputs.network_segment }}'
        - test_duration: '{{ .inputs.test_duration }}'
        - lab_environment: 'staging'

The inputs are passed to CloudShell when the sandbox is created, allowing you to customize the physical infrastructure deployment based on your specific requirements.

Limitations​

The CloudShell grain has the following current limitations:

  • Drift detection: Not supported for CloudShell resources
  • Update operations: Deployment updates are not supported
  • Auto-tagging: Automatic resource tagging is not available
  • Outputs: CloudShell grain outputs are not currently supported
  • Unlimited deployments: Not supported for CloudShell grains
warning

These limitations are specific to the CloudShell grain integration. Other grain types in the same blueprint may support these features.