Server Setup & Usage

Server Setup & Usage#

Introduction#

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of connecting to, managing, and using a server for your simple MLOps pipeline project. The server will be used to host the pipeline, manage resources, and allow team members to collaborate effectively.

Prerequisites:#

  • A local or remote server with root access

  • Basic knowledge of Git, GitHub, and SSH

  • Familiarity with the command-line interface (CLI)

Basic User Management for an Ubuntu Server#

In this section, we will guide you through the process of basic user management on an Ubuntu server. User management is essential for controlling access to server resources, setting permissions, and ensuring the security of your server. We will cover creating new users, adding users to the sudoers group, and removing users.

1. Create a new user#

To create a new user on the Ubuntu server, use the adduser command followed by the desired username:

sudo adduser new_username

You will be prompted to enter a password for the new user and provide optional user information, such as full name, room number, work phone, etc. You can leave these fields blank by pressing Enter.

2. Add a user to the sudoers group#

By default, a new user does not have administrative privileges on the server. To grant a user sudo privileges, add them to the sudoers group:

sudo usermod -aG sudo new_username

The user will now have the ability to execute commands with superuser privileges by prefixing the command with sudo.

3. Remove a user#

To remove a user from the Ubuntu server, use the deluser command:

sudo deluser --remove-home username_to_remove

This command will delete the user and their home directory. If you only want to remove the user without deleting the home directory, omit the --remove-home option.

4. Switch between users#

To switch to another user account, use the su command followed by the target username:

su target_username

You will be prompted to enter the target user’s password. To return to your previous user session, type exit and press Enter.

5. List users on the server#

To list all users on the server, you can use the getent command:

getent passwd

This command displays the content of the /etc/passwd file, which contains user account information. Each line represents a user account and includes the username, user ID (UID), group ID (GID), home directory, and default shell.

6. Change a user’s password#

To change a user’s password, use the passwd command:

sudo passwd target_username

You will be prompted to enter a new password for the target user.

Workflow for a Simple MLOps Pipeline Project#

1. Set up the server#

If you are using a local server, make sure it is powered on and connected to the network. If you are using a remote server, such as a cloud-based virtual machine, ensure that you have root access and the necessary credentials. In either case, the server should have a Linux-based operating system, such as Ubuntu or CentOS, installed.

2. Update the server#

Before proceeding, update the server’s packages to ensure you have the latest software and security patches:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y

3. Install the necessary software#

For this project, you will need to install Git, containerd, and MicroK8s. Follow the steps in the earlier sections of this tutorial to install and configure these tools.

4. Set up SSH access for the team#

As described in a previous section, set up SSH access for each team member by creating user accounts and adding their public SSH keys to the authorized_keys file.

5. Clone the GitHub repository#

Clone your project’s GitHub repository to the server:

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO_NAME.git

6. Create a dedicated directory for the project#

To keep things organized, create a dedicated directory for your project:

mkdir -p /opt/YOUR_PROJECT_NAME

Move the cloned GitHub repository to the dedicated project directory:

mv YOUR_REPO_NAME /opt/YOUR_PROJECT_NAME/

7. Connect to the server#

Team members can now connect to the server using SSH. Replace USERNAME and SERVER_IP with the appropriate username and server IP address or hostname:

ssh USERNAME@SERVER_IP

8. Manage the server#

As a team member, you can now manage the server by navigating to the project directory and executing commands:

cd /opt/YOUR_PROJECT_NAME

To apply the MLOps pipeline configurations, run:

microk8s kubectl apply -f configs/

9. Use the server for the project#

With the server set up, your team can now use it for various tasks:

  • Collaborate on the project by committing and pushing changes to the GitHub repository

  • Monitor the pipeline components using microk8s kubectl get all

  • Update the pipeline by pulling the latest changes and re-applying the configurations

Conclusion#

In this section, you learned how to connect to, manage, and use a server for your simple MLOps pipeline project. This server setup allows your team to collaborate efficiently, manage resources, and maintain the pipeline.

Contents