Top Useful Red Hat OpenStack Commands:

Red Hat OpenStack is a powerful cloud platform, and mastering its command-line interface (CLI) can significantly improve your efficiency as an administrator. Here’s a comprehensive guide to some of the most useful OpenStack commands for managing compute, networking, storage, images, and more.

1. Nova (Compute Service) Commands:

Nova is used for managing instances (virtual machines) in OpenStack. 

List all instances (VMs):

# openstack server list

This command will display all the running and stopped instances in your OpenStack environment.

Boot a new instance:

# openstack server create --flavor m1.small --image <IMAGE_ID> --network <NETWORK_ID> --security-group <SEC_GROUP> --key-name <KEY_NAME> <VM_NAME>

Replace <IMAGE_ID>, <NETWORK_ID>, and other placeholders with your actual values to create a new virtual machine.

Optional: If required, you can add it at the end of the command.

--user-data <file-path>: This option allows you to specify a file that contains user-data, which typically includes a cloud-init configuration for automating tasks during the instance’s boot process (such as running scripts, setting up users, configuring networking, etc.).

To create a multiple instance:

# openstack server create --flavor m1.small --image <IMAGE_ID> --network <NETWORK_ID> --security-group <SEC_GROUP> --key-name <KEY_NAME> <VM_NAME> --min <number> --max <number>

Replace <IMAGE_ID>, <NETWORK_ID>, and other placeholders with your actual values to create a new virtual machine.
max_size: Specifies the maximum number of instances that can be created
min_size: Specifies the minimum number of instances that can be created  

Optional: If required, you can add it at the end of the command.

--user-data <file-path>: This option allows you to specify a file that contains user-data, which typically includes a cloud-init configuration for automating tasks during the instance’s boot process (such as running scripts, setting up users, configuring networking, etc.).

Stop an instance:

# openstack server stop <INSTANCE_ID>

Start an instance:

# openstack server start <INSTANCE_ID>

Delete an instance:

# openstack server delete <INSTANCE_ID>

These commands help you control the lifecycle of instances, making it easy to manage your cloud environment. 

2. Neutron (Networking Service) Commands:

Neutron handles the networking functionality in OpenStack.

List all networks:

# openstack network list

Get a full list of all available networks in your OpenStack deployment.

Create a new network:

# openstack network create <NETWORK_NAME>

Create a new subnet:

# openstack subnet create --network <NETWORK_ID> --subnet-range 192.168.1.0/24 <SUBNET_NAME>

Create a floating IP address:

# openstack floating ip create <EXTERNAL_NETWORK>

These commands make managing networks, subnets, and floating IPs straightforward.

3. Cinder (Block Storage Service) Commands:

Cinder provides block storage for OpenStack instances.

List all volumes:

# openstack volume list

Create a new volume:

# openstack volume create --size <SIZE_IN_GB> <VOLUME_NAME>

Attach a volume to an instance:

# openstack server add volume <INSTANCE_ID> <VOLUME_ID>

These commands allow you to manage block storage volumes, from creation to attaching them to VMs.

4. Glance (Image Service) Commands:

Glance manages images in OpenStack, which are used to boot instances. 

List available images:

# openstack image list

Upload a new image:

# openstack image create --file <IMAGE_FILE> --disk-format qcow2 --container-format bare <IMAGE_NAME>

Show details of an image:

# openstack image show <IMAGE_ID>

These commands are essential for managing your image library. 

5. Keystone (Identity Service) Commands:

Keystone handles authentication and authorization in OpenStack. 

List all users:

# openstack user list

Create a new user:

# openstack user create --domain <DOMAIN> --password <PASSWORD> --project <PROJECT NAME OR ID> <USERNAME>

Next, login to openstack portal, go to Identity → Projects, manage members of the project you created earlier and move the user to Project Members and add the role.

List projects:

# openstack project list

Create a new project:

# openstack project create <PROJECT_NAME>

These commands help you manage users, projects, and roles within OpenStack.

6. Heat (Orchestration Service) Commands:

Heat automates cloud deployments using templates.

List all stacks:

# openstack stack list

Create a new stack:

# openstack stack create --template <TEMPLATE_FILE> --parameters "param1=value1;param2=value2" <STACK_NAME>

Delete a stack:

# openstack stack delete <STACK_NAME>

7. Swift (Object Storage Service) Commands: 

Swift provides object storage services in OpenStack.

List containers in Swift:

# openstack container list

Create a new container:

# openstack container create <CONTAINER_NAME>

Upload an object to a container:

# openstack object create <CONTAINER_NAME> <FILE_NAME>

8. General OpenStack Management Commands:

For general management of your OpenStack environment: 

Check OpenStack version:

# openstack --version

List services and their statuses:

# openstack service list

Check resource usage (RAM, CPU, etc.):

# openstack hypervisor stats show

These general commands provide essential information about your OpenStack services and environment. 

By mastering these OpenStack commands, you can efficiently manage compute, networking, storage, images, and more in your Red Hat OpenStack environment. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced administrator, having a handy list of essential commands helps streamline daily operations.