A Comprehensive Guide for Landing zone for Red Hat Enterprise Linux(RHEL) on Azure

The Essence of the Landing zone for RHEL on Azure: The landing zone for RHEL on Azure is combination of set of guidelines and it's a blueprint for success in the cloud. It encompasses a range of critical considerations, from identity and access management to network topology, security, and compliance. This document lays out a path for organizations to follow, ensuring that their RHEL systems are deployed with resiliency and aligned with enterprise-scale design principles.

Reference Architecture

The following diagram shows the Landing zone for RHEL on Azure architecture.

The below design areas provide design recommendations and consideration for Landing zone for RHEL on Azure to accelerate your journey.

• Management Group and Subscription Organization  
• Identity and access management  
• Network topology and connectivity 
• Business continuity and disaster recovery  
• Governance and compliance  
• Security 
• Management and monitoring  
• Platform automation & DevOps 

Overview

• It provides design recommendations and reference architecture, allowing organizations make critical design decisions quickly and scalably.
• The document emphasizes the importance of a Standard Operating Environment (SOE) and the advantages of implementing the Red Hat Infrastructure Standard.
• It delves into the intricacies of identity and access management, offering insights into the integration of Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID.

Identity and Access Management

• Red Hat Identity Management (IdM) integrates with Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID, providing a centralized Linux identity authority that increases operational efficiency and access control visibility.
• The document recommends automating the deployment, configuration, and day-2 of Red Hat Identity Management using the redhat.rhel_idm certified Ansible collection.

Network Topology and Connectivity

• The  Landing zone for RHEL on Azure emphasizes the importance of a well-designed network topology to support the deployment of RHEL systems in Azure and methods for a zero-trust network model and deeper micro-segmentation for enhanced security

Deployment, Management, and Patching

• Deployment of RHEL instances within Azure is performed using a system image prepared for Azure, with options available through the Azure Marketplace or Red Hat Cloud Access.
• Infrastructure as a code please utilize Azure Verified Modules enable and accelerate consistent solution development and delivery of cloud-native or migrated applications and their supporting infrastructure by codifying Microsoft guidance (WAF), with best practice configurations.
• Red Hat Satellite and Red Hat Satellite Capsule are recommended for automating the software lifecycle and delivering software to systems wherever they are deployed.

Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BCDR):

• The document outlines the use of Azure on-demand capacity reservation to ensure sufficient availability for RHEL deployments in Azure regions.
• It discusses the importance of geographical deployment considerations for IdM infrastructure to reduce latencies and ensure no single point of failure in replication.

These examples demonstrate the comprehensive approach taken in the document to cover various critical design areas for deploying RHEL on Azure.

A scalable and repeatable approach

One of the standout features of the  Landing zone for RHEL on Azure is built on learnings and best practices including architecture. Organizations can adapt the landing zone solution to fit their specific needs, putting them on a path to sustainable scalability and automation. The document provides guidelines for creating a landing zone solution that is both robust and flexible, capable of evolving alongside the organization's requirements.

Conclusion: The landing zone for RHEL on Azure documentation is a testament to the collaborative effort of industry leaders to provide a structured and secure approach to cloud deployment. It is a resource that empowers organizations to harness the full potential of RHEL on Azure, paving the way for a future where cloud infrastructure is synonymous with innovation and excellence. We encourage you to check out the published document and explore how it can benefit your organization today!