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2. Deploy MaaS

Already running MaaS? Skip to the end.

This step exists only for people who do not have MaaS yet. If you do, jump straight to Two settings that matter — enlist_commissioning is the one this automation depends on — and confirm DHCP is enabled on your provisioning VLAN.

Nothing else on this page changes an existing MaaS install.

Install

sudo snap install maas --channel=3.5/stable
sudo snap install maas-test-db --channel=3.5/stable

sudo maas init region+rack \
  --database-uri maas-test-db:/// \
  --maas-url http://<MAAS_IP>:5240/MAAS

sudo maas createadmin --username admin --email you@example.com

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y maas
sudo maas createadmin --username admin --email you@example.com

Network layout

MaaS needs an interface on the provisioning VLAN. A two-NIC layout keeps management traffic separate from provisioning:

Interface VLAN Purpose
mgmt management Web UI and API
prov provisioning DHCP, PXE/TFTP, commissioning
Naming interfaces predictably with netplan

Cloud images enumerate NICs as ens18, ens19, … in an order that can change. Match on MAC and rename, so your configuration does not drift:

/etc/netplan/60-maas.yaml
network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    mgmt:
      match: {macaddress: "aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:01"}
      set-name: mgmt
      addresses: [10.0.19.46/24]
      routes: [{to: default, via: 10.0.19.1}]
      nameservers: {addresses: [10.0.19.1]}
    prov:
      match: {macaddress: "aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:02"}
      set-name: prov
      addresses: [10.0.22.5/24]

Enable DHCP on the provisioning VLAN

Do this in the UI under Subnets → your provisioning VLAN → Configure DHCP, or:

maas login admin http://<MAAS_IP>:5240/MAAS "$(sudo maas apikey --username admin)"

# find the VLAN and the rack controller
maas admin subnets read | jq -r '.[] | "\(.cidr)  vlan=\(.vlan.id)"'
maas admin rack-controllers read | jq -r '.[].system_id'

maas admin vlan update <FABRIC_ID> <VID> \
  dhcp_on=true primary_rack=<RACK_SYSTEM_ID>

Sync a boot image

Commissioning needs at least one image. Syncing only what you need keeps it quick:

maas admin boot-source-selections create 1 \
  os=ubuntu release=noble arches=amd64 subarches='*' labels='*'
maas admin boot-resources import

Two settings that matter

# 1. commission machines as they enlist -- this is the window in which the
#    commissioning script writes the power configuration
maas admin maas set-config name=enlist_commissioning value=true

# 2. the release commissioning runs from
maas admin maas get-config name=commissioning_distro_series

Without enlist_commissioning, none of this works

The commissioning script only ever gets a chance to run during enlistment. If enlistment commissioning is off, machines enlist as New with no power configuration and nothing can advance them.

Verify

# DHCP is answering on the provisioning VLAN
maas admin vlan read <FABRIC_ID> <VID> | jq '.dhcp_on'      # true

# an image is available
maas admin boot-resources read | jq -r '.[].name' | sort -u

Next: Install the automation →