Learn how to communicate to target servers before deploying artifacts in Azure DevOps

Learn how to communicate to target servers before deploying artifacts in Azure DevOps

To deploy artifacts to target servers in Azure DevOps, you need to establish a communication process between the pipeline, agents (Microsoft-hosted or self-hosted), and the target servers. Given below are the process to follow and components that gets involved in achieving this.

We'll now dive into the steps to communicate and deploy to Target Servers in Azure DevOps.

1. Using Self-hosted Agents for Deployment

Self-hosted agents provide a flexible environment for deploying artifacts directly to target servers.

Steps to Deploy Using Self-hosted Agents

1. Set Up Self-hosted Agents: Install and configure the Azure Pipelines self-hosted agent on target servers.

   • Download the agent from: https://dev.azure.com/your-organization/_settings/agents.

   • Configure the agent to communicate with the appropriate agent pool and deployment group.

2. Create a Deployment Group:

   • Navigate to Project Settings > Deployment Groups.

   • Create a new deployment group and add target servers with self-hosted agents.

3. Define Deployment Pipeline: Create a pipeline with deployment tasks like:

   • Publish Artifact: Retrieve build artifacts.

   • Deploy to Servers: Deploy artifacts to servers in the deployment group.

   • Run Custom Scripts: Execute post-deployment or configuration scripts.

4. Configure Deployment Tasks: Tasks such as copying files, running scripts (e.g., configuration, validation), restarting services, etc.

5. Trigger Deployment: Manually run the deployment pipeline or automate it with triggers (e.g., code commits, scheduled deployments).

Example Deployment Pipeline:

• Agent: Self-hosted agent within a deployment group.

• Tasks:

  • Publish Build Artifacts: Pull artifacts from the build pipeline.

  • Deploy to Servers: Use deployment tasks to copy files or configure servers.

  • Run PowerShell Scripts: Execute scripts for configuration or validation.

2. Using Microsoft-hosted Agents for Deployment

Microsoft-hosted agents can deploy artifacts to target servers using predefined deployment tasks.

Steps to deploy using Microsoft-hosted Agents

1. Create a Deployment Pipeline: In Azure DevOps, go to Pipelines > New Pipeline.

2. Select Agent Pool: Choose a Microsoft-hosted agent pool (e.g., Azure Pipelines) or another predefined agent pool.

3. Add Deployment Tasks: Include tasks such as:

   • Publish Artifacts: Pull build artifacts from previous stages.

   • Deploy to Azure VMs: Use predefined deployment tasks for deploying to virtual machines.

   • Run Validation Scripts: Execute post-deployment checks or automation.

4. Configure Deployment Tasks: Select deployment tasks that match the target server environment, such as:

   • Deploy to Azure Web Apps.

   • Deploy using Azure Files or Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates.

5. Trigger the Deployment: Trigger deployments manually or automatically based on events.

Communication Process Overview

1. Azure DevOps orchestrates the pipeline.

2. Agent Pool (Microsoft-hosted or self-hosted) performs the deployment tasks.

3. Target Servers (e.g., virtual machines, physical servers) execute deployment commands or scripts.

Key Components for Deployment Communication

1. Artifacts: Published from builds, used in deployment tasks.

2. Tasks: Define specific operations (e.g., file copy, service restart, configuration).

3. Agents: Act as intermediaries between Azure DevOps and the target servers.

4. Service Connections: Secure connections to access servers (e.g., Azure RM, SSH for Linux).

Benefits of Using Self-hosted vs. Microsoft-hosted Agents

1. Self-hosted Agents:

   • Greater control and customization of environments.

   • Persistent data management and custom configurations.

2. Microsoft-hosted Agents:

   • Easy to set up and manage.

   • Pre-configured environments with a variety of tools and languages.

Summary

Using Azure DevOps, you can deploy artifacts to target servers by setting up agent pools (Microsoft-hosted or self-hosted) and configuring deployment tasks. Communication between Azure DevOps and target servers is facilitated through agents executing tasks, ensuring seamless and secure deployments.