.. _Purpose:

Purpose
=======

This document describes how to install MAAS on a computer so that you can
deploy systems in a test environment as well as install the certification
tools and perform certification testing. Consult the Ubuntu Certified
Hardware Self-Testing Guide (available from
https://certification.canonical.com) for detailed information on running
the certification tests themselves.

This document begins with information on the required hardware and then
moves on to a general description of Ubuntu installation, details on how to
install and configure MAAS, and how to test your MAAS installation.
Appendixes cover more esoteric topics, including how to add support for CPU
architectures other than x86-64 and how to set up advanced network
configurations.

Overall Configuration
=====================

Figure 1 illustrates the overall configuration that this document will help
you create. This document describes configuration of the MAAS server device
in the figure. It presupposes the existence of a local LAN that the MAAS
server can use for external connections, as well as the availability of at
least one system under test (SUT) for testing at the end of the process.
(Note that the Internet connection can -- and indeed should -- be protected
by a firewall, but access to specific sites is required. This issue is
covered in more detail shortly.)

.. figure:: ../images/maniac-network.png
   :alt: This document describes configuring a server that manages its own
         subnet and connects to a wider network on another interface.
   :width: 100%

   Figure 1: Network structure in which the MAAS server will reside

**WARNING:** The configuration described in this document leaves several
server programs running on the MAAS computer, including a proxy server, a
web server, an SSH server, and of course the MAAS server software itself.
Thus, it is unwise to expose the MAAS computer directly to the Internet.
You should either secure it with strict local firewall rules or place it
behind a strong firewall running on a router between it and the Internet.