Terraform On-Premise for Beginners — Infrastructure as Code with Azure Device Management Training Course

Module 1: Introduction to Infrastructure as Code and Terraform

• Concepts and benefits of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for on-premises and hybrid environments for government operations.
• Overview of Terraform: providers, resources, state management, and lifecycle.
• Installation instructions for Terraform, Azure CLI, and other required tools.
• First hands-on exercise: writing and applying a simple Terraform configuration locally.

Module 2: HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL) and Configuration Basics

• Syntax, resources, attributes, and expressions in HCL for effective configuration management.
• Utilizing variables, outputs, locals, and type constraints to enhance configurability.
• Using the Terraform CLI commands: init, plan, apply, destroy, and fmt.
• Hands-on lab: building a parameterized configuration for an on-prem resource and an Azure resource.

Module 3: Providers, Resources, and Azure Provider Fundamentals

• Understanding providers and their configuration, with a focus on the AzureRM provider for government use cases.
• Mapping infrastructure components to Terraform resources (networking, compute, storage).
• Managing Azure authentication and service principals to support automation in government environments.
• Hands-on: provisioning an Azure virtual network and a simple VM using Terraform.

Module 4: State Management, Backends, and Collaboration

• Purpose, format, and lifecycle considerations of the Terraform state file for government projects.
• Configuring remote backends with Azure Storage Account and implementing state locking strategies.
• Utilizing workspaces, environments, and collaboration patterns to support team workflows in government settings.
• Lab: configuring remote state storage in Azure and performing multi-user workflows for enhanced collaboration.

Module 5: Modularization, Reusability, and Best Practices

• Authoring and consuming Terraform modules to promote reusability and maintainability.
• Managing module inputs/outputs, versioning, and registry patterns for government projects.
• Best practices for folder layout, naming conventions, and repository structure to ensure maintainability.
• Hands-on: creating a reusable module for Azure VM + disk + network and testing it across different environments.

Module 6: Managing Azure Virtual Devices and On-Prem Integration

• Managing Azure Virtual Machines, Virtual Desktop components, and device lifecycle using Terraform in government settings.
• Hybrid device management patterns for integrating on-prem resources with Azure-managed devices.
• Integrating volumetric or device management systems through data sources and external providers for enhanced governance.
• Lab: deploying an Azure VM fleet to represent operator units, configuring inventory tagging, and setting up basic monitoring.

Module 7: CI/CD, Automation, and Deployment Pipelines

• Integrating Terraform with continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) tools such as GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps pipelines for government projects.
• Automating the plan and apply processes while securing secrets and service principals for enhanced security.
• Basics of Policy as Code using Sentinel or Open Policy Agent patterns, including pre-deploy checks to ensure compliance.
• Hands-on: creating a simple GitHub Actions workflow to plan and apply Terraform configurations in a sandbox subscription.

Module 8: Security, Secrets, and Operational Practices

• Managing secrets securely with Azure Key Vault integration and preventing sensitive data from being stored in state files for government operations.
• Implementing access control, role-based access control (RBAC), and least privilege principles for automation accounts.
• Techniques for drift detection, state reconciliation, and basic remediation practices to ensure infrastructure integrity.
• Checklist: backup strategies, auditing procedures, and governance practices for Terraform-managed infrastructure in government settings.

Module 9: Testing, Debugging, and Troubleshooting

• Techniques for debugging Terraform configurations and effectively reading plan diffs to identify issues.
• Approaches to unit and integration testing using tools like terraform validate, tflint, and kitchen-terraform.
• Common error patterns and resolution strategies to streamline troubleshooting processes for government projects.
• Lab: running validation and linting tools and fixing discovered issues in Terraform configurations.

Module 10: Capstone Project — Hybrid Deployment Scenario

• Design exercise: planning an on-prem + Azure device deployment using learned patterns and best practices for government environments.
• Implementing core components using modules, remote state, and CI/CD pipeline snippets to ensure a robust solution.
• Presenting the solution, discussing trade-offs, and reviewing the runbook for ongoing operations in government settings.

Summary and Next Steps