documentation/PRD Drafts/terraform-lxc-deployment.md

Terraform LXC Deployment for Iron Legion — PRD

Status: Draft | Author: Artemis | Date: 2026-06-04

1. Objective

Deploy Proxmox LXC containers via Terraform using the bpg/proxmox provider, running inside a custom Docker container (lazy automator pattern). Support runtime parameterization for bulk LXC creation with auto-incrementing VMID, IPv4, and naming.

2. Architecture

2.1 Docker Image

Base: Custom Dockerfile extending hashicorp/terraform:latest Provider: bpg/proxmox pre-installed via terraform init at build time Pattern: Matches thelazyautomator's guide — local workspace mounted into container

FROM hashicorp/terraform:latest
# Pre-install bpg/proxmox provider cache
COPY providers.tf /tmp/providers.tf
RUN cd /tmp && terraform init -upgrade && rm -f providers.tf
WORKDIR /workspace
ENTRYPOINT ["terraform"]

2.2 Credential Model

Proxmox API token stored in .env / terraform.tfvars, referenced as variables:

variable "pm_api_url" {
  default = "https://192.168.7.33:8006/api2/json"
}

variable "pm_api_token_id" {
  default = "root@pam!terraform"
}

variable "pm_api_token_secret" {
  default = "terraform"
}

Token to be created on MK33: pveum user token add root@pam terraform --comment "Terraform automation" --privsep 0

2.3 Runtime Parameterization

Parameter	Example	Effect
count	4	Number of LXCs to create
vmid_base	5050	Starting VMID

Auto-derived per LXC (index i from 0 to count-1):

• VMID: vmid_base + i
• Name: lxc-${vmid}
• IPv4: 192.168.${first2digits(vmid)}.${last2digits(vmid)}/18
  • Example: vmid 5050 → 192.168.50.50/18
  • Example: vmid 5051 → 192.168.50.51/18

2.4 LXC Configuration (Static)

• OS: Debian 13 (or Debian 12 if 13 unavailable)
• CPU: 1 vCPU, 2 cores
• RAM: 2048 MB
• Storage: 8GB rootfs on local disk (test), migrate to NFS after validation
• Network: Static IPv4 with gateway 192.168.0.1

2.5 User / SSH (Option A First)

Bake jarvis user + SSH key into LXC via initialization block:

initialization {
  user_account {
    username = "jarvis"
    keys     = [file("~/.ssh/artemis_key.pub")]
  }
}

Fallback (B): If initialization fails after 3 attempts, set root password to ubuntu via root_password and let Ansible configure post-build.

3. Phase Breakdown

Phase 1 — Single LXC (Plan/Build/Destroy)

Goal: Prove the pipeline works end-to-end with one manual LXC.

Deliverables:

• Dockerfile for custom Terraform image
• docker-compose.yml for local execution
• main.tf — single LXC resource with hardcoded VMID
• providers.tf — bpg/proxmox provider config
• variables.tf — API credentials and defaults
• run.sh — wrapper script for plan/apply/destroy

Test:

./run.sh plan    # Validate config
./run.sh apply   # Build lxc-5050
./run.sh destroy # Clean up

Phase 2 — Modular + Bulk Creation

Goal: Add count, vmid_base, and auto-derived naming/IP.

Deliverables:

• modules/lxc/ — reusable LXC module
• locals.tf — VMID/IP/name calculation logic
• main.tf — uses module with count = var.lxc_count
• Step-counter for sequential VMID assignment

Example execution:

TF_VAR_lxc_count=4 TF_VAR_vmid_base=5050 ./run.sh apply
# Creates: lxc-5050, lxc-5051, lxc-5052, lxc-5053

4. File Structure

~/docker/terraform-pve/
├── Dockerfile
├── docker-compose.yml
├── run.sh
├── terraform/
│   ├── providers.tf
│   ├── variables.tf
│   ├── main.tf
│   ├── locals.tf
│   └── modules/
│       └── lxc/
│           ├── main.tf
│           ├── variables.tf
│           └── outputs.tf

5. Open Questions

1. Debian version: Is Debian 13 available on your PVE nodes as a template, or should we use Debian 12?
2. Gateway IP: Confirm 192.168.0.1 is the correct gateway for 192.168.0.0/18 subnet?
3. DNS servers: Use Technitium (192.168.7.7) for LXC /etc/resolv.conf?
4. SSH key: Use ~/.ssh/artemis_key.pub for jarvis user, or a dedicated terraform key?

6. Decision Points

Decision	Option A	Option B
Debian template	13 (if available)	12 (fallback)
DNS	Technitium (192.168.7.7)	Router default (192.168.18.1)
SSH key	artemis_key.pub	New dedicated terraform key

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Awaiting Commander Bobby approval before Phase 1 build.