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

Module 1: Introduction to Infrastructure as Code and Terraform

• Core IaC concepts and their advantages in on-premises and hybrid settings.
• Overview of Terraform: understanding providers, resources, state, and lifecycle.
• Installation of Terraform, Azure CLI, and necessary supporting tools.
• Initial hands-on session: creating and applying a basic Terraform configuration locally.

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

• HCL syntax, defining resources, attributes, and expressions.
• Utilizing variables, outputs, locals, and type constraints.
• Command-line usage of Terraform: init, plan, apply, destroy, and fmt.
• Hands-on lab: developing a parameterized configuration for both on-prem and Azure resources.

Module 3: Providers, Resources, and Azure Provider Fundamentals

• Understanding providers and configuring the AzureRM provider.
• Mapping infrastructure elements (networking, compute, storage) to Terraform resources.
• Managing Azure authentication and service principals for automated tasks.
• Practical exercise: provisioning an Azure virtual network and a basic VM via Terraform.

Module 4: State Management, Backends, and Collaboration

• The role, format, and lifecycle considerations of Terraform state.
• Implementing remote backends with Azure Storage Account and state locking strategies.
• Managing workspaces, environments, and team collaboration patterns.
• Lab: setting up remote state in Azure Storage and executing a multi-user workflow.

Module 5: Modularization, Reusability, and Best Practices

• Creating and utilizing Terraform modules effectively.
• Managing module inputs/outputs, versioning, and registry patterns.
• Establishing folder structures, naming conventions, and maintainable repository layouts.
• Hands-on: building a reusable module for an Azure VM, disk, and network, then testing it across environments.

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

• Controlling Azure Virtual Machines, Virtual Desktop components, and device lifecycles via Terraform.
• Strategies for hybrid device management: linking on-prem resources with Azure-managed devices.
• Integrating volumetric or device management systems using data sources and external providers.
• Lab: deploying a fleet of Azure VMs representing operator units, including inventory tagging and basic monitoring setup.

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

• Integrating Terraform with CI/CD platforms (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps pipelines).
• Automating plan/apply operations with secured secrets and service principals.
• Basics of Policy as Code (Sentinel or Open Policy Agent patterns) and pre-deployment checks.
• Hands-on: creating a simple GitHub Actions workflow to plan and apply Terraform against a sandbox subscription.

Module 8: Security, Secrets, and Operational Practices

• Secrets management via Azure Key Vault integration and preventing sensitive data in state files.
• Implementing access control, RBAC, and least privilege principles for automation accounts.
• Techniques for drift detection, state reconciliation, and basic remediation.
• Checklist for backup, auditing, and governance of Terraform-managed infrastructure.

Module 9: Testing, Debugging, and Troubleshooting

• Debugging configurations and effectively interpreting plan diffs.
• Approaches to unit and integration testing (using terraform validate, tflint, kitchen-terraform).
• Identifying common error patterns and applying resolution strategies.
• Lab: running validation and linting tools to identify and fix issues.

Module 10: Capstone Project — Hybrid Deployment Scenario

• Design exercise: planning an on-prem + Azure device deployment using acquired skills.
• Implementing core components with modules, remote state, and CI/CD pipeline snippets.
• Presenting the solution, discussing trade-offs, and reviewing the operational runbook.

Summary and Next Steps