GitLab Geo and Multi-Site Deployments - Tutorial

Introduction

GitLab Geo is a feature that allows you to set up multi-site deployments for your GitLab instance, enabling distributed collaboration and improved performance. With GitLab Geo, you can have multiple GitLab servers in different geographical locations, syncing repositories and data in near real-time. In this tutorial, you will learn how to configure GitLab Geo and set up multi-site deployments using example commands or code and step-by-step instructions.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure you have the following:

• An existing GitLab instance
• Access to the GitLab servers that will be part of the multi-site deployment
• Basic knowledge of GitLab configuration and administration

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Configure GitLab Geo

To enable GitLab Geo and set up multi-site deployments, follow these steps:

1. Access the primary GitLab server.
2. Open the GitLab configuration file using a text editor.
3. Locate the `gitlab.yml` section and uncomment the `geo:` configuration block.
4. Specify the URL of the secondary GitLab server(s) in the `geo_secondary_http_urls` field.
5. Save the configuration file and restart the GitLab service.
6. Repeat the above steps on each secondary GitLab server, ensuring the `gitlab.yml` file contains the correct primary URL.
7. Once the configuration is updated and the services are restarted, GitLab Geo will start syncing repositories and data between the primary and secondary servers.

2. Verifying GitLab Geo

After configuring GitLab Geo, you can verify that the replication and synchronization are working correctly. Here's an example of how to check the GitLab Geo status:

    # Log in to the primary GitLab server
    ssh gitlab-primary
# Run the GitLab Geo status check command
sudo gitlab-rake geo:status

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Incorrectly configuring the `gitlab.yml` file, leading to connectivity issues between the primary and secondary servers.
• Not ensuring that the secondary GitLab servers have the same GitLab version and are properly licensed.
• Neglecting to regularly monitor and troubleshoot the GitLab Geo replication status.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the purpose of GitLab Geo?

   GitLab Geo allows you to set up multi-site deployments for distributed collaboration, improved performance, and disaster recovery.

2. Can I have more than one secondary GitLab server in a multi-site deployment?

   Yes, you can configure multiple secondary GitLab servers to ensure redundancy and improved availability.

Summary

GitLab Geo enables you to set up multi-site deployments, providing distributed collaboration, improved performance, and disaster recovery capabilities. In this tutorial, you learned how to configure GitLab Geo by updating the `gitlab.yml` file and setting up replication between the primary and secondary servers. By avoiding common mistakes and regularly monitoring the status of GitLab Geo, you can ensure a reliable and efficient multi-site GitLab infrastructure.