How to integrate OnPrem Azure DevOps Server with the cloud one

Question

My firm has the Azure DevOps online version where we have all our projects and repo's. We were not able to configure CI/CD for the repo's because our internal server network doesn't have access to the internet.

To overcome this issue, we built a new server that has access to the internet and also to the internal network. On the new server, we installed and configured Azure DevOps Server 2019. We don't want to migrate our repo's from the cloud version to the online version.

I am trying to link the OnPrem repo to the cloud repo but it was not working. I issued a PAT on the cloud version and added it as a service connection under Pipelines in the OnPrem version but still, I am not able to see and link the cloud repo's.

I can clone the repo from the cloud to the OnPrem server but that will not get the latest code as the code is being checked in the cloud repo's

Can anyone please guide me on how to link both of them, please.

Thanks!!!

Answer 1

The optimal solution is to run self-hosted build agents on a server that is open to the internet and setup an agent pool in Azure DevOps Services for them. You'll want to use Deployment Groups for deployments, and install deployment group agents on target servers, where they'll just need outbound 443 access to communicate with Azure DevOps Services.

If that isn't possible, you'll have to install deployment agents on the build machine, which will then see your other on-premise servers. However, this is an unsatisfactory solution because you'll either have to rely on WinRm capabilities for deployments, or expose too much network between your build server and other on-premise servers.

Take a look at the agent-documentation and especially the communication subsection:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/pipelines/agents/agents?view=azure-devops

Or this old blog post, from which the communication section originates:

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/devops/deploying-to-on-premises-environments-with-visual-studio-team-services-or-team-foundation-server/

Because Azure DevOps Services and Azure DevOps Server are essentially the same product, I don't believe there is a useful way to connect them. Given that you wish to keep the repos in Azure DevOps Services, I assume (but don't know) that you're aiming to merge Azure DevOps Services with on-premise builds and deploys. In other words, you want to operate build and deployment group agents on-premises.