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#Apache #CloudStack grows up – #Citrix, #IaaS – via @sjvn
On June 4th, the 4.1.0 release of the Apache CloudStack Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud orchestration platform arrived. This is the first major CloudStack release since its March 20th graduation from the Apache Incubator.
It’s also the first major release of CloudStack since Citrix submitted the project to the Apache Foundation in 2012. Apache CloudStack is an integrated software platform that enables users to build a feature-rich IaaS. Apache claims that the new version includes an “intuitive user interface and rich API [application programming interface] for managing the compute, networking, accounting, and storage resources for private, hybrid, or public clouds.”
This release includes numerous new features and bug fixes from the 4.0.x cycle. It also includes major changes in the codebase to make CloudStack easier for developers; a new structure for creating RPM/Debian packages; and completes the changeover to using Maven, the Apache software project management tool.
Apache CloudStack 4.1.0’s most important new features are:
- An API discovery service that allows an end point to list its supported APIs and their details.
- Added an Events Framework to CloudStack to provide an “event bus” with publish, subscribe, and unsubscribe semantics. Includes a RabbitMQ plug-in that can interact with AMQP (Advanced Message Queuing Protocol) servers.
- Implement L3 router functionality for the VMware Nicira network virtualization platform (NVP) plug-in
- Support for Linux’s built-in Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) virtualization with NVP L3 router
functionality. - Support for AWS (Amazon Web Service) style regions
What all this adds up to, according to CloudStack Project Management Committee (PMC) member Joe Brockmeier, is that today’s CloudStack is “a mature, stable project, [that] is also free as in beer and speech. We believe that if you’re going to be building an IaaS cloud for private or public consumption, you’ll be better served choosing an open platform that any organization can participate in and contribute to.”
Brockmeier concluded, “CloudStack is a very mature offering that’s relatively easy to deploy and manage, and it’s known to power some very large clouds–e.g., Zynga with tens of thousands of nodes–and very distributed clouds–such as DataPipe, which…
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//Richard
OpenStack vs CloudStack: The Latest Score – #CloudStack, #OpenStack
A little update below from Joe Panettieri, good reading! And thanks Oded Nahum for sharing!
And I must agree that I would not count out CloudStack! 😉
OpenStack vs CloudStack: The Latest Score
OpenStack remains the largest and most active open source cloud computing project, Network World notes. But research from Chinese blogger Qingye “John” Jiangsuggests that momentum is building for CloudStack, and interest in Eucalyptus and OpenNebula remains strong. For cloud services providers (CSPs) and consultants, it’s critically important to track each of the four open source cloud platforms. Here’s why.
During Q4 2012, interest in CloudStack grew faster than rival open source cloud platforms. But Jiang’s data shows that:
- OpenStack has the largest total population, followed by Eucalyptus, CloudStack, and OpenNebula;
- OpenStack has the largest active population during the past quarter, followed by CloudStack, Eucalyptus, and OpenNebula;
- OpenStack has the largest active population during the past month, followed by CloudStack, Eucalyptus, and OpenNebula.
Partner Views
Those findings are important to CSPs and consultants that are selecting cloud platforms upon which to build services. OpenStack has been the poster child for open source cloud computing for more than a year now but the bandwagon has some challenges.
Dell, for one, says OpenStack lacks maturity and the hardware giant won’t launch its public cloud (based on OpenStack) for roughly a year. Dell also alleges that Hewlett-Packard’s own public cloud uses a “dramatically forked” version of OpenStack containing proprietary HP technology.
Still, OpenStack consulting opportunities seem to be emerging rapidly. Mirantis, for instance, has emeged as the largest OpenStack systems integrator. The company’s clientele apparently includes Cisco, Dell, GE, Agilent, NASA, HP, AT&T, The Gap, Axcient and Nexenta.
Moreover, Rackspace (NYSE: RAX) continues to see OpenStack progress. CTO John Engates recently offered his perspectives — including some OpenStack milestones — to ZDnet.
Here Comes CloudStack
Meanwhile, it has been awhile since I’ve heard from the CloudStack community. But the CloudStack chatter will likely grow very loud…
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//Richard
OpenStack vs. CloudStack – IaaS – PaaS – XaaS
Ok, so what are your thoughts, findings and view on which will become or already is the best solution out there for IaaS/PaaS services?
I must admit that this is not my area of expertise but it’s an area of interest and I like reading about it to get more up to date on where they are from a service readiness perspective. Are they ready for enterprise usage, or are enterprises stuck in their mindset of adopting the open source initiatives and technologies that exists around them. If yes; then why? Is it due to that it doesn’t fit the existing way of how they buy or deliver existing IT services, or is the technology not ready from an ITSM point of view with SD, SLA, SLO and delivery models that we have with the “old” traditional technologies like vSphere, XenServer and Hyper-V if you put a large enterprise organization and governance on top of it?
The IT Melting Pot! 