OpenStack

OpenStack is a software project that provides a free architecture for cloud computing. It was initiated by Rackspace and NASA and is supported by several other companies, including SUSE Linux GmbH, Dell, Canonical, Citrix Systems, Hewlett -Packard, AMD and Intel. At the last came in April 2012, Red Hat and IBM OpenStack at. Is developed OpenStack as free software in the Python programming language. OpenStack is licensed under the Apache license.

Components

OpenStack is composed of two components: Compute and Object Storage, which take care of the virtualization and the provision of storage and are also known under the names Nova and Swift.

OpenStack Compute

In Compute, currently known under the name Nova, it is the part of the stack, can manage the groups of virtual machines.

The virtualized systems can be distributed over any number of so-called compute nodes. As hypervisors, among other KVM and Xen are supported, the unit is controlled via the libvirt. Since the Bexar release also Hyper- V could be involved from Microsoft, but this support was removed in February 2012, as the code was no longer maintained by Microsoft. In Release " Folsom " support for Hyper- V was again.

To provide storage for the virtual machines such as iSCSI, SheepDog or developed in the same project Swift be used. The service Glance, which is used to locate, send and receive images, simplifies the connection to the Object Storage.

OpenStack Object Storage

Swift is the so-called Object Storage, which can be used by Nova. This is responsible for the redundant data storage.

For example, the file management can Cyberduck be used.

OpenStack Image Service

The OpenStack Image Service, also called Glance, is a service that provides OpenStack users images or images of virtual machines. These images are used by Nova as a template to compile instances of virtual machines.

OpenStack Identity Service

OpenStack Dashboard

OpenStack Block Storage

OpenStack Block Storage or Cinder Block provides virtual memory in the form of virtualized storage media (hard drives, CDs, etc. ) are available. The block of memory to be attached to virtual machines. About an API interface can Cinder connect with Swift, so the block storage devices can communicate with the object store.

OpenStack Network Service

History of development

Use

Beginning of March 2012 it was announced that the German Telekom plans mid-year a new marketplace named " Business Marketplace " to launch its functionality based on OpenStack.

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research also focuses on OpenStack as a platform

Foundation

The OpenStack Foundation coordinates the development and distribution of OpenStack.