Climbing into the cloud with Apache CloudStack
Cloud Cover

Everybody's talking about the OpenStack cloud, but many users prefer Apache's CloudStack – another open source cloud system with a long history and a more unified design.
A cloud management system is really just an API or a web interface that configures the underlying hypervisor infrastructure. But the devil lies in the details. Apache CloudStack helps administrators deploy and manage a cloud environment.
CloudStack was founded as a start-up and, after a stop-over at Citrix, finally ended up with the Apache Software Foundation, where it has seen several updates. CloudStack differs from its major open source competitor OpenStack in that all of the cloud system's components were developed together. (OpenStack is made up of several separately developed subprojects, which has some disadvantages in terms of deployment and operations, as well as increased complexity.) What CloudStack has going for it – in addition to its open source code and monolithic structure – is the fact that it is widespread. The management API, which is based on REST principles – helps third parties implement add-ons that extend the feature scope in many directions.
Complex System; Simple Architecture
Complex systems are easiest to understand if you look at the easiest implementation. Figure 1 shows a very simply representation of a CloudStack cluster.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
There's a New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle is a Linux AI assistant that can work with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.