Cisco releases free Open-source software cloud management platform OpenStack

To further demonstrate its commitment to the OpenStack project, Cisco has launched a free release version of the Open-source software http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/14224.html "> Cloud Management platform." The software also includes other services such as virtual networking and high-availability features.

Cisco has become one of OpenStack's growing number of organizations that have released Open-source software code. These members have published open source software code with Linux publishers such as Red Hat, SUSE, canonical and Ubuntu, as well as companies that specialize in Rackspace and OpenStack piston Cloud computing. OpenStack's supporters held a semi-annual OpenStack summit in San Francisco this week. The news was passed at this time.

Cisco's vice president for cloud computing and chief technology Officer Loux Tack (Lew Tucker) are also Vice-chairmen of the newly formed OpenStack Foundation. The value of Cisco's version of OpenStack, he says, is around services that will be integrated into the Cisco OpenStack release, especially virtual networks.

For example, OpenStack's latest version of the Code Folsom includes a module called Quantum (quantum), which enables virtual network functionality in a OpenStack-driven cloud. Cisco also makes its own Nexus switch compatible with quantum. In the coming months, Quantum will be compatible with Cisco's virtualized 1000V switches, says Tucker. In addition to the software-defined networking features, users can choose from a variety of other features that can be added to Cisco's OpenStack-driven cloud, including high availability, automatic installation and monitoring of the cloud, and so on.

"This is basically a response to the customer we are working with," Tucker said. When we apply OpenStack to production, we have many other considerations for how to integrate, manipulate, and manage the OpenStack cloud. We take these as part of the reference architectures, scripts, and other important components that users can use.

Cisco announced the news on its blog in Saturday (October 13) and provided a link to the free download of Cisco's OpenStack website and a Wikipedia Web page that explains the various aspects of the code. In addition to OpenStack code, Cisco uses a variety of other open source software tools and uses puppet automation tools in the release version. The quantum code supports the two-layer network segment using virtual LAN technology, which is compatible with open Vswitch and Cisco's Nexus switches. This version has been tested on the Ubuntu 12.04 operating system and does not require Cisco hardware.

In addition to the OpenStack release, Cisco announced two other news at the OpenStack summit this week. Cisco will use OpenStack to create a private cloud within Cisco. Cisco's WebEx team will use this private cloud exclusively to create products and services. While Tucker did not disclose what new features would be developed using the OpenStack platform, he said these new features would be disclosed in the coming months. In addition to providing a release version of the OpenStack code, Cisco runs a production cloud driven by OpenStack. Cisco will also publish new features in its cloud intelligent automation products. This capability can manage a wide variety of workloads. This cloudy accelerator tool can manage not only Cisco and OpenStack-driven cloud architectures, but also other third-party cloud services such as Amazon and VMware.

Tucker says the user's interest in OpenStack is growing. Cisco has recently established a strategic partnership with Comcast. Comcast will use Cisco's version of OpenStack as the basis for its private cloud. Comcast is a patron member of the OpenStack Foundation, but not a full member. In addition to Comcast, public sector and government agencies are also interested in using OpenStack to drive internal private clouds.

(Responsible editor: Duqing first)