Update: Greetings! I forgot to add a friendly ‘hello’ the first time. Also, we will submit code to the OpenStack project under the Apache 2 license in the near future. The automated code is not yet available, but for now you can track progress from our resource page. You *can* get the same functionality if you’re willing to follow a manual process.

Today Gluster announced that we are (almost) ready to release the Gluster Connector for OpenStack, after weeks and months of studying the OpenStack community and looking for ways that we can help.

The Gluster Connector for OpenStack is a triumph of community. Watching OpenStack grow as quickly as it has, changing the industry as it has, is breathtaking to watch. To be able to participate in that community and move it that much more forward is a privilege that we don’t take for granted. You can get more information about release availability and the first cut of documentation on our resource page.

So what are we about to release for OpenStack? This line from the press release says it all:

The Gluster Connector for OpenStack …supports the virtual motion of the VMs within the OpenStack compute environment.

You will now be able to deploy or migrate VM’s anywhere in the world, more flexibly, quickly and at greater scale. Here are some of the things the connector enables:

• Instantly boot VMs using a mountable filesystem interface – no more waiting to fetch the entire VM image before booting
• Live migration of VMs with no disruption to users for business continuity and disaster recovery
• Instantly switch from one VM to another
• Migrate the VMs as well as resume the VMs on a different hypervisor, in case the original hypervisor fails.
• After migration, the destination VM comes up with preserved data
• Movement of VMs between clouds
• Easier management of VMs

Because of the global namespace capability of GlusterFS, we’re bringing the dream of open cloud federation that much closer to reality. If you’re deploying an OpenStack cloud, this makes life easier and opens up new possibilities at the same time. If you’re a developer, your apps are now easier to scale-out to multiple geographic locations.

These are exciting days in the cloud computing world.

Today at Citrix Synergy, the OpenStack project received another big boost with the announcement of Citrix Project Olympus. From the project’s website:

Leveraging OpenStack, Project Olympus delivers the next generation in cloud computing – a scalable, flexible, open-by-design cloud solution that enables service providers and enterprise alike to build their own cloud services.

The early access program for Project Olympus gives users:

• Citrix tested, certified and supported version of OpenStack
• A cloud-optimized version of XenServer
• Access to hardware
• Personalized design, engineering, training and support services

The press release on this announcement from Citrix is available here. Feedback from the broader community on this announcement has been incredibly positive and I wanted to share a few blog posts:

• Joseph George from Dell – http://jbgeorge.net/2011/05/25/one-giant-leap-for-cloud-citrix-dell-and-rackspace-step-up-with-openstack/
• Billy Cox from Intel – http://communities.intel.com/community/openportit/server/blog/2011/05/25/let-s-just-leave-the-barn-door-open
• Barton George from Dell – http://bartongeorge.net/2011/05/25/citrix-to-launch-openstack-distro-with-a-little-help-from-rackspace-and-dell/
• Mark Collier from Rackspace – http://www.rackspace.com/cloud/blog/2011/05/25/openstack-gains-enterprise-backing-a-peek-at-project-olympus/?awesm=awe.sm_5LDI9&utm_content=awesm-publisher&utm_medium=awe.sm-copypaste&utm_source=hootsuite.com

OpenStack™, an open source cloud project with broad developer and commercial support, completed its first public Design Summit last week, which attracted more than 250 people from 90 companies and 14 countries to plan the next two releases, code-named ‘Bexar’ and ‘Cactus.’ Taking place at the Weston Centre in San Antonio, Texas, the four-day event was hosted by Rackspace® Hosting, a founding member of the open source project.

The OpenStack Design Summit featured two separate tracks, one consisting of developer-led sessions to plan the next two code releases, and one for interested users and the partner ecosystem to discuss deployment and commercial opportunities. The Summit also featured an ‘InstallFest,’ where attendees were able to test and document the installation process on a live, on-site environment provided by Dell and powered by the company’s PowerEdge C server line.

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