“Juno” release of OpenStack has just been delivered

This post is only to remember that last Friday (October the 17^th) the new version of OpenStack, named Juno, was released.

 

As Stefano Maffulli says in its e-mail to the OpenStack community, IT IS THE RESULT OF THE EFFORT OF 1.419 PERSONS, from 133 organizations, that contributed to its development. OpenStack Juno is tenth release of the open source software for building public, private, and hybrid clouds and it has 342 new features to support software development, big data analysis and application infrastructure at scale.

 

Let me make emphasis that in this new version, Sahara it’s completely integrated (it was in incubation in the previous vesion). Sahara is the Data Processing module based in Hadoop for Big Data processing suport, i.e. this module capabilities let automate provisioning and management of big data clusters using Hadoop and Spark. Big data analytics are a priority for many organizations and a popular use case for OpenStack, and this service lets OpenStack users provision needed resources more quickly.

 

Another significant advance is that the foundation for Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) has been consolidated in Juno, providing improved agility and efficiency in telco and service provider data centers.

 

Let me copy and mix from the Juno website and the Official Press Release for summarizing the main features (module by module):

• Compute (Nova). Operational updates to Compute include improvements for rescue mode that enable booting from alternate images with the attachment of all local disks. Also, per-network settings are now allowed by improved nova-network code; scheduling updates to support scheduling services and extensibility; and internationalization updates. Key drivers were added such as bare metal as a service (Ironic) and Docker support through StackForge. Additional improvements were made to support scheduling and live upgrades.
• Object Storage (Swift). Object Storage hit a major milestone this release cycle with the rollout of storage policies. Storage policies give users more control over cost and performance in terms of how they want to replicate and access data across different backends and geographical regions. Other new features include updated support for the Identity project (Keystone) and account to account copy feature rollout. Additional work on erasure coding within object storage continues and is expected sometime during the Kilo release cycle.
• Block Storage (Cinder). Block Storage added ten new storage backends this release and improved testing on third-party storage systems. Cinder v2 API integration into Nova was also completed this cycle. The block storage project continues to mature each cycle building out core functionality with a consistent contributor base.
• Networking (Neutron). Networking features support for IPv6 and better third-party driver testing to ensure consistency and reliability across network implementations. The release enables plug-ins for the back-end implementation of the OpenStack Networking API and blazes an initial path for migration from nova-network to Neutron. Supporting Layer 3 High Availability, the networking layer now allows a distributed operational mode.
• Dashboard (Horizon). Dashboard rolled out the ability to deploy Apache Hadoop clusters in seconds, giving users the ability to rapidly scale data sets based on a set of custom parameters. Additional improvements include extending the RBAC system to support OpenStack projects Compute, Networking, and Orchestration.
• Identity Service (Keystone). Federated authentication improvements allow users to access private and public OpenStack clouds with the same credentials. Keystone can be configured to use multiple identity backends, and integration with LDAP is much easier.
• Orchestration (Heat). In Juno, it is easier to roll back a failed deployment and ensure thorough cleanup. Also, administrators can delegate resource creation privileges to non-administrative users. Other improvements included implementation of new resource types and improved scalability.
• Telemetry (Ceilometer). Telemetry reported increases in performance this cycle as well as efficiency improvements including metering of some types of networking services such as load balancers, firewalls and VPNs as a service.
• Database Service (Trove). The database service went through its second release cycle in Juno delivering new options for MySQL replication, Mongo clustering, Postgres, and Couchbase. A new capability included in Juno allows users to manage relational database services in an OpenStack environment.
• Image Service (Glance). The Image Service introduced artifacts as a broader definition for images during Juno. Other key new features included asynchronous processing, a Metadata Definitions Catalog and restricted policies for downloading images.
• Data Processing (Sahara). The new data processing capability automates provisioning and management of big data clusters using Hadoop and Spark. Big data analytics are a priority for many organizations and a popular use case for OpenStack, and this service lets OpenStack users provision needed resources more quickly.

 

In Tissat we’ve been testing the last beta versions and they look great, and we are starting to plan the migration IN LIVE.

Yesterday VMware announced it own OpenStack distro

Due to last hard work weeks (even months) and further vacations period I’ve not been active in this blog, however the following news have made me change:

 

Yesterday VMware announced it own OpenStack distro.

Let me quote the original VMware’s advertisement (underlying, by my own criteria, some of the ideas):

 

Today (Aug 25, 2014) at VMworld 2014, VMware announced the following: VMware Integrated OpenStack

 

– VMware Integrated OpenStack is a new solution that will enable IT organizations to quickly and cost-effectively deliver developer-friendly OpenStack APIs and tools on top of their existing VMware infrastructure. The VMware Integrated OpenStack distribution will leverage VMware’s proven technologies for compute, network, storage and management to provide enterprise-class infrastructure that reduces CAPEX, operational expense (OPEX) and total cost of ownership for production-grade OpenStack deployments.

 

With the VMware Integrated OpenStack distribution, customers can quickly stand up a complete OpenStack cloud to provide API-driven infrastructure for internal developers, and to repatriate workloads from unmanageable and insecure public clouds. IT can manage and troubleshoot an OpenStack cloud with the same familiar VMware tools they already use every day, providing significant operational cost savings and faster time-to-value.

 

Read more about the forthcoming VMware Integrated OpenStack solution here.

Of course, VMware’s Integrated OpenStack doesn’t necessarily mean that VMware is pushing customers to use  OpenStack, as John Gilmartin, VP and GM of VMware’s software defined data center suite business unit, explained in an interview.

Tissat awarded as one of best “EU Code of Conduct for DataCentres” practicioners by the European Commission

I’m proud to announce that last month (May, the 28th) Tissat received the annual award of the European Commission to one of the best practitioners of the “EU Code of Conduct for DataCentres” for its DataCentre “Walhalla”, in Castellon, Spain.

 

More details could be found here (https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/data-centres-energy-efficiency-awards-2014?search).

 

This award is the results of the Research & Development activities and projects executed by Tissat in the DC energy efficiency arena: from ones partially funded by the Spanish Government Agencies (“Green DataCenter”, “CPD verde” or “RealCloud”) to other partially funded by the European Commission (as “CloudSpaces”).

 

Picture of the European Commission Award

 

Gathering R&D results: Inauguration of the NEW Management System of Emergencies (112) of “Region of Murcia”, based on TISSAT’s ECHO platform

Yesterday was officially inaugurated the new Management System of Emergencies (112 phone) of Region of Murcia (112-RM). It uses the ECHO Platform developed by Tissat; it’s the result of the last years R&D activities in this subject. It is important to bold that ECHO price is a quarter of the cost of other similar platforms.
 

Some links to this new could be found in different newspapers and media (in Spanish):

• http://www.laopiniondemurcia.es/comunidad/2014/05/07/112-incorpora-nuevo-sistema-gestion/557394.html
• http://www.laverdad.es/murcia/20140507/local/region/incorporan-nuevo-sistema-gestion-201405071811.html
• http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/2132494/0/
• http://www.carm.es/web/pagina?IDCONTENIDO=74922&IDTIPO=10&RASTRO=c$m122,70
• etc.

 

Recogiendo resultados de la I+D: inauguración oficial del Nuevo Sistema de Gestión de la Atención de Emergencias del 112-RM, basado en la Plataforma ECHO de Tissat

Ayer fue la inauguración oficial del Nuevo Sistema de Gestión de la Atención de Emergencias del 112 de la Región de Murcia, basado en la Plataforma ECHO (Emergencias Control Holístico Operativo) de Tissat, y resultado de sus proyectos de I+D+i: ECHO cuesta cuatro veces menos que la adquisición de otros productos desarrollados por empresas especializadas y los costes de mantenimiento son aproximadamente la mitad.

La noticia ha sido recogida en varios medios:

• http://www.laopiniondemurcia.es/comunidad/2014/05/07/112-incorpora-nuevo-sistema-gestion/557394.html
• http://www.laverdad.es/murcia/20140507/local/region/incorporan-nuevo-sistema-gestion-201405071811.html
• http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/2132494/0/
• http://www.carm.es/web/pagina?IDCONTENIDO=74922&IDTIPO=10&RASTRO=c$m122,70
• etc.

Yo por mi parte, me permito destacar lo siguiente:

• El Consejero de Presidencia y Empleo, José Gabriel Ruiz, destaca que “es el primer centro de España capaz de integrarse con otras plataformas operativas de gestión de emergencias similares, como la de la Unidad Militar de Emergencias”
• La Región de Murcia, la UME y la Armada realizan mañana un simulacro de respuesta ante una emergencia por incendio forestal en la Estación Naval de La Algameca.
• La plataforma tecnológica ECHO ha sido desarrollada por TISSAT, y puede crecer según las necesidades del 1-1-2
• ECHO cuesta cuatro veces menos que la adquisición de otros productos desarrollados por empresas especializadas y los costes de mantenimiento son aproximadamente la mitad.

 

 

“Icehouse” release of OpenStack has just been delivered

This post is only to remember that, as foreseen, just a couple of days ago (Thursday, the 17^th) the new version of OpenStack, named Icehouse, was released.

 

As Stefano Maffulli says in its e-mail to the OpenStack community, IT IS THE RESULT OF THE EFFORT OF 1.202 PERSONS, from 120 organizations, that contributed to its development.

 

Approximately 350 new features has been added (rolling upgrades, federated identity, tighter platform integration, etc) , but in my opinion the most significant is that “OpenStack Database Service” (Trove), which was incubated during the Havana release cycle, is now available.

 

Other programs still in incubation (already developing during Icehouse) are Sahara (OpenStack Data Processing, i.e. to provision a Hadoop cluster on OpenStack), Ironic (OpenStack Bare Metal as a Service), Marconi (OpenStack Messaging) and, and we hope they go live in the next release of OpenStack, code-named Juno, foreseen in 6 month.

 

In Tissat we have been testing the last beta versions and they look great, and we are starting to plan the migration IN LIVE.

 

Quoted from the the official press release these are the main features (module by module):

• OpenStack Database Service (Trove): A new capability included in the integrated release allows users to manage relational database services in an OpenStack environment.
• OpenStack Compute (Nova): New support for rolling upgrades minimizes the impact to running workloads during the upgrade process. Testing requirements for third-party drivers have become more stringent, and scheduler performance is improved. Other enhancements include improved boot process reliability across platform services, new features exposed to end users via API updates (e.g., target machines by affinity) and more efficient access to the data layer to improve performance, especially at scale.
• OpenStack Object Storage (Swift): A major new feature is discoverability, which dramatically improves workflows and saves time by allowing users to ask any Object Storage cloud what capabilities are available via API call. A new replication process significantly improves performance, with the introduction of s-sync to more efficiently transport data.
• OpenStack Block Storage (Cinder): Enhancements have been added for backend migration with tiered storage environments, allowing for performance management in heterogeneous environments. Mandatory testing for external drivers now ensures a consistent user experience across storage platforms, and fully distributed services improve scalability.
• OpenStack Networking (Neutron): Tighter integration with OpenStack Compute improves performance of provisioning actions as well as consistency with bulk instance creation. Better functional testing for actions that require coordination between multiple services and third-party driver testing ensure consistency and reliability across network implementations.
• OpenStack Identity Service (Keystone): First iteration of federated authentication is now supported allowing users to access private and public OpenStack clouds with the same credentials.
• OpenStack Orchestration (Heat): Automated scaling of additional resources across the platform, including compute, storage and networking is now available. A new configuration API brings more lifecycle management for applications, and new capabilities are available to end-users that were previously limited to cloud administrators. Collaboration with OASIS resulted in the TOSCA Simple Profile in YAML v1.0, demonstrating how the feedback and expertise of hands-on OpenStack developers can dramatically improve the applicability of standards.
• OpenStack Telemetry (Ceilometer): Improved access to metering data used for automated actions or billing / chargeback purposes.
• OpenStack Dashboard (Horizon): Design is updated with new navigation and user experience improvements (e.g., in-line editing). The Dashboard is now available in 16 languages, including German, Serbian and Hindi added during this release cycle.

 

And these are other interesting links:

• The source code
• The Webinar: OpenStack Icehouse Release Update
• The release notes
• The Icehouse Activity Report
• The official press release

Different NTT and Peer 1 surveys reveal changes in cloud buying patterns after discovering NSA activities

About November, 2013, I wrote in this blog a 3 post series about one of the consequence of the NSA espionage, as the data disclosed by Snowden were been made public and analyzed; they were titled Personal Data Privacy & (Europe’s) Cloud Regulation: (I) The dilemma, (II) The privacy approach; and (III) Resignation?? . In these posts I made my own conclusions:

• Finding the balance between Personal Data Privacy and Business Regulation is keyand it’s not easy to solve this dilemma, even harder when the business is around a technology like the Cloud where free movements of data is intrinsic a one of its advantages.
• Data security must be improved (the use of strong encryption that can protect user data from all but the most intense decryption efforts).
• Finally, another worrying reflection to made is that NSA has shown that it is also subjected to the same risks of Data Loss (it doesn’t matter the way) as any other Business, and Snowden is certainly not the only one who had access to those private data of other people
• I understand better why (although very slowly) the European Commission wants to regulate more strictly about some related subjects, despite that measures may cause a negative impact in both business and innovation.

Now it’s been found that NSA activities changed cloud buying patterns, according to NTT and Peer 1 different surveys.

 

On one hand, a survey conducted by NTT communications (titled “NSA Aftershocks: How Snowden has changed IT decision-makers’ approach to the cloud”) shows the consequences of the NSA activity in the US mainly, but aslo in Canada, UK, France, Germany, Hong Kong. And, from my point of view, the main results found are:

• Almost nine tenths of ICT decision-makers are changing their cloud buying behaviours in the wake of Edward Snowden’s cyber-surveillance allegations.
• Only 5% of respondents believe location does not matter when it comes to storing company data
• It found 25% of UK and Canadian IT decision makers said they had made plans to move company data outside of the US

Please let me quote (and extract) this 9 point summary of report conducted by NTT communications, according to Press Release published by the same NTT:

1) 88% of ICT decision-makers are changing their cloud buying behaviour, with 38% amending their procurement conditions for cloud providers

2) Only 5% of respondents believe location does not matter when it comes to storing company data

3) 31% of ICT decision-makers are moving data to locations where the business knows it will be safe

4) 62% of those not currently using cloud feel the revelations have prevented them from moving their ICT into the Cloud

5) ICT decision-makers now prefer buying a cloud service which is located in their own region, especially EU respondents 97% and US respondents 92%

6) 52% are carrying out greater due diligence on cloud providers than ever before

7) 16% is delaying or cancelling contracts with cloud service providers

8) 84% feel they need more training on data protection laws

9) 82% of all ICT decision-makers globally agree with proposals by Angela Merkel for separating data networks

Note: The survey questioned 1,000 ICT decision makers on their approach to the Cloud, and took responses from decision-makers in France, Germany, Hong Kong, the UK and the US.

 

Besides, on the other hand, Peer 1 surveyed 300 companies about storing data in the US to analyze the effects of the NSA activuty (after Snowden revelations) and they found that (let me add to the previous NTT’s list):

10) It found 25% of UK and Canadian IT decision makers said they had made plans to move company data outside of the US.

Note: See this DataCenter Dynamics news for more details.

 

Finally it’s well know the change of policy in Microsoft some months after Snowden scandal:

11) Microsoft allowed its foreign customers to move personal data stored on servers outside of the US in January following the scandal.

 

Coming back to the NTT Report, its Vice President of Product Strategy in Europe, Len Padilla, said the results show the NSA allegations have changed ICT decision-makers attitudes towards cloud computing and where data is stored.

He said decision makers, however, need to keep in mind the benefits that cloud can bring to business services. And he also adds:

“Despite the scandal and global security threat, business executives need to remember that cloud platforms do help firms become more agile, and do help foster technology innovation, even in the most risk-averse organizations”

“ICT decision-makers are working hard to find ways to retain those benefits and protect the organization against being compromised in any way. There is optimism that the industry can solve these issues through restricting data movement and encryption of data”.