Rackspace Private Cloud Software has added new features, including a new graphical user interface, OpenCenter
Cloud provider Rackspace announced on Wednesday that it has added a new set of features to its open source Rackspace Private Cloud Software, including open source management API and graphical user interface OpenCenter.
This update marks the third update to Rackspace Private Cloud in just over six months, according to a blog post by Jim Curry, senior vice president and general manager, Rackspace Private Cloud.
OpenCenter is a dashboard for defining, deploying and managing a Rackspace Private Cloud infrastructure, where an administrator can deploy services or features through a drag-and-drop interface. More advanced users can use the command line tool, according to a post on the devops blog by Rackspace senior solutions architect Kevin Jackson.
Graphical interfaces for managing cloud infrastructure are becoming a standard tool among public cloud providers. The simplicity that it offers takes the on-demand elements of cloud infrastructure one-step further through visual drag-and-drop simplicity. ProfitBricks has its Data Center Designer, and IBM just launched its graphical user interface for customers to deploy cloud services like compute, storage and network resources, along with the announcement of its OpenStack-based private cloud.
In addition to OpenCenter, Rackspace Private Cloud now allows users to choose which host operating to use. Previously, Rackspace Open Cloud Software required a download of an ISO to be used for installs, and was tied to a single operating system, Ubuntu. Now users can choose to run on Ubuntu, RHEL and CentOS.
Rackspace says users can expect many more updates to its Private Cloud Software throughout the year, including continuous integration and delivery, workload portability, and network inoperability.
Launched in August 2012, Rackspace Private Cloud Software extended its support with a new Core Software Support level, which includes 24-hour remote access support, in November.
Talk back: What do you think of the updates to Rackspace Private Cloud Software? Do you think OpenCenter is a good addition to Rackspace private cloud? Let us know in a comment.
About Nicole Henderson
Nicole Henderson is the Editor in Chief of the Web Host Industry Review where she covers daily news and features online, as well as in print. She has a bachelor of journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto. You can find her on Twitter @NicoleHenderson.
