Rackspace Launches OpenStack-Powered Private Cloud Software

Rackspace (NYSE: RAX) is the latest vendor to announce software to make it simpler and easier for businesses to install, test and run OpenStack private cloud environments. The Rackspace Private Cloud Software does just that — making it easier for customers to run multi-node OpenStack private clouds.

Codenamed “Alamo” (an odd moniker to give a piece of software), the software uses the Nova OpenStack compute platform that Rackspace uses to run its own clouds. The software has been released as a free download, and Rackspace is also offering optional support.

The Rackspace Private Cloud Software “allows businesses to utilize their existing investment in their own data center resources to run an open cloud solution for additional control and customization and also take advantage of Rackspace’s data center options,” said Jim Curry, Rackspace’s Private Cloud Practice general manager, in a prepared statement.

According to Rackspace, the software deploys in minutes and has an integrated and tested configuration based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, with other host operating system configurations planned for the future.

Simplifying the deployment of OpenStack seems to be a bit of a theme lately. Rackspace and AppFog recently announced a collaboration to make it easier to deploy applications on OpenStack. And earlier this year, Morphlabs launched an enterprise-level OpenStack-powered private cloud.

Rackspace also hinted at more cloud services and OpenStack plans when it released its Q2 2012 earnings.

OpenStack-based cloud offerings are popping up in every corner of the tech realm. OpenStack community members even recently launched the first ARM-powered OpenStack cloud.

This latest software from Rackspace follows the vendor’s successes with public and private clouds. Businesses are likely to focus on hybrid cloud environments for at least the next few years, and this fits into Rackspace’s continued support of both public and private cloud environments. It also works as the latest addition to the Rackspace Private Cloud suite.

The channel should find opportunities in using the software to deploy OpenStack-based private clouds for their customers. According to Kevin Jackson, infrastructure architect and author, OpenStack Cloud Computing Cookbook, the software “directly addresses the concern of OpenStack being hard to install and configure. The installation is very robust and intuitive and requires very few parameters to produce a usable OpenStack environment.”