OpenStack is nothing but an open source software build for cloud computing platform. The cloud platform offers you software which runs as a service. As it is an Open source it allows anyone to access the source code and make changes as per their requirement. It is available for anyone who is willing to work with cloud services. With the increasing flow in the technologies, the developers were in search of something that can able to manage the cloud services and thus search gets completed when they found the OpenStack which controls large pools of compute, storage and networking resources. Not only the single developer but the large team can work upon this to achieve the fast and valid results as soon as they can.
Every concept or technology comes with the purpose behind it. So same goes with OpenStack too. It ‘s main motto is to provide its users and organizations an open source environment offering cloud services. It gives the users the ability of managing and controlling the components with dashboard. It helps the developers making the best and reliable products they can. The OpenStack is the future of Cloud Computing which helps running different items “as a service”.
Components of OpenStack :
Below are the components which are explained one by one.
a) Nova :
This component is very important part of an OpenStack as it is very helpful in managing the large extreme networks. It provides you computing engines and a platform on which machines can be run. Moreover it interacts with the virtualization machines and hence called as brain of nova.
b) Swift :
Every system contains the storage where the objects and files are stored. Hence swift is storage system. It helps with protecting your sensitive information and private files from being damaged because of some network issues. It makes the use of HTTP based APIs which will help in storing retrieving data objects and will make the scaling easy. Thus all your data will never lost as swift will take care about it in case of machine failures.
c) Neutron
This component of an OpenStack helps in communication between all the components. Communication does not take so much time. Managing networks requires scalability and hence it provides that.
d) Horizon
This component provides a web-based portal or an interface to interact with all the underlying OpenStack services. It is the only graphical interface to OpenStack. Its a Dashboard which helps system administrators a look at what is going on in the cloud, and to manage it as needed.
e) Cinder :
This component is used as block storage. it is only the software that deals with creating and managing the blocks. Whatever problem is there with the blocks, it only handles all. Also it is integrated with the enterprise storage systems.
f) Keystone :
This component helps with the security as each and every projects looks for this when dealing with different kind of projects. Like the WP admin sets the user roles. Same goes with OpenStack also, it also requires only the authenticated users with the specific role can access the resources.
g) Ceilometer :
This component is needed to keep the track of usage process meaning it counts the system usage of every single user.
h) Glance :
It is an image service which helps with creating the templates which can be used for virtual machines. Catalog for the templates can also be created and hence users can be select the one of your own choice. Not only it is used for creating and managing the templates but also it helps in backing up all your data.
i) Orchestration Heat :
This component works with the configuration processes, it is an engine which is automatically assigns configurations to an application. If there is some requirement then all that requirements are stored in a file by the users.
j) Trove :
Database is something which stores all the data within it. OpenStack also makes the use of Database as a service. Users after having deep understanding of database services can handle all the complex problems appearing anywhere within it. The tasks which can be easily handled by the users are : backup, monitoring, restoring etc.