Liberty, the newest release of the OpenStack open source cloud operating system, is out this week. It brings a host of new features, as well as a revamp of OpenStack's governance model.

Christopher Tozzi, Contributing Editor

October 16, 2015

2 Min Read
OpenStack Liberty Enhances Open Source Cloud Networking, Containers

Liberty, the newest release of the OpenStack open source cloud operating system, is out this week. It brings a host of new features, as well as a revamp of OpenStack's governance model.

The full list of new features in OpenStack Liberty is so extensive that it comprises a long list with 17 individual sections, each filled with specific information about driver updates, API changes and so on.

Overall, however, the most significant new features in OpenStack Liberty include:

  • Cells, a feature created by Rackspace that lets OpenStack users manage multiple OpenStack clouds as if they were a single cloud. That simplifies maintenance and centralizes administration tasks.

  • Magnum, a container orchestration engine. Magnum simplifies the integration of containerized apps into an OpenStack cloud.

  • Courier, a new component in OpenStack's Neutron networking infrastructure that facilitates networking for containers.

  • A role-based access control system for cloud networking, which creates granular access control for managing OpenStack networking.

New features aren't the only big change in OpenStack Liberty. The latest version of the open source platform also introduces what OpenStack developers are calling a "Big Tent" governance model.

OpenStack was previously distributed as an "integrated release," which meant all of its components were distributed by the OpenStack project itself as a single package. The Big Tent model makes it easier for users to grab only the parts of the cloud operating system that they want.

At the same time, Big Tent distribution helps to decentralize the open source, community-based development of the platform. Developers can now contribute to OpenStack components without having to secure the official approval of the project. As long as they follow OpenStack documentation and license their work properly, their code will be part of OpenStack.

Liberty, which is generally available as of Oct. 15, is the 12th release of OpenStack in the project's history and the second one this year.

Read more about:

AgentsMSPsVARs/SIs

About the Author(s)

Christopher Tozzi

Christopher Tozzi

Contributing Editor

Christopher Tozzi started covering the channel for The VAR Guy on a freelance basis in 2008, with an emphasis on open source, Linux, virtualization, SDN, containers, data storage and related topics. He also teaches history at a major university in Washington, D.C. He occasionally combines these interests by writing about the history of software. His book on this topic, “For Fun and Profit: A History of the Free and Open Source Software Revolution,” is forthcoming with MIT Press.

See more from Christopher Tozzi
Free Newsletters for the Channel
Register for Your Free Newsletter Now
Subscribe

You May Also Like

Galleries
See all
Sep 16 - Sep 19, 2024
Join us for MSP Summit, September 16-19, 2024 in Atlanta, GA. You don't want to miss the industry’s most innovative and inspiring gathering of business leaders focused on growing their managed services businesses. This year’s MSP Summit will help attendees stay ahead of exponentially increasing security threats, expanding their range of services through a merger or acquisition and embrace a wide range of innovative new technologies. Get notified when registration opens.
Sign Up For Special Deal