Many IT pros still have a long wish list when it comes to building a hybrid cloud with OpenStack and public cloud providers like AWS.
Hybrid cloud is one of the top IT buzzwords for 2016. Some enterprises will opt for an OpenStack hybrid cloud,...
which uses the open source cloud platform for internal or private cloud operations, and one of the three major cloud providers -- Amazon Web Services, Google or Microsoft Azure -- for the public cloud segment.
However, as OpenStack is still a work in progress, the interfaces and tools available to build an OpenStack hybrid cloud aren't as complete or effective as many IT pros would like.
There's also some disconnect between OpenStack and other cloud platforms. For example, tensions exist between members of the OpenStack community when it comes to interfacing the platform with public cloud giant Amazon Web Services (AWS). Rather than making Nova -- one of the OpenStack modules -- compatible with AWS' Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) interface, OpenStack is heading toward a native application program interface (API), and the resulting interface to EC2 lags behind AWS features. This is a big enough issue that Cloudscaling, owned by EMC, released a replacement for the existing Nova EC2 API in StackForge, a code repository, in an effort to drive compatibility.
These challenges are likely to pop up in an open source project. And while this tension, for now, continues to make integration difficult for an OpenStack hybrid cloud, here are some key considerations and best practices for using the platform alongside a public cloud like AWS.
The lifeblood of cloud is configuration management in the form of scripts. Ideally, cloud admins could use OpenStack scripts to configure AWS and other public cloud workloads. OpenStack's Heat module aims for this, but, like Nova, it seems to be moving toward native APIs. A single tool to manage these scripts would help organizations avoid the extra work, time and inevitable manual errors that occur when copying scripts back and forth across platforms. And, from a governance point of view, synchronization between clouds is crucial.
OpenStack and AWS offer some similar services, that helps with integration efforts. For example, when deciding on images, each stack possesses its own library of certified image solutions. Picking images that show up in both can help you with integration.
Storage and satisfaction considerations
In comparison to its storage, OpenStack users can deploy a wide set of options to underlie its Swift and Cinder storage modules. With AWS, your options are more limited; users can pick between Amazon Elastic Block Storage for block storage, or Simple Storage Service for object storage. While it's not too difficult to interface between OpenStack and AWS storage, it gets complicated when organizations keep up with the same data within their public and private clouds.
One complication, one example is, is synchronization. The interface between OpenStack and AWS is pretty slow and low bandwidth. Simple approaches including writing data to both clouds are so slow to aid many types of operations, so choices to protect against asynchronicity undoubtedly are a must.
With low WAN speeds, maintaining performance in the AWS and OpenStack hybrid cloud requires just as much data duplication across both clouds as is possible. This is easier to do with data that may be batch updated or which is low volatility. In addition, it's actually a best practice not to close down storage systems when exiting people cloud after cloud bursting.
Data which should be synchronized in near actual time is a different matter. Most likely, you will need to keep this data in-house, and when everyone cloud accesses that data, encrypt the details stream.
Another options to rent space for storage at a telco data center, the place that the connections to the general public cloud are faster. However, simply because this could decrease in-house operations, according to the speed of connections for the telco, this model is ideally suited for when the telco data center is nearby.
Tools which will help manage an OpenStack hybrid cloud
When you are looking at deploying and managing an OpenStack hybrid cloud, you will discover tools which can help. Red Hat, as an example, is extending its ManageIQ management tool to cooperate with hybrid clouds. This should help supply a single view for configuration and setup across public and private clouds. CloudForms, also from Red Hat, aims to federate OpenStack considering the major public clouds.
The big cloud providers may also be interested in the hybrid market. Microsoft now offers Azure Stack, and AWS seems happy to offer a similar "cloud-in-a-box" to its larger customers, like the CIA. These providers have internal tools that can assist with integration, as well as other services and software products will make hybridization easier in the next year or possibly even longer.
There's a great be done. Cloud management tools lag behind the other market, as outlined by Garter. But progress has made, and hybrid deployment -- including those associated with OpenStack -- will improve immensely within the next year or so.
Source : (http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/)
