Rackspace pushed out a Bexar code release for OpenStack Compute and OpenStack Storage today. The update comes with new features and a dedicated documentation site, preempting the launch of the next two code releases this Cactus and Diablo.  The Bexar release of OpenStack Compute introduces new enterprise features that streamline the installation process, allow users to pre-install and create their own application environments and instantly spin up the same copy as they scale out.

Bexar brings IPv6, Hyper-V, iSCSI with XenAPI, XenServer snapshot and raw disk image support to OpenStack Compute, along with the introduction of a sub-project nicknamed Glance. Glance is an image discovery and delivery service which can migrate workloads between OpenStack clouds.

OpenStack made 3 new partnerships recently. The first one is with system scaling vendor Grid Dynamics who formed a strategic R&D team to work on related initiatives, and the second is Ethernet infrastructure provider Extreme Networks. Cloudscaling is in turn the 3^rd recent partner who focuses on the OpenStack Swift object storage architecture.

OpenStack recently celebrated its 6-months anniversary, and we also covered the wind-up for Bexar’s launch. Wikibon analyst Stuart Miniman gave his comments of another aspect of the open cloud, HP and Intel’s opening of the FCoE market.  The open cloud has been a major topic of discussion at the O’Reilly Strata Conference this week, where we’ve been covering the developments of the event, and holding a series of interviews, including special guest Tim O’Reilly himself.