Cisco has just rolled out the free distribution of OpenStack, the open source cloud management platform, where it will package other services, including virtual networking and high-availability features, on top of its distribution. As Cisco becomes a fast growing member of the OpenStack Foundation, this steps shows its commitment to keep evolving as a member. The same was announced at the OpenStack Summit this week at the semi-annual OpenStack Summit held in San Diego.
Cisco has also made its Nexus switches compatible with Quantum – the new feature of Folsom (latest version of the OpenStack code) that allows for virtual networking in OpenStack-powered clouds.

“The value of the Cisco edition of OpenStack is around services that will be integrated into Cisco’s OpenStack distribution, especially virtual networking, says Cisco VP and CTO of cloud computing Lew Tucker, who is also vice chairman of the newly formed OpenStack Foundation. “This is largely in response to customers we’re working with. When we deploy OpenStack into production, there are a lot of other considerations of how to integrate, operate and manage the OpenStack cloud. We’ve included those as part of reference architectures, scripts, and other important components that customers can use,” Tucker adds.

In addition, Cisco is using OpenStack code to create a private cloud within the company that will be used specifically by the WebEx team to create products and services. It is also announcing new functionality in its Intelligent Automation for Cloud (IAC) around being able to manage heterogeneous workloads that will allow management of cloud architectures powered not only by Cisco and OpenStack, but by other third-party clouds, such as those from Amazon and VMware.

Talking about other developments in the OpenStack vein, Rackspace Hosting has initiated OpenSack certifications, in the form of OpenStack Fundamentals. This offering is based on teaching materials that hosting company developed internally for a course called OpenStack Fundamentals, which has been available for the past year. It is a four-day course with six hours of personal instruction that has been given to hundreds of students in 50 countries already.