CoreOS Inc. has launched a preview of its Tectonic platform, an all-encompassing container technology stack combining the CoreOS portfolio with Kubernetes, Google’s open-source project for managing containerized applications.

The Tectonic platform is designed to give organizations easy access to Kubernetes, together with the reassurance of enterprise-level support. Meanwhile, CoreOS has also created a number of Kubernetes guides and training programs to help customers get their containers up and running.

Tectonic allows companies to securely run containers in a distributed environment, similar to the way Google runs its own infrastructure, CoreOS said. It’s a commercially supported offering for companies that just want to hit the ground running with containers, either on-prem or with cloud providers. Tectonic combines the CoreOS stack with Kubernetes to deliver “Google-style” infrastructure to companies’ on-premise data centers or in the cloud, the company said.

“Tectonic aims to provide an easily deployable solution that packages up the best in container technology,” explained CoreOS CEO Alex Polvi in an earlier announcement.

Eliminating confusion

Containers hold the promise of helping data center managers sidestep the huge complexity of managing virtual machines in the cloud. But although the technology is radically simpler than virtual machines in principle, IT teams experience lot of confusion and choice when it comes to building a stack that supports application containers.

That confusion is precisely what CoreOS is hoping to eliminate. With Tectonic, companies get access to a complete stack of tools that work together seamlessly. CoreOS has thrown together a bunch of its existing open-source tools — including the CoreOS operating system, the etcd key-value store, the Flannel networking fabric, and the Rocket container runtime CoreOS built as an alternative to Docker’s runtime — and the Google-initiated Kubernetes container management technology, and added some extra components on top, like an installer and a management console.

“The interesting part is how various pieces of the stack are pulled together,” said Wikibon analyst Stu Miniman. “This is a complex stack compared to the traditional software solution that enterprises are familiar with buying. Kubernetes provides container scheduling, an important piece of the container ecosystem. CoreOS Tectonic pulls together a suite of open source projects into a platform, helping to simplify the adoption of containers.”

Alongside Tectonic, CoreOS announced the availability of a number of Kubernetes guides that provide step-by-step instructions on how to set up Kubernetes on CoreOS. In addition, the company said it’s planning to hold a number of workshops along with partners Google and Intel Corp. this fall, where it will provide training on Kubernetes, CoreOS and Tectonic, helping customers gain a better understanding of the container ecosystem. The company also said it’s planning to host the first “Tectonic Summit” in New York City this December, where select customers will be able to showcase what they’re doing with the platform.

Those interested can sign up for the Tectonic Preview now. Pricing starts at $1,500 per month during the preview period, and in return companies will get a complete Kubernetes install, a Tectonic console and 24/7 professional support.

The release comes as CoreOS rapidly gains mainstream validation. The last few months have seen all three cloud giants – Amazon Web Services, Google and most recently Microsoft – announce support for CoreOS. VMware is also supporting CoreOS with its vCloud Air and vSphere 5.5 offerings.

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