Learning OpenStack

Set up and maintain your own cloud-based Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) using OpenStack

About This Book

• Build and manage a cloud environment using just four virtual machines
• Get to grips with mandatory as well as optional OpenStack components and know how they work together
• Leverage your cloud environment to provide Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) with this practical, step-by-step guide

Who This Book Is For

This book is targeted at all aspiring administrators, architects, or students who want to build cloud environments using Openstack. Knowledge of IaaS or cloud computing is recommended.

What You Will Learn

• Get an introduction to OpenStack and its components
• Authenticate and authorize the cloud environment using Keystone
• Store and retrieve data and images using storage components such as Cinder, Swift, and Glance
• Use Nova to build a Cloud Computing fabric controller
• Abstract technology-agnostic networks using the Neutron network component
• Gain an understanding of optional components such as Ceilometer, Trove, Ironic, Sahara, Barbican, Zaqar, Designate, Manila, and many more
• See how all of the OpenStack components collaborate to provide IaaS to users
• Create a production-grade OpenStack and automate your OpenStack Cloud

In Detail

OpenStack is a free and open source cloud computing platform that is rapidly gaining popularity in Enterprise data centres. It is a scalable operating system and is used to build private and public clouds. It is imperative for all the aspiring cloud administrators to possess OpenStack skills if they want to succeed in the cloud-led IT infrastructure space.

This book will help you gain a clearer understanding of OpenStack’s components and their interaction with each other to build a cloud environment. You will learn to deploy a self-service based cloud using just four virtual machines and standard networking.

You begin with an introduction on the basics of cloud computing. This is followed by a brief look into the need for authentication and authorization, the different aspects of dashboards, cloud computing fabric controllers, along with “Networking as a Service” and “Software Defined Networking.” Then, you will focus on installing, configuring, and troubleshooting different architectures such as Keystone, Horizon, Nova, Neutron, Cinder, Swift, and Glance. Furthermore, you will see how all of the OpenStack components come together in providing IaaS to users. Finally, you will take your OpenStack cloud to the next level by integrating it with other IT ecosystem elements before automation.

By the end of this book, you will be proficient with the fundamentals and application of OpenStack.

Style and approach

This is a practical step-by-step guide comprising of installation prerequisites and basic troubleshooting instructions to help you build an error-free OpenStack cloud easily.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: An Introduction to OpenStack
Chapter 2: Authentication and Authorization Using Keystone
Chapter 3: Storing and Retrieving Data and Images using Glance, Cinder, and Swift
Chapter 4: Building Your Cloud Fabric Controller Using Nova
Chapter 5: Technology-Agnostic Network Abstraction Using Neutron
Chapter 6: Building Your Portal in the Cloud
Chapter 7: Your OpenStack Cloud in Action
Chapter 8: Taking Your Cloud to the Next Level
Chapter 9: Looking Ahead