Ubuntu 9.10 will feature cloud computing
In announcing the next version Ubuntu (9.10, “Karmic Koala”) the founder of the Ubuntu Open Source operating system effort had a lot to say about cloud computing.
Mark Shuttleworth, the founder and leader of Canonical Ltd., the authors and distributors of the Ubuntu distro of Linux, announced the code name of the new version Friday and noted that the Ubuntu team had several priorities, including the design of the system’s “look”, according to a CNET article. The most interesting of the priorities, perhaps, was the inclusion of cloud computing features as a basic part of the package, especially on the server side of the release.
The statement released by Shuttleworth was very detailed, although somewhat metaphorical, in the area of cloud computing. The cloud computing section of the release reads as follows, in its entirety:
A good Koala knows how to see the wood for the trees, even when her head is in the clouds. Ubuntu aims to keep free software at the forefront of cloud computing by embracing the API’s of Amazon EC2, and making it easy for anybody to setup their own cloud using entirely open tools. We’re currently in beta with official Ubuntu base AMI’s for use on Amazon EC2. During the Karmic cycle we want to make it easy to deploy applications into the cloud, with ready-to-run appliances or by quickly assembling a custom image. Ubuntu-vmbuilder makes it easy to create a custom AMI today, but a portfolio of standard image profiles will allow easier collaboration between people doing similar things on EC2. Wouldn’t it be apt for Ubuntu to make the Amazon jungle as easy to navigate as, say, APT?
What if you want to build an EC2-style cloud of your own? Of all the trees in the wood, a Koala’s favorite leaf is Eucalyptus. The Eucalyptus project, from UCSB, enables you to create an EC2-style cloud in your own data center, on your own hardware. It’s no coincidence that Eucalyptus has just been uploaded to universe and will be part of Jaunty – during the Karmic cycle we expect to make those clouds dance, with dynamically growing and shrinking resource allocations depending on your needs. A savvy Koala knows that the best way to conserve energy is to go to sleep, and these days even servers can suspend and resume, so imagine if we could make it possible to build a cloud computing facility that drops its energy use virtually to zero by napping in the midday heat, and waking up when there’s work to be done. No need to drink at the energy fountain when there’s nothing going on. If we get all of this right, our Koala will help take the edge off the bear market.
If that sounds rather open and nebulous, then we’ve hit the sweet spot for cloud computing futurology. Let me invite you to join the server team at UDS in Barcelona, when they’ll be defining the exact set of features to ship in October.
All of that may sound a little dreamy, but it is also clear that the next version of Ubuntu will ship with a variety of well-honed tools that will advance the cause of cloud computing. The entire toolset will be open source, and will include the APIs necessary to turn cloud computing into reality on the Ubuntu platform. If you don’t like what is included, you will have the tools to roll your own.
What strikes one is the inclusion of cloud computing tools at a time when a new computing trend will require cloud computing to succeed. The growing netbook phenomenon is a concept that requires cloud computing to reach its full potential. Since many (if not most) of these netbooks will ship with Linux, it makes sense for Ubuntu to try to take the lead in this area, both on the desktop and on the server. This Ubuntu release might help make 2009 a very interesting year for the netbook.
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