Why VMware is Embracing OpenStack and Docker
With all of the focus on OpenStack and Docker lately, it is no surprise that even VMware is making plans to integrate and compete with players in the open source cloud and container space. VMware has long been involved with OpenStack through their work in the VMware OpenStack Communities and also through the acquisition of OpenStack developers during the Nicira integration.
How Does Open Source Fit Into VMware?
Many people have been questioning the involvement of open source technologies in the VMware ecosystem. As we look over how VMware has embraced open source tools such as Puppet in the past, the jump to become a serious player in OpenStack was not that much of a surprise really.
When VMware took a spot as a Gold member of the OpenStack Foundation in 2012, there was even concern from OpenStack proponents on how VMware may taint the ecosystem. In hindsight, the effect was exactly the opposite as VMware begin to feed back upstream to multiple projects. Concerns over their commercial interest in exploiting the open source cloud ecosystem were no longer top of mind.
VOVA to VIO
In 2013 the VOVA (VMware OpenStack Virtual Appliance) was created as a test appliance to integration OpenStack Havana components into an existing VMware vSphere environment. This was a great way for people to test drive the platform without as significant a time and effort investment in getting the products up and running.
Early in 2014 the VMware OpenStack team were active again and announced the update of the appliance to the Icehouse edition of OpenStack, although still labeled the project as “test”.
At VMworld in San Francisco Pat Gelsinger opened the doors on VIO, the VMware Integrated OpenStack. This was the next logical step from VMware as they move to fully adopt the OpenStack ecosystem as a part of their offering. Currently in beta, the OpenStack VIO edition promises tight integration with VMware products and the exciting features that OpenStack has to bring to a private cloud implementation.
Containers Everywhere!
Docker is another powerful tool that is quickly becoming a common platform to build and deploy applications into for both public cloud and on-premises deployments. Pat Gelsinger also threw down the gauntlet at VMworld during the keynote to show that VMware is all-in on bringing these new, popular platforms into supported roles in VMware environments.
By adding Docker to the list of products that will become available, this checklist becomes one that could attract many new customers, and more importantly, keep existing ones on board.
Timothy Pricket Morgan did a great article that goes through lots of detail on the VMware move to embrace these exciting open platforms, and it will be important for many of us to know what this could mean for VMware, and for us as customers, partners, and solutions architects going forward.
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Lydia Leong, Research VP at Gartner, had a very insightful assessment of the VMware announcements and the obvious challenges — as they attempt to evolve beyond their core competency. You can read her commentary here:
http://blogs.gartner.com/lydia_leong/2014/08/25/bimodal-it-vmworld-and-the-future-of-vmware/ -
Hi, Eric, Nicolas here (another fellow vExpert from Argentina). I think that the whole thing about embracing both technologies is to guarantee that VMware products will be used as the underlying foundation of the solutions were OpenStack and docker will be deployed.
Don’t get me wrong, I love OpenStack and the container movement. Also like VMware to see announcements like the one presented at vmworld but think that we need to watch the movie completely.
Sorry about my horrible English!
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